That Guy looks like he's gonna cry. At that point, I would have paid someone to run my ow ass over. Sad day for that guy. Good luck explaining that to the insurance.

Jason

wow... was you actually there or did you just find that?

hey, he's halfway to a chopped top beemer. :D

after looking at that picture, I dont think I will hit any cornors hard for tomorrow's track event...
dammn i feel sorry for that dood

just go straight off and u got nuttin ta worry about

i am checking out the pics again, and I feel very sorry for that guy

Sad indeed. :(

What's even more said is that if it was on a racetrack, most insurance companies would not cover it.

hope he has insurance

Yeah, but atleast he was rollin' in style.


Jeez, bad joke.

p.s.-- doesn't it look like pics 8 and 7 should be reversed?

I was there when this happened, this was at gingerman.. here's a few pics of the aftermath we took
http://www.teamtoilet.com/4_19_03/images/P1010308.jpg
http://www.teamtoilet.com/4_19_03/images/P1010310.jpg
http://www.teamtoilet.com/4_19_03/images/P1010313.jpg
http://www.teamtoilet.com/4_19_03/images/P1010314.jpg
http://www.teamtoilet.com/4_19_03/images/P1010316.jpg

Notice the 4 point harness on the driver's side, that guy is lucky. Had the driver side roof been crushed like the passenger's side, he may not have been alive today. Another example why stock belts should be used in cars without bars/cages.

Also lucky that it was a four door instead of a two door since it has more structure.

That's not an M3 is it?? Looks like a forest fire in background of the first pics, that's a lot of dust.

Yes E36 M3...

oh, ic.. what caused him to rollover that harshly? Did he just lose control?

Sometimes we find the limit; sometimes the limit finds us. Best of wishes and deepest sympathy to the owner / driver.

Thank goodness he had the good sense to take the car to the track. I would hate to think what this may have turned into had this happened on a road with traffic going both ways.

he must have tried to reenter the track. OUCH. well, glad he's okay. M3s seem to always wreck most spectacuarly:what:

edit:: reenter the track AT-SPEED , that is. always stop after you run off the track!!

Are you sure that was an M3, M3's don't come in 4 door. :what:

The E36 M3 WAS available as a 4 door. The E46 is not.

M3 did come in 4 door for a few years. Came in auto for a few years as well.
Good news is, looks like the driver was ok. Car can always be replaced...life can't.

E36 M3s came in 4 doors...but only in the U.S. I think....

Nop...we have it too in Europe!:p

wow..... as long as he's ok, the car can be fixed, but what a ride.

Hard to look at those pics! Traded in my old E36 4-door for the S2000

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...65887cf280.jpg

I have driven that track and he had to try to correct instead of putting both feet in. Gingerman is about the safest track around.

Jim

:rofl: he should have a decent car :p

kudos to the photographer who took such excellent photos. the car is centered in each frame (except the last one, for obvious reasons).

ouch.. that's gotta hurt.. atleast the guy came out ok..

bummer.

good point about the belts as well as luck in this one.

good thing he wasn't in the drop top M3.

It looks like he is crying. Sucks to be him.:(

Dude that owner is heartbrocken. That's horrible. I guess that car is going to auction.

Sam

totaled?

What camera was used to takes those first series of pictures? Digital or film? What brand and model?

That hasn't been our experience. Do you have a direct experience with it, or are you just repeating something you heard?

wow that sucks

I was riding in my brothers '97 2-door e36 M3 right behind that very car that day....it was really sad...we weren't close enough to see a play by play like those pics but when I saw the aftermath my stomach just sunk into my seat. I just didn't think something like that could happen at gingerman.
James
2001 spa yellow

wow, these photos finally surfaced on the net.

Anyway, I have a few comments.

For the race track, you should always have 4 points or more belt. The roof will always crush in. Most of the neck injury occurs when the body fall on the roof when your neck are still straight (not roof caves-in). When roof caves in, the car is already in a decelerate mode. (falling on its roof). and, the roof act as a damper to slow down the fall of the car. If you are in a minimum 4 point belt, you do not fall on the roof to begin with. You also have more room between your head and the roof, because your body is not falling. and, when roof does cave in to hit your head, your body is already locked in tight. and, you neck will get push to side (tilt you head). That motion is slower than falling on to the roof at whatever speed you were falling. If the roof falls too far, you are going to die either way. There won't be any belt that can save you.

I have several friends who were there that day. In my opinion, I think he lift in turn 8 entering turn 9. and, casue the car to spin (of course, he was speeding into turn 9). At that time, both feet in is not going to save you. If you put both feet in, you are just a passanger at that moment. He should have gone straight off the track. That stressed point that when in trouble, go straight off the track, then both feet in.

One last thing, to my understanding. He signed up the event as an intermediate student. Even though he only have 1 driving school under his belt. Per SpeedTrial's rule, intermediate student don't get an instructor. Obviously, these picture proven that he needs mroe work on the track.

anyway, these are just my $.02. My safety belt point of view come from a race engineer in GM who is responsible for a lot of safety harnesses in the industry and have lots of data about crash testing.

G'day Perry!

Long time no speak old buddy! How's things? Good to see you finally got that M3 you were lusting after! You'll have to take me for a ride someday!

Agree with all your points except a slight difference of opinion on the last point! I agree that he shouldn't have signed up as an intermediate, but as for needing more experience 'cause he rolled, you and I both know perfectly well that even the pro's can get it all crossed up, and yes, even.......roll!

If the track outskirts were a little wet or heavy, rather than slide, his wheels likely dug in. That will happen to almost any car, M3 or otherwise. As you said, both feet in at that stage make you a passenger only, but things like that can and do happen to the best of us.......even those that have a lot of race schooling, track time and race time.

I've gone off at Sandown (track in Victoria, Australia), sideways at 150km/h (about 95mph) - my racing line was stolen by another more capable car than my own - rather than hit him, I had nowhere to go but off! I was purely a passenger then too, and it could just have easily turned real bad for me too! Luckily, I shaved enough speed off and my Miata didn't roll by the time my wheels started digging for China. Moved about 400lbs of sod and grass about 12feet infield though!!! :yikes: It was too heavy to lift back into place!

You and I have both driven Gingerman so we know the track pretty well. I don't think either of us have ever come close to stuffing it there.....that's what the gravel traps are for! You do have to be doing some speed there to have a bad off like that!!!

Hope all is ok with the guy. I feel for him.

Cheers! :D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Stealthy_S2K
[B]wow, these photos finally surfaced on the net.

by the way, look at the last photograph. I can see what appears to be a harness in there........

At Least the Cars Upright :confused:

Just a note to those of you who are looking to track in the future...this is a sad example of why you shouldnt fight the car when it is going into the gravel or sand...Just drive the car straight off. From the first pic, it seems as though the driver fought to get the car back on the road after he had already placed two wheels off, this is a bad situation and a bad decesion by the driver. I am glad to see that he walked away safely....

Umm...that seems pretty obvious. How could you fix that??

That is just sad...was the guy hurt at all??

OUCH!:banghead:

I don't see anything there to suggest he was fighting it. If you look at the trails of dust, he's already going almost entirely backwards (left --> right) in the first frame.

You're absolutely right in principle, of course.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dreeves
[B]

I don't see anything there to suggest he was fighting it.

That could be, quite possibly, the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I'm sure it took all the time, effort, and money to change the front end, all side trim, and mirrors and then add the M3 lux package interior just to make his e36 look like an M3. Why would you say "M3's don't come in 4 door," a complete statement in which you seem to express ultimate faith, when you have no idea what you are talking about?

I didnt think Gingerman allowed 4 point harnesses.

Always sad to see an accident. At least guy looked alright.

LOL! I thought exactly the same thing...please people, think before you speak and sound like an idiot.... :rolleyes:

...I suddenly miss my '99 M3.... :(