I recently advanced to the Blue group with Chin Motorsports, and there are some very fast cars in this group that revealed an inherent problem with the S2000 soft top. Because the window is small and positioned lower than the mirror, my field of view is angled down such that I cannot see the cars more than 300-400 ft behind me. If I angle the mirror up, all I see is canvas. As as result, I either have to look in the mirrors constantly or risk getting caught unexpectedly on the straights. I considered buying an OEM hardtop with much larger window, but a friend with an OEM top and wing said the wing blocks his view completely, so he basically has the same problem ...crappy rear view.

Knowing some race cars use a camera/monitor system instead of mirrors, and I was searching for them when I stumbled across a cheap camera/monitor system on Amazon. It is a clip-on 7" monitor that fits over the rear-view and includes a camera for 43-59 bucks depending on which company repackages it (no links; just look and you'll find several brands selling the same unit). For $43, it was worth a try.

For anyone else tempted to try this cheap experiment, let me save you a whopping $43 bucks and less-than-shocking result: FAIL! The monitor has a reflective coating to function as a mirror when the monitor is not in use, so glare completely washes out the image.

Nevertheless, I believe the concept has merit, and will probably try a few more options and share the results. If anyone else has tried something that works (or does not work) please contribute.

 

Situational awareness. You should be able to tell cars gaining on you multiple corners before they're on you.

 

Just drive faster and in a faster car and you'll never have to worry about this Actually truth be told I advanced very quickly through DE4 to TT probably due to the fact that I've had to deal with less times being passed then I can count on one hand. That said it makes me a little nervous for when I do run with guys at my cars speed and better skill who will be passing me often. God forbid I rent a spec miata lol! The few times though where there were cars/drivers on track that were faster I could easily tell they were coming up on me. Also the nice thing if your running with a group where passing is in certain locations you should just have a little focus as your coming to those passing zones.

 

I agree with both contributors. When racing among a class of similarly-equipped cars, one should be able to maintain awareness of faster traffic for several corners. However, I am driving a stock AP1 among cars that quickly reach 160 on the straights. This means when I'm doing 120, they close my 400-ft range of vision in <7 sec. Top drivers in my group are expected to give overtaking cars a point-by anywhere on the track, without lifting or causing the overtaking car to lift.

As much as I appreciate advice on how to drive better, improved rear vision is a legitimate concern for people with restricted or obstructed view. I would like to keep this thread on the topic of improving rear vision.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSBnvLnG_jo