Taz

To make a long story long...Last year I decided to apportion most of my adrenaline needs to a car other than my p-car so I got me a Honda S2000. Turn-in on these cars is something else, but from the first day I noticed a tail happy tendency. After a few more visits to the track and some re-alignments I managed to dial out most of this oversteer in all but the fastest corners. However one thing that I couldn't get rid of was a pogo effect the rear end had on a bumpy double apex. To lift the gas in the middle of the turn spelled disaster (sounds familiar, huh?). So once past the turn-in point I had to commit to the gas pedal with a finesse I thought only necessary in rear engine cars. Late apexes gave me a lot of comfort, but as most will know, a late apex meant a slower overall speed thru the corner.
Well with my new car and the new year came a new track. 10 freaking minutes from my home. This meant I could eak out a track day before having to take my 5 year old daughter to her best friend pool party. The day in question would be my 10 th track day in the Honda at this nearby track. I figured that between PCA events, timed trials and renting the track with a few buddies I had gone around this track over 400 times. I felt confident. One this day, too confident. I decided it was time to work on my late apexes. After conferring with friends I took the car out. It felt great to nail the apex. Inmediately my times improved by half a second. Friends said the car seemed effortless through the turns. People would come to look at my car and talk to me. I was happy.
Well on the second to last trial I lost control in a double apex. I picked up some oversteer on the first apex. I thought I had it under control. At the corner exit I was still drifting. First to the left, then to the right and to the left again. It seemed to last forever. I even had time to remember Joe Foster's (instructor an Panoz) advice in a situation like this " always look in the direction the car is going". So I did. I looked out the window and stared at a bare concrete wall. At that point I lost that lovin' feeling I had been feeling all day.

Click here to see before and aft pics of my car

Ryan S.

Ouch, that hurts. Glad your ok. Is the S2000 totaled?

DJ

That's a real shame. It's never good when your car comes in on a forklift. Sorry about your car.

A couple of points: I think the phrase you're thinking of might instead be "Look where you want the car to go", not "Look where the car is going". There's a small but important difference. Also, the turn in your photo does not to me appear to be a classic double apex turn. A double apex turn is normally thought of as one in which you apex twice (in the same direction) in the same turn. For example, turn 2 at Laguna Seca. It's a left hand hairpin, in which you turn in to the left, apex early, let the car drift out wide a bit to the right, then apex again toward the end of the turn (to the left again). One turn, two apexes. The turns indicated in your photo would (I think) be more commonly referred to as a "Chicane", or possibly even a "Bus-stop Chicane".

ruffy

sorry to hear,
If its any consolation, s2000 are not known to be progressive at the limit.
hope you get a replacement soon

Greg Fishman

First of all the "double apex turn" did not kill your car. You did. You were behind the wheel and should take responsibility for what happened. If you don't this will happen again, no doubt.

Also DJ is spot on with his advice. You always, look where you want to go, not neccesarily where you are headed.

SPR

ouch. I take it from that vortech sticker on that back that, that had something to do with it eh? If so I bet it was fun while it lasted. Hopefully you towed to somewhere far from the track and said it was a hit and run or oil on the road or what have you.

pig4bill

Nice advice - insurance fraud.

Sloth

Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you are doing alright. Be glad it was the Honda and not the TT.

I went to the Panoz school and remember a story Joe told about looking in the direction the car is going. You must have missed the end of that story when the car ended up inthe wall. The real lesson... Look where you want the car to go, not where it is going.

stedge

Not to be crass or rude, but if you need a replacement S2000, let me know.

Just be careful.

Taz

Hi,

I stand corrected - yes, the turn i was coming out off is a chicane - not a double apex and yes the instructor's words were to look where I want to go.

Ryan962LM, even if the car isn't totalled, I doubt I'll end up keeping it - much less spend the little quality time I have fixing it. I'm looking for another joyride south of what a p.car costs.
Superyellowfly, S2000s are known for their snappy oversteer. It's part of what makes them fun and fast at the track and a rare treat in a world filled with cars with moderate understeer. But like you said, not progressive at the limit.
Sean, actually the insurance co. is looking at my case - it might have something to do with the other 70 vehicles that are in the same policy . No doubt the car was fun, only if Honda were to do something about it's anemic HP and Tq curves would I show interest in it again.
Stedge, crass or rude? Not at all. Interested in a vortech supercharger for your S2k? Maybe some JDM forged BBS wheels?

stedge

If I end up keeping the car, maybe I'll give you a call....