Short-Throw

Sounds like the passenger was the owner of the car.

Sorry if repost.....first time I've seen it.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=gQLM-K9TwWM


Mike

Gray Ghost GS

It sure gives you a sick sinking feeling in your gut....I feel bad for the owner.

1stZ

Terrible!!! I feel for the owner. I hope the damage is minimal & he's back running ASAP. Sure makes you think twice letting someone else take your car for a run (If the driver is not the owner). Either way, it's terrible. I could only imagine how the driver feels if it's not his car. But I'm sure it could'nt be worse that how the owner feels.

Short-Throw

Mike,

What do you think here.....

A lift, a little brake and too late with the hands?

...and I agree...hate seeing any metal crunched.

Sidney004

The R8 is such a beautiful car. I saw Stu Hayner(ex-Corvette racer) doing demo laps at Infinion for the Audi driving experience last year, it sounds fabulous as well. If that was the owner in the passenger seat, not too much sympathy here, he was a total idiot for letting someone else drive it, let alone on a race track.

Gray Ghost GS

Hey Mike, that's exactly what I was thinking - he lifted rather than feathering the throttle and then tapped the brake - thinking he was closing too fast on the Viper in front of him (probably focused too much on that car and not on his line, which I think was a little off entering the turn before the spin). When the rear got light and began to come around - he was late on the wheel to make the necessary corrections for a controlled off. Tough lesson. Mike

Here's the long version which shows the damage - not too bad, could have been much worse.

Short-Throw

Mike,

I saw that version but the sound is gone after the hit.

Looks mostly superficial, but I'll bet a few things are bent here and there as well. Not totaled, but sure won't be cheap.

Z06cool

Looks like a lift right before the little dip and he held his steering a little long to the right going over the dip which unsettled the car. If his steering was a bit straighter aiming for the gator on the left, he might have been in a better position....just my thought.

Gray Ghost GS

Can you imagine the conversation between those two after they got back onto the track to the paddock area!?! Damn Tim!!!

rustyguns

only let rich friends drive your car or very very good drivers

i had an instructor give me a few hot laps in my vette and i had no idea my vette would go that fast the G's were brutal! Had no idea the tires would hold that much sideways force!

i go a lot faster now

heavychevy

I had no idea the driver wasnt the owner. That has to suck badly for the owner and had to be the longest quietest drive back to paddock ever for the guy who crashed it.

I think the sound was edited because of the explitives from the driver most likely.

But even guys that can drive their butts off, can get crossed up too, just happened recently in a vette. I dont know the whole story, or if it's been posted so I'll leave the names out.

fhturner

Why do you say this? If you look at the driver's helmet in the rearview mirror, you can tell he's the one shouting "G.D.!" So, I would think the owner _was_ the driver... Sux either way...

dvandentop

damn sucky deal!

Kanmer

That sucks. The R8 is an absolutely beautiful car. Turn 7 will bite you if your wheels are not somewhat straight. Ask Dave Farmer. He hit the hump in T7 wrong. It has bitten a few people.

Bob

RAFTRACER

Looks to me like what caused this was the wrong entry approach, causing early apex into the uphill esses.....This forced him to be turning over the crest instead of having his foot welded to the floor already and having the wieght transfered to the rear........shame.

I never enter the uphill esses that way..............

Sidney004

The R8 has ALL ALUMINUM construction; body and spaceframe; probably as easy to repair as your average aircraft.

http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/120701.html

Aardwolf

Cars are made to be driven IMO. I'm glad he is out there having some fun with it. So many good cars sit around stored to be looked at. I feel bad for those. I'm sure he got it fixed up.

mikahb

My thoughts exactly. He missed the first apex a bit, but never got turned "left" enough on that first one to get on the line for the right-hander. Only salvation would've been to go through the dirt off track-left, lots of people do it!

Too bad for the car, hope everybody was okay.

gonzalezfj

You are right, Danny. There were four mistakes made:

1) Early apex at T7, so the car was way too far left for T8.
2) The driver didn't know where the apex of T8 was and tried to steer right while the car was "light" at the hump.
3) It also looks to me like he lifted because he was getting too close to the Viper ahead.
4) He did not countersteer early enough and did not apply power to get the rear to bite.

T8, with its blind apex, is one of the places at VIR that can bite you, as this guy found out.

A shame about the car...

Frank Gonzalez

heavychevy

+1 Early apex will hurt you badly in the esses. Absolutely not going to work. He was pointing straight at the new villas and had he not lifted and put in too much steering, he would have likely had worse damage since the gaurd rail on the other side is closer.

I dont know how you could fix that one other than to get straight and srcub as much speed as possible, or to just take an angle for the infield and forget there are esses, but your suspension would take a hit.