Things that make me happy:
1...Chris is okay, which is what counts. 2...The positive attitude on display by the Albins. 3...That people at the top of SCCA are still club racing affordable cars.
We first worked with Chris Albin on magazine stories some 20 years ago. His car has even graced our cover. When we saw this weekend’s video of his familiar, yellow VW Golf crashing into the trees, our heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, he emerged okay.
Then, we saw today’s article on The Drive, and felt the need to reach out and set the record straight.
Chris is a championship-level driver who also spent eight years on the SCCA’S Club Racing Board. He was recently voted to the SCCA’s board of Directors. This part of their article just didn’t sound like the Chris Albin we know: “Sadly for this Volkswagen Golf driver, he got a bit too ambitious and overheated the brakes, leading to an aerial act that can’t be missed.”
So, what really happened? We asked Andie Albin. She’s Chris’s daughter, a competitor herself, and works for the SCCA as their Digital Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
As she explains, her dad had a brake line failure Saturday morning after qualifying. “Luckily it happened in impound after the session and there was no fallout,” she says. “That line was replaced and he won the race on Saturday.” So far so good, but that failed line turned out to be a harbinger of what would come next.
“Sunday morning qualifying went fine,” she continues. “There was no indication of brake fade. The fluid was not boiled. It’s not like this was our first rodeo.”
And then, as captured by Eric Prill’s rear-facing camera, something broke. “He hit the brakes coming into Turn 2, like he had hundreds of times before in that same turn,” Andie continues. “He had a pedal, and you can see in Eric’s video that the car slowed, then his foot fell to the floor and there was nothing. He consciously turned in to scrub whatever speed he could. While the uninformed see him aiming for Eric, he knew he had just enough space. It was close. But far better than piling straight into the reinforced tires straight ahead, or trying to find the access road to the right, which would have probably upset the car and sent it into a roll.”
“We struggle to find brake lines that will put up with the demands of this sport,” Chris adds. “These braided stainless lines are the best ones we’ve used, but still fail from time to time.
“All things considered, the car isn’t that bad off. Some parts failed, but the hang time and trees absorbed most of the landing’s force. The A-arms aren’t even bent. I’m so fortunate to be in MiDiv where we have such great corner workers to keep us safe, even when crazy stuff happens.”
What’s next for the Golf? They’re already working to get back into the game: “We’re trying to get the car back together for the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour race at Gateway Motorsports Park next weekend. We’re not giving up on this season yet. See you at Indy!”
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Things that make me happy:
1...Chris is okay, which is what counts. 2...The positive attitude on display by the Albins. 3...That people at the top of SCCA are still club racing affordable cars.
Ha, looks like they have since edited their article, removing this line: “Sadly for this Volkswagen Golf driver, he got a bit too ambitious and overheated the brakes, leading to an aerial act that can't be missed.”
So, reading between the lines because it's never actually stated - it was a brake line failure?
By the way, this is why we research things before putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, or whatever metaphor have you. Yes, it takes more time than just just spouting off the first thing that comes to mind but, in the end, I feel better about our place in life.
No, we are not a click bait site. We are here for the long haul, and this is our community.
End soap box.
Keith Tanner wrote: So, reading between the lines because it's never actually stated - it was a brake line failure?
Yep. There's a photo in the main story.
Looks like they changed the title too. They also refer to this as a "hot lap" and the filming Miata as a "track car" - seems like race and race car would have been more appropriate.
Typical internet "news site" asshattery.
David S. Wallens wrote:Keith Tanner wrote: So, reading between the lines because it's never actually stated - it was a brake line failure?Yep. There's a photo in the main story.
Ah, found it. Failed at the crimp.
So the followup article is to get that brake line to a specialist and figure out why it failed. Obviously it's not a new line. Are they a consumable? Why did he have two failures in short order? What can we collectively learn from this?
We sell SS brake lines. which means I get to hear about any problems over a reasonably large install base. The failure rate is extremely low and nonexistent as a catastrophic failure.
I look at stainless lines, made who knows where by who knows who, using components from who knows where, and then I go buy OE equivalent rubber ones that show evidence of failure for quite a while before, and have DOT numbers stamped on the hose.
I fear I have too many years of quality concerns with aftermarket parts of any type. Heck, I don't trust OE stuff all the time.
cmcgregor wrote: Looks like they changed the title too. They also refer to this as a "hot lap" and the filming Miata as a "track car" - seems like race and race car would have been more appropriate. Typical internet "news site" asshattery.
It's basic hack writing. I won't even call it journalism. It's lazy. L-A-Z-Y.
It's obvious that the video was posted by Eric Prill. One minute on Google would reveal who he is: F Prod Miata racer and SCCA VP and COO. Have a question about the incident? He's easy to reach.
It's extra work, but sometimes you need to do a little research before hitting the "publish" button.
David S. Wallens wrote:cmcgregor wrote: Looks like they changed the title too. They also refer to this as a "hot lap" and the filming Miata as a "track car" - seems like race and race car would have been more appropriate. Typical internet "news site" asshattery.It's basic hack writing. I won't even call it journalism. It's lazy. L-A-Z-Y. It's obvious that the video was posted by Eric Prill. One minute on Google would reveal who he is: F Prod Miata racer and SCCA VP and COO. Have a question about the incident? He's easy to reach. It's extra work, but sometimes you need to do a little research before hitting the "publish" button.
I would lament the state of automotive journalism (present company excluded, of course) but it's unfortunately not limited to just our little corner of the world. Research doesn't drive those sweet sweet clicks!
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