tkerrmd

Thought if others shared there experiences we may all learn something from them. So as to learn from other peoples "mistakes" or experiences?
Virtually every event I go to there are off road excursions or actual crashes.

There are always "reasons" why they happened, good or bad.

I thought thread giving some insight to crashes or going off track from both experienced and nonexperienced drivers may benifit all of us??

Thanks in advance for your candor.................

Any stories would be helpful I am sure, especially why someone crashed????
tom

ilko

I've spun out once so far. At my first event. I mashed on the gas in mid corner, the rear wheels lost traction, and the car spun out on the grass. In general I try to be smooth and increase power as I move past the apex, but in that case I was being told to step on it hard so I did... There.

MJR911

Tried to avoid a stranded car in gravel trap(with driver's door open!), went into wet gravel with wheels turned... rolled.

DAVISRILEY

Last session, last day, slightly overtired, came in a little to hard into a blind corner, and found that someone had spun to the inside, and guy behind him had stopped in the middle of the line. Went for a merry-go-round for a few spins on the grass to miss him. No harm, no foul, and since then tend to look closer at how tired I am. Probably couldn't have avoided it, but would rather not try again.

Geo

I've had two off-track events in a car (lots in karts).

First one was very interesting and I wasn't able to figure out what was going on until after the event. I found braking to be inconsistent on one fairly fast section of track. I was able to out-brake three cars one time at this section one lap and another I was hanging on, trying to find the anchor to throw out the window! Late in the race, running a lone and holding a pretty good finishing position I thought I was being conservative in this section and when I went for the brakes I found grip was woefully wanting.... Off in the dirt with my car owner teasing me over the radio after telling me to just drive within myself.

Epilogue: The far outside line had a fair bit less grip than the inside passing line. That explains my successful, seemingly heroic passing efforts while also seeming to have my brain bucket up my bung hole at other times. I usually figure these things out while on-track, but this day I was just befuddled. It wasn't until I got out of the car, got some fluids and stopped kicking myself that I figured out every time I was a lane or two inside I had great braking, but when I was by myself and outside I had a handful.

The second time was, ah, exciting. It was at TWS T3. This turn is not slow but not really fast and the braking is not light, but not really heavy either. Average plus maybe, at least in the SE-R. So, we start the race and as I hit my braking spot the rear end suddenly got ALL squirrelly! Totally caught me off-guard. The car had NEVER done anything like that before and the handling was set a bit on the understeer side. I was 45 deg to the line, but I caught it and gathered it up. Or I should say I almost caught it. I knew it was going to come back the other way on me and I was already prepared for this and came oohhhhhh so close to having it under control. Then it went back the other way again. All I could think of at this point was about 10-15 cars right behind me and not wanting to ball up my friend's car or anyone else's behind me, I decided the smart move was a little agricultural driving off the end of T3. My car owner comes on the radio telling me that I cannot play WRC today. Good friend.

That was the only off-track incident that day for me, but I found right turns to be a TOTAL handful, while left turns were "normal." Other than needing a LOT of concentration, it was manageable. I had NO idea what it was caused by, but I knew I didn't have a tire going down or anything so I kept on this way all the way to the end (interestingly enough a Factory Five Cobra had trouble passing my gimp 150 hp FWD race car - I found this amusing). I also picked up a MAJOR vibration in the front end just as I hit turn-in to T1 with two to go. I thought I was going to crash it pulled so hard at 125 mph.

Epilogue: I was still scratching my head when we put the car on the trailer figuring we'd tear it apart during the week. Then my other partner and crew chief says "What's this grey goo on the side of the car?" Answer: CV grease. That explained everything including the vibration and pull with two to go. That race was the biggest handful I've ever had with the exception of my first rain race - that was in karts on hard slicks for 40 laps.

cooleyjb

First race ever, first turn, first lap. The left lane of people got all jumbled up going into one and the person in front of me overslowed the corner. To avoid contact I just flicked to the right and went through the inside of turn 1 in the grass. I felt like a dumb newbie racer who had screwed up and bailed out too early but a couple of veterans came up after the race and said the move was a good smart move and helped the small shred of confidence I had at the time.

Eric in Chicago

I sometimes run out of talent...

smlporsche

Bless me father for I have sinned. It's been.....

I've had 2 "exciting" moments in my short career.

The first was 2 years ago driving my Boxster S and I had just been signed off by my instructor to go solo in Blue (I had been soloed before) comming into turn 4 (NASCAR) at VIR and came in a little "warm" and decided to lift just after the apex and swoosh I did a 180 in the middle of the track and was facing the 3 cars I had just passed. Fortunately, they and the corner workers saw the whole event and they went around me.

The latest was mechanical. Same course earlier this summer. Clipping along at 93 MPH (Traqmate) at the top of the uphill esses where you bring the car to the right hand side to get set up for 10 and SWOOSH again this time off track right. My water pump had decided to let go and I got antifreeze on my rear tires. SLowed down to about 30 MPH in the grass (eventually) pointed it in the right direction and made it back to the pits safely..

GG Allin

The only time I've gone off was at Road America turn 6. Real simple, went in a little hot.

fork_included

first time i went off track was in a corner where i understeer off, drop two wheels, hold it for a split second and then get back on track

only this one time the front tire stayed on the asphalt but the rear dropped into the gravel ever so slightly, i jacknifed right off the track (was going about 120, track is only maybe 20 feet wide)


second time i went off the track was in a friends borrowed Elise, i gave it too much gas comming out of a corner and the thing just circled on me

third (and forth) times was in a elevation changing high speed corner, it was a rainy day and due to my own stupidity my rear Toyo RA1's were under inflated by about 8psi, the car snapped both times on me and i ended up flying rear end into the grass


in 3 years thats it, no major accidents yet *knock on wood

tkerrmd

Well, it can be anything from lifting in a corner, to track debris, to unavoidable.
But with the experience on this forum so caveats about how, why, what you learned and what to do better next time as you guys above have done is VERY VALUABLE and helpful.
Also, maybe some comment on what or how to after you know it is too late.
My last PCA event , my student spun twice.
This was the first time as an instructor that we went off track (I know noob instructor) but I must admit my student did a great job with the whole both feet in and car control and actually avoided hitting an overpass bridge.
Lession from that is he just was too hot and apexed too early, (driving 101) we ran out of track and off we went!!
Unfortuantely, he made a similar mistake latter in the day (in spite of my excellent instruction!) and we spun....he was asked to leave, and neither of us disagree for that day!!

Any stories comments or suggestions of how and why you went off road or crashed is helpful.
Also what to do when it is inevitable and what to do when you are the instructor.

How many instructors go off roading with students and how common is it for a crash with an instructorin the car?!

Thanks again for all of you taking the time to share and educate, I have learned and shared with my students so much from this forum that you could never learn from books

tom

schwank

My only off to date was in turn 10 at PIR... the weather was funky and it decided to rain only on the back straight 20 minutes into a 25 minute session. Came down the back straight, was trying to slow from perhaps 110mph, and due to the old suspension that was in my car at the time, the weight transfer under brake dive allowed my rear brakes to lock up. I felt the rear get loose and just aborted the turn in and went straight onto the grass in the infield. I regained composure and re-joined the track between 11 and 12 after letting traffic pass. Track steward was right there and saw the whole thing... my black flag discussion was very short and I was let back out immediately. No harm, no foul.

Flying Finn

Sebring, T1. Coming in pretty good, little too fast & turning maybe little too early, things going ok until on the bumps car starts to slide (I'm on the edge of grip so it doesn't need much), I correct but then realize there's a good chance that I can't make it and if I don't want to spin, I need to ease off, slow down and take it to the grass. I do that (4 wheels on grass), and slowly return to the asphalt and continue.

Check the video in my signature, that moment is there (around 50 secs into th clip).

xsboost90

went off at turn seven putnam park- its a hard right hand turn- every lap consistantly downshift brake brake brake turn upshift etc... i got into a battle with a boxster S and just forgot to slow down in this corner and ended up sliding backwards for awhile in the grass- no harm.

I saw two offcourse excursions over the weekend, one was too much hp in the rain and over excelleration out of a corner, the other two were just going into a corner too hot in the rain and not making the brake zone.

hacker-pschorr

Sombody made the track to narrow.