convertibles at drivers school

["Dave Nichols" <dave.nichols@xxxxxxxx>]

The question has been asked about the viability of convertibles at drivers
schools.  First off, yes cars do flip over, been there, seen it (Thank
goodness, haven't done that) and usually it results from a driver going off
one side of the track, overcorrecting and getting the car sideways.  When
it then goes off the asphalt, the tires tend to dig into the dirt
(particularly bad with sandy soil) and cause the car to roll.  In that case
even a roll bar on a convertible is not enough because it will just dig
into the soft dirt and allow a compression fracture of your neck.

They may be a blast to drive on sunny day, but IMHO, convertibles are
definitely not the way to go at the track.  We have video of Darrell
Waltrip flipping at Daytona, and after the top was ripped off the car you
can clearly see his arm coming through the roll cage and extending into
space.  Thank God the car didn't land on it while it was outside.  This is
the reason for arm restraints amd window nets.
 

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End of bmw-digest V9 #721
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