http://oppositelock.kinja.com/fatal-...nta-1721931526

You might want to read this.

 

Yes, motorsports are inherently dangerous. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

But pretty much anything is if you lack the proper preparations, skills, and mindset. You can kill yourself or someone just as easily on the street doing some "spirited drivings" as you would on track, if you don't know what you are doing and don't account for the variables on the environment around you.

So if you are going to a track, you really need to evaluate the capability of your own and that of the car (less of a worry for a modern 911, of course), and drive accordingly.

Truth is, if you enjoy exploring the true capability of these cars, you will be safer and better off doing it in a closed track with proper guidance. That being said, I do think the level of instruction from most club/organizations here in US is severely lacking (you are probably better off gathering your own telemetry and learn how to properly interpret them to improve your driving).

 

Great read and all very true but I wouldn't let this frighten anyone away from the track. Something could go wrong on the highway too.

I have spent 100s of hours on the track in various cars from a MB C63 to a fully race prepped E36 M3 with ALL of the safety equipment and gear. Today, I'm back to tracking my street cars and, to be honest, this sort of thing is always in the back of my mind. Putting a $100K+ car on the track where anything can go wrong is nerve racking if you let yourself think about it.

HPDE's are HUGE fun. HUGE fun. To me, they are the main reason to own cars like this because you simply cannot appreciate and enjoy them fully on public roads. It would feel like a waste to me to buy a car like this and drive it to and from work only (just my personal view). My advice to others... and what I remind myself before each event... is that it is very important to stay within your ability. Leave ego and testosterone in the paddock. If someone in a lesser car passes you, that's OK and means nothing. If I'm driving at 85% of my personal ability, there is room for me to make a mistake or recover from something mechanical failing (hopefully). It's about fun and not ultimate lap times.

I remind myself of this each time out... especially when I'm running with faster cars and faster drivers where it is all too easy to push just a little too much. When I was in my fully prepped track car, I would drive at 95%+ because the car itself was a safety net (and it was only a $30,000 investment). In my current M4 or my next car (a 911 something), I will never push as hard.

Having said all of that... I believe EVERYONE should track their cars and do so in a safe and responsible way. It is simple the most fun you can have standing up... and if your girlfriend/wife isn't talented, maybe the most fun you can have in ANY waking position

Just my view...

 

Programs like the one in the article, where all drivers receive classroom instruction before ever setting tire on the track, and then are required to ride with instructors, are the type of events where incidents like the one in the article are least likely to happen. Individuals however can do all kinds of crazy things- and I have sat right beside enough of them to know this first hand. This is why, as the old saw goes, the most important part to upgrade is the nut behind the wheel.

But the really big problem I have is here we go again jumping right to "track" while glossing over (at best) the importance of developing basic car handling skills. The author of the article glosses over it with brief comments about a classroom. The OP doesn't even get there at all, its just "tracking your 991?"

The track is actually a pretty poor place to begin learning basic car handling. Go learn anything about any other sport, you will find that even at the professional level they all break it down to the basics, then practice, practice, practice those fundamentals- in order to then be able to put it all together in the event. Only somehow in driving everyone wants to jump right straight onto the track without ever so much as having learned how to brake.

That's why anyone serious is well advised to put the track off and begin with Driver Skills and/or autocross. Both PCA and BMWCCA run Driver Skills programs. These emphasize learning how to brake and corner, how to use your eyes, throttle control, weight transfer, etc. with courses and exercises specifically developed to focus on these individual skills. Everything happens at normal street driving speeds of around 40-70 mph or so. Risk, wear and tear, and fear factors are far lower, and because speeds are so similar everything learned directly transfers to the street.

After a few of these you will then be in a great position to try autocross.

And after that, then to the track? No. Then to Driver Ed. Which may happen to be on a track….

 

I agree with most of the sentiments above. I have a fully track prepped 370z. It was a huge decision to take it from being a street car to basically making it worthless by gutting and caging it, but as my skill levels and speed increased, I decided safety upgrades were paramount.

Drivers skills programs are a great place to start, another is a real racing school. It is more expensive, but when I took the 3 day Corvette school at Spring Mountain, we did drill after drill of braking, heel toe, windshield obstructed slalom course, etc. It wasn't til the 3rd day that we actually did real hot laps on the track and it really helped build basic skills.

The one thing about the recent abundance of incidents that is giving me second thoughts is whether to keep instructing, or go back to just going back to being a regular participant. I really enjoy instructing, but you can't choose who your students are and what type of car they are in. Usually, beginners are slow enough that its not a problem, but as I get older, I'm getting less comfortable with the idea of riding around with someone else in control.

 

Given the current state of affairs and protection of species from marketing, you're more likely to die from a shark attack than an HPDE event.

 

You certainly live up to your rep here.

The point of posting this was to make anyone considering a track day to consider the possible outcomes. I see a lot of HDPE events, with people driving very fast cars without cages and assume they don't realize their risk.
Personally, while i may take my 991 out for a track day to play, I will never drive it close to the level of my purpose built race car, which I do while strapped in a 6 point harness, suit, Hans, fire system,...and race wheel to wheel.

 

While we're on this, how many of you wear a HANS device at HPDE events? Nomex suit?

 

HANS but no nomex.

 

Too all of you new members, chuck911 doesn't even own a P-car. Take his thoughts and recommendations with a grain of salt.

 

The track, like the street, is as safe as you make it. Drive within your skill and comfort zone, and the risk is very manageable. Don't and it isn't. Just like everything else in life. And as the speeds increase and the downside of an off track excursion gets more costly, invest in more safety equipment. But I don't agree that a full roll cage, HANS and nomex is required before one can begin to enjoy the track.

The more you are testing the limits of yourself, the car and/or the track safety itself, the more safety devices you need. Not rocket science. All of the significant track day crash videos I've seen, the driver was pushing seriously hard. If I were a hard core track day guy, like I was on motos, I'd invest in a lot of safety gear. If I'm a once in a while track day guy, just out for fun and driving 7/10ths on tracks with good runoff, a helmet and properly maintained car is enough.

 

^^^^this!

 

no disagreement.

as long as you can control the red mist, you're fine.

The original post was to make people think about what they were getting into and consider the outcomes.

full disclosure:
I've never turned a wheel on a track unless it was in competition, or testing leading to competition, other than when I was getting licensed or going to a school.
I do plan to run some laps in my C2S one of these days just to check it out.

 

This was a very unfortunate incident from what I've read. I've been on the track 10 times or so with my stock 991, and fully realize it is faster than me, and even so, not a race car. While I run some respectable lap times, I realize to run faster I need more equipment. I need HANS and a cage as a minimum.

I think too many people get a large number of track days under them without upgrading their vehicle to the faster speeds they are running. Did this happen here, I don't know. I do see a lot of people out there running without the proper protection.

In the HPDE events they progress drivers to more experienced groups by driving ability. I firmly believe there should be safety equipment requirements for the faster driving groups.

 

and in that pic, looks like you're in guardrail heaven, also known as the Glen!