[QUOTE]Originally posted by RED MX5

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by QIKSILVR
Hahahaha.. this is such an ignorant statement that no flaming is required.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RED MX5

 

The FIRST thing I thought of was the old Shelby 427 Cobra's. In either '67 or '68 there was an autocross at Riverside International (RIP), and some guy showed up in a new 427. The course started with a left-hand turn, so the guy stages with his wheels turned to the left. I don't know whether it was the clutch release, or just too much throttle, but when the flag dropped, the guy instantly lit the tires, and the car rotated a bunch while moving forward very little. He got off the gas completely, and the car slid sideways a few feet, knocking over the pylons at the starting gate. The poor guy was as white as a sheet. He gently pulled the car back into the infield, and was content to watch everyone else run the course.

FWIW, I don't think the guy was either a bad driver, stupid, or afraid. I think he was a smart driver, smart enough to know when he had more than he was ready to handle, and if fear was a part of it, it was the fear that comes from experience and could also be seen as prudence.

Anyone who has ever driven (and probably anyone who has ever ridden in) one of the Shelby roadsters should be able to appreciate how the man felt. IMHO, he was wise to make his mistake on an autocross course.

RED

 

Me too!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tekAP1
> And I do blame myself for many things that went wrong in this accident.

>Driving is a learning process, and it sucks I had to learn on the street,
rather than getting the opportunity to do what I wanted, and learn on the track,
whether at Summit Point or HPDE/Solo/AutoX events.

>I'm guessing that everyone feels conditions do play a factor, but the driver CAN be and IS in control of these elements.
This is what puts me at fault for the accident.

 

tekAP1, I hope and believe that it will; at least you have done all you can to provide as much information as possible to help others avoid the same mistake. I for one appreciate you sharing, and I admire your courage. I do believe that some will benefit; if that were not the case, I would not have wasted time participating in the discussions. It has been rough going at times, but I think anyone reading the thread has a chance to learn or be reminded of some important issues. Thanks for sharing, and good luck getting past this.

I do hope that you, of all the people here, do understand that most of this discussion has not been targeted at your specific accident. It started out that way, but somewhere along the way it became a matter of discussing what actually causes accidents (I cause my own, others see it as they will), and then to a more general discussion of the kinds of mistakes we make that get us into trouble. I personally think it has been a good thread, and I hope it will run its course before anyone gets any more upset. I would like to make it clear that I understand what you are going through, because I've been through it myself, more than once. A rational discussion of the cars handling and the other things we have discussed took place ONLY because of your lead, and I think it was worth the effort. Nice job. Now, be CAREFUL! The world can be a dangerous place.

RED

 

Get off his ass. You guys I'm sure are all wonderful drivers. No doubt, if Ferrari is looking for the next world champion, you will be considered first. But until then, just be thankful the car handled the impact and he's fine.

 

I agree entirely, as I noticed this thread alone has received 3272 views and 146 posts in the past 2 days.
Not only did this thread reach a lot of people, but the subject reached was beneficial, at least to those who took the time to understand it.
Thanks again, for all the input, whether critical or not.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tekAP1
I agree entirely, as I noticed this thread alone has received 3272 views and 146 posts in the past 2 days.