gums

Well that one is certainly a lot easier to take. I recall driving that track in '99 OLOA. Had a hell of a "moment" in T7 which I saved, but spun coming off the slow 13. In that event, you get one recon lap, then go against the clock from a standing start.

930man

driving over your head looks like to me

KurtC

"I'm sure you've heard this before but you look like Kimi Räikkönen's twin brother."

This must be why he had no instructor.

Bull

I have often wondered what it is like to drive on a road course. Gosh, if it is like THAT, I better stay away!

RJay

To Darwin. He alone shall our salvation be.

Veloce Raptor

Except when the rest of us happen to be on track with this assclown...

RJay

Ah well, this is the advantage of living in the east. Try pulling that kind of crap out here and you'll quickly find our tracks look rather unfavorably on this sort of behavior. And, of course, the next of kin get to pay for the Armco out of the proceeds from the estate, making it less likely once the cleanup is completed, that any more the offenders genetic material will make any further appearance on track.

Greg Smith

I'm with you Martin, I've seen worse race videos posted on here and the driver was actually praised.

EDIT-Now that I've sucked up, can I scrub in some tires for a few laps on Friday? Pretty please!!!

MCain

Har. You're sucking up to the wrong person. My wife is the boss of the test & tune, but I'll give her a back rub and then ask her for you.

Veloce Raptor

worthless arschlecher

Remember, junior: this was not a race, it was a DE, where instructors were available and spins should be considered crashes w/o the impact.

marcus0277

First of all, hello Rennlist. It sucks that this has to be my first post here, but whatever.

So, I was the driver in that video. Unlike Veloce Raptor's assumption, I do not "revel in my ****-ups". Sure, part of the reason that I posted this video was for the entertainment value (after all, who watches NASCAR for the racing, right?) However, the main purpose was so that people could see what I did wrong. That's why you'll notice that I annotated each fumble.

This was a 2-day event, I spun once near the end of the first day and again near the end of the 2nd day, so it wasn't like all of this happened in the same session. Does that make it OK? No. But just because you get to see all of these errors in the course of 60 seconds, don't think that I'm a liability every time I'm on track. You'll notice that there were no cars in view when these offs occured, because I drive much more conservatively around traffic.

I don't pretend to be a great driver. I don't claim to even be a good driver, yet. But I get out there and try to practice and to learn when I make mistakes. Obviously I could benefit from more instruction. I don't deny that. I wouldn't have kicked an instructor out of my car if one had asked to ride along, but the group that I registered with didn't provide them by default, and I guess my ego was too big (or my assessment of my abilities was too skewed) to allow me to go out of my way to request an instructor.

In the end, the only reason that I'm posting is because I originally received a lot of YouTube comments like "you suck" or "stay off the track" or "I hope you die in one of your spins" (seriously), etc. I don't know if any of those comments came from users of this forum, but I just wanted to come here and make the points that 1) those types of comments aren't exactly useful, 2) I doubt anyone here was an F1-caliber driver within their first 10 or 15 times on track, and 3) I don't go out on track with utter disregard for people's lives (others or my own). Any time you're on track, it's a calculated risk. I do my best to drive conservatively when around traffic, but when I'm on open track I sometimes try to explore the limits... both of my car and of my abilities. Obviously, I exceed those limits on occasion. But I do my best to make those learning experiences, rather than just "reveling in my ****-ups".

Anyway, if anyone has any useful input (besides "stay off the track") for how I can improve or what I could've done better, then I'm all ears. However, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I should've done differently, it's just a matter of getting the seat time so that those things become instinctual instead of afterthoughts.

For the record, I am able to keep all four on for a whole lap. Here's a video to prove it (I've got another 2 hours worth of on-track driving at this event, too, if you want to see it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYn3pwq5eQg

So,

roberga

the guy can't drive. It is not his fault as he is new. the people running the event are responsible for all the drivers safety. There is no way he should have been solo. Seeing the video and reading the comments makes me very happy about how strict the tracks are out here.

Veloce Raptor

Peace. I am sorry people posted inappropriate comments on You Tube. I did not post anything. However, some of the comments there, which you deleted, were made by guys I know who are pro caliber drivers. One of them also posts here. Your derision (before you deleted all of it) of the skills of others who made valid comments there does not serve you well.

Also, posting crap like your video only hurts ALL organizers of track events, and makes it harder & harder to afford or even get event insurance. It creates the public impression that mulletheads in fast cars are just turned loose on racetracks to cause mayhem. It was not smart for you to post it, despite your claimed benevolent purpose.

One sugestion for you would be to brake much earlier than you think you should, and much less harshly than you are inclined to do, then come off the brakes much more smoothly & get back to power EARLY. This is especially valid in a car known to be very tail happy like your S2000. Look for one of the Jackie Stewart videos in another thread in this section for all the advice you will need to prevent all the events you documented in your video, each of which could have literally killed you in an open topped car like yours.

MCain

NASA Texas could definitely stand to have more and better instructors. If I had more time, I'd step up and try to help with the DE program there. Though to be fair, when I started with LSRPCA back in the 90's, it was at least as rough and in need of improvement as any DE org in Texas right now. It takes time to get to the level of quality that LSRPCA has now, and I'm really impressed with the talent they have on tap. Going to that Advanced Instructor clinic a while back was very educational.

Bull

If you are entertained by that kind of driving or video, please stay off any track that I am on. It appears that you now feel somewhat sorry for posting a video that draws attention to you, and are wasting your time explaining why you posted the video. It really isn't great news that those events were spread over two days...you needed to ask for help much earlier (if you ever did). OSB!