Emerging from Covid-19

[Croc]

But it’s sunny again and the track dried off so I took out something else.

 

 

 

Freaked out the flag marshals as two radioed in that there was no driver and there was someone in the passenger seat...

[Kitcat]

Too funny Croc, you know you are talented when you can successfully pilot your car as a passenger!

 

The Caterham is looking good! But it needs a patina of squashed bugs and black rubber streaks to look right.

 

Graham, the VIR experience sounds memorable! You are correct, the back straight is endless. It's better when they include the cut through the infield, the configuration that Car and Driver runs at their annual Lightening Lap. Chin is big time/high end, nicely organized.

[xcarguy]

 

 

Oh well - it was good while it lasted.

 

Glad it dried out. If I had been there, I could have given you remedial on how to ‘back’ over innocent cones coming out of turn one.:jester:

[fastg]

I was reviewing the RaceChrono data last night from VIR. I downloaded it to my tablet as it's much easier to see than a phone. The Garmin GLO GPS bluetooth receiver is amazing. It really improved the detail on the data, I think you could see every steering input.

 

The Chin group run a sighting session for the first session of the day, all drivers allowed, waving yellow, no passing, after about 4 laps they black flag the session. It perfect if you have never been to the track before, so out I went. I think 3rd lap after the blind left at the top of the upper S's. Three wrecked car, 2 Porsche's and a Mustang. I am not talking about a fender bender the front wheel was hanging of the Mustang a rear wheel was twisted and one car in the armco!!!!!! I have never seen car on car contact at a track day, one group I run with MVP Track Time are proud that in 14 years they have never had car on car contact. There was one other serious wreck in the expert group that need the helicopter. It was a well run event but they do 3x30 minute sessions and 1x40 minute session, then a 1 hour open track all car at the end of the day. I think 30 minutes is to long let alone 40 minutes, I much prefer the 6x20 minute sessions. The open track session is not for the faint hearted.

 

Graham

[Croc]

I was reviewing the RaceChrono data last night from VIR. I downloaded it to my tablet as it's much easier to see than a phone. The Garmin GLO GPS bluetooth receiver is amazing. It really improved the detail on the data, I think you could see every steering input.

 

I used to use Racechrono Pro but with some other brsnd of GPS bluetooth thingy - it was brilliant. But I decided to just sruvive by using GPS data overlaid automatically onto video. The Garmin VIRB camera does a really good GPS map.

 

 

 

The Chin group run a sighting session for the first session of the day, all drivers allowed, waving yellow, no passing, after about 4 laps they black flag the session. It perfect if you have never been to the track before, so out I went.

 

I think all track days should have sighting laps. The ones I do in UK and Europe have them and it really helps you on a brand new circuit.

 

 

 

I think 3rd lap after the blind left at the top of the upper S's. Three wrecked car, 2 Porsche's and a Mustang. I am not talking about a fender bender the front wheel was hanging of the Mustang a rear wheel was twisted and one car in the armco!!!!!! I have never seen car on car contact at a track day

 

Sadly, it is more common than you think. Many run out of talent and into a wall. This was a sighting lap session too. No excuse.

 

 

One group I run with MVP Track Time are proud that in 14 years they have never had car on car contact.

 

Wish they would come further East - I have heard good things about them.

 

 

There was one other serious wreck in the expert group that need the helicopter.

 

Shane? Again?

 

 

a 1 hour open track all car at the end of the day. I think 30 minutes is to long let alone 40 minutes, I much prefer the 6x20 minute sessions. The open track session is not for the faint hearted.

 

 

I like open sessions. It requires you to be very aware of yourself and your performance. I do them all the time in UK and Europe. Did an 8 hour one at NJMP yesterday. Good disciplined training for drivers. I used to prefer endurance events when I was much younger and could do 2 hours stints easily. I still do 45-60 mins stints at Spa track days.

 

First time at NJMP saw so many drivers have to be towed in because they had no idea how long their fuel tanks would last for at track speeds. Again it is a driver issue - you have to know the abilities of you and your car.

[xcarguy]

 

 

Shane? Again?

 

 

 

I heard that.:bigear:

[fastg]

MVP Track Time has made it as far east as Mid-Ohio. Mark run it as the benevolent dictator, he will have a "talk" with you:)

 

Graham

[Kitcat]

Graham: So the big 3 car pile-up occurred on the waiving yellow parade laps? If so, that's not good.

 

I can say that some of my worst moments on track have occurred on cool down laps, yellow flag laps, etc., when I over-relax and lose focus.

[fastg]

Yep on the parade laps. I could only find one of the cars in the paddock.

 

Graham

[Kitcat]

Wow, that's huge damage!

 

Since I briefly owned and tracked a Honda Type R last year, I visit their forum too. One of the members is an instructor and was at this same VIR event. He somehow talked Randy Pobst, who as you note was there, into driving his Type R. He beat the owner/instructor's best lap time by 10" on the first lap, and had lots of ideas on how to improve handling. All the time talking & laughing. The Honda owner said the car was always just on the verge of an apparent crash, he called it controlled chaos:).

[S1Steve]

Yep on the parade laps. I could only find one of the cars in the paddock.

 

Graham

i also had a SN95 Mustang Cobra like this one, mine was setup a little more track oriented compared to this one. Big- Heavyweight Tank that didn’t like slowing down. 11 track weekends with no damage. I’ll put some blame on The Officials running the drivers meeting for not hammering the meaning of flagging and warmup laps.. how do you explain this to your Insurance Agent. Croc will chime in on that question...

[panamericano]

Don't get me started about the safety of street cars on race tracks. I consider the whole trend reprehensible.

[bball7754]

The last track day I did with MVP was at COTA in 2013. Lots of high powered cars (Mark markets to Porsche and Viper owners, or at least he did), and I spent most of the weekend staring in my mirrors and doing point by’s.

 

At the drivers meeting before the first session we were warned that the esses were deceptive, and kept tightening as you went through. Were also told that someone had crashed there at all the events that had been held (COTA had just opened).

 

The picture is the result of the esses. First session, advanced group.

 

[lucky dawg]

i also had a SN95 Mustang Cobra like this one, mine was setup a little more track oriented compared to this one. Big- Heavyweight Tank that didn’t like slowing down. 11 track weekends with no damage. I’ll put some blame on The Officials running the drivers meeting for not hammering the meaning of flagging and warmup laps.. how do you explain this to your Insurance Agent. Croc will chime in on that question...

More than likely there is no need to explain this to your insurance agent. Crashes at a track are almost always excluded from coverage under most normal auto policies. Of course reporting that it happened elsewhere is a whole other issue. And a felony.

[Croc]

How do you explain this to your Insurance Agent.

 

The insurance agent is easy - he's your friend. He/She/It is generally not even employed by the insurance company - they work on commissions. The insurance company claims assessor is not going to be your friend. Lucky Dawg is right - personal auto policies in most states have standard wording which would exclude this type of damage from being covered as a claim. However, some insurance companies might cover the loss to avoid potential litigation but then at next renewal you will see a 50%+ increase in premiums which is industry code for "we do not want you as a customer."

 

I have seen people damage their cars at NJMP and then have it towed to the side of the road outside of NJMP so it can be picked up. Lying on a claim form is insurance fraud and a state crime. You should not be out there on track unless you can afford the possible damage cost or you buy the specialty track day insurance with Lockton, Hagerty, etc. The specialty insurers are good - I see them pay out fairly and without issues to friends of mine that have accidentally run out of talent and improved the looks of their Porsches.

 

Also keep in mind that a small number of large insurance companies do AI scan Youtube trackday videos for license plates and then cross-match to their insured databases. If there is a match then expect your premiums to jump massively next renewal. Cover up your license plates.

 

 

Don't get me started about the safety of street cars on race tracks. I consider the whole trend reprehensible.

 

I agree with you but for different reasons.

 

I raced production cars in the period of sketchy safety 30 odd years ago. It was not unusual to be 150mph on production car brakes with just upgraded pads and the usual brake fluid. We won't go into drivers (including me) using painted muffler pipe/cardboard tubing as a "rollcage" as it saved hundreds of pounds of weight and made for quicker cars. So I grew up with being ok with a street car on track but you also developed the maturity to drive it within its capabilities - don't burn out brakes, consider lack of internal roll cage, stresses on production suspension components, etc. Even in my Caterham today, habit forces me to check pump my brake pedal twice for pressure down a straight so I know I can stop at the end of it. I learned that lesson early on in my driving career at 175mph. Most of my cars are restoration/recommissioning projects. I take precautions as I bring them back on track because it does not matter what restoration you have done in a workshop - you have never tested them at speed on track and you do not have safe life data on any of the parts - so you have to proceed carefully and work it up to speed.

 

I have been out on track in an SUV with a few other SUVs. I was very conscious of doing an indicated 140mph and having to brake it down to 65mph for turn 1. I was always test pumping brakes down the straight to make sure and even then I knew after 3 laps I was pushing the SUV's capabilities (and my luck). I can feel the car through the wheel, feet and ass and so know what it feels and what it is doing but you have to know the safety envelope is shrinking at higher speeds.

 

The worst accident record for track day operators in the US is supposedly PCA - not sure how true that is because there is no published data but sounds plausible because they are the most widespread/national, high average cost cars, but also possibly because they do have very crowded days. I once saw 50 cars out on Thunderbolt circuit at once. To my mind, a safer number is closer to 30-35. I have seen a lot of car on car accidents plus car into fence accidents at their events over many years. Porkers are very accomplished production cars but the drivers? Not so accomplished - a fat wallet, a big ego and possibly small manly attributes are enough to get you out on track in one. PCA does have good instructors though and a methodology for graduating drivers up the ranks so that is something.

 

The lesson - the car is a dumb animal. The driver should have the humility and skill to know this and drive appropriately. Half the problem is drivers graduate into advanced driving groups too quickly before they develop their skills properly. If not then the trackday operator should operate the day accordingly. If that fails, looking at the damage on that poor Mustang above on a (for Heaven's sake) sighting lap, then that driver deserves a ban and remedial training.

[Croc]

Still, it was a damn good day. Blew out some cobwebs and cheered me up no end. Mechanical destruction does that to men for some reason.

 

Photos are always good to show. Mike Woeller was the photographer on site on the days. Those that have been the NJMP sevens event will have met him as he loves sevens and hanging out with us. A truly skilled guy at getting great action shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This chap in the car looks handsome! :rofl:

 

 

 

 

Car is bug smeared and tire marked but trust me, the driver has the biggest grin going on behind the helmet!

Edited June 6, 2020 by Croc

[Kitcat]

Haggerty charges me about $200 per track day for coverage with a $5K deductible, as I recall. Depending on what car I am tracking, I typically buy it for peace of mind. And, somewhat counter-intuitively, I am a bit more cautious as I dont want to have to report I Fked up to a 3rd party....

[xcarguy]

Never, never, never go out on track without coverage.....ask me how I know this.:rofl:

[fastg]

I found the reason for my creeping water temp, nothing to do with the mods I had done over the winter. I had re-installed a panel that runs from the front lower frame rail, it was blocking the air from exiting the radiator. I guess I had not run the plate for years, just found it and decided to re-install. Oops.