jrok

1. watch for fists.
2. remember these words, "I never saw you".
3. try not to blurt out profanity.
click here to watch the first time

Apex Rex

I was wondering what caused that "discussion" in pit-lane this past weekend.

adixon

any contact??

Veloce Raptor

Wait....why did you try to pass the silver car? Maybe I am blind, but I didn't see him point you by.

Larry Herman

It was hard to see. Did the silver car "hold" the point by long enough for you to think that you got one? I have been given inadvertant passing signals like this on occasion. When it's ambiguous, I'll back off.

kev

Even if you got the point by, personally, I would have waited for the straight, especially with the yellow car in front of the silver C4S on a tight part of that track.

At least no fists were thrown in the pits.

smankow

I haven't driven Mid Ohio. I agree that you really can't see whether or not there was a point by, but you can see an arm out the window while the previous car is passing him.

Why did the silver car dive-bomb so far to the right to get around the yellow car? It looks like he wanted to get to the turn-in point and drove there at around a 45 degree angle. It certainly wouldn't have set him up too well for the corner. I guess it's fortunate that the back car was far enough to the right and avoided contact.

Again, still no good proof of who is right/wrong.

A.Wayne

DE

Gotta always look out for the DE ......


__________________________________________________

Be aware of the turtle , they come out during mating season and DE's

MLIN

x2. I did't see the point by. And since two cars passed him before you, the point by you saw might have been for them.

aeshultz

If that was run under DE rules - that's not a smart place to pass anyway.
Dumb move.

JimmiLew

I think the guy's jestures say it all. He didnt think he gave you the point by, thats for sure! Under the DE rules, its the responsibility of the car making the pass to assure its a safe pass. I didnt see a point by, and that looked like a risky move in any event. Sorry, but if I was an instructor in your passenger seat, I would have waved you off from that pass. Better to wait for the straight and get a clean no questions asked point by. You are both lucky there was no damage.

jrok

This was the Black Instructor Group by the way.

The Silver 996 tucked in behind the Chief Instructor in the yellow GT3 to let the traffic go by. The GT3 had his fist out going down the straightaway and was also pointing.

It is hard to see, but the Silver 996 arm is pointing out all the way down the straight until the end of the Red/White armco on the left, even after the other two cars have passed, then he pulls it in and comes over thinking everyone had passed. He just didn't see me coming around the corvette.

I thought he saw me coming because he stayed over and held his hand out after they were past and I was approaching, so, I thought he was holding it out for me. Since he was slowed already to probably 50 and I was coming at probably 110 in fourth, I thought he wanted me to just go on and go while he was slowed.

It seems a lot easier for me to critique now after watching it 50-75 times, that we were two thirds down the straight, why was his hand still out, was it out long enough to be a signal -- but then again we had been passing late there for 2 days without issue, he was already slowed, whatever.

I really thought he held out longer for me to see and he just never saw me coming. We didn't touch but it was very close. The CI was right there and said "Eh, no harm, no foul, go on about your business".

I felt I had made the correct decision in the car but I was very shaken and did not drive the rest of the day to reflect on what had happened. The timing seemed much less ambiguous in the car but I took myself out.

I was upset at first and so was he -- but we watched the video probably 10 times together in the RV and decided it was an avoidable incident and that we had been lucky to make it.

I have about 50 track days and had never come so close to contact, not even during open passing in Time Trails over two years.

A.Wayne

He was driving too slow to turn out onto a busy track , he should have waited for all to pass to step out , i bet this is the same type of clown that pulls out into the left lane at 50 mph , Then he get's back into the pitlane and kicks off, after doing something as stupid as that , you both where very lucky because after checking up , there could have been others who would not have been able to do the same ..

JC in NY

Very lucky. If a point-by is unclear, don't take it. As simple as that. Point-by's in DE should be given clearly, one for each car passing. None of this "extended arm out the window point-by for a train of cars" nonsense.

If I was CI, you'd both have been asked to sit out the rest of the event. Him for poor point-by, and you for risky passing under less than obvious point-by signal.

Veloce Raptor

Jerry, it sounds like you & the other guy responded well to the incident after you got off track.