Sebring Punt
 

I don't expect to get hit at a DE.

This past weekend at Sebring (Suncoast PCA), a 2018 Porsche GT3 broadsided me in the braking zone to Turn 10. An early point-by was given. The GT3 driver hesitated in Lane 3, then dove into the braking zone and confiscated the already-occupied Lane 1. The "Advanced Solo" driver had apparently never made an off-line entry before.

Damage to the camera car was not insignificant. No action was taken by event organizers. There WAS an extended discussion about off-line corner entries at the following day's driver meeting. But here's the thing (and it follows the current thread on "Thoughts on Crash Damage Responsibility?"), the offending driver never came by to inquire/apologize/explain. He acted like it never happened. I'm stuck with a repair bill.

Should I have confronted him? Should event organizers have interceded? A PCA Incident Report was filled out. This video was reviewed by all involved. Hey, I'm a seasoned PCA racer. And, on a race weekend, this would have resulted in a 13/13. But, this was a DE, for cripes sake. I don't expect to get hit in a DE. If this had happened on the street, a court date would have resulted.

No action was taken by PCA?

Why the hell not?

wow that is a bummer, had he stayed his line and turned in all is well. But he must have thought he cleared you or that you were braking earlier. Wonder what his story is, but since he never engaged with you I guess you will never know.

Sucks you have to spend money fixing your car after a DE, but I guess the fact is he will spend way more fixing his GT3 street car, compared to your costs for a well seasoned race car with race patina.

Great save and good thing there is run off there. Had it been all grass, way worse outcome.

Someone wasn't so advanced.

Can't you guys come into the hot pit and make your hands big so the starter knows to put you back out with some space?

Wow that's horrible. Obviously inexperience and panic about being offline.

Hope the gt3 driver is just too embarrassed to come forward.

This is where DE's can be a bit dicey. More opportunity to be on track with people and cars who you don't know and don't know you. Someone who knows PL would have known the SPB can brake pretty late and wouldn't have moved over. Regardless, moving over in a brake zone is bad form no matter what.

That sucks PL

wow, thats some terrible driving on the GT3"s part. It actually took more effort for him to move over to your line than it did to stay off line and turn in......that had to be some ingrained "got to stay on the DE line" thinking.....

Sorry to see OP, hope you had DE insurance coverage?

You can see what happened.
Inexperience in alot of car.

The GT3 must have assumed that by capturing the corner, the other car would have to give up and let the GT3 take the line.
Perhaps he assumed the point by meant you would lift for him at some point when he was close.

OR, the GT3 driver probably panicked being on the inside and reverted back to being "on line" to get around the corner in fear that something bad would happen if he stayed off line.

He was also probably busy focusing on the apex and not looking at anything else in the heat of the moment.

I would say that he is too embarrased to approach you to say sorry.
He is also probably very troubled by what happened. Gave him a scare perhaps.

While I believe that for racing damage is part of the game DE is not racing, it is the opposite. I strongly believe the guy in the white GT3 needs to write a check and apologize. DE is pretty simple to me, we owe to each other to make passes easy and the passing car takes the responsibility once they initiate the pass. Locally I do DE with PCA and NASA, overall I have found NASA to be cleaner because they debrief every session so if someone is driving like crap they get called out or get booted from the session (rarely but it has happened). PCA on the other hand is more casual which is fine when everything goes smoothly and overall the PCA drivers tend to be more conservative but when things are not clean it is on you to hash it out for the most part. I had an "instructor" that was trying to show off for his kid driving in the intermediate group wave me by late in a braking zone only to turn around and dive bomb me and nearly take me and another driver out. Had he made contact I can guarantee that he would not have left the track without writing a check. When I discussed it with him afterwards he explained to me that he is such a good driver and has racing experience so the rules don't really apply to him.

The offender should have approached you for a discussion, (you probably should have if he didn't). I suspect he was embarrassed and likely didn't want to write a check but the best way to get over the embarrassment would have been a simple apology and to write a check. Simple. Yes the event organizers should have taken action, I believe that action should have been to bring both drivers in and have a review of what took place and that would have facilitated resolution of the incident. When the event organizers don't get involved in a contact incident you have to wonder what they think their role actually is.

The guy in white GT3 could have easily made the corner following the line he had ........What was he thinking coming over to the left like that ,rookie move :banghead: