Back on the Track

[Duane <drcollie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> One of the keys to being safe at the track 
>is to KNOW where the limits are and the only way to know that is to go 
>over the limits from time to time."

Ahhh yes....

I'm all for exploring the mysteries of the revered 10/10's range of
driving. That's when you literally come alive with the car and perform the
ballet around the track. At the ragged edge and all that.

HOWEVER - the critical point I personally want to impress on this thread is
you have to know what to do AFTER you've gone off the track.  Doing skid
control and skidpads/skidcars is great. Tells you how to handle the car.
But its still does NOT address the senario of going off the track. Even the
most skilled drivers will over-rotate a car from time to time, or drop two
wheels off the asphalt.

And going off the track on a course like Summit is when most trash their
cars. It's not the spin that gets you - its the lack of knowledge of what
to do when you're off the course.  I'm guessing that of 20 or so crashes
I've witnessed in the last 18 mos at the track, 4/5's of those were
preventable if the driver knew proper procedures to control the car when
you can't recover it.

I've been off the track half a dozen times myself. If you do these track
events on a regular basis - you WILL go off eventually. How you handle the
car when you do is going to determine whether you merely get dusty or if
you're going home on a flatbed wrecker.

Drive Rabid - but stay safe. Learn the right way.

Duane Collie
 

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