yeah that's the common stupid assumption by the people who run events. They seem to just repeat that line ignoring the proof that is available.

Being measured doesn't cause people to crash, driving above one's limit does.

That can be caused by lots of things such as Stupidity, Trying to keep up with your friend in front, Trying lose the expensive car behind you, and of course competition.

Not timing, timing is a measurement and that's all. Your insurance company is not going to deny you for measuring yourself.

 

I agree with all but your last statement. Whether it makes sense or not, some insurance companies WILL deny coverage for any event which includes timing (perhaps even if you aren't the one doing it!). Some will cover anything that is not actually a competition. Others won't cover anything on a track, no matter what. It all depends on the companies involved and the state it takes place in.

In any event, this TT series thing *is* a competition, and I don't know of any insurance companies that will cover it, w2w or not.

And while timing does not directly cause you to crash, if you are crazy about watching your lap times and trying to get that next 1/10 of a second your gung-ho attitude can cause you to crash. It's a matter of mental attitude out on the track, not timing per se. But some people will let the timing go to their heads. That's not the fault of the timing device....

 

Is this a spec s2k thread or an insurance at hpde thread?

 

not gonna argue on the ins thing. I've seen many (dozens?) of crashed cars on the track that have had no problem getting it repaired by their insurance. The bottom line is there are some companies that are far more willing to cover a customer than others. its each drivers responsibility to get an agent who looks out for them and a company who will cover you.

As for your point about pushing to the last 10th, thats one small item in a long list of things that can cause someone to wreck. and its probably the one that occurs the least. Very few newbies do that. Its the intermidiate guys that usually crash and its almost never because of the clock.

-Ry

 

its a s2k competion thread.

 

I more or less agree with all this.

Some other things that cause people to crash:
new car
new mods
first time out since last year
don't slow down enough for rain
passenger (distracting or showing off or just the weight)
mechanical issues
traffic issues
too tired, should have stopped for the day

Probably all of these are more common than experienced drivers pushing themselves for a really hot lap. But that doesn't change the fact that some insurance policies (of drivers and of track day organizers) explicitly forbid timing.

And yes, some of it is a cultural thing. In CA timing seems to be openly expected, but in lots of other parts of the country it is discouraged.

 

ps. And these insurance and cultural timing and competition issues do strongly affect the popularity and viability of a Spec S2K series. If the goal is to pull in AutoXers and newbies, it's a big hurdle. If the goal is to pull in experienced track drivers looking for something new, it's not so big of a hurdle. And if the goal is to grow it into a w2w class, it's not a hurdle at all because nobody expects w2w to be covered anyway.

 

Not meaning to belabor the insurance thing, but putting any kind of aftermarket rollbar in the car constitutes "race-prepped." Again, my real point is that, while I'm all for the development of an eventual nat'l "thing," requiring certain items will not increase participation amongst the masses. 3312DC was correct in that many folks out here(on the board and attend meets at least) have a negative connotaion towards "track."

As more folks(read: younger) get into the S at the lower cost, many are just barely able to afford car payments/insurance let alone track fees and associated costs with maintenance(I know- they'll spend $$$ on bling though). I could see stock autox'ers being interested in a series, but most might be inclined to try one event if it were close to their locale.

 

Other people will look at the lower cost as an opportunity for a cheap dedicated track car. It goes both ways.

 

I'm not going to scroll through 6 pages to see if someone else already asked this, but who is scanctioning the Spec S2K series? Is this an SCCA sanctioned event or another organization?

Warren