Tom I am glad you are OK, that was a tough hit. I am the epitome'of the eternal optimist and can always find the positive in the worst of times.....you finally got the video kinks worked out and it worked flawlessly! Good luck getting back on track quickly!

Yeah, damn right, those video cameras worked great! Glad that someone noticed! :)

Tom - I've watched your video about 10 times and the one thing that sticks out more than any other to me is this - At no time were you a passenger in the car watching things happen - you drove it under your control throughout the entire accident sequence. You had your emergency procedures down cold with unbelting and getting the window net down ready to egress the car, and then with your communication to the corner workers that you were safe.

From the time the white car started to spin, you were on top of what was going on around you. At no time was there any hesitation in your actions - you took evasive action prior to impact and drove the car until it was stopped. Your emergency procedures for egress were flawless, as was your communication.

I sure hate to see your car get bent, but as with all your videos, I learned something valuable from it. Thanks!

I'm looking forward to seeing you get back on the track.

Tom ,Glad you are O.K. and still in the game !
One 'interesting' option for a replacement car may be Copart.https://www.copart.com/lot/44297146 will probably sell for less than $500.
They are a bit tricky to deal with but many here would coach you through their procedures.
Thanks for mentioning a repair facility that meets with your approval.I hope they realize how valuable your endorsement is !
Here is the link to ProMotorSports in Burbank:
http://www.promotorsportsla.com/
I know 2 other local sources for used parts/cars if you want to PM me.

The camera looked good, have you been working out? :cheers:

Thanks Rick, a lot of what you noticed was training and remaining focused on the task at hand.

And never give up!

Side impacts
 

It's hard to tell because the video is a bit dark in this area, but it appears that your seat does not have head bolsters. And I can see it doesn't have a side net.

Most clubs require one or the other for side impacts. Does your club not require this?

Wow...nothing, no where to go. I think I counted around four different direction changes for the guy ahead....just keeps you guessing until you run out of options......good choice hoping that the brakes would stay on. Running of the track and that speed with that terrain looks dicey at best.

Hope you heal up soon

POC and PCA use the same rules set for Spec Boxster and there is no requirement for a full containment seat or a center net. I don't know what rules NASA or SCCA use.

With that being said, both of those items are highly recommended and I actually bought a full containment seat last year but it wouldn't fit in the car. I was planning on buying another containment seat and installing it after this event along with adding the center net. This incident happened one event too early.

Thanks for the Copart link and info. I should know more about the needed parts by late next week.

Here's a Copart just up the road a ways from you. Sells tomorrow.

https://www.copart.com/lot/42774656

Impact Update:

Thanks for all of your good wishes - I genuinely appreciate every one of them. And while I did walk away from last weekend's impact, it was not entirely without issues.

On Saturday evening, a good friend gave me a ride home from the track after the incident and I felt ok, but looking back, I was probably somewhat in a minor form of shock and still riding a wave of adrenaline which masked a lot of emotions and physical feeling.

On Sunday, I felt like crap. I felt like I had been in a boxing match and lost. I was tired and lethargic along with feeling aches all over. I also had a splitting headache that wouldn't go away even with Tylenol. I'm not a headache prone person and rarely have to take more than a single 500mg tablet of Tylenol to get rid of a headache so this was not normal. I figured that this was the downside of the adrenaline and the forces imparted during the impact.

After laying around all day, I noticed my vision becoming blurry around 5pm and shortly thereafter, I started to see lines of colored lights in my vision. This was definitely not normal.

I discussed this with my wife and she drove me to the ER (< 5 mins away) where they took me straight in and thought that I might be having a stroke or a brain hemorrhage. The hospital moved as fast and as well coordinated as a F1 pit crew and administered history, dexterity tests, blood tests, EKG, and a cat-scan within 15 mins of my arrival to the ER. All of the tests were normal/fine.

Within an hour, my symptoms had subsided and I was feeling better than I had all day. They kept me for a few hours of observation and the ER doctor called and coordinated with my personal physician.

I was released later in the evening with a preliminary diagnosis of "migraine with aura". I had never heard of this but it seems to be quite common for people who suffer from migraines (which I do not) to see colors (call auras) during short (less than 1 hr) migraine episodes.

I followed up with my personal doctor on Monday who checked for residual symptoms (none) and then recommended that I see an ophthalmologist and a neurologist. The ophthalmologist verified that there was no problems with my eye, cornea, retina, etc.

The neurologist confirmed that that this was indeed a migraine most likely brought on by the stress of the incident. She also confirmed that it was normal to think that you're dying the first time it happens! :)

I am cleared to go back to racing as soon as I like and so I went indoor karting last night and nailed the second fastest time of the week at that track.

I'll post video from the car behind me tomorrow and should know more about the extent of the damage to the car this week.

Tom, glad to hear you're feeling better. Watch out for those kart tracks -- I broke two ribs and ended up with a nasty concussion from kart racing.
Speaking of concussion....did anyone evaluate you for that? I've known a few LeMons drivers who've had "minor" impacts on track and experienced symptoms very much like yours. It turns out that they had minor concussions and needed some time to recover.
Take care friend.

Really? Damn, that's a big injury. I was hoping that karting would be somewhat safer but maybe not. I'll be careful out on the kart track too.

Yes, the hospital went thru the concussion protocol and I scored in the safe zone so they moved on to evaluate the other possibilities.

Here is something for your Sunday evening viewing - video of the incident from Branimir's #318 Spec Boxster....

(Branimir, sorry for the opening title typo saying #818).

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vmxty2SCd5U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I love karts -- they really teach you how to be both fast AND smooth. But unfortunately, I discovered that when someone loses control of their kart and plows into you, there's not a whole lot there to protect you -- no cage, no door frame, nada. Your just sitting out there in your little plastic chair with your helmet. I've had some nasty injuries in my life, but broken ribs -- those are special.

Much relieved to hear your feeling better!

Kevin

Sweet video but I do wish it wasn't you!!

I have crashed on track in the 911 and on Motorcycles. Never feels good just after. Glad it turned out to be a bit of nothing... a bad headache.

Now that you are OK, what's the prognosis on the car???

Thanks and sorry to hear that you've also had a couple of mishaps. Not fun.

The shop jacked up the car and did a preliminary inspection. They plan to get it onto a lift today or tomorrow and then I'll go over for a thorough walk thru of what needs to be done. Stand by...

Standing by.

It's part of the game!! Find your personal limits and then explore a bit further. I understand the risks, as I'm certain you do too. I far more enjoy the riding on track than fearing another get off. Having a crash because of another's mishap (or stupidity) is less than zero fun but has to be figured into the equation as well before you even get into the car or bike track world.