Frenzyy

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2019/05/31/hpde-drivers-allege-rearden-racing-monopolized-open-session-left-frs-wrecked/

Ridiculous how this "race team" behaved on a HPDE event at Sonoma. I hope to never be at risk at a HPDE event, hopefully the lizard RS has full PPF with those rocks, glad it was not more serious.

Who's primarily at fault, the HPDE organizer not shutting the race team down after complaints or the race team using a HPDE event to test and tune?

kyrocks

Yeah, I have been through this a few times with different race teams and Lou Gigliotti on a few occasions.
No awareness, unsafe, unpredictable, big ego and on a few occasions just plain slow. The focus and objective of the DE is lost on these people. They treat it as a test and tune or a race. If they want to race they need to do it at different events.

TRAKCAR

You have to leave. Write off the day and don’t go back.
ive gone to some cowboy track days and it’s just not worth it.

soulsea

Thanks for posting this ... into my list of companies never to do business with they go.

Mech33

I was there that day and these Rearden fools were lining up to be the first 4 cars out at the session, at which point they did a slow warm-up lap weaving back and forth to warm up their tires while the entire remainder of the cars in the session were prevented from passing.

What’s worse is the organizer supposedly required mandatory attendance at the morning drivers meeting and a subsequent download session after the first session to receive sign-off to go out on track, but this was completely waived for these guys as they never attended anything despite many complaints after each session to the organizers.

daveo4porsche

I’ve run with this HPDE group twice - both times I left early due to tolerance of unsafe driving behavior being tolerated and/or ignored - 1st time i thought it mi get be a fluke, 2nd time confirmed it was a policy. i simply take my HPDE $$ elsewhere and pass on events organized by this organization.

its ashame this preventable situation happened, really ashame.

daveo4porsche

responsible race teams rent an entire session group from a DE group and are on track by themselves with no other DE drivers - everybody wins - de group saves money, race team is on track for rest/tune, de drivers get to watch why racing is different

when i first got a cup car i rented an entire group for the day from a bay area DE group at a reasonable price - that way i was out there learning on my own with no once else being impacted by my novice cup car skills - it was one of the best days ever for me and no one got hurt other than my ego!

Waxer

What Bozos. Pushing around HPDE guys and recklessly.

Despite the Release and Waiver it won’t protect the organization from reckless conduct. They are flirting with a major lawsuit if someone gets hurt.

Jzips

Those two incidents are incredible. Wtf!

unmanned

That's just unbelievable. I've done a few DE with race teams on track, but those teams were more than courteous and made sure everyone felt comfortable. Hopefully this organization will learn some lessons and get the teams that want to come to their days in line.

pdxmotorhead

Local club always has 1 session that's for "race ready" teams. Full race Prep cars may politely run in the other sessions.
Step out and your tossed no questions. NOBODY gets to skip the driver meeting period ever..

FogCitySF

I've tracked with SpeedSF among many organizations and feel they run a pretty safe track day. The most advanced session is more for quasi-racing/open for race ready cars (this session is not covered by some insurance policies) whereas the other sessions are DE/covered by insurance (seems like the R8 was in one of these groups 'mixed passing'). Regardless, this Rearden team looks like they were not local to the track (seems like Utah). A good driver can deal with both fast and slow drivers on the track and having been on the track with good drivers in Cup Cars, GT4 series, race prepped, etc I actually feel are some of the safer times I've been on the track due to driver skill as they know how to handle all kinds of situations. The fact that they're out of state, at one of the most difficult/technical tracks in the US, going to a mostly DE group means they're trying to do "racing" on a budget vs renting out a track for time like most orgs do. Then you have the Rearden lunatics try to BLAME the DE folks and a pro race driver (Joe's rear-view camera clearly showed the 370z came in way too hot and early apexed that corner, the exact WRONG way to take that turn), the R8 driver demand the FRS driver for compensation, the bad behavior overall from the day that was clearly angering those who attended, and trying to do "racing" on the cheap. Just a bad overall fact pattern. Can be argued that they should be banned not only from Sonoma but with other Speedway Motorsports tracks across the country.

mooty

complain about the organization... sure they sucked. but if you paid up and run my track days, you have way better time. but I am tired of hearing cows.

that said, with the complaints, organizer should be on track and observe. I would have kicked all of them out

Audi hit the car in front, and demands compensation. wow, that's new. I got you preg, it's b/c your rough vagina poked a hole in my condemn.
I am glad I wan't here that day, else they wouldn't make it back to UTAH alive.

the Z....
he's lucky he didn't hit the wall on left.
even if GT3RS was not there, he was way too hot into that turn.

RobertR1

Is that Joe or Ben driving the RS?

Dougr743

start gathering a group of guys, and rent the track yourself. try and stay away from big circuits and find small ones.