Looks like crappy site + rooky driver + poor course design = bad crash. Hope the driver is OK - took him a while to get out of the car. Never seen a crash at an AX event I've been to.
http://www.onehotlap.com/2011/11/how...oss-event.html

 

Guess you do not auto-x a lot I have seen 3 over the past 6 years, and all were by really good driver trying to get PAX win for the day.

And they course were well layed out just people were trying to make up time and pushing it way to far and going oh Fudge way to late

 

I've seen a few nasty ones over the years. It happens. Curbs suck though. Course design should always ask, speed vs. curb?

 

Ive seen a couple of rollovers at rallycrosses before

 

During my first year of autocrossing (in Connecticut), I saw two accidents. The first was when some guy missed the brake pedal of his WRX, went flying through the finish gate, across the parking lot for a bit, up over a curb, and into some small bushes and trees. He was ok but the car had a lot of damage. The next was when the throttle cable got stuck on a turbo Miata and the car ended up going over a curb, became airborne (Flyin' Miata, hehe), and landed on some grass. The driver complained of back pain and was taken away in an ambulance. He came back later in the day. As I recall, his car had some suspension damage.

As safe as autox is, there is always potential for accidents. I hope I never have to read about a course worker getting hit. Seems to be potential for that, too.

 

Lots of variables even in a low speed course.
Things happen.
Sucks when you break your street car though.

 

But, the OP is correct, that's a dangerous course design.

 

That's California speedway . That's the parking lot going into the paddock on the left side. It is full of dirt and dust all the time since it is never used , only ax . Besides it is just me or he never hit the brakes , not that it would have made a difference anyway but ..... We will never know.

 

We had a rollover this year. The guy was driving an older Triumph, and his swing axle sheared off just before he went into a turn. It was a part designed to be unbreakable.

I've ran an autocross at a spot where there shouldn't be an autocross. But I was asked to run it for Super Chevy, and the track wasn't allowing my to use anything else. The first day we had a few pucker moments, so the second day I changed the course. The track officials were pissed that I had "slowed the course down". I told them, "You asked me to come in an run the autocross for you, I don't want to be responsible if one of these guys put his $100,000 show car into the wall."

 

Also, notice how slow he was actually going. On our courses, some of the faster PAX Only cars are running at 60-70mph.

 

It looks like he stabbed the throttle before the wheels were pointed straight coming out of the slalom and then lifted and I agree that he didn't hit the brakes at all. Both feet in might have helped some, that's another rookie mistake. Too bad that curb was so close, though. Wonder if they could have at least angled the last section away from the curb some... And did you see the timing van and a few people in front of it with cars entering the site there too? You've got to hope the braking zone is long enough for all cars.

 

I agree never saw any application of the brakes...
still sucks to smash up your street car.

If those guys were soooooo mad at you slowing the course down then tell them to go and do an actual track day where their potential to smash up their precious 100K cars goes way up. Because everyone out there is a "race driver" and they can do no wrong in HPDE. LOL

You did the right thing in slowing it down.

 

The driver's weren't pissed they understood. It was the circle track workers that were pissed (we were on the circle track and pit road).

 

I had time to review the video a couple of times and if you listen carefully for the engine he was on the gas even as he is coming around and then didn't even hit brakes.
I don't know much about rear wheel driving tecniques but if the dang thing is coming around don't hit the gas I guess. Organizers must be grateful that line formation wasn't right there.
Who remembers that moron actor that creamed the Enzo infront of the cameras, same stuff.

 

you mean eddie griffin?

see it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Kj2iY3u1k

 

boy it has to be good to have that kind of money. 2 1/2 million dollars in debt even before the movie opens.
If I was the owner of that Enzo I would have chased that moron with a baseball bat.
Anyway that is the crash.
Thanks Paul.

 

and they would of caught you on tape smacking him all up and down his body too.
Whats worse is everyone would of laughed at it too. LOL

There are alot of people out there in this world with fast cars... most dont know how to drive them..lol
Must be nice to be rich?

 

 

That was so done intentionally.

Think about it... owner probably got some sort of insurance claim on it. The owner was the PRODUCER of the movie. A two and a half minute story on the 10:00 news? I remember seeing a blurb of this on my local news in Michigan. So you seems to be a good viral video type advertisement for the shitty movie.

 

Hey guys, I have this GREAT idea! Let's have an inexperienced driver flog a brand new $1,5000,000 Ferrari around a course that features a concrete wall mere feet from a part of the course where he's likely to go off course. What could go wrong?!

:facepalm:

 

i've wrecked on a autox. took the wrong line (went tight and in, when i should of went wide and out) got too tight, in the slalom, spun, and in to the curb. was on the brakes the whole time when i knew i was in for a ride. pushed everything in by about 1in(front driver side wheel, lower rad). had to use a 4ft pipe to pull the firewall enough to get the engine out(firewall pinched the engine in).


on another note, a lot of autox guys that have seen this say the dude might have snapped a axle, but im not sure, looked like the guy was going really slow, then at the finish line, FLOOR IT!.

 

From my limited AX experience that course doesn't look particularly dangerous to me. It's just another course with potential objects to hit.

 

That wall is too close...but I still lol'd hella hard, get that man a miata to learn in!

 

This.

You'll learn more and become a better driver by starting with a slower, low-powered car like a Miata, Civic, BMW E30, Neon, etc. They're a lot cheaper and a lot more expendable than a fire-breathing Vette.

 

Spot on! And when you make a mistake, the lack of power really magnifies it as you can't stomp on the throttle and make up for it easily. And when you make a big mistake, it doesn't get you in as much trouble as the 'Vette.