Falcon

I heard there was a crash at Summit Point in the past couple of days. Driver and instructor were evacuated. Driver all right, but instructor has some problems. Don't know much more than that.

Anyone with more solid info?

Hat_Trick_Hokie

From what I heard, at a FATT this past Friday, driver swerved to avoid an object on the front straight, and the car ended up over the outside wall. Those are all the details I know.

PushinTheLimit

Here's what I found on another forum...

"All I will say about the condition of those involved is that the driver is physically fine, and that the instructor has a long way to go to recover. THAT IS ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT HIS CONDITION OUT OF RESPECT FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY'S PRIVACY. PERIOD."

DOUG @ ECS

One of the reasons why I hate instructing..

RDnomorecobra

I am going there late April. I hear a lot about animals on track. Was that it in this case?

spazegun2213

I'm willing to bet this was probably the case (however it may not be). Having driven Summit a million times, for a car to go over that wall is shocking and I hope the instructor recovers.

now about animals at summit, they are more rare than you are lead to believe. Yes, there are animals and sometimes they decide to run across the track at unwise moments, but its far from a nature preserve. I think you and your car will be just fine

Supercharged111

Don't they brief to take them out at the driver's meeting? The running joke at one of the local tracks here is the fluctuation in prarie dog population between the beginning of the season and the end.

davidfarmer

It is certainly respectful to leave names out of this conversation, but if anyone knows anything about the accident and general damage/injuries done, I think sharing with those of us that risk our lives weekend after weekend is certainly warranted.

I haven't been to Summit in over 10 years, but if something happens that is likely to happen again, please share as you feel is appropriate.

jvp

It was car debris and driver error, not something specific to Summit Point. Could have happened at any track, with any car, etc.

jas

trapp

I would be interested if safety equipment or lack of equipment played a role in the injuries..
I'm in the transition of moving from a "track/street" car to a full caged car because accidents do happen that are out of our control. I made my decision to be safer because of hearing of these occurrences and learning from them.

sperkins

After a couple of years of close calls and oh-**** moments in the passengers seat (mostly mechanical issues), we took a vote at my house and we all decided that instructing wasn't worth the risk.
Even with a 99.9% chance of nothing happening, that .01% chance could be devastating to my family (assuming they actually do like me ).

BERETTA

I don't blame you one bit, if you ride a horse long enough sooner or later he will throw you. I don't know how you guys do it..

spazegun2213

ah... well that is something complete different.....

BrianCunningham

athornt2

Found another thread talking about the wreck. There is a picture attached of the mustang that crashed.... looks pretty rough.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...-vid-pics.html

geerookie

I hope the instructor recovers

r.hillenbrand

Sorry, to hear about this. Hope everyone is going to be OK. I know most of the NASA weekend instructors there. Was thinking of becoming one myself but this makes you think differently. Going to be there at the end of this month.

KNSBrakes

Apparently a pole impaled the instructor from below in a very bad way after the car flipped several times.

It was a poor error but a novice error - and very bad luck for the instructor. The car went through significant layers of track safety.

I just completed the NASA Instructor Clinic at VIR. I have not 100% decided but I think that was enough for me.

My friend Paul has instructed countless times. I think I would much rather preach safety equipment (brake pads) in the paddock rather then have that helpless feeling in the right seat.

sothpaw2

What turn, group/session, what error, what debris? Always good to learn. I feel safest on the straight before the braking zone so, without shifting, I wonder how that could have been an issue. Sounds like maybe an un-smooth jerk of the wheel at high speed to avoid a piece of debris.

Hope the instructor is ok. I owe my DE's to one of those guys; I didn't get much out of my first NCM VIR.

gbvette62

It's happened there before. Twice over the years, I've seen cars leave the track at Summit Point, and the Corvette I crewed on in the 80's, came real close to leaving it.

At the 87 IMSA GTO race, a Camaro (I think it was Jack Baldwin's Peerless Racing Camaro), literally went out of the track at turn 5 (the hard left hander, that leads into the Carousel). He was coming downhill into 5, when a slower car pulled in front of him. His car launched over the back of the other car, and cart wheeled up the hill on the left, and disappeared into the trees. Fortunately, the driver climbed out unhurt.

There use to be a flag station just past start/finish, on the inside of the track. During a Trans-Am or IMSA race, somehow a car crashed just after cresting the hill on the main straight, after crossing start/finish. The car roll and came right through the flag station. The corner workers were both injured, and had to be air lifted to the hospital. I don't recall that their injuries were life threatening, and one of them might have been back at the track, the next day.

We crashed our Corvette, at turn 1 in 1984. Coming into 1, it blew out a brake caliper seal, sending the car off the track on the left. It didn't completely leave, but all of the boulders and saplings that lined the track, tore the car up a lot worse than it would have been, at most other tracks. Then again, the boulders and saplings, may have been the only thing that kept him from leaving the track!