Upside Down In A Lemon's Race....
03-10-2010, 05:02 PM
#61
Rennlist Member
03-11-2010, 07:12 PM
#62
Rennlist Member
It was a ton of fun, Brian is right and I had probably more laps around sears before, and during the race then most anyone. I thought it was no more crazy than the first or second lap of a standard SCCA /PCA race, but picture that for over 2.5hours straight! As I had said before, it really makes you focus on the subtle things that makes each car and driver unique. I feel I took few chances during my 2 x 2+hour sints. Lots of fun passing and had a few great battles, but never felt like anyone was close to taking me out, ever. I think my mirror touched another car side by side on the exit of 7 once. You also get a huge dose of caution flag awarness. by the end of the first stint, you get very aware of each corner and if there is flag showing or not. Much more so than our racing normally. the racing goal really becomes driving very clean and fast and not passing under caution, and hoping the car takes the beating without breaking! 
As far as the video goes, freeze frame it at second: 19. watch the compression and movement of the neck. thats where that C2-3 injury came from. no hans or restraint system. It was a poor choice of car position, trying to go 3 wide as the outside guy was drifting to the right. He got his "nascar" tap from the rear and then with a correction hit the second car in the nose which sent him into the wall. the maxima got a real bad wrap here. This was ALL driver error without question. Im glad he is ok, as that was a nice smash up.
I think if you see Anderson's, or my video from this race, you might not get the feeling that its that dangerous. Racing is dangerous. Ive been much more scared in the DEs Ive run in with NASA. Ive seen worse crashes with them as well. The good news is that all these cars are running about 20 seconds slower a lap than we normally go here, so, the racing is like spec miata with double or triple the traffic.
As far as the video goes, freeze frame it at second: 19. watch the compression and movement of the neck. thats where that C2-3 injury came from. no hans or restraint system. It was a poor choice of car position, trying to go 3 wide as the outside guy was drifting to the right. He got his "nascar" tap from the rear and then with a correction hit the second car in the nose which sent him into the wall. the maxima got a real bad wrap here. This was ALL driver error without question. Im glad he is ok, as that was a nice smash up.
I think if you see Anderson's, or my video from this race, you might not get the feeling that its that dangerous. Racing is dangerous. Ive been much more scared in the DEs Ive run in with NASA. Ive seen worse crashes with them as well. The good news is that all these cars are running about 20 seconds slower a lap than we normally go here, so, the racing is like spec miata with double or triple the traffic.
Last edited by mark kibort; 03-11-2010 at 11:36 PM.
03-11-2010, 11:38 PM
#66
Rennlist Member
03-12-2010, 09:35 AM
#68
Mr. Excitement
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Some one needs to edit that section in slo motion and make it a sticky at the top of this forum. "Thinking about a H&N system? Stop thinking and get one. "
03-12-2010, 09:59 AM
#70
Race Director
03-12-2010, 10:23 AM
#71
Three Wheelin'
Iirc Nelson Ledges decided Nelson Ledges would make more money running it on their own, without LeMons as a middleman. That race had the least amout of black flags, and the least amount of on track problems of any LeMons race iirc.
03-12-2010, 11:26 AM
#72
Rennlist Member
I was surprised there was not many more issues at Sears. its not a blazing fast track, with these kind of powered cars, but we still got 110 on the main straight, 100mph out of the carocel, and near 90 after the "Indy" chicane they used at turn 9 , before the last turn 11. the real danger was all the blind areas where there was a flag station. You see the flag, THEN you see the traffic, and sometimes it was absolutely stopped! Lots of lockups and cars scattering. But, everyone was pretty good about finding a lane to slow dow through, even if they passed a couple of cars and then let them go a head after the snarl up started moving. .
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03-12-2010, 07:24 PM
#74
Race Director
Certainly, and I really don't care what they do in their spare time. However, the OP asked for our opinions & observations. When people willingly race wheel to wheel is such pieces of crap, with pathetic safety equipment (especially on their bodies), and revel in crashing, they have better expect to be hurt. The clown in the video is lucky he didn't get a basal skull fracture. And if he had, $10 says his next of kin would have sued the organizers. How's THAT for personal responsibility?
Professional Racing and Driving Coach
Professional Racing and Driving Coach
Have you ever been to a lemons race? Yes the minimum requirements for safety equipment are fairly low, but so is SCCA...As for contact....contact between vehicles is NOT ALLOWED...at all....it results in a penalty for BOTH drivers regardless of "fault"......even going off track to avoid an accident is a penalty......Lemons strongly encourages VERY conservative driving.....and with 420 black flags last weekend will attest to that!!
In both races we have competed in we only had 1 minor contact....zero in the last race with 16 hours of racing in two days...how many "real" racers can say zero contacts in 16 hours on track????
Back to safety equipment.....we run a Racetech 4009wHR containment seat, with Hans, scroth 6 point harness & a 8 point cage, with double nascar bars.....our car would pass tech for any race organization that does not require a fuel cell!!
Bottom line is Lemons racing is FUN and CHEAP....and most events only have minor non injury incidents......since most tracks don't have walls like Sears....99% of the drivers are predictable and driver safely....& most of the "others" get weeded out by the black flags and sent packing......
03-12-2010, 07:55 PM
#75
Nordschleife Master
Veloce Raptor
Have you ever been to a lemons race? Yes the minimum requirements for safety equipment are fairly low, but so is SCCA...As for contact....contact between vehicles is NOT ALLOWED...at all....it results in a penalty for BOTH drivers regardless of "fault"......even going off track to avoid an accident is a penalty......Lemons strongly encourages VERY conservative driving.....and with 420 black flags last weekend will attest to that!!
In both races we have competed in we only had 1 minor contact....zero in the last race with 16 hours of racing in two days...how many "real" racers can say zero contacts in 16 hours on track????
Back to safety equipment.....we run a Racetech 4009wHR containment seat, with Hans, scroth 6 point harness & a 8 point cage, with double nascar bars.....our car would pass tech for any race organization that does not require a fuel cell!!
Bottom line is Lemons racing is FUN and CHEAP....and most events only have minor non injury incidents......since most tracks don't have walls like Sears....99% of the drivers are predictable and driver safely....& most of the "others" get weeded out by the black flags and sent packing......
Have you ever been to a lemons race? Yes the minimum requirements for safety equipment are fairly low, but so is SCCA...As for contact....contact between vehicles is NOT ALLOWED...at all....it results in a penalty for BOTH drivers regardless of "fault"......even going off track to avoid an accident is a penalty......Lemons strongly encourages VERY conservative driving.....and with 420 black flags last weekend will attest to that!!
In both races we have competed in we only had 1 minor contact....zero in the last race with 16 hours of racing in two days...how many "real" racers can say zero contacts in 16 hours on track????
Back to safety equipment.....we run a Racetech 4009wHR containment seat, with Hans, scroth 6 point harness & a 8 point cage, with double nascar bars.....our car would pass tech for any race organization that does not require a fuel cell!!
Bottom line is Lemons racing is FUN and CHEAP....and most events only have minor non injury incidents......since most tracks don't have walls like Sears....99% of the drivers are predictable and driver safely....& most of the "others" get weeded out by the black flags and sent packing......
Hate to say this...but, +1. I run with 2 PCA racers and 1 SCCA racer. Our car has nets, 6 pt belts, full containment seat, fire extinguisher and a fully padded 8 point roll cage with proper door bars.
The Lemons South race is held on the short course of CMP. Plenty of run off, plenty of width on track. Max speed in our little CRX is only about 50mph or so. By the time you get up to speed, you have to brake. I consider it similar to lapping an AutoX course.