marcus0277

Here's the "valid suggestion" that Bryan Watts made:
Within the course of 2 or 3 hours I got several "hatemail" comments like "you suck", "I don't care if you die", "stay off the track", etc, so I made the decision to delete all comments that were posted on the video yesterday, nondiscriminantly. If Bryan posted a some other helpful comment before I took the time to read it, that's unfortunate, but I made a decision to delete a group of comments from my personal YouTube account. The reason I made the assumption that none of the comments came from experienced drivers was simply because of their nature. I would expect an experienced driver to offer comments with suggestions for ways to improve, or at the least to simply recommend an organization with good instructors that could help me. I don't recall any of the comments having that kind of thought behind them.

Veloce Raptor

Sorry, Marcus, that we have different views of this. You did miss some valid comments before deleting them. Just because you don't "recall" any valid comments, and instead chose to suggest that those making them had no track experience, doesn't make it so. And your "personal" account is fully public. It is not really "personal".

Sign up for the next LSRPCA event in September. I am sure you wil appreciate the high level of personalized instruction available.

ervtx

Will do. FWIW, at the end of the session he followed me to my parking spot and apologized profusely. I told him that being unaware was one thing, but to tap his mirror, setting up my expectation for a point-by and then not giving one was a big deal. I also told him that I appreciated the fact that he stopped by to apologize directly; makes all the difference in being able to get back on the track with him in the future. So I'm cool with how it ended.

RJay

+1. I think what is disturbing is that the driver seems, somewhat by his own admission, to have failed to realize that he was clearly pressing beyond his current abilities. Every incident is emblematic of misjudging entry speed and courting disaster as a result. I applaud his judgment in the first clip, there he recognized he wasn't going to make it and did the right thing going straight off. Trouble is he apparently neither learned nor retained anything from that experience. The second clip was scary, that easily could have been a rollover and the fact that the driver continued to press as hard in the face of that experience is exactly why PCA has a two spin rule. Clearly, if you come that close, its time to start considering that you're in over your head, time to go back get an instructor, if they dare ride with you to get a refresher in the fundamentals. To not do this, and to have the track Gods warn again (clip #3) that your consistently going in too fast and then to follow this warning up with a second spin clearly says to me that this driver at this moment in his career, lacks the maturity, wisdom, judgment and fear necessary to yet be trusted out on track.

In the interests of full disclosure, I'm known as a being a bit aggressive. I understand the desire to go faster and push limits, but this series in two days exceeds several years of my footage. In those years, I've spun 4 times, three of which involved foreign fluids on track. I'm not here to crucify the driver, merely point out to him that the purpose of DE is to learn lessons well or understand that there is the potential to perish. The video suggests that he did not absorb the lessons of the first day and that, IMO, is a dangerous state of affairs for he and those around him. I don't know this track, but the first spin reminded me of the recent Mini incident at Willow. The spin into the grass could have been very, very serious, and as VR points out, fatal.

marcus0277

It's personal insomuch as I am the one that determines what comments survive and which ones don't. It's personal since I use it to share my personal videos with friends/family/etc. Sure, it's publicly viewable, and until yesterday it was publicly accessible for comments, but that doesn't really mean that the comments that people were making were appropriate. Like I said, it's unfortunate if I missed some useful comments, but once I saw the nature of most of the comments that were being posted, I made the decision to remove all comments as quickly as possible and change the permissions on the video.
Good suggestion, but as of right now my budget only allows for a couple more track events this year. I'm already registered for Hallett w/ NASA this weekend and I plan to do Eagle's Canyon in October (also with NASA). However, you'll be relieved to hear that I've just sent an e-mail to request to be placed in DE2 and I've requested to have an instructor for the Hallett event, and I'll plan to do the same for EC.

I'll look into the possibility of doing some LSRPCA events next year.

roberga

have fun marcus; it is a great sport. find a good instructor and stick with them. Even Tiger Woods has a swing couch

Veloce Raptor

+1. That is a classy thing for him to do.

Marcus, you should also consider doing the Maverick PCA event at MSR or Eagles Canyon in the fall instead of NASA. I have nothing against NASA. However, as others have said, the quality of PCA instructors in this part of the country is unparalleled.

Veloce Raptor

After receiving several PMs asking me to reopen this thread, I have done so.

DogInBlack

The fun never ends here at Rennlist.

Bull

Marcus, it appears to me that switching from NASA events to PCA events (in your Region) would be an excellent idea.

jester911

I have to agree with Bull here (dammit). I have done both and for the best instruction the PCA is the way to go IMHO.

himself

ECR can make you pay dearly for offs. I've seen first hand (at DEs) cars with substantial unpleasantries after what would be a "minor" spin at MSR or TWS. Not to mention the armco and haybales and concrete wall and the cow poo smell. (Well, I for one don't like the poo smell).

-td

MTosi

On a more positive and OT note, this is the first time I've seen onboard from TWS, and damn what a sweet track, that has to be the best roval I've seen, unlike NHMS . Not to mention some excellent driving ^^^^.

Veloce Raptor

Plus it is by far THE hardest-on-brakes track I have ever been to...and I have been to a bunch that are hard on brakes. Word to the wise for Marcus who brakes way too late & way too hard at TWS...not a track known to be hard on brakes going CCW.

Tosi, TWS is probably the most underrated track in the country. It is a superb track wrapped in a crappy run down facility, whose new owners will likely make big improvements.

prg

I must say 8 pages is pretty disappointing for a rennlist dogpile thread. The sanctimonious condemnation **** is usually set to 11.