Big Crash
11-06-2018, 09:33 AM
#76
It's amazing how well built these older BMWs really are. In my first car I only had a roll bar and hit a concrete wall at 72mph and while the front and rear of the car were mangled (I spun to hit the wall again) the passenger compartment was in good shape. I escaped with a concussion just like the OP despite not hitting my head on anything (I had a HANS and Halo seat with full harnesses - new build being tested before putting a cage in). I picked up a shiny new Stilo helmet...
The compartment in this car looks like it held up well, especially with help from the cage.
OP, do not forget to replace the Hans straps to go along with your new helmet.
The compartment in this car looks like it held up well, especially with help from the cage.
OP, do not forget to replace the Hans straps to go along with your new helmet.
In one case the driver center punched the front end on the corner of a flag station. Massive damage to the front end, but other than a bit of a rippled floor, the interior was quite intact. Driver walked away. Seats, harnesses, cage, and I don't recall about the hans.
In another case, driver lost control and ended up going sideways into a concrete wall at high speed on the driver's side. He did not walk away and had serious injuries, but I believe most of those were from sudden deceleration. Seats, harnesses, cage and hans. Car was destroyed but the passenger compartment, while wrinkled, was intact. Driver eventually recovered.
In the one I didn't see, relatively inexperienced driver had an off with a street E46 with mods. High speed off into a flag station. Totaled the car car. Driver walked away.
Undoubtedly, the cages helped. Oh, about that always happening to the other guy. Literally just before the second case happened, the guy borrowed the air hose from the guy in the garage bay next to me. I hadn't seen him before or the car. The car was all gloss black and gorgeous. Not 10 minutes later that car was scrap and he was on the way to the hospital. Experienced and good driver that just had a bad day.
I hope I never find out how mine would perform...
-Mike
11-06-2018, 01:23 PM
#77
Rennlist Member
From what I know - this car was extremely well prepped - having nearly 100k invested. The shop that did a lot of the work has built many E46 race / track cars, so I am sure the basics would have been covered from a build standpoint. However I would still leave open possibility that something had become weakened recently and went undetected.
11-06-2018, 02:24 PM
#78
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It's ignorance. People may not understand the possibly outcomes of a 100+ mph accident, especially newbies. And as mentioned already, no one thinks it's going to happen to them. That's why guidelines set by event organizers are so important. I'm not sure what to say about cars that fast running stock safety equipment. There are a lot of them now, and it's a complex problem, and I can't help but wonder if we're headed for an accident like the Wannagofast one at one of "our" events someday ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overconfidence_effect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimism_bias
A remedy is to *assume* that bad things are just as likely to happen to you as anyone else, so proactive steps need to be taken to reduce both likelihood and consequences of incidents.
PS - Whenever this thread pops up on my screen, I wonder if the stock market is finally taking a dive in earnest.
11-07-2018, 08:04 PM
#80
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
It's amazing how well built these older BMWs really are. In my first car I only had a roll bar and hit a concrete wall at 72mph and while the front and rear of the car were mangled (I spun to hit the wall again) the passenger compartment was in good shape. I escaped with a concussion just like the OP despite not hitting my head on anything (I had a HANS and Halo seat with full harnesses - new build being tested before putting a cage in). I picked up a shiny new Stilo helmet...
The compartment in this car looks like it held up well, especially with help from the cage.
OP, do not forget to replace the Hans straps to go along with your new helmet.
The compartment in this car looks like it held up well, especially with help from the cage.
OP, do not forget to replace the Hans straps to go along with your new helmet.
11-09-2018, 10:42 PM
#81
Rennlist Member
11-10-2018, 01:51 PM
#82
That'd be my guess if there were no marks on your helmet. I was knocked out when I totaled a 931 (front end, head on) and wasn't even wearing a helmet. I came to about 45 minutes after the collision in the ambulance on the way tot he hospital. There wasn't a mark on my head, the force of my brain hitting the front of my skull put me out.
I was at Le Mans in 2013 when Allan Simonsen was killed as his brain penetrated the sack.
11-10-2018, 02:21 PM
#83
Rennlist Member
. It was 1993, I was at the top of my game. Everything in its own time I suppose.