K27

I can't seem to get out of my head the recent crash I had.
I made a mistake and I keep playing it over and over wondering why I didn't do something different.
I guess my question here is, some of you track guy's must have had an off or two, how long did it take to get over the error and did you suffer from the same thing ?

thanks
Lance

Tom

About 10 years ago I had an off track experience that resulted in minor damage to a fender. The only time this has happened. The offending wall at that corner is gone. I still think about it at that corner. It isn't at the top of my thoughts and I can take the corner well but I still remember. I don't think it ever really goes away, we just ignore and overcome.

JackOlsen

I was surprised at how small an effect it had on me -- after totalling my car at Laguna Seca last November. I kept waiting for some kind of aftershock (other than financial). None.

I was back at the track last week, and there's still a huge smear on the wall I hit.

I wasn't hurt at all in the crash, which might change things.

And to be honest, I go four wheels off almost every time I'm at a track. Just not with such dire consequences, usually.

wch

Pros with huge $ on the line make mistakes and throw away championships, races, get hurt, get killed, and yet you have to be perfect? One crash? Maybe it's all the SCCA stuff I've been doing, but I think you're being way too hard on yourself. If you understand what went wrong, what more can you take from it? I guess I'm fatalistic, I feel that if you drive hard enough for a long enough time, you'll have incidents, everyone will. So, what is it? If you're punishing yourself because you can't really afford the cost of the repairs, or the possibility of injury makes you wary, or because you love your car, then perhaps you can deal with those issues. The first is more easily dealt with, because there are so many low cost alternative to flogging Porsches. The second is harder, because I think racing even lower horsepower cars entails some risk. The last tells you you shouldn't be taking possibly terminal risks with a treasured possession. I really think that, to race, you have to be able to walk away from a crash without looking back except in a somewhat cold and analytical fashion.

Mark G

If you're not falling down occaisionally when you're skiing, you're not trying hard enough. Same with racing.

Like Jack said, we all go off some, I just try to pick my spots when I go 10.5/10ths so there's runoff.

I think the key is to recognize the error and try not to make it again. If you're still feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing, take a brake. Hard to do sometimes, but worth a try.

I still vividly remember spinning off turn 4 @ SIR in the rain, doing a slo 720, knowing the trees are coming, trying to get small in the car, with "THIS MAY HURT" emblazoned on the inside of my skull. 12 yrs ago. Damn, I liked that car. Had to take time off the track to rebuild every corner.

Still racing hard.

Best of luck.

K27

I think I am just finding it hard to accept the "mistake"
the money is not the main issue, no fear at all either. this surprised me too?? even my wife said I was way too calm.
from the second I knew I was in trouble, I had a strange clarity and had the presence of mind to take the lesser of two evils option. I even said out loud "this is gonna hurt" before I hit.
Jack, you had a fair wreck recently didn't you ? and you said it surprised you afterwards, do you think this is normal ?

thanks again for your thoughts guys.

Howard

An off is no big deal. You go thru the hot pit, the corner workers check for damage, if you are good to go.....blast back onto the track, and after the session is over you can replay the off in your mind and try and determine why it happened. Tire pressures too high....tires cold...debris....over zealous...you'll discover the reason in no time. Forget about it as quickly as possible, make adjustments if needed, and get back on the track. Just my personal opinion.
If you crashed ...with no other cars involved, it's the same. Move on and forget about it. If another car was involved always have your camera on , so you can prove the other car was at fault. (hopefully). You can't dwell on it.

Mark G

K27

You're lucky in that you're wired to get that "clarity moment" when all hell is breaking loose. Not everyone is. It saved you, some. Tons of info hardwired into your memory that only covered seconds in realtime. Maybe that's part of your looping of the off.

JackOlsen

I've found that any time I lose control of the car on the track, there's a strange clarity that kicks in. Time slows down, and I go through the steps of getting the clutch in, getting the brake on, and doing what I can to control the direction of the slide. I'm much more frightened right up to the point where I lose control. But once it's gone, it's just about managing the situation.

In my case, I wondered if getting back on the track again would freak me out. I drove a friend's car abolut two months after the repair work started on my car. When I got back in from the first session, my friend asked me if it was strange, and I realized I'd forgotten to think about it.

Then, last week, I went back to the same track that I crashed at. Once again, it didn't seem to rattle me. I'm not sure how my times compared, since the Hot Lap sender wasn't working, but it didn't feel like I was driving it any differently.

I don't mean to sound cavalier about it at all. If I crash my car again, I'll only be able to afford a shifter kart to replace it. I added a full cage after the crash, and also invested in an Isaac head restraint system. I'm not particularly fatalistic about this stuff. I was lucky not to be hurt, and I can't really count on things happening the same way if I crash again. So I'm going to do everything I can to protect myself (short of staying off the track).

K27, what happened in your crash?

Flying Finn

Go back there as soon as you can and 'face it'.

Always did that after I crashed in motocross.

One example: I was once flying over one pretty big table top (it was maybe about 25 ft high in the air, distance about 60 ft, jump) I landed little short, sideways, then bounced back in the air, sideways to the other direction, then landed on my face (speed maybe 30 mph), pretty much everything hurt in me, didn't remember the whole day (concussion), broke my carbon full face helmet etc. Didn't have any major injuries but the whole body was like I'd been hit by a truck or something.

After couple of weeks I was back there again, and just forced myself to jump it, which I did!
After that, it was no problem again.

Same thing when I have dislocated my knees or something, just had to do it again as soos as possible.

K27

Jack, I took a turn way too hot in the wet, hit a concrete barrier and demolished my left front wheel, control arm, tie rod, front bumper etc.
maybe 3-4 grand we guess.
Just to clarify, I was not on a track.
I probably would have been more focused and not made this mistake if I was.
Gonna take some time to fix, I will have to buy some old junker to drive for the next year
Sure the money bothers me, I am not rich.
Just mad at myself I suppose.
Again thanks for the insight.

eugene

K27.

Forgive yourself. Keep what you have learned from the incident with you always.

It could have been worse.

Even the Top Professional drivers in the world makes mistakes.

Good luck.

Eugene.

K27

Thanks Eugene, your absolutely right.
I was lucky, the car stood up really well and I only hurt my pride.

JackOlsen

Accidents on public roads are a different animal altogether. I'd be freaked out, too, I think. The possibility of hurting another driver, or of running into a tree, post, parked car, or other obstacle is much greater, even if it didn't happen. On a public road you're driving with a different mindset. You're not supposed to be anywhere near the limits of your car's capabilities, since the course you're on is not designed to accommodate 'offs.'

My advice would be to move on, but to take it very easy when you're not on a track. If someone I loved was killed by a driver who was looking to find the limits of their performance car on public roads, I'd be mad as hell.

K27

I wasn't testing my car at all , I was in a hurry missed an exit and made a bad decision to take it anyway, it was wet and slippery. no risk to anyone else at all.
I don't know what I was thinking at the time, can't explain.
first stupid thing I have ever done since teenage years, and that is a long time ago.