If Cale was anything like myself, or most racers I know, he would have very accurate checklists and maintenance records.

 

The right rear rotor may have failed, but it didn't disintegrate into a cloud of brake dust and rotor debris like I originally thought. Too much of the rear rotor was found at the wall (impact site). It is possible a right rear rotor failure caused a severed brake line though.

I may get another look at the car and might get to pull the right side wheels. I'll update here if that happens.

 

That would be fantastic if you can get another look at the car again. Thanks again for all of your inputs.

 

i'm not doing very well with this and i'm sure his close friends and the rest of his family are having trouble too. i know cale loved this and it gave him great joy, just as all of you do. and i realize that life is to be lived to the fullest, doing the things that you love. my problem is that there is too much trust being put on a machine. i do certainly hope that the cause of the brake failure can be determined. it could save a life. we can't bring dear beloved cale back to life, but maybe a life can be saved.

 

It has been reported that the brake fluid tank was full which rules out leaks due to damaged lines.


Turn in speeds at T1 are in the mid 50s mph (not 70s) and his speed at initial braking should have been in the 125 to 135 mph range. I watched Cale from the tower on the straight, he was online, steadily pulling down the straight and nothing appeared wrong.


Even if his pads were down to backing plates (metal to metal) and the rotor was cracked/compromised, he still should have been able to stop.


There is a possibility of brake fluid overheating but that does not explain why Cale went off to the left of the access road instead of entering the gravel pit. If you had complete brake failure and you closed your eyes you would end up in the pit.


I did not hear the impact which is somewhat surprising but Rob (S2000) and Pete (Spec Mustang) were approaching out of T10 down the straight and their engine noise may have drowned out the impact noise.

 

at 128 mph, would the gravel pit have slowed cale down enough before hitting the wall? if cale didn't think that it would have, was he trying to go through the gap but could not because the car got locked in a high speed slide due to the brake failure or due to something else? what would anyone do with no brakes at high speed and a very sharp corner approaching? many many questions, but we may never know. but the answers could save someone.

 

[QUOTE=erker72,Nov 19 2008, 10:24 AM] at 128 mph, would the gravel pit have slowed cale down enough before hitting the wall?

 

Pete,

You can't rule out a brake line failure due to the brake fluid tank being above the min line (it wasn't full but for where his brake pads were the level was normal), if a line failed suddenly only one brake pedal pump would have occurred, when Cale applied the brakes for Turn 1. Not that much fluid would have been lost during that one application. The right front caliper was leaking when I examined the car, but it probably was caused by the impact--the suspension was completely shattered.

 

i'm trying to put myself behind the wheel of cale's car. i don't understand why he didn't end up in the gravel pit. for an instant, he sized up the situation and he was trying to save himself. his car ended up way off in the corner for some reason. it's really a mystery to me. i know someone said that cale possibly didn't want to shut the track down while he was pulled out of the gravel, but he had to know that going through the gap at 100 mph was highly dangerous. also, how much braking power, if any, would an engaged clutch provide?

 

I am not ruling it out completely since it explains why Cale hit that wall at such a high rate of speed. It is just hard to picture the sequence of events that led to this.

I have seen people pit in at SP Main and pull the wheels off to find that the rotor collapsed (vanes crushed) and the pads were nothing but backing plate that was melting/deformed around the caliper piston and that car was still capable of decent stopping power. I will post some pics to show how bad brakes can get and still have little difficulty stopping a car.