How common are crashes at the track?
10-31-2014, 05:54 PM
#76
Nordschleife Master
Most of my de's have been at Lime Rock. If you go off track, there is no better place to do it for the most part as walls are not an issue. I usually see incidents there at the beginning, usually red group with cold tires going off track. Red group is also very competitive and incidents can easily happen. That is why I am considering a private club membership at Lime Rock. I can go out when I want and at whatever pace and never feel pressure or feel crowded from other drivers in a particular run group. If I wanted to race, I would get a race car. Maybe someday. For now, I just want to drive the GT3 in a spirited and safe manner on a track.
10-31-2014, 05:58 PM
#77
Rennlist Member
I had the same experience with Lockton, the policy is for two days but I only did one. A little over $1000! (Coverage up to their maximum, 120k). Motivation to do both days.
10-31-2014, 06:37 PM
#78
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Well, there is the whole idea that it's just fun and the only place to stretch a gt3's legs and appreciate the amazing engineering.
I've never timed a single lap. Probably never will.
The presumption that if you aren't trying to shave time off your laps and get faster, you shouldn't be at the track is the exact mentality that gets casual / amateur drivers such as myself in Trouble. Some people just want to go out and beat on the car a little, push it to 80% and not worry about a few seconds of lap time.
Different for everyone and while it might not make sense to you, I am certain it does to other people who go to the track.
I've never timed a single lap. Probably never will.
The presumption that if you aren't trying to shave time off your laps and get faster, you shouldn't be at the track is the exact mentality that gets casual / amateur drivers such as myself in Trouble. Some people just want to go out and beat on the car a little, push it to 80% and not worry about a few seconds of lap time.
Different for everyone and while it might not make sense to you, I am certain it does to other people who go to the track.
10-31-2014, 10:50 PM
#79
Burning Brakes
The problem is that, as we gain experience and get relatively fast, for most of us there's a need to keep pushing to get a little bit faster (with correspondingly decreasing safety margins) since, otherwise, simply driving at the track faster than you can drive on the road isn't enough any more, it just feels like going in circles.
Allan
10-31-2014, 10:58 PM
#80
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
The problem is that, as we gain experience and get relatively fast, for most of us there's a need to keep pushing to get a little bit faster (with correspondingly decreasing safety margins) since, otherwise, simply driving at the track faster than you can drive on the road isn't enough any more, it just feels like going in circles.
But a DE every 3-4 months at a track I only know a little - I'm not going to go hard. But again, that's just me...
10-31-2014, 11:01 PM
#81
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Crashes are pretty infrequent at my local track www.highplainsraceway.com
Not many walls and good run-off area helps a bunch...
Not many walls and good run-off area helps a bunch...
10-31-2014, 11:39 PM
#82
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I think that depends on how often you track,. If I join AMP, for example, and go out with little traffic more often, then I can see myself pushing to get faster.
But a DE every 3-4 months at a track I only know a little - I'm not going to go hard. But again, that's just me...
But a DE every 3-4 months at a track I only know a little - I'm not going to go hard. But again, that's just me...
11-01-2014, 12:16 AM
#83
Burning Brakes
Agree with others who postulate that the frequency of impact is highly track dependent. My home track (NOLA) has huge runoff areas and the few walls that do exist are a good distance away from the track surface. I'd guesstimate that we have no more than one crash per four weekends in the DE groups, and it's usually car-to-wall impacts, usually when the grass in the runoff zones is very wet. In the race groups, car-to-car contact is a bit more prevalent, but even there I'd say it's no more than one incident per two weekends. At a place such as Road Atlanta, where walls are everywhere and right up against the track in many places, the odds of hitting something have to be worse.
11-01-2014, 12:21 AM
#84
Burning Brakes
A good way to discern these statistics is by looking at the price of track insurance. Someone with a current track insurance can confirm but IIRC* $300-400/day buys (low deductible) coverage on about $40-50k agreed value. So daily coverage costs about 0.8% of the covered value. Subtract from that an approx 20% margin for safety and profit and the break-even cost ends up being around 0.7% of the insured value yielding a chance of total loss of about 0.7/100 = 1/142 (so 1 total crash in 142 days). If someone can provide actual numbers, and an estimate for the profit margin, we could get a more precise number.
*I'm self-insuring which may change if 6gt3's keep going up in price
*I'm self-insuring which may change if 6gt3's keep going up in price
11-01-2014, 01:39 AM
#86
Drive around them, let them pass and get into trouble all on their own, is the recipe for driving your car home at the end of the day.
11-01-2014, 11:36 PM
#88
Three Wheelin'
Crashes are pretty infrequent at my local track www.highplainsraceway.com
Not many walls and good run-off area helps a bunch...
Not many walls and good run-off area helps a bunch...
I will soon have my GT3 out there without question.
11-02-2014, 12:10 AM
#89
Nordschleife Master
11-02-2014, 10:56 AM
#90
Rennlist Member
Intermediate - totaled in the eases - I had given the guy a ride along just prior and I think he was a tad over eager unfortunately. Had never had that happen before (give ride along, guy then goes out and totals his car) the track was cold and I was catching lots of slides with him onboard
Advanced - and also clueless driver who never checked rear view
Hooked on driving is good in that it's more $$ so fewer yahoos - that being said there was a blue 458 out with us turning at best 215s and literally road blocking everyone even the fiat 500 out there so they don't police what groups people should be in
Advanced - and also clueless driver who never checked rear view
Hooked on driving is good in that it's more $$ so fewer yahoos - that being said there was a blue 458 out with us turning at best 215s and literally road blocking everyone even the fiat 500 out there so they don't police what groups people should be in