Short-Throw

I chair the Autobahn Committee and each year we strive to maintain and improve high safety standards on and off the track. Our season opens next week and each year members bring out guests who can't wait to drive on track for the first time. New drivers do not realize it's only as safe as we make it and as dangerous as we let it be.

The forum has been a great conduit of info in terms of track prep and safety tips. Most of the other forum section focus on performance and it drives me crazy when I see these dollars spent in lieu of safety. Many of you have preached this long before I even showed up here and I thank you. We want our fellow track drivers to be safe for not only their sake, but ours as well.

We all hit the track knowing that at any given time peril may await us. Just recently we sadly heard about an accident at CMP due to fluid on the track.

Towards the end of last year, my T1 car doubled as the Batmobile, but not because it was fast. It blew smokescreens in high G, high rev corners. I could almost activate it at will.

I have no idea how many more miles this engine will run before calling it quits. I also know I'm never going to find out before it's too late. The last thing I want to do is purchase a new engine -- But I feel it's my responsibility to replace it. Hence I have a new motor coming.

Even with the best maintenance, our cars can spit out fluid, loose a wheel, etc...at any given time. We still must take measures to remove any extra elements of danger within our control.

Tech inspection is not a free pass to a safe car, we must all act vigilantly!


Looking forward to seeing all my track pals again shortly and wishing you all a safe season!




Mike

bluemagoo

Well said Mike. You are a true ambassador for the sport/hobby.

0Randy@DRM

Nicely said Mike. It is 100 percent up to the owner of the car to be responsible for their car. Tech inspections are important mainly because someone else is looking at the car. We just got approved to be a Nasa inspection shop, it's not going to be a easy inspection at all. My old man is going to be my inspector I figured about a extra day worth of work to keep him happy

2000 Corvette = 10 year old radiator hoses, that is one small part of the overall car.

Randy

Z06cool

Aardwolf

That's not to bad! Here they are at twenty:





Could not get them clean.

ssdeuce

I have always went out of my way to make sure my race car was as safe as it could be. I think I speak for most everyone one this site when I say we all have to be at work on Monday.

John Shiels

Like many things it comes down to money. How far do you run your tires down, till the wear indicators or till you cord them? How far can you run a rotor when cracks appear? How often do you freshen your motor? How often do you dump your rims or have them checked? How long do you run your hoses? How many will run water only in a street car used on track?

If we were socially responsible I doubt many would be going 170 at a track in a car made to roll and crash at 65 mph and even then you have a big problem especially if you have a family depending on you.

We all try to get home and to the next event but there are compromises most make to do this.

Maxx Schlick

I know from personal experience that there are 20+ year old green BMWs out there with bugger rigged radiators that will spew all the antifreeze in blind corner 10 at Pueblo Motorsports Park (last summer), nearly putting ole Maxx Schlick into a concrete wall at about 95mph. This was a real eye opener for me when I talked to the junker BMW driver in the pits later on and he showed me how he had patched the radiator hose neck several times before, and that he intended to give it another try with a bigger gob of glue and tape this time.

The point to my own experience here is that if you think "tech inspecton" will protect you, you better think again. I back up Short Throw 100% that it is your responsibility to keep your own car safe.. but also be very aware that there are a lot of irresponsible people in the turn right ahead of you driving a rolling time bomb...a time bomb that passed tech inspection.

bowtiguy

I agree 100%

I spent 3 days and 24 hrs last weekend going over my car with a fine tooth torque wrench ( and replacing worn through tranny cooler lines ( A/C belt slap) ,new AP brakes, fabricating brake ducts etc etc...)

If you don't have the time or experience to work on it your self, pay someone to.

Some of things I've caught after having my car "worked on" by corvette tuners...Loose steering rack (motor R&R), improper coilover ride height (bottoming out), low torque A-arm bolts.

Thats why I boaght a new C6Z and have kept great log books on what has and has not been doen to the car including track time on said components.

I'm not perfect, but when it comes to safety I try to be.

Short-Throw

Good to see others chime in advocating safety. I've been through two separate oil dumps on track while driving the Beast, one almost disastrous. I'm lucky it was on a warm up lap and I wasn't up to speed.

Maybe it's just what I've noticed and certainly not scientific data, but there seems to be more foreign matter dropped on track during HPDEs than actual races I've been in. Perhaps the racers are more thorough maintaining their car? I have my car 'nut and bolted' after every event.


Mike

SIK02SS

I nut/bolt my car before every weekend and while it's in the air between sessions re-check over everything. Sometimes I find things that loosened a little, but usually I don't. The mechanic/friend that comes with me; if he doesn't help me the week or two prior to the weekend, the car's in the air first thing either when unloaded or next morning before 1st session to be nut/bolted. Unfortunately for many that just do HPDE, safety can't be taught, and the same applies to a minority of racers.

r8Desperado

Hi, first post here. My family is active in DE with another marque's club. The CMP accident was sobering and saddening to us.

Regarding mechanical failures, I know two guys personally with nearly new, immaculately maintained hi performance cars who have broken OEM wheels on track! So even the best maintained cars can have problems.

Finally, besides the mechanical stuff, remember that while it may be difficult and unpleasant, it is irresponsible NOT to speak to someone who is driving above their head or who's attitude is otherwise putting others at risk, whether on the track or on the street.

Be safe out there!

steve J06

I don't even run the hoses that long on my wife's station wagon!!


Me too! Trying to keep an informal logbook of ANY thing done good or bad to the car. Only a few events so far but could always go back and estimate the total time on components.

Does anyone have or publish a reasonable guide to component life? That's probably the biggest thing missing for me is a guide as to how long to go between teardowns, inspections or component testing, replacements, etc. Right now, i'm just trying to use my common sense (which ain't much ha ha)

steve

napacruzerc5

Speaking about being socially responsible...don't forget to dispose of your used fluids, parts (rotors, pads, hoses etc.) in the correct "green" manner. And if you don't do the work yourself find out if the shop that does the work for you also recycles and disposes in a responsible manner.

SouthernSon

Excellent point, Mike. We should all take a more overt attitude at the track with students in pointing out the pitfalls of ill-maintained equipment and unsafe actions on the track. I was behind the vehicle at Road Atlanta last year that blew a coolant hose on the front straight and was able to move off line. My buddy Jeff was still coming over the hill with his student and was unaware of the situation. His student lost it, of course, and the two ended up lucky but sore. The car was totalled. NAPA has the new (relatively) ECR hoses that last a long, long time. Then there was the guy at VIR with a bad case of spewing oil on everyone that got behind him. He didn't particularly care. Bad, bad etiquette. Fortunately, these occurences are rare and, as you profess, let's strive to keep them that way.

r8Desperado

One more thought. Today it is so easy to buy off-the-shelf performance that was unheard of a few years ago. It must be frightening to be an instructor at a HPDE event and get in the car with a guy with a brand new Z06 or ZR1 or Audi R8 or 500HP Mustang with absolutely no idea about this person's ability, attitude, or willingness to take instruction. If we are going to keep the safety record of our sport acceptable, track day organizers and HPDE programs are going to have to place more and more emphasis on training and instruction, both classroom as well as skidpad and on-track. And that training is going to have to include frank discussions of acceptable behavior and attitude, not just car handling and line. The days of "half-a-session, you seem safe, and a sign-off" just won't cut it anymore.

EDIT: I guess I got pretty far off topic, sorry!:o

SouthernSon

Not really; your observations are right on. I don't think the 'fun' quotient is diminished in the least by active, hands on training with do's and don't's. It is just how you present it.