Wednesday, July 23, 2003 --- Orange County, CA

Driver dies after losing control of Porsche

Officials are investigating whether street racing was involved. Witnesses told the CHP that the driver appeared to be trying to catch a car that had passed him.

By JOHN McDONALD
The Orange County Register

COSTA MESA - The driver of a new Porsche died late Tuesday when he lost control of the sports car while apparently trying to catch a car that had passed him on the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported today.

The Porsche, so new it didn’t have license plates, went down an embankment onto the San Diego (I-405) Freeway and zipped across all the southbound lanes into the center divider, investigators said. The driver was ejected and killed, even though he was wearing a seatbelt.

The victim hasn't been identified yet.

Investigators are trying to determine if a race was in progress when the crash occurred and whether the driver knew the driver of a black car the Porche was chasing, CHP Officer Denise Quesada said.

The incident began at about 10 p.m. on the northbound lanes of the 55 when the new Porsche was passed at more than 100 mph by a small black car, witnesses told the CHP. The Porsche's driver then appeared to try to catch the car that passed him and lost control when traffic slowed near the 405 interchange, they told the CHP.

It's unknown how fast the Porsche was traveling.

Quesada said it slammed into a guardrail, ripping it from its posts, rolled down an embankment, then went airborne onto the southbound 405. The Porsche crossed the southbound 405, possibly hitting a 1993 Toyota Corolla driven by an Anaheim woman.

She told officers she felt an impact and lost control of her car. She received minor injuries.

The Porsche then hit the 405’s center divider, and the driver flew out of his seatbelt onto the northbound 405, where he was hit by several cars, Quesada said. He died at the scene.

 

It's always very saddening and worrying to hear news like this.

 

Wonder if this was a cab or coupe. I guess it really doesn't matter much at this point.

More evidience that people need to take their supercars to the track and let it all hang out there, not on public roads....

 

Should have had a rollcage, GT3 seats, and some harnesses! Then again, if he was into it that much he probably would know how to drive.

How do you lose control of a Porsche on the freeway in dry weather? Isn't that what the 4-pot brakes are for???

If he was ejected from the car, it sounds like a Cab or a Boxster. I'm thinking the latter.

 

Maybe that's why they talk about the 2000 mile break in period....so people learn to handle their Pcar

 

That is very sad. The thing about owning a Porsche, the name alone gives you the impression that you can drive beyond your capabilities.

 

Although I do not partake in street racing, I will say that learning the handling characteristics of the car during break in is extremely important. Coming out of an Audi TT 225 Quattro Coupe into my '03 996 cab I have repeatedly had to correct for hard accelerating while turning in the 996 (very sharp turns, not exit ramp-type sweeps). Most recently I was pulling out of a lot and hit the accelerator hard mid-turn. Even with PSM the tail slid around and I had to turn into it a bit. With my audi's quattro I feel I had far more control in that type of situation.

Nonetheless, I like driving the 996 far more than the Audi.

 

I think 0134CabNYC's point is a very valid one. Think of it like a cooling off period. You just bought a dream supercar. The best and safest thing to do next is cool off.

This guy had just bought a loaded hand gun and didn't get a cooling off period. Result: he killed someone.....at least it was himself!
Oh craps I hope I haven't started something.....please don't flame.

I guess I am trying to say is this. Remember when you first stepped into your Pcar. I don't know about you but I was so excited I took it to a freeway and frightened the **** out myself with it. Since then I have become a more mature Pcar driver. But see the human side of it. I bought a fast car so I went fast. I was foolish then and I know better now. But I got away with it....that poor guy didn't. That's why I said it was both sad and worrying. I think a 2000 mile cooling off period is an excellent idea.

 

Sad. Eveyone has made a good point.

Fast and furious drivng should be for the track. Drive like Miz Daisy on the streets.

 

Dr. G,

Huge difference in handling between a C2 and a C4. You can go back to quick acceleration in hard (90 degree) standing start turns with a C4. I swap back and forth between sports cars during the summer. When I am driving my 928GT I have to (almost completely) change my driving habits.

The C4 is nearly stupid proof, especially with PSM. on the otherhand, get stupid with the 928 and you get out of control quickly.

 

This news really saddens me as the article was fairly descriptive. 911s aren't the easiest cars to drive, although it can readily lure a driver into a false sense of security due to the reasons everyone's mentioned here.

 

When I got my first 911, a 964 Cab, it was by far the fastest car I had ever owned. In fact, at first, it was a little frightening. You know what, it still is.

 

It happened near my office, i dove by the scene. The driver was a local 23-yr old entrepreneur. Lets not mince words, the guy was driving over his head and was the cause of the accident, not the car. Guys like this should join their local PCA chapter and do DEs, autocrosses, etc. to fully understand their limitations and those of the car. It's akin to giving a 3-yr old a loaded gun--somone will get hurt.

 

Sadly, you are probably right Rob. I admit to having some scary experiences as I learned how to drive my C4. Scary because I had never been in a car that will do what the C4 will do.

I was astounded to learn that the Lambo Diablo has the distinction of having the highest total loss wrecks per cars built of any high end sports car. Sounds like people think because the car costs a fortune it is capable of miracles.......

it is amazing what these cars are capable of in trained hands, sadly most of us are not trained..................

 

I read a C&D article years ago that quoted an L.A. Porsche dealer who said 60% of the 911 turbos involved in wrecks, crashed backwards! Trailing-throttle oversteer was the culprit.