[alfa] more on those brakes

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Biba, 

I wanted to point something out. All racing aside, brake fade doesn't 
typically happen quite so unexpectedly and sensationally as you describe. 
I've seen equipment failure lead to a sensational outcome, but equipment 
and the car usually give progressive feedback to the driver, so it's not 
a sudden, cataclysmic outcome. It becomes a situation where you can't 
drive as deep into a corner before braking, and so you have time to think 
about and plan for your exit strategy should you (and I don't) decide to 
keep pushing it until the fluid boils and you don't have enough pressure 
to squeeze the calipers. While it's a little scarey when the brakes 
finally go south, it's not a complete surprise. I've driven off 
the end of the straight at Portland during a time trial, and I've done it 
many times at our little track at Bremerton raceway. I wouldn't even 
consider pushing it anywhere that I didn't feel I had a safe exit or 
Plan B possibility.

I think also that race courses are primarily designed for safety in this 
regard. Pacific Raceways has a run off road at the end of the braking 
zone into the downhill turn 3A. 

As an aside, I've known some professional Porsche factory drivers and the 
successful ones were just as noodle-head as the guys who drive with our 
Alfa club track days. They were not getting paid to take extra chances 
with the cars or put themselves in significant danger; on the contrary, 
they were incredibly talented at reading the cars, preserving the 
transmissions and the engines, and doing everything they could to squeeze 
optimal performance out of the cars while also squeezing out optimal 
longevity. The ones who drove beyond the car's inherent limits put 
themselves and the cars into an unnecessary risk situation, and they were 
quickly trimmed from the rosters. 

Tess

> That truly has to be a very scary experience to press on the brake pedal 
> at a very high rate of speed approaching a slow corner and the pedal 
> goes to the floor (pump, pump, pump, sumbitch!) - and you're not even 
> getting paid close to 25 million a year to experience this unexpected 
> adventure.
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