Started out as just another night at the track. A few practice runs and home. Right!

On the forth or fifth run I cross the finish line ~ 110 - 112, let off, plenty of run out but, it's dark. LACR is not real well lit along the run out area and I run on the fog lights only. Hit the window down, ahh fresh air, hit the clutch, gun it and down shift to 3rd.

:eek: !!!! There's someting big and dark on the track and I'm closing fast!!!

Breaks HARD! Check the right outside mirror, where's that other car, #$@# he's closing fast on my right!!

MORE BREAK, anti-locks activate. Off breaks, the guy in the right goes by, dive to the right lane, and pass the idiot that ran ahead of me stalled in the center of the left lane with no lights. Thanks a lot turkey.

Now for the bad news. I went around an made another pass and the breaks felt real mushy at the end of the run. I headed back to the pits and parked.

Under the lights I could see smoke coming out from the left front and left rear breaks. I did a little checking and each time I pushed on the break peddle I get another burst of smoke. I checked the master cylinder and it was below its normal level but near full. I managed to get home safely using deserted back country roads and avoiding traffic, stop signs, and lights as much as possible. Using the 6sp. I didn't need to apply much breaking but each time I did, the peddle went a little lower.

What do you guys think? Did I split 2 break lines, (stock), or maybe the anti-lock action loosened the fittings at the slave cylinders?

I take a look tomorrow and let you know. Right now I'm cleaning my shorts and having a beer. :D

Truth is I would have never missed the guy if the right lane hadn't opened up.

Let me go se if my shorts are ready to go into the dryer... :lolg: :lolg: :lolg:

:cheers:




[Modified by scool93535, 8:26 PM 1/28/2004]

 

Steve I cannot comment on what the problem might be but there is a valuable lesson here.

Never let your guard down on the track. Many times the a pair of cars is sent when the first pair crosses the finish (at least it seems that way). If a car has a problem up there that can happen.

I saw one time when a driver's seat belt somehow tighten up so much that the driver stopped to let it free mid track causing a similar situation to yours.

 

Jeez Louise Stephen!
Thank goodness you made it thru OK!
Maybe I'm over-reacting, but that incident is unacceptable to me. What were the track personell doing?! I would be inclined to bring this up to Bernie. Would be good to have a reminder passed down to the track personell from the top man himself. I'm sure they do a good job 99% of the time, but all it takes is once and a few seconds.
I do recall an incident where at a night race a track worker was out on the top end picking up debris and the tower sent two fueler rails screaming by him.
Glad you're OK and ya still got sharp reflexes!!!
Maybe the fluid boiled? Any puddles of fluid under the car?

 

:eek:
I started reading this post and it got ominous right from the start. Too bad about your brakes but I thought it was going to turn out that you smacked up your car. Real relieved that you and the car are OK.
Tommy Lasorda would say that you may have used up some units of luck towards winning the next WCCC race. Hope not and wish you luck Feb 28. Sounds like your personal "rear brakes" faded a bit too if you had to wash your shorts.

 

No lights, what an idiot!

 

WTF! who the heck blew that? the track crew was sleeping on that one! Bernie needs to read that crew the riot act :mad

 

Good thing you and the car are ok.

I always do a visual of my lane, making sure it's clear before I take off. I know that's the track's job...but if something looks fishy at the top end, I'm not staging 'til it's cleared out.

Luckily at E-town, we don't have to worry about that.

 

:iagree: :mad Someone wasn't doing his or her job! :nono:

 

Steve - I must have missed this when you first posted it...that's pretty scary. Glad you managed to avoid the track disaster...this could have turned out a lot worse... sorry to hear about the added brake problems. I hope you visited the tower before you left the track to point out the potential for disaster...I wonder if any more cars were run after your incident, and before they got around to clearing that car off the top-end? I will surely think about this before I go out for another night-time test and tune at LACR.

 

Yikes, Steve!!!!! I don't care much for racing at LACR at nite for that reason...but the track crew should have been a little more awake!!!! I always pop my lights on out of the trap because I'm a scaredy cat about things lurking at the end of the track....glad everything turned out OK. I agree that Bernie should be made aware of a near miss that could have been really terrible.

See ya on the 28th!! :seeya

Rochelle

 

:iagree:

 

Great job of driving!! One warning for cars w/out tail light....then kick them for the night!! :cheers: Starter are to watch for each car to have a tail light.

 

:iagree: but I don't know exactly what happened to disable the car...so, giving the disabled car/driver the benefit of the doubt... in the case of electrical failure, the light would have been functional at the start, and of no safety value with electrical failure at top-end of the track, if he wasn't able to clear the track. IMHO, the track officals/safety crew posted at the top end dropped the ball on this one. Might also help to have a few lights at that end of the track for driver safety.

Of course this might cause the entry fees to increase slightly...

 

Breaks are fixed. Found the steal braded clutch line had rubbed a pin hole in the break line for the front breaks so they lost a lot of pressure. I had the line replaced from the master cylinder to next to the clutch and moved the clutch line a little to prevent it from happening again.

All's well now but, I will have to miss the coming WCCC due to a business trip. I'm working on getting the tables and chairs to someone that does plan on making it.

:cheers:

:seeya