Luckily on that track, no barriers

 

Just looking at the video, your correction was really really late and slow... I was yelling to myself: "counter, counter..." Way before your hands start moving.... And if you can see that your late (usually you feel it way before you see it), than you are really late.
The correction should've also been a lot more aggressive/quicker to save it.
Listening to the soundtrack, it seems you lifted completely at the same time you started making the correction. Which most likely contributed to the "snap" spin as well...

Cold tires or not, pure driver error IMHO.

Just my two cents... Thanks for posting the video!

 

Nope, pit out, like the guy I quoted. Ug. At least I got in a couple of laps of practice this year before the rear main seal blew out.

If #13 is available next year, I may grab it.

 

OK, I'm gonna man up here. I did a little driving in my new Formula Mazda yesterday and in the first session with an ambient temp of 34F, I made it about 20 feet on track and promptly spun it and fortunately stayed on the pavement. This was without giving much of any throttle. Felt like I was on ice. While I've driven R1 and R6 for years, this was my first cold experience on true Goodyear slicks.

 

those cars are particularly difficult but im incredibly suprised your shop put on you, your first time in a formula car, first time in a high downforce car, first time on slicks, out in 34 degree weather. i dont think id ever personally take out slicks in 34 degrees. 40? sure, but good warm up . 34? hot cocoa time.

 

Well the car came with two sets of scrubs and I just can't say no to track time Steve! I'm really just focusing on learning to drive the dog box right now as opposed to setting any records! I think the temp got a up to about 44 but still each time out I needed a lap to get them workable again. Good experience!

 

yeah, i hear you dude. but those cars only settle down once you get them up to full song, when the aero takes over. and slicks in general are horrific under 40 degrees. i cringe to think about taking out slicks <40degrees unless its sunny and very close to 40. just be careful. those cars are super light, very evenly balances and need pace and downforce to get grip.

 

I'm on it brother! I'm loving the beast. Grip was definitely way way down but I still had a blast.

 

Some slicks will actually crack significantly below 40 F. I agree with Steve...

 

First time in my RSR on slicks at TWS -- out lap I was taking it really easy and thought I had grip enough to accelerate out of 13 --
Dry and warm -- seemed to have grip the last couple turns so I thought I was fine.

She turned on me like a cheap trick -- then proceeded to high side on the curbing.....
It was the slowest tank slapper..... but I might as well been on ice skates.
Had to get pulled off the curbing.

Boy was my ego bruised. Fortunately nothing else was.

Now I go and tip toe around for quite a bit longer -- but still that first time you
get on it a bit is a pucker factor :-)

M

 

You are 100% right. There is no "excuse" here. My only excuse being that I was being "lazy" in the sense that it was my outlap and I was slowly driving around (about 20 seconds slower than a normally paced lap on a 2 minute track). If going faster I am mentally prepared to listen to the car and react asap on oversteer etc, but in this case I was going so slow (at least I thought) that concentration levels were lower so I didn't even think of the fact that the car could have started sliding. It felt like cruising around up until that point.

Lesson learned: always be there at 100%, or it bites when you least expect it.

 

That sounds very logical! And it is exactly what it looks like in the video.
I suppose your thread title is spot on!

 

Good read, thanks for posting.
I'll get my introduction to slicks soon.. Sebring should be dry in Dec :-)

I've probably driven almost off the track more often on the cool down lap not focusing than at speed ;-)

 

It's something often seen on motorcycle trackdays. People crashing in their cool down lap because they are coasting but still approach some corners too quickly. Luckily we have 4 wheels

 

I was at a club race in my World Challenge previous camaro. spend a day testing and tuning. car was mint. qualifying, got out early, it was cold, did 3/4 of a lap scrubbing and warming, and then laid downa monster lap 1. broke track record for that class by like 1.5 seconds and was pole by about that same amount. eased up for a few turns figuring id wait and see what the crew said other cars were putting up. and yet gong 7/10s you forget you're still cooking and i overcooked a turn , put left 2 wheels on the grass it was wet, slid sideways into the tire barrier, ripped up the door. had to be pulled out. no other laps. and then of course because i brought out the yellow, i lost my fast lap. doink.

we've all been there. you live and learn.