[VaSteve]

I found this video on Pelican... The guy flips his Subaru at Lime Rock Park. Can one of you with some track experience view this and tell me what he did wrong?

http://www.buoy.com/~lally/car/lrprollover.mpg

The best I can tell is that he entered the turn earlier than the 911.

[racer]

I know the owner of the 911... does that help?

[Jim Richards]

I thought he was early and had too much steering input. Maybe going a bit too fast to be that early and turning that sharply, as well. Just guessing though.

[racer]

While I can't see what the drivers feet were doing. (Trailbraking, gas, both? neither?) He did enter a bit early for most cars. Curiously the rear steps out fairly early, combined that with the front tires getting an increase in grip as you climb the hill, the rear further "lightened" up and around she came... So I would summarize as Too Fast and Too Early.

I've had the incredible luck to spin on that hill and not contact anything.. Just a nice 360, put it in first and motor away. Clearly others aren't so lucky

[Eli]

ouch....

[BlackTalon]

Quite sad, but kinda cool to watch... And the commentary is hard to beat!

[OldTee]

Who was driving the slow Porsche we see in front?

[Don Wohlfarth]

Notice how the driver is early/very early on every turn prior to the mishap. The driver was more interested in trying to set up the car in front for a pass instead of driving the line. Very early turn in, maybe 6 or 8 feet inside of the car in front. I think entry speed was OK as he wasn't rapidly gaining thru the turn on the car in front. Looks like driver was in decent shape as he tried to counter steer as soon as the car began to rotate and the tires started screaming. Can't hear the exhaust so it's hard to say but driver may have lifted as he started to countersteer.

[Jase007]

There's early ... then there is EARLY . Scooby driver went way early. [edit -no cone - just red mark on armco] Don't think he would have been OK even if he stopped dialing it in and counter steered earlier and got on the gas. He would have run out of track eventually. This is a good illustration of what happens when you don't stay left (for an upcoming R) all the way to the turn-in point. I call it "creeping" b/c the driver creeps away from the edge towards the corner b/c they are anticipating getting to it and don't realize they have changed the entire nature of the corner by going early. The results also not so subtly "creep" up on you.

The uphill at LRP is an illogically early apex corner b/c as you go through it and get the compression of the hill (and it is a lot) you get more grip points to spend in the front, then you simply turn the wheel. While completing this though ... the rest of the track closes from the left in the form of an armco and you have NO run-off room to the outside of the corner. Many a 944 has had ball-joint failure on this up-hill, I've seen it a couple of times. The suspension gets a lot of load going up the hill.

If you go in sideways and get the compression while also dropping the left rear wheel off the track in the dirt .. you get a scooby rollover. It looked (sounded) like he scrubbed a little speed but not enough. Depending on how you are going ... coming onto the back "no-name" straight is a high 2nd or 3rd gear event to 4th and maybe low 5th in a 911. I usually hit max revs in 4th by the time you get to the uphill. Bang a gear to 3rd , trail-brake a little and then ON THE GAS through the compression and up the hill. The instructor mentions that the student is in 4th along no-name straight.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened at the top of the uphill b/c if the car it not STRAIGHT you are going for a ride. most cars will get wheelspin as they cross over the hill and the car HAS to come down going straight when you re-load the suspension. (or at least the wheel better be straight (pointed to where the car is going).

I have some in-car video somewhere with wheelspin I'll have dig up for your amusement.

Jase

[Jim Richards]

Yes Jase, video PLEASE!