jaydubya

I was right behind him on the track! He was in one of those cobra replicas. We just got on the main straight and I was babbling to my student about how to take the last turn onto the straight and the "what the hell was that... did you see that seagull bounce off his helmet ??!!!"

I watched the bird cartwheel lifelessly over the pit wall - didn't look good for the bird.

Cheers,

Jeff

agentpennypacker

It's interesting that the aninmals stick around with all of the noise at the tracks...

Bull

We usually do a 3 day event at VIR in early November. A couple of years ago, we had a fox, a couple of deer and a ground hog (an active one!) all approaching the track from different directions...(brought back thoughts of flanking maneuvers until I snapped back and remembered I have never been out-flanked by a ground hog).. the Flag Marshall had us stop the run group (I was Tower Steward) while he sent the Flaggers out to dispatch the various wildlife. When I asked him what was going on, he said to be quiet and listen....and there was ground fire!...then he told me it was hunting season and they always experience the problem at that time. Later on we had an experience involving our Chief Instructors and some other... I mean and some turkeys, but I just shut it down right here!

sww914

I learned that rabbit remains are really slippery, especially right in the apex.

kurt M

That sounds familiar... If so I watched that one from the right seat. Summit Point 1/2 way between pit out and braking zone for T1 and going full speed in a 911 this dear deer comes cross track drivers left to right. Jumps the car so close it splattered mud from the hooves all over the windshild. Student about ****s pants. Instructor hits a high pucker # as well. (Happened too fast to instruct any kind of evasion other than "heads up" as the deer came out of the trees) We continue on but I warned the student that the enemy is inside the wire and to check up coming out of T2 and sure enough there he is coming cross track in front of us again right to left and heading over to freek out the bikes running on the JC.

Later a 911 hit one and it crunched the hood and right fender.

I was working Tech for CR when Tony K came in to the black flag station after vaporising the deer with the 951. It was covered with the deers insides. Nice right to left fade type paint job from blood red to light green of fresh munched food to dark brown of the ready to exit stuff. 951 tow hook is combo tow hook and gutting tool.

Z-man

At my last DE event at Summit Point, I noticed many a small bird waiting on the side of the track - just as you approach, they dart out infront of the car and fly across the hood of your car.

Is this some kinda thrill game these birds play? Kinda like subway surfing the NYC teens do?


-Z.

APKhaos

That's right. Doug E was the driver, and Kurt was the instructor as the deer hurdled the 911 at speed. What are the odds against that?

Kurt reminded me about the Black flag station. I bought the car in very gingerly, suspecting much more front-end damage and watching the gauges very closely! Kurt and Donna A were walking briskly toward the car at first, but slowed down to a stop 20' away with an odd sickly expression on their faces. Kurt tells me that the car looked like it had run through a slaughterhouse, and smelled like it too!

TD in DC

100 mph chili?

Larry Herman

Z, I have noticed that the birds at Summit Point are quite lazy, especially early in the morning. One early morning a long time ago I was hurrying to get to the track and came over a small rise in my 914 doing about 85 or 90. I was greeted by the sight of a dozen or so of those small birds standing around in the roadway. I was light from the rise and wasn't about to hit the brakes, and so I wouind up RUNNING OVER a few of them with my tires! They didn't even try to fly away! It was like someone glued them to the road as a prank.

TD in DC

Maybe the birds were just saying to themselves "naw, we have plenty of time, it's just a 914 for God's sake!"

Larry Herman

I guess that they didn't know who was driving it.

TD in DC

I'm not fast enough to hit them yet . . . they just sh*t on me.

Z-man

So this confirms it - they've got suicidal birds in West Virignia....

... I guess it's all that country muzak....

-Z.