Re: Off Track Excursions at the track

[Michael Weishaar <mweishaa@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Pat Donahue <pdonahue@domain.elided>
>
> The important part of this is that I realized _before_ I dropped a tire
> off that I couldn't make it and drove off under control.  Had I waited
> to see if I could make it the loss of control, even for an instant,
> would have put me too far off for a smooth recovery.

I have only been to a couple of driver's schools, and haven't been off trackyet, but have come close.  By close I mean that as I was coming out of a
turn I was catching the rumble strip on the outside of the turn.  At what point
do you KNOW you are going off?  I was ready to go off, and was going
to straighten it out and drive straight off if I did, but I was trying to hold it
and stay on.  Is this dangerous?  I didn't go off, but it was close.
(this was at Gingerman, so there was plenty of runoff)
Do you know when your tire drops?  How much time is there to react when
this happens?

My first school was at Road America with the Windy City Chapter, and they
definitely stressed safety.  The only bad excursion was by a Vette who dropped
two off after turn 6.  He tried to put it back on, hooked up, shot across the
track and nailed the wall.  I guess he was OK though.  Car wasn't.
It was on the second day, one of the last sessions, and the advanced group.

I got a good scare however.  Coming down the straight to turn 5 there was
a slower car giving the pass sign.  I was the third car to pass him, and he
gave me the go ahead (but didn't lift).  By the time I realized I wasn't going to
get past, I was already between brake marker 2 and 3, side by side with him.
As I lifted, my rear broke loose a little, but settled when I nailed the brakes.
My ears were hurting from my instructor yelling obscenitites (he forgot we had
the headsets on)  :)  It is amazing how much can elapse in a second or two.

At Gingerman, where I ran with the Michiana Porche Club, I went into a
turn too hot (saved it) while watching the NSX trying to catch me from behind
go off, try to recover, go off the other side, then back across AGAIN!
He was OK, and didn't hit anyone else, thankfully.  BTW, there is nothing
quite like getting a pass sign from a 911.  Heh heh.

///Michael
BMW CCA 148308
88 M3

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