Ouch - c6 autocross crash

mad_machine wrote:

Vigo wrote:

it is indeed possible to slip under the watchful eye of the electronic nannies, at least long enough to get yourself in trouble.

Hard to argue with that, but traction control, abs, and stability control have all come a long way in the ensuing 15 years. I had a 96 car with ABS so bad i unplugged it so i could autocross faster. My dad has an 03 diamante with a circa-95 traction control system and it's frankly really bad. I think some of the earliest systems didnt help much at all, but any sports car from the c6 era ought to have something much better than that.

the early systems WERE very bad. The ABS that was in my NG900 got unplugged after the first time it refused to let me stop in the rain. Early BMW tractioncontrol was so bad that in low traction situations.. all you could do was idle because the secondary throttle body (the traction control) was shut

The ABS on my 98 Daewoo is so incredibly awful. If either of the rear wheels comes off the ground the ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM goes into ice-glide mode.

I finally killed the system altogether and the car is much safer.

I didn't read this whole thread so it may have already been asked but does the owner's car insurance cover that damage or does the club carry insurance for that type of thing?

The owners insurance will probably cover it as long as the word race isn't used in the claim.

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Vigo wrote:

I've not participated in an autocross yet, but this sure intimidates me in a way I wasn't before.

I definitely would not let this scare you. It's a perfect crap-storm that's not likely to happen with the vast majority of cars, drivers, and course layouts.

QFT. Those "stop boxes" (where you have to bring the car to a complete stop just past the finish) are actually illegal in SCCA, mostly for the reason that poor guy in the C6 just discovered. Smaller clubs use them so that they can run on smaller sites. Some guys nail the throttle for the finish, and then lose the handle on it trying to stop for the box. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNA7ALhuDXc

Side note - I hate the lower lot at Bowie. I do not feel good about going through concrete islands, no matter how many cones you put around them.

I wouldn't count on insurance covering anything at any motorsport event, ever. Well, except maybe TSD or transit sections, both of which are on public roads at legal speeds, which should be no different than everyday street driving. If there's timing, it's considered racing, whether the word is used or not. Even HPDE is out. I read the long paragraph on the last section of my policy, and they went out of their way to cover all the bases. YMMV.

Brett_Murphy wrote: Given how he was driving on the rest of the course, it looks and sounds like he hit the gas instead of the brake for some unintended acceleration. That truly sucks.

This is what I thought when I watched it. Poked around the entire course then took off like a rocket for no reason and kept it planted when he lost control.

Still even assuming that's all true, why did it rotate like that?

Because he turned the wheel for the final kink before the finish at the same time.

AutoXR wrote: It's obvious tha V-Tec Kicked in and he wasn't ready

Awsome

Are the cones Ok? Have they talked to a lawyer?

White_and_Nerdy wrote: I wouldn't count on insurance covering anything at any motorsport event, ever. Well, except maybe TSD or transit sections, both of which are on public roads at legal speeds, which should be no different than everyday street driving. If there's timing, it's considered racing, whether the word is used or not. Even HPDE is out. I read the long paragraph on the last section of my policy, and they went out of their way to cover all the bases. YMMV.

We had a guy total a GTI at a HPDE this year. Insurance covered it no problems even though it happened on a race track. As you say, YMMV

In reply to Toyman01:

One of my friends totaled his MS3 at NJMP and his insurance covered his car AND the damage to the track. Just another data point but as Toyman says, YMMV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzlg3oQMze4&feature=share

Gimp wrote: Side note - I hate the lower lot at Bowie. I do not feel good about going through concrete islands, no matter how many cones you put around them.

+1 light poles and concrete islands suck.

Our club rents a very nice little site in Tavares that is free from that stuff. Unfortunately, I heard that the plan is to raise prices for next year so that they can spend more time in the convention center parking lot.....bigger and faster, but poles, islands and painted lanes. I really don't like this idea.