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This is from the SCCA's Track Night in America (great group) at Blackhawk Farms Raceway on July 7, 2015. I was running my 2015 Z51 M7 in the advanced group, and there were also two Z06's there as well, a Torch Red M7 and a Shark Gray A8 that you'll see below.
TNIA runs three heats of three classes (Advanced, Intermediate, Novice) starting around 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon. This Z06 was running in the Novice group, and I don't believe he had the car for very long. At the last run of the day, he joined our Advanced group. I don't know the reason for the switch, but it seems to not have been a good one.
At the end of the warm-up lap (at the front straight), there was a Miata in front of me and the Z06 behind. I passed the Miata and was going to let the Z06 by but we ran out of road. I've been at Blackhawk before and later in the session ran a 1:19, so I'm very much at home there. I decided to drive my normal run and let him pass at the next passing point (short straight between 6 and 6a), but when I approached that area and checked my mirrors, no Z06 (and no one period). I thought that was weird, and as I continued to the start line and saw a waving black flag, I thought "oh, no."
When I came around slowly to enter the pits, I saw the Z06 had spun out into the grass coming off of turn 4. I hadn't seen it in the mirror, and this was the one and only time I didn't have a camera pointing rearward (of course!). After talking with the driver later, I learned he was trying to keep up with me, came in on turn 4 high and he said it just "broke loose." Of course, he had it in Sport 2 or Race, so no stability control to save his bacon (I keep it in Sport 1 until the tires (and me) are nice and warm). Sounds like he may have come in too fast and high, and applied a little early throttle off-balance, causing the spin. I didn't see a passenger, but the passenger side airbag apparently deployed on impact (?). What was really strange is that this apparently totally disables the car, as in no-starter.
At the end of the day, I saw him finally driving away under his own power, but the hazards were still blinking. All things considered, it looked like most of the damage was minor body work - could have been worse.
Moral of the story: (1) keep your PTM in Sport 1 unless you really know what you're doing, and even if you do, don't take it past 1 until the tires are good and toasty (3 laps for me); (2) don't drive past your comfort level following someone in front of you, even if you can out-drag them - just because your car is fast in a straight line, it doesn't mean you can keep up with the car in front. And if you really belong in a lower group, don't move up until you're truly ready - I drive in intermediate groups whenever I'm at a new track, even though I otherwise drive in advanced groups. There's no shame or judgment about what group you're in, we're all just trying to have fun, safely. I know guys who've been doing this 20 years who take a lower group because they don't want to push it too hard, but they like being on track; (3) always buy the track insurance! While this damage was probably not to the deductible level, it could have been (but for the soft wall).
And now, the pics (full res, might take a while to load):
Traffic comes from the left; looks like an oversteer spin from right to left.
That's me in the foreground after the black flags came out. Cudos to SCCA for getting us back out for a full session after getting the Z06 off the track.
Never a good sight.
Might get away with a just a new front bumper.
The man on the left had the red Z06. He has a Stingray car cover for sale if you want one!
Oh, and Sons of Speed is a little group about cars my friends and I started a few months back, concentrating on track days and fast cars. We started a Facebook page - just search for "Sons of Speed" if you want to join.
I've seen worse... he's very, very lucky, but its still probably $5K or more....
Do they have in-car instructors in this event? How do they determine skill level of the driver?
No in-car instructors - it's more leisurely than your normal track event. I wouldn't recommend for the complete novice, but if you've been on track before and don't take an instructor, it's a great time.
That said, I did instruct for my cousin who was a first timer (driving my other car). That was actually fun, and I would have been happy to do it for other people. If there's enough of us that want to instruct, I'm sure they'd allow for it.
Moral of the story: (1) keep your PTM in Sport 1 unless you really know what you're doing, and even if you do, don't take it past 1 until the tires are good and toasty (3 laps for me); (2) don't drive past your comfort level following someone in front of you, even if you can out-drag them - just because your car is fast in a straight line, it doesn't mean you can keep up with the car in front. And if you really belong in a lower group, don't move up until you're truly ready - I drive in intermediate groups whenever I'm at a new track, even though I otherwise drive in advanced groups. There's no shame or judgment about what group you're in, we're all just trying to have fun, safely. I know guys who've been doing this 20 years who take a lower group because they don't want to push it too hard, but they like being on track; (3) always buy the track insurance! While this damage was probably not to the deductible level, it could have been (but for the soft wall).
#2 is the key - don't drive above your comfort level - be it with the track or with the car.
I don't drive SCCA anymore (I can't even get into the C7 with a helmet - I'm too tall) but when I did I learned real fast how this applies. I spun out my RX7 a couple of times before I got the message and learned the limits of the car and myself. I couldn't keep up with the Miatas but I still had a lot of fun.
Automatic. 'Nuff said. Automatics should only be allowed on track for parade laps. You don't learn anything about complete car control in an auto. He was probably bumped up into the advanced group due to straight-line speed and a notion that the novice group drivers were holding him up.
Automatic. 'Nuff said. Automatics should only be allowed on track for parade laps. You don't learn anything about complete car control in an auto. He was probably bumped up into the advanced group due to straight-line speed and a notion that the novice group drivers were holding him up.
07-13-2015, 03:47 PM
Another C7 Z06 Crashes on Track
If me I would count myself lucky for sure.
And sometimes you learn things the hard way.
