speaking of autocross

[djomlas]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3197431

[unklekraker]

I saw the picture of the GT3 and it's owner, head down and holding on his helmet....If that's me..i don't know how would i react. try explaining that to the car insurance.
-Hello, Mr. car insurance, i would like to report an accident. i hit a handfull of cars and i'm guessing it's worth more than $150k. I accidentally step on the clutch insted of brake pedal.
-We could help you on that on Mr. Customer. Tell me exactly what happen so we could send the adjuster and start writing check.
-well, Mr. Car insurance..I was at the last turn during auto cross and then...
-WHAAAT? did you say AUTO CROSS?
-yes, mr. car insurance
-Click....
-Hello, mr. car insurance...you're still there?

[986 Girl]

Yeah, this has been making the rounds through my other forums as well....

What really surprised me (and a number of other autocross veterens) was how close the finish line appears to be to the spectating area. Thankfully no one was hurt, as that could have been a lot worse.

[Chills]

ouch.

Good thing no one was injured.

[Rodger]

That should buff right out.

[BobMarley1]

I thought the Corvette plowed into everyone...

[kabel]

Wow. Not cool. I bet no one will ever park anywhere near the shut down area again! I hope they don't lose the site because of that.

[FrayAdjacent]

Luckily no one was hurt...

I'd want to know... is there video? Was this the driver's first lap in that car? (I know the guy driving was not the owner...)

Apparently the driver was not familiar enough with the car to adequately drive it. Hitting the brakes when you mean to hit the brakes is basic. I can understand the difference of going from one car to another, tho.

MY concern with having a 'vette driver drive MY 911 (if I had one that I tracked) would be that the 911 handles differently. You can't go drive a 911 like you'd drive a Vette. Just wait for the Vette driver to lift in a serious turn, and it's all over!


Does kinda scare me a little... when and if I ever get to an Autocross, I want to check out the layout of the track. I KNOW I'm not up to par with my car's abilities, and I want to make sure I have PLENTY of mistake room. My greatest fears in something like this are damaging my own car, and damaging someone else's car.

[djomlas]

^
i think youre getting too much into it, its not how he drove it trough the course, but how he finished the course, so he must have finished the whole thing somehow and then messed up (going from one car to another), but still, not knowing where the brake is??? o well...

[ChrisZang]

I guess this incident and the "Eddie Griffin wrecks an Enzo" incident make me appreciate PCA organized Auto-X even more.

I did 13 Auto-X with PCA GGR so far and the layout for ALL of them was extremely safe. The areas where you could spin out were far away from anything dangerous (light poles, etc ...) and the finish was also at a safe spot.

In fact the biggest danger at any Auto-X is in my opinion when you do track duty and you do not watch EVERY SINGLE car that passes you. I see this way too many times that the track workers have a good time chatting with each other and one of them turns their back to the track. If now a car spins out you might just loose the 1/10 of a second you need.

But these two incidents make me appreciate the great job PCA is doing even more.
Too bad I'll have to miss the upcoming "double header weekend" in Santa Rosa for personal reasons

[986 Girl]

Originally Posted by FrayAdjacent

Does kinda scare me a little... when and if I ever get to an Autocross, I want to check out the layout of the track. I KNOW I'm not up to par with my car's abilities, and I want to make sure I have PLENTY of mistake room. My greatest fears in something like this are damaging my own car, and damaging someone else's car.

Most courses are set up so that there IS enough room should you make a mistake, or at least they make it so that there is a curb or two between you and spectators. That's what really gets me about this accident is that they were SO close...poor event setup in my eyes.

Don't let this worry you though. Take it easy your first couple times out... don't look to drive at your cars full capabilities, because you wont be able to. This is the whole reason behind registering as a novice and making sure to take instructors with you. As you get more events under you belt, and feel more comfortable with your driving, and your car, you'll learn to get faster and faster. Only YOU can make yourself drive unsafely.

[Bavarian Motorist]

I can't imagine what he was doing. Maybe too much gas...who knows



Thankfully my car is so weak that giving it too much gas will never hurt

[kabel]

GT3 owners name is Tom Kotsian, he let another driver get behind the wheel for a fun run, word is this other driver drives an automatic C4, and I am guessing he is used to left foot braking, which would explain why he hit the clutch and not the brake...

[Perfectlap]

good luck with that insurance claim. I'm fairly certain they will not gulp....cover damage done on a timed course. I can't imagine how expensive that repair will be.
I don't there is a part on the GT3 that doesn't cost at least $300 (including the tire valve caps! LOL)
This is a question that is never discussed at these events. Additional insurance is taken for DE's but those are usually not timed in that they aren't competitions.
Autocross is absolutely a competition, its not a driving instruction.
Except for the test and tune events which come in the begining of the season or the 'autocross school days".

[Topless]

I hate it when that happens. He messed up a perfectly good GT3. Ouch!

Note to self: Park near the starting grid at SCCA events, NOT anywhere near the finish.