rbahr

There was a DE event at the Glen probably 6+ years ago. The instructor group took off, I forget what the total damage was, but it turns out that it was raining at one end of the track, AND there were a lot of slicks in that group!

Ray

StoogeMoe

Thanks. But really it was P5 to P3. The black car that got through on rain tires spun out at the bus stop and gave me another position

RJFabCab

Frank, I remember that race... you were owning it!!!

That S2000 clip... was classic S2000. Didn't they even officially redesign the rear OEM tires in an attempt to quell the tail happiness? Damp conditions, polished line (he drove on it!), bites the inside gator upsetting the car just enough, and a little too throttle happy = Armco.

Racing the rain is scary fun and such a challenge because the conditions are always changing. It is definitely an acquired skill.

dan212

I don't mean to be unkind, but this is a classic example of what not to do.
Curbs may have been wet but the track was otherwise dry.

This is the third video like this that I have seen just this week.
There is a lesson here and it has nothing to do with rain:

Don't slide into the wall while watching with dread - *** Never give up. Never go for a ride.***

Remember - THE CAR GOES WHERE YOU LOOK.. If you are staring at the wall - that is where the car will go.
Keep fighting and looking where you want to go. Even at the point where you don't think you can correct it, don't give up.
Keep working, Do something.

One option is to put it into a hard spin where you want to go. Make that spin your bitch. The hard spin will consume more energy than a slide. (Spin it away) Thats what some do. Regardless - Never give up.

This is from 2008 the year NJMP opened. Hurricane with flood warnings. Sounds like fun! Several of us went out and had a blast. After 18 minutes water really collected off the inside T12 curb. I couldn't see it (My fault: inexperienced - I should have known) and lost the rear. I tried to correct it (over corrected to be honest). Realized I wasn't going to correct it and spun it OUT and and where I wanted.
I came in and told them to close the track. It was flooded.
Then hosed the mud off my car.

sugarwood

I watched again. You can see the RPM light bar on the dash.
He does not lift. I think he gave gas before the car was straight.

sugarwood

The S2000 driver did not sit along for a ride.
He fully counter steers to full lock.
He did exactly what you did.
You got lucky and regained grip.
He did not, probably because of the rain.
Has nothing to do with the driver, in these examples.
You can't save what can't be saved.

sugarwood

That E30 video is epic.

I would think that Spec E30 racers would be experienced drivers, but it looks like N00b day with everyone mashing the throttle while on the big wide paint.
The weirdest part in that video is the 2nd green car. He sees 2 cars wipe out on the paint directly in front of him. What does he do? Floor it while on the same paint!!
Dada da da da....Another one bites the dust.

DTMiller

Someone screen shot this thread for an example of not knowing what one doesn't know.

LuigiVampa

One of my favorite races to date was the 2018 PCA Summit Point enduro race in the pouring rain.

I was driving my 2006 Cayman "barely" GTB1 car and getting my butt handed to me in the sprint races. The GTB1 cars were grouped with the Cups and my little car couldn't really even keep up with the GTB1 cars, never mind the Cups. Once people knew that I was slow I was getting dive-bombed left and right.

The next day the rain came and I had a BALL! I finished third overall - really fourth but for someone getting DQed because of a pit stop timing issue. Sorry/thanks Bob!

I did the track walk and paid attention to the wet line - that helped me immensely. During the race I could actually tell who went to the track walk (or had prior experience) and who didn't.

The video below is only the first part of the race. Unfortunately, with about 20 minutes left in the race a car rolled and there was a red flag (driver OK). When I stopped the corner worker says to me "did you start the race with a splitter?" It had delaminated at one point and you can actually see it happen in the front straight as it plows the water over my hood and onto my window.

My point with this post is that rain is the great equalizer. I got to the track in the morning of the enduro with less than ten minutes before practice in the pouring rain. My crew thought I was crazy because I wanted to go out. Practice! Practice! Practice!

If you are uncertain in the rain just learn the rain line, practice, and stay smart.

Notice how the cars in front of me at the start "disappear" in the mist. 2 - 3 cars lengths ahead and they disappear even with their lights on, which is why I now have a rain light.

Tons of fun!

Veloce Raptor

I agree with Dan

TXE36

One of the funnest times I've have in the car occurred after getting stuck on the *** end of the hot pit black flag line at a TWS DE. Me and this black GT3 in front of me had been tearing it up where I could keep up with him, but not quite catch him. Session was almost over and I nearly went back in figuring with the time left and all the cars in front that I'd be the caboose in a wet train. Point-bys were generous and the black GT3 and I passed 9 cars in two laps - I'd never done that before. I also don't routinely mix it up this much with the likes of GT3s with my 220HP street car on cheap street tires.

Per the bolded, great equalizer indeed and what a blast :-).

Sound on the video is messed up as the microphone was soaked. The motor sound you hear is the GT3.


-Mike

Frank 993 C4S

^^^ This

I take it that you are already doing the rain dance for the Lime Rock Club Race.

Gofishracing

So let's just call it humidity...

LuigiVampa

+1
I am praying for dry weather during the practice and something short of a monsoon for race day!

The humidity teaches you humility.

jmartpr

I raced a 1st gen S2000 for 3 years and we had to do a lot of suspension work to curb the tail happiness and you had to adjust your driving style to it. In fact, the car I build for racing was purchased from an insurance company because of hitting a barrier with the rear end.
The thing with the 1st gen S2000 is that the tires were special for the car, the actual sizes didn't matched the sizes on the side walls and the tire was more sticky than any other from the same manufacturer at the same tread-wear.
The tire was a bit pricey so a lot of people just went out and purchased other brand/type tires based on the specs...mistake! Car didn't handle well and exaggerated the tail happiness.
On the posted S2000 video we don't know the tire condition of type....this could be a major factor besides all the mistakes already pointed out.