I know we're still early in the year, but I think I've got this one wrapped up: I totalled my own car while instructing at a driving school this past weekend. The car was newly built and the (beautiful) cage had just been finished. In fact, it was my first time ever driving the car.

In the afternoon of the second day, I buggered up the only dangerous corner on the track and plowed into a tire wall head on at 50 mph. Then, in front of all my peers and students, I was carried into the race ambulance (which was mainly there to do simulations of ambulances on the track!). My good friend then took me to the hospital where I sat around waiting for tests for eight hours. During this time, my fiancee, mother and sister all showed up. Fortunately, I escaped all injury and suffer only a stiff neck. I haven't gone back to see the car, but I remember the whole front being bent and my friend who took me to the hospital told me that even the roof was bent. This was my life's most embarrassing moment so far, bar none.

Is there any consolation? Apparently the students were much more disciplined after my incident. Also, there were many hours of esthetics that still needed to be put into the car which never were, so that's one thing I didn't throw away. The engine was still running after the crash (I vaguely remember shutting it off) and if I'm lucky it's still useable. Also, I have no debt attached to this car as it is made mostly from parts of other cars I've owned in the past couple of years (phew) except that I had not been billed for the hours on the cage yet.

The worst parts? I don't really remember what happened that led me off the track. I sure as hell wasn't pushing 10/10ths or even close to it (I'm stupid, but not that stupid). I do remember the car not turning and thinking "oh ****, this isn't going to be pretty". I don't remember the actual contact. I do remember shutting off the ignition, I remember the corner worker arriving on the scene almost immediately. I remember unbuckling the seatbelt and getting out with a little help. I then remember almost collapsing and having to lean backwards and rest against the tire wall. After that, everything was bright and I could only see outlines of people... It's an experience I won't soon forget (this was my first crash ever, be it on the track or the street).

To summarize then, no more car, balled it at a race school of all places where I was in fact instructing, don't remember what happened exactly, I'm lucky to have escaped all injury, and corner workers, ambulance techs, friends and family are the best.

I welcome your comments and deserve them.

 

I'm glad you're ok.

This is serious fun we have out there.

 

Ok I second the Nomination....


But Serously glad you are ok, did you a video camera in the car? Was any one behind you?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civic44 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I welcome your comments and deserve them. </TD></TR></TABLE>

What you deserve you surely already have: some simpathy and wisdom from your experience. It is through our mistakes and pain that we learn and grow.

Hope you'll be back on the track as soon as possible.

Thawley

 

The camera wasn't installed yet (another item that is therefore still intact). A guy I know was 2 cars back, but I don't think he saw much. I'm sure glad that the two students behind me didn't follow me off...

People are telling me to get back out there, but I'm obviously a little apprehensive about driving anyone else's car at the moment. One thing I think I have learned is patience. I won't be so eager to get a new car out on the track when it would not pass tech inspection in its condition at that time. This is one of those mistakes you only make once.

 

I'm not sure why you are beating yourself up so much. I understand you are pissed that you balled up your car, and embarassed that it was at a school event. But **** man, you made a mistake, or something crapped out on the car - **** happens. Maybe there was something you could have done about it, or maybe not. Hopefully you will find out exactly what happened, and learn from it if there was anything to learn.

Glad you're allright, and that there are some salvageable parts on the car. Look at it as an opportunity to build a better faster car. Cheer up - and live to race another day. (how's that for cheesy?)

 

A wise man once told me there are two kinds of track cars. Those that have hit something, and those that are going to hit something. Be glad you're okay and the safety equipment worked.

 

If you don't remember exactly what you did wrong and it was the first time out with a new chassis, its very possible something just plain broke. Hub, spindle, tie rod, or maybe a front tire just went down. Did you replace or at least inspect all of the suspension parts on the car?
This is one reason that you'll constantly see me (and others) giving some people (cough cough tnord for example) **** about cheaping out on replacing high mileage parts on their race/track cars. Its too dangerous a game to be out there on god knows how old hubs, balljoints and such.

So don't beat yourself up for being a bonehead driver just yet because you don't know if you did anything wrong. You may however later beat yourself up for being a bonehead car prepper.

 

Ouch!

Glad you're OK though!

 

(Hope this aint hi-jacking your thread...but Vince, you are not alone!!! Glad you're okay)

Well then, I guess I get "Bonehead of the Year 2002".

I was instructing with Driving Concepts at Laguna Seca, and while driving a students car, I CRASHED HIS CR-X INTO THE TIRE BARRIER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CORKSCREW!

The Good:

1) Even though I damaged the entire drivers side of the car, the chassis was still completely straight. 'whew'

2) The car was still perfectly driveable, and the student enjoyed the rest of the day on the track.

3) Nobody got hurt.

The Bad:

1) It was during my FIRST LAP. WTF? I was driving like 5/10th's!

2) The Student WASN'T in the car with me!

3) Imagine driving the car into the pits, with the car all messed up, and taking the "walk of defeat" to the classroom, and pulling the student out of the class to show him his brand new paint scheme, 'Graphica de Tire Barrier'.


The lucky:

1) The "student" is one of my best friends, Lee, OutsaneCRX (whew! Which is the ONLY reason I was driving someone elses car without them in it)

2) He's still my friend.

3) We made a makeshift acrylic window from Dixieline and we were good to drive home (9 Hours to san diego)

4) Since we work on cars and have hookups, it didn't cost too much to fix (~700 bucks, and alot of elbow grease)

5) We have a story to tell our grandchildren.


Well, after tons of HPDE's and Wheel to Wheel courses and this years race season, this was my only accident ever, and I hope it stays that way..(!X-Fingers!)

 

Glad to hear you are OK.

If it makes you feel any better, I once watched a guy ball up his freshly built Civic on the FIRST CORNER of its life. Rolled it end over end a couple of times after hooking a tire on the backside of the turtles.

One minor point. It may have been a mech failure with so little time on the car. Although, I find many racecars are more difficult to drive and keep straight driving at 7 or 8/10th's than they are at 10/10th's. Especially when they have been set up with really stiff rear roll resistance.

 

Hey, glad you're alright!

And like everyone else is saying - don't beat yourself up over it too much. While I don't race (only HPDE for now) I know that's the risk every time I go out there. Something could crap out, I could mess up, it happens. Your number came up that day.

By the way - it does raise kind of an interesting hypothetical issue: When my number comes up and I make contact, would I rather that it was for some vague, unknown reason or because I really screwed up?

Anyway - the main thing is that you're ok!

- Markus

 

Glad you're ok as everyone else has said.....


Take some time, relax .....in time your head will clear and you will see things more clearly (whatever happen).......

We are all glad you're still around to learn from this .....and we will learn from it too


be well, Phil

 

Vince, spend some time thinking of all the things that could have gone more wrong and I doubt you'll be as concerned with blaming yourself for what did happen. There are hundreds of things that can go wrong on the track (be it by our own hands/feet or in the car or on the track itself), be glad you were adequately prepared for those that you encountered and figure out how you can get yourself back out there with the same speed and agression while feeling even safer by what you learned in this - that's all I am doing. And as someone that's been there and done that this year, I hate it for you and at the same time know that there's more to learn from it by looking forward. At the end of the day, the car can end up in the exact same place be it through no fault of your own, take this new information so that if that were to occur again, you are a wiser and safer man. And I sincerely hope it doesn't come again, for you or for me.

And if it makes you feel better, I balled mine up in the first session of the year - you got nothing on me making it to day two :-)

- Crash

 

Phat, I only made it to day 2 of the school, but it was the first day I brought out my car.

Thanks for the kind words all.

 

sorry to hear about your car. Here's $3.25, go have a beer on me. At least you have the presence of mind to wreck it on a track, rather than plow into a minivan full of kids whilst street racing or something. As far as the jitters of getting back behind the wheel, the only choice you have is to get back on the attack. The worst thing you can do is get back out there and wreck on the first turn, right?

 

What Uncle Catch said: Do a thorough post mortem on the car and I won't be surprised to find that something crapped out.

Even if that isn't the cause, this stuff happens. I perched a brand new SSA Mazda RX7 - as in fresh off the Mazda truck, 300 miles on the clock "new" - on top of the T2 tirewall at Seattle and to this day don't know precisely what combination of factors led me there. It happens and that it DID happen is no indictment of you personally even if it is ultimately your responsibility.

Glad you are OK. It took me a half-dozen races to get through 2 anything like as fast as I should have been going and you'll get it figured out. Fear is nature's way of telling you to pay attention.

K

 

Vince, soory to hear about that. But as long as you're ok that's what matters. Cars are replaceable. This is the first i hear of the incident, but from the sound of it, you went off in the infamous dogleg at St-Eustache track? If so, then you know that you're not the first nor the last person to go off there. And plenty of people got hurt there in the past... I was there a couple of years ago when Trong totalled Martin's CRX. He was lucky to walk away with just a broken arm...

Dont blame yourself or think too much about it. Everyone makes mistakes sooner or later, **** breaks etc. Just think about building the next car and getting out there asap...

Good luck!

 

Glad to hear you are okay buddy. I agree that it's best to get back on the track ASAP. I remember after totaling my first CRX in the infamous standing start incident that is the reason NASA now has "Bookler Flaggers" I was a bit apprehensive to go back out, but I hopped in my street car and kept doing DEs until my next CRX was ready. I'm really glad I did too, it reminded me of why I got into the hobby in the first place.


Matt

 

Glad it's just the car that got seriously hurt. I'm pretty sympathetic (though I'll take my mechanical over your's). I spent the last 6 months bragging about my current engine build up, and after a bunch of issues I had it running well.

So, 300 miles and 2/3 of a track event later, I ended up with this:



Version 2.0 will be done in a month or two, and hopefully last a bit longer.

Scott

 

Vince,sorry to hear this.
Met you last year at Shannonville during the solo 1 weekend.
I know from your attitude and on track observations that your incident was not driver related.
**** happens i guess!
On a final note , the Habs are in the next series

 

Thanks for the encouragement. Go habs!

 

Vince
I'm sorry to hear what happened at the school. At least you're ok and that's the main thing. I wouldn't be emabarssed, this could happen to anyone. What turn was this? The "S" after the straight away? Hopefully you'll be able to get everything back together soon. Good Luck
Frank

 

It was the dogleg right-hander in the oval (I went straight instead of turning right).

 

like everyone says, i'm glad you're ok.

get back out there on your own schedule, if it takes a little while, it takes a little while. if you're eager to drive again, go ahead. Despite the monetary and punitive costs, i think you're very fortunate for a number of reasons.

in the meantime, hope for a GREAT habs-leafs eastern conference final