how not to take turn 1 at TH . . .
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
how not to take turn 1 at TH . . .
https://player.vimeo.com/video/332891311
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
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jonparks (05-19-2019)
#2
Tech Contributor
https://player.vimeo.com/video/332891311
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
We've all been there and after a few more events it becomes a folklore discussion with you buddies. Clearly you were braking from 170 and it was raining
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
i was definitely very grateful to stay oily side down. i was amazed at how much grass i had to blow out of the vents -- not to mention the brakes!
#6
Melting Slicks
Pro Mechanic
Member Since: Nov 2013
Location: Ex DPRK, now just N of Medford, OR
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Excellent save.
Much better to slip the car gently off the track than it is to attempt heroics, and wind up in a wicked spin. Especially if you're in a pack of traffic!
No harm, no foul.
Much better to slip the car gently off the track than it is to attempt heroics, and wind up in a wicked spin. Especially if you're in a pack of traffic!
No harm, no foul.
#7
Drifting
Member Since: Jan 2013
Location: Between Boston and the cape
Posts: 1,525
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Car sounds great. Nice job unwinding the wheel b4 you hit the grass and easing your way back on track. Must be nice to have all that room. Most the tracks in the northeast are not so forgiving.
#8
Great save! You entered that corner about 20 mph faster than I'm brave enough to try, lol.
Although there is run off room if you get off track, there are often a lot of holes and dips that the grass hides. Did you sustain any damage to underside bodywork, etc?
Although there is run off room if you get off track, there are often a lot of holes and dips that the grass hides. Did you sustain any damage to underside bodywork, etc?
#9
Safety Car
That sort of thing happens all the time in the crapcan W2W classes. Spinning the car out is for the weak, just shoot a roost and keep going! My only concern in that situation is how many cars are about to pass me.
#11
Intermediate
Thread Starter
yes, it is on slicks. i grew up on the east coast -- so i ran watkins glen, summit point, NJMP, and VIR the most. watkins glen in particular is not very forgiving -- and i had an expensive day in the kitty litter once.
i was extremely lucky that i straightened it up just before going off -- as it doesn't look like it from the video -- but i was airborne more than once
i was scared going off and scared going back on -- definitely going too fast
rich willhoff, pro driver, drove the car the same day and was 3.5 seconds faster -- a huge margin on the 3 mile course -- and he was doing 135 at the end of that straight -- but braked better of course. i just wasnt' prepared for what the katech motor would change -- i will DEFINITELY be taking it much easier going forward!
i was extremely lucky that i straightened it up just before going off -- as it doesn't look like it from the video -- but i was airborne more than once
i was scared going off and scared going back on -- definitely going too fast
rich willhoff, pro driver, drove the car the same day and was 3.5 seconds faster -- a huge margin on the 3 mile course -- and he was doing 135 at the end of that straight -- but braked better of course. i just wasnt' prepared for what the katech motor would change -- i will DEFINITELY be taking it much easier going forward!
Last edited by DadLovesCars; 04-28-2019 at 03:15 PM.
#13
Melting Slicks
https://player.vimeo.com/video/332891311
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
don't do what i did. outdrove my ability at TH. this is what they call a "moment." or a collection of moments . . .
#17
Great skill at handling a really bad situation. Congrats and be safe.
#18
Intermediate
Thread Starter
many thanks to all. one update to this little adventure. i'd forgotten that after that session Chad noticed that the bolts on the rear wing had loosened. i'm running the Kerry Hitt stuff -- and i'd carefully set the wing at 8 degrees to start this first day of running.
But i had not tightened things sufficiently for the shaking of the track -- and it had dropped to MAX angle -- which is something crazy like 25%
so i think what may be depicted in this video is how the front washes out when you have the large rear wing MAXED OUT. it was definitelky surprised on that lap to have it pushing so much -- as it had been nicely balanced up to that point -- and in fact i'd put down my best lap of the day 2 laps prior breaking under 2 mins.
so . . . i'll just tell myself that was a mitigating factor -- not my hamhanded downshift and just general lameness -- as a little stab of the brake might have caught it. one thing is for sure. get a katech motor. go a lot faster. things just happen so fast you have to adjust and up your game. my game is clearly not there yet! somewhere in california a village is missing it's idiot . . .
But i had not tightened things sufficiently for the shaking of the track -- and it had dropped to MAX angle -- which is something crazy like 25%
so i think what may be depicted in this video is how the front washes out when you have the large rear wing MAXED OUT. it was definitelky surprised on that lap to have it pushing so much -- as it had been nicely balanced up to that point -- and in fact i'd put down my best lap of the day 2 laps prior breaking under 2 mins.
so . . . i'll just tell myself that was a mitigating factor -- not my hamhanded downshift and just general lameness -- as a little stab of the brake might have caught it. one thing is for sure. get a katech motor. go a lot faster. things just happen so fast you have to adjust and up your game. my game is clearly not there yet! somewhere in california a village is missing it's idiot . . .
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Vettemansam (05-03-2019)
#20
Burning Brakes
many thanks to all. one update to this little adventure. i'd forgotten that after that session Chad noticed that the bolts on the rear wing had loosened. i'm running the Kerry Hitt stuff -- and i'd carefully set the wing at 8 degrees to start this first day of running.
But i had not tightened things sufficiently for the shaking of the track -- and it had dropped to MAX angle -- which is something crazy like 25%
so i think what may be depicted in this video is how the front washes out when you have the large rear wing MAXED OUT. it was definitelky surprised on that lap to have it pushing so much -- as it had been nicely balanced up to that point -- and in fact i'd put down my best lap of the day 2 laps prior breaking under 2 mins.
so . . . i'll just tell myself that was a mitigating factor -- not my hamhanded downshift and just general lameness -- as a little stab of the brake might have caught it. one thing is for sure. get a katech motor. go a lot faster. things just happen so fast you have to adjust and up your game. my game is clearly not there yet! somewhere in california a village is missing it's idiot . . .
But i had not tightened things sufficiently for the shaking of the track -- and it had dropped to MAX angle -- which is something crazy like 25%
so i think what may be depicted in this video is how the front washes out when you have the large rear wing MAXED OUT. it was definitelky surprised on that lap to have it pushing so much -- as it had been nicely balanced up to that point -- and in fact i'd put down my best lap of the day 2 laps prior breaking under 2 mins.
so . . . i'll just tell myself that was a mitigating factor -- not my hamhanded downshift and just general lameness -- as a little stab of the brake might have caught it. one thing is for sure. get a katech motor. go a lot faster. things just happen so fast you have to adjust and up your game. my game is clearly not there yet! somewhere in california a village is missing it's idiot . . .
Nice job at keeping it straight. Interesting corner, isn’t it? A few years back while on Hoosiers, I was taking #1 a little early too. It was late in the afternoon where the day had warmed up to close to 90 degrees. The tires got a bit greasy and I got a bit careless. While going off at around 85 mph, I recall sliding sideways. Straightening the car was top priority but at the same time my brain was instantly reminding me of an unfortunate incident that occurred on this track a number of years earlier. On my first day at T H, prior to getting into my vette, I was on the sidelines when someone drove through corner #5. The car took out the tower with two workers on it and shortly everyone witnessed a helicopter taking these guys off to the hospital. Pretty dangerous sport we are all involved in… But back to my off. Getting four tires into the dirt at these speeds is a bit unnerving. I too was also able to straighten out and keep going, however the next mistake I made dealt with the way I tried to bring the car back on the track. Just as my front left tire was making contact with the asphalt I should have slightly turned towards the track surface. Evidently as I was running parallel with the edge of the track, I broke a bead between the tire and wheel on the driver’s side. So going into corner #2, the tire was flat. Kinda doubly embarrassing, especially when I had to be towed. But as always, lessons are better stamped into my brain through mistakes rather than when things go smoothly.
Last edited by Dirk Miller; 05-03-2019 at 12:10 PM.