[rs911t]

I ran with NASA this weekend and had a great time. Their implementation of driver's education is explicitly geared toward racing. While the scheduling format is similar to PCA's (different run groups by level, 25 minute sessions) the details are interesting. For instance, the HPDE3 group allows passing anywhere on the track with a signal. So, I found myself passing in #5 or (better yet) at speed going into #4. A lot of fun.

I managed to get data and video every session. A monumental off in turn #10 is worth the 37 second MPEG-2 video you'll find at http://www.trackvision.net/videos/zen.mpg . If you watch The Daily Show you'll also appreciate its title - "A Moment of Zen".

Btw, please help me give Tony a hard time. He got lazy with his camera, thus failed to be shooting when calamity broke out ahead of his car going into #1. I'll let him tell the story ...

[Jim Richards]

So Greg, what happened? I heard tires screeching while you were still going straight, then all of a sudden spinning? Hopefully no impact.

Tony, do you owe us a story?

[Doug E]

Greg - Can't get the link to work ...

[rs911t]

Can't get the link to work

Yeah, something weird. Right click and 'Save As'. That works.

So Greg, what happened?

Not really sure, but I imagine a combination of things. I had the tires over inflated for one. The guys I bought it from said run 22/24 f/r. I started with 26/29, which is stock for the "T". Duh. Also, I spent the weekend learning all about boost in dense, cold air. What was previously a progressive power increase in warm air turned into a big WHOOOSH in cold. Finally (in a desparate attempt to find blame elsewhere) there was a puddle right before the curb at track out. One thing for sure - it just snapped and I was along for the ride.

[Jase007]

One thing for sure - it just snapped and I was along for the ride.

As I was once told ... "you are learning to dance on the knife's edge." Glad to see nothing /nobody got hurt.

Do you have a pre-track checklist? Saw it on some of the arrive and drive cars at last SVRA race. Simple check sheet you can tape to the windshield so has to be removed before heading out (e.g. torque wheels, air, fuel, lock pins, oil levels, pads, etc...)

BTW: you only get to use that "there was a puddle..." line once.

Jase

[APKhaos]

It was great to see 'The Beast' back on the track with nothing more that a new plumbing plug required to fix the problem. Greg's times are dropping rapidly, so I need to try to spank him now, while I still can [may be too late already ].

Had the opportunity to take Josh P's brother out for a session. Happened to be the last run of the day, very dark, running with lights, and very exciting.

Heard some very nice comments about Firoze's driving from his instructor. Well done, Firoze!

Saturday's race was always going to be a barn burner. The top three guys in 944Cup were separated by just six points after the 9 races. All three were determined to gain a points advantage in the three races left this season. I had a great time in practise, but qualified slower - in the second row on the grid. We had six cars running in the SuperCup field, so it looked like being a good race.

The start was reasonable. In the second lap, the front pack of five cars was heading into T1 when things got interesting. Eric [outside] and Russ [inside] followed by Dave [outside] with Brain & I on the inside line. As we came into the braking zone, it soon became clear that nobody was braking until the other guy did! Brain applied his fighter pilot judgement and situational awareness and braked to get clear of the developing mess.

The inside front car locked up his left rear and began to spin. The outside front guy was into the outside line already. Inside car T-Bones him. The second outside line car arrives on the scene milliseconds later, just as the rear of the T-boned car swings right across his path. As these three cars are spinning and banging, Brain & I somehow twist our way through the carnage. I was sure I got hit, but the car was clean after the race!

Eric Rupert was able to rejoin the race, and earned enough points to tie with the points leader. More fun in store for Sunday. With this mess behind me, I was able to gap the field and keep it clean for the rest of the race. Finished P1. Phew!

The post-race picture was not pretty. Three fairly rough looking cars limped in. Dave E had been on the brakes so hard that the shaft between the brake pedal and the MC had broken. Then the work started. All three cars were ready to go for qualifying and the race on Sunday. The front of the race looked like the 10th round of a prize fight - wounded and taped up cars with serious body damage and missing pieces leading the pack!

I decided to sit out the Sunday race. Figured I used up all my luck escaping the carnage of Saturday's race, and wanted to keep the car clean for the final points race on Saturday 6 Nov. Aside from the deer strike, I've managed to avoid any damage the whole season.

Final race weekend is two weeks away, and the Series Championship for Cup will go down to the wire.

[APKhaos]

BTW, there was a very nasty accident at SP in the last race.

The race was red flagged for an incident in T1. Three cars had stopped at the edge of the track between T10 and the Start Tower flag station. Two racers came through T10 onto the straight at full race pace. These two racers came together hard, and one was punted off into the trees track left.

Jim [Forklift] and I were standing near pit out when it happened. I saw the silver Cobra flying through the trees, and we watched in horror until the driver finally got out of the car and was walking, unsteadily, with the EM crew. He had no significant injuries, and went home Sunday night.

An object lesson in watching the flag stations - EVERY station EVERY lap.

More details from the guys involved at http://www.ffcobra.com/cgi-bin/ultim...9;t=001089;p=0

[Karl S]

You can ignore the discussion at Factory Five concerning the Porsches blocking the track - this is bogus. I was right behind the 2 Cobras that wrecked and saw the red flag out at T10 flag station. I looked in my mirror and could tell by the closing speeds coming into the T10 brake zone that some drivers behind me had not yet picked up the flag, so I continued through the corner and pulled off track right. I did not stop the car until I saw the other drivers slow and pull in behind me, off the racing line.

Up ahead of me, I could not see the wreck but I did see the tire smoke and debris flying in the air. There were 5 cars ahead of me. The lead Porsche stopped near start finish on track left, which is on the line. The next two cars (a Porsche and a Mustang driven by the head instructor for NASA) pulled off track right, off the line. Despite the fact that there were cars stopped on both sides of the track, at no time was the track blocked. In fact, the lead Cobra who was punted in the rear by the one that Tony saw go into the woods, went flying through between the parked cars and did not hit anyone. So there was clearly room, especially for a car under control, which these two guys weren't.

I think there are a couple take-aways from this incident. 1) As Tony said, you just have to be heads up at all times on the track. Too many of us, me included, can get so focused on passing that car in front, that we get tunnel vision. This is not only dangerous but will actually cause you to go slower, since you're not looking far enough ahead. 2) A HANS device certainly saved the Cobra driver from serious injury, if not death. If you race and don't have a head restraint, get one. If you are doing DEs and have a car equipped with racing harnesses, seriously consider getting one before you spend another dime on go fast parts. 3) A red flag is probably the most dangerous of all situations on the track. If you see one, check your mirrors before you do anything else. Gradually slow the car down, don't nail the brakes, and get off the racing line so that any one behind you that didn't see the flag can go safely sailing on by. Let the event officials deal with them later for blowing the flag.

Karl

[Jim Richards]

Great advice Karl. Was it really acceptable to have cars pulled off on driver's left on Summit? I might be mistaken but I thought in DE's we were told to pull over to driver's right (infield side at Summit). Just curious, thanks!

[Doug E]

Wow, scary stuff indeed. Sounds like there was alot of action at SP this past weekend ... glad everyone made it home.