I wrecked another one.


Yukonranger

GT Owner
Jun 9, 2008
118
Sagle, ID
I haven't been to this track so I didn't initially comment but watching the video, I observed the same thing. There is a similiar, turn at the crest of a hill at the Spokane Raceway and it is a favorite place for the unwary to go off. Once it starts going, you can't catch it as the car is light and you are downhill, offline with sand and rubber granuals.

Of course, I managed to wreck a GT on another turn with none of these problems....

Glad you and your car are OK.




The MSR 1.3 is not the best track for the GT. I have run out there as a member a few times and the 1.7 or 3.1 are much more fun for the GT. The 1.3 is more fun in a spec miata or my Caterham. Watching the video it looks like you were still applying steering input at the top of the blind hill. Car got light and rotated. The key is to get the turn in done so you are pointed straight as you crest and get light. The car then squats and loads up in the "toilet bowl" right hand turn that follows. I know of a P-car and a Subaru WRX that have caught serious air and gone off there. The Porsche got stuck nose down in the ditch. There's not much run off on the 1.3 as there is on the 1.7. I'm glad your car wasn't bunged up worse.
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
Here is a very good assessment I got on another forum. I think he nailed it about right... everything happened in less than a second but speed (and the lack of traction that followed) was the critical factor.
himself said:
Here's my take.

  • If you check the video right before the off, starting at around 3:45, you can see that the car was not oriented correctly over the crest. That is, at 3:47-3:48 (from turn in to the crest), there was not enough steering input to get the car to the apex pointed the right direction over the hill.
  • A lot happens in 1 second at 3:49. You have to go back and forth a few times to see it, but right before the yaw starts (3:48-3:49), you can see that the car is not apexing correctly, and was going to run wide to the right (inside) over the crest.
  • In the middle of 3:49, when the car is just at the crest, you can also see just a hint of steering input to the left - and you can hear a slight lift off the throttle. I'm sure the data will show a drop right at that point. These two things, combined with the location and direction on the track [track is falling away] exacerbated a normally correctable situation.
  • At the end of 3:49 you can see that the back end is starting to come around a bit, and the car is traveling (just for a split second) to the inside (right) of the track.
  • At 3:50+, the car has too much yaw to be correctable and pushes to the outside and off the track.
  • IMO, Mark correctly processed the fact that the car was not situated properly at the crest, and was in the process of correcting it when the back end started to come around and got to the point of no return.
  • Had the car not started to come around, he would have driven straight off into the grass on the right of the track and over the hill pretty abruptly.

If we're ever out there together, I'll show you guys a different line through that complex. If you are brave enough, you can take it on throttle the whole way...

-td
 

Neilda

GT Owner
Oct 19, 2005
3,559
London, UK
"a lot happened in one second"

Unfortunately you'd need the reactions of a Humming Bird to get out of that misalignment on the track.

I think you're not only brave to post the video, incredibly calm during the 'off' but a decent driver too. Many of us would have ended up cutting the grass and as someone posted earlier, that particular segment of the track appears designed to unsettle the car.
 

skyrex

FORD GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Apr 11, 2008
2,115
Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, NV
WOW!!!

The fact that you and the car are okay is the important thing. Thanks for posting the vid and your experience. A lot of people would keep that one to themselves rather than share it with others so they can learn. I would say that your ego is in the right place. :thumbsup :cheers

BTW......was that your smartphone on the windshield used as a GPS speedo. If so what app are you using. I found a couple of good ones, but none that track speed over 150mph.
 

Jean-Claude

New member
May 18, 2010
1
Good thinking about not starting a fire!
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,362
Washington State
Good thinking about not starting a fire!


One would hafta think starting a fire would have been kinda hard to do given the full belly pans. But, there's darn little that's impossible when "Murphy" gets involved, especially considering all the variables in play in THIS situation...:willy:willy:willy
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
Sometimes, when the motor is running EP, flames will come out the back of the exhaust. This would not be something you'd need to worry about as it only occurs when you start the car.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,362
Washington State
Sometimes, when the motor is running EP, flames will come out the back of the exhaust. This would not be something you'd need to worry about as it only occurs when you start the car.


:bang You've obviously been consulting with 'Ice, HH, MAD, and the rest of the crew, haven't you, Mark.

:tongue :slap :biggrin
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
just having fun with ya
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,362
Washington State
just having fun with ya


:lol :thumbsup :cheers

Now, just go repair your car, Mr. Schumacher!
 

STUNTS

FORD GT OWNER & LITTLE TIMMYS DAD!
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 5, 2006
2,438
SoCal
So.... Fubar...
1st.... I'm sorry
2nd..... don't know anyone who has done that twice :wink
2nd .5..... that's a pretty cool category... key word here.... balls:biggrin
3rd..... you're pushing the limits which I think is partially what keeps us ticking as humans or MEN
4th... I push the cheap cars and production cars and just dont have the juevos to do it in the GT...
5th.... I mean, I do but only if out of control won't put me into a wall... ya know, like on a tarmac etc.....

Glad you're OK and like everyone else said, nice to know you were comfortable letting us here know of this little hicup...:thumbsup

I usually blow up under that kind of pressure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBcLcEpy28
 
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John B

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jan 28, 2006
158
What group was that with? Im surprised they let you on track with all that stuff suction cupped onto your windscreen
 

texas mongrel

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 3, 2009
1,677
Houston Texas
Ooh!
just read this thread and its like deja vu all over again. A couple of months ago I did a track day at San Marcos here in Texas with the 701HP Club (super secret - no-one talks about 701). Anyway, very early in the day a beautiful 1000+HP Supra left the road on the back hairpin, rotated a couple of times and then proceeded to roll over and totally destroy itself. Driver was fine but car was a wreck - the crash even tore the tires off the rims. So, my turn and everything's fine and at each lap I'm trying harder. I remembered the track expert's comment that "you can go a lot deeper into that bend that the braking markers indicate" (the same bend where the Supra exited) .... so each lap I'm braking deeepr and deeper until, F**k oh Dear, I'm spinning off and mowing grass. My thought was simply that I was about to roll a $150K vehicle but I just came to a rest with only severely -damaged ego.
Hey, that's what these cars are all about - if you've not driven a GT in anger, you have no idea of how unbelievably-competent they are! Can't wait for Virginia.