Driver Killed at Willow Springs
05-26-2008, 06:25 PM
#31
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For those of you not familiar with Willow Springs, it's the oldest continually-operated road course in North America. Outside of being made a little wider (in the eighties?), it hasn't been significantly modified since it was originally laid out in 1953.
Turn 9 is a decreasing-radius high-speed corner that is very easy to apex too early -- especially in a low-hp, FWD car like a Mini, where the temptation can be to ride the inside edge of the track all the way from the exit of 8 to the apex of 9. The corner is usually not a problem for beginners, who don't carry a lot of speed through it, but is more hazardous for intermediate and advanced drivers, who might be carrying around 100 mph at the apex.
If you overcook 9 and break loose on the exit, a correction will frequently move you back across the track, to the right side, where there is uneven terrain, that -- unfortunately -- can send a car end over end.
Turn 9 is a decreasing-radius high-speed corner that is very easy to apex too early -- especially in a low-hp, FWD car like a Mini, where the temptation can be to ride the inside edge of the track all the way from the exit of 8 to the apex of 9. The corner is usually not a problem for beginners, who don't carry a lot of speed through it, but is more hazardous for intermediate and advanced drivers, who might be carrying around 100 mph at the apex.
If you overcook 9 and break loose on the exit, a correction will frequently move you back across the track, to the right side, where there is uneven terrain, that -- unfortunately -- can send a car end over end.
05-26-2008, 06:30 PM
#32
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Given we don't know the facts yet, maybe the title of this thread should be changed?
05-26-2008, 06:54 PM
#33
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+1 --- mglobe has it correct. We are working without any good facts yet and so far the only consistent thing we know is that it was a Mini and it was at WSIR.
So far over half the posts are responses about RIP when it appears the guy is still alive and in bad shape. I consider that the problem with speculation. It muddies the waters of knowledge about accidents.
If you go back and look at older threads on incidents you will see me participating in and trying to find out as much info as possible to learn from them.
Prudent talk is expected, however most of this thread has not been prudent. Lets worry about the facts and what we can learn from them. Not a bunch of guessing.
I just reread each of the 29 posts to date and I don't see where anyone is speculating about the actual incident other than in the original post, and he flat out stated his info was second hand. Please allow us adults to talk about what ever we feel is prudent, if this somehow offends you move on to another thread.
If you go back and look at older threads on incidents you will see me participating in and trying to find out as much info as possible to learn from them.
Prudent talk is expected, however most of this thread has not been prudent. Lets worry about the facts and what we can learn from them. Not a bunch of guessing.
05-26-2008, 08:09 PM
#34
Race Car
Another report from another thread:
"Just checked my email... got a message from the HPDE director... apparently, the driver dropped two wheels, he tried to save it and shot back across to the inside. The car got airborne, landed on the passenger side and was crushed really badly. He didn't say anything about end-over-end rollover or structure failure, but specifically said that the driver was wearing "some ghetto street harness and fell out." NASA hadn't got any more info on the driver by the time the event was wrapped yesterday."
"Just checked my email... got a message from the HPDE director... apparently, the driver dropped two wheels, he tried to save it and shot back across to the inside. The car got airborne, landed on the passenger side and was crushed really badly. He didn't say anything about end-over-end rollover or structure failure, but specifically said that the driver was wearing "some ghetto street harness and fell out." NASA hadn't got any more info on the driver by the time the event was wrapped yesterday."
05-26-2008, 08:29 PM
#35
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It was the infamous Kent Jordan rollover video that got my attention regarding the seriousness of turn 9:
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
05-26-2008, 10:52 PM
#37
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It was the infamous Kent Jordan rollover video that got my attention regarding the seriousness of turn 9:
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
05-27-2008, 12:45 AM
#39
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It was the infamous Kent Jordan rollover video that got my attention regarding the seriousness of turn 9:
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
http://www.muellerized.com/videos/92...%201-30-05.wmv
That video probably saved me the first time I put 2 off. I kept going straight into the hot pit and didn't think for a second trying to pull it back on track.
________
Jason
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGIQ85maG2w
05-27-2008, 01:16 AM
#40
Race Car
Unfortunately, it looks like roach13 got it right, and the driver didn't end up making it. This from the website of The Capistrano Dispatch:
Willow Springs Wreck Claims Capistrano Man
May 26, 2008
By Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch
Waves of shock and sadness rolled through San Juan Capistrano Monday as word spread about a weekend auto-racing accident that claimed the life of former Planning Commissioner and Rotarian Joe Drey.
Drey died after an accident Saturday at Willow Springs Raceway in Kern County, where he was driving his 2002 Mini Cooper.
An avid driver, Drey stepped down from Rotary and the Planning Commission in 2007 to spend more time with his family, and on the track. As he told The Dispatch then: "I'm finally totally retired and can spend all the time I want with Valerie, family and my grandkids in Walnut Creek, [as well as] spending fun time on racetracks with my modified Mini ... plus not having interruptions to our beloved three-week trips to Italy."
Services had not been announced Monday.
Very, very sad.
Willow Springs Wreck Claims Capistrano Man
May 26, 2008
By Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch
Waves of shock and sadness rolled through San Juan Capistrano Monday as word spread about a weekend auto-racing accident that claimed the life of former Planning Commissioner and Rotarian Joe Drey.
Drey died after an accident Saturday at Willow Springs Raceway in Kern County, where he was driving his 2002 Mini Cooper.
An avid driver, Drey stepped down from Rotary and the Planning Commission in 2007 to spend more time with his family, and on the track. As he told The Dispatch then: "I'm finally totally retired and can spend all the time I want with Valerie, family and my grandkids in Walnut Creek, [as well as] spending fun time on racetracks with my modified Mini ... plus not having interruptions to our beloved three-week trips to Italy."
Services had not been announced Monday.
Very, very sad.
05-27-2008, 01:21 AM
#41
While that may be true there are very simple things that could be done to make the track safer. On many portions of the track the soft shoulder is anwhere from a few inches to almost a foot below the tarmac! There are many ditches and gullys that encourage a car to roll rather than just spin off in the dirt. WSIR is the dirtiest track I have ever been on. I get hit all the time by rocks, lugnuts etc...
