MCain

I think you all are being pretty harsh on this guy. You need to consider that it is a compilation of his screw ups over course of a two-day weekend, not one run session. Apparently, he spun twice over the weekend; not good, but not beyond the pale. His spin in T6 was dumb, but he seems to realize what he did wrong. T13 at TWS suckers a lot of drivers into trying to carry too much speed, and again he seems to know what he did.

T7 looks like a decent attempt at "catch and recover", but it's hard to tell what he's doing with the pedals. In T3, he realized he missed his braking point, abandoned the turn, and drove off straight onto paved run-off, which is exactly what we'd want a student to do.

His line looked good, he seems pretty smooth, and he has a nice relaxed grip on the wheel.

I'm a pretty experienced and safe driver and I can't recall the last time I looped a car, but I bet I could put together an outtake video that would make this guy look like a pro.

I actually saw this video a while back and contacted the driver for permission to use it in the blue classroom I teach at the TWS DE program to illustrate common mistakes and how to deal with them properly (or what happens when you don't). He gave me permission to use it, and he seemed properly contrite regarding the spins. In fact, he seemed like a good guy from our email exchange.

Anyway, enough of the counterpoint side for now...

MTosi

I love his "pucker moment" one should be able to correct a small slide (would have been even smaller had he realized earlier and got the correction in on time) like that all day long without it being a "pucker" moment. If he considers it that he needs to spend more time working on his car control. His first spin could have easily been avoided had he not been so lazy on putting in and taking out his correction! He's obviously never been to a place like the glen, where it isn't just open fields all around.... I think after a few experiences with armco's hed get alot quicker on his correction.....

multi21

You wouldn't happen to be the drover in question would you? Forgive me for asking, but this is your 1st post, your from Texas and your first post is to defend the driver's actions. If you are, then there is no shame in discussing the video here.

The original poster, VR, is a fellow Texan and supposed to be a good instructor (I don't know 1st hand). I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I believe his point is that the driving ability shown in the videotape is not indicative of a person who should be solo on a track. Where is the instructor? The spins are too much for a weekend IMHO. If, as you say the driver have smooth imputs, then it must be a car/set up issue and shouldn't be on track where he could take out other drovers. Others are honking at him for goodness sake! They obviously took note of him. I don't think I've spun that much ever, let alone in a single weekend. He simply should have someone riding shotgun with him.

MCain

Nope, I'm not the driver, and I've never met him to my knowledge. I do know the OP, and he is a great driver and instructor, and I like him to boot. It's certainly fair to question who I am, though. I've been driving DE's since the mid 90's, and started racing with BMWCCA and NASA about 3 years ago in an E46 M3. Last year I was the regional GTS3 series champion, but it was more a matter of consistency than blinding speed. I've driven with just about every DE group in the state and never bent a car, and I'm a big believer in safety and courtesy in a DE program.

I think the NASA Texas DE program could be improved a lot, and that the local PCA programs are the "gold standard" for instruction and safety, but I don't think we should beat this driver up too hard over a < 2 min compilation of his biggest mistakes. Just sayin'

roberga

That is the sad part.... someone signed him off. Being new and I would think a young guy he thinks this is the way you learn. Shame on the instructors and organizers. In all the events around here 1 spin (wheels off) and you come in to explain. If you can explain what you did out you go. A second spin and you go home... it is not your day. Guy if you are troll. go get a good coach, read going faster and speed secrets. Flailing around like your on ice will teach you nothing.

multi21

Okay, then since your familiar with the BMWCCA and PCA program, you know that someone like this would be pulled from the track and given an instructor, even if he was signed off to solo.

I'm a big believer of having even newer drivers solo for their last session of the day as a learning tool if they've shown the ability to be safe and aware of everything around them. I know that it helped me when I was a novice driver. That being said, those drivers that are on the newer side and signed off are watched very closely and if there is anything to indicate he/she are not able to perform like they did when an instructor was riding with them, they are brought in and the instructor rides with them again. Regardless of his hand imputs, smoothness, etc, don't you believe this driver should have been pulled in long ago?

Veloce Raptor

MCain is a stellar driver and a very, very cool guy. He is beyond reproach.

My point in posting this was that the fellow who posted this to YouTube and who did the driving seems proud of his bloopers, when in fact he should use the contrition that MCain has observed to aggressively seek out instruction. And then when criticized on his YouTube page about his compound errors (any one of which could have been fatal in an open car like an S2000), he deleted all critical comments and derided the abilities of those making them.

I have no axe to grind at NASA, despite the fact that this fellow should NEVER have been soloed. Here in Texas, we expect to see these things more in Drivers Edge events than anywhere else...

VERBOTN

TRAKCAR makes an outstanding point about being collected, and others that commented on the what ifs are spot on. I am the first guy that wants to have fun at the track but not at the expense of common sense safety. If the event organizers didnt reign him in, others sharing the track should have.

The last thing I want to hear after being collected by an @ss is "Oh yea he was screwing up yesterday and had several close calls" That puts the organizers on the pointy end of my spear.

renvagn

That made the Ferrari Challenge race at VIR last year look good.

gums

The only difference between a spin and a crash is an impact. Stay in Texas, there's more room out there.

911 Wail Tale

Boy you're not kidding. This video reminds me of the VIR video from the Duct Tape Morons group from last year---eerily familar..... Was this the same driver?

Adam

MCain

LOL! I think I saw that on Speed a while back. Funny Stuff!

I missed whatever comments were made back and forth on YouTube, so if the guy acted like a tool there, that would change my opinion. All I'm going on is the email exchange we had a while back where he sounded like he wasn't proud of the mistakes, but thought others could learn from them.

We should just send him the link to this thread on his YouTube account and let him explain the vid or defend himself, if he wants. Any objections?

DogInBlack

I wouldn't have hammered the guy on his youtube site, except for the fact that he doesn't appear to give a damn about anything but mph. Missing turns, forgetting to brake, 'yeah, yeah' when he goes off again- that's bs. I would bet dollars to doughnuts he is that discourteous on the street, too. As I said on his site, I don't care if he kills himself, it's the blatant disregard for others that pisses me off. Douche.

himself

Let us not forget a real TWS video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4m0EKKveX4

No, "oops" "forgot to brake" or "bad place to trail brake" in this one.

-td

Veloce Raptor

^^^ TRUTH ^^^