http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULM8g4Gzy8E

That was a little pucker factor, at the narrowest section on the course!!!

Driver talked to me after and said he never saw it coming! He asked if I got it on tape, and well, yes I did!!

Mike

 

"Code Brown" means hospital or campus lockdown plan is in effect.

 

I'm sure he had to go wipe after that one.....

What tires were you using for the wet event, and what tires seem to be the preferred tires over there.

 

That or "I almost $hit my pants". At our club pool it means there is a floater.

 

Gee Mike that didnt seem like a very big deal?

 

It looks like he applied his brakes while in opposite lock. There appeared to be plenty of room to correct or spin without damage.

 

Wish I had mine on tape last week... 150 yards along the tarmac sideways in the wet at around a ton... was not a fun and one of the worst moments I have ever encountered, it was one of those ones that made me lose all confidence on the night... running the TT RWD and around neg 3.5 on the back wheels in the pissing rain is just asking for trouble and is a different animal altogether than AWD TT... made up for it last night though, was at track again (dry session) and obviously nailed it... looks like I'm a fair weather driver for now.

 

There are dry days in Scotland? 150 yards is a pretty solid slide.


Nothing new here but driving wet track days can be a real confidence destroyer. Many years ago, I did a track day in the wet. Late in the day, my father (who was an instructor) decided he wanted to do a ride-along with me to check my progression.


Early in the session, I was very heavy on the throttle in a low speed corner. I overcorrected with predictable results. To make matters worse, once headed backwards I failed to engage the clutch and stalled the car.

He never said a word about the spin. However, he badgered me for months for letting the car stall as well as the amount of time it took me to gather my wits and either continue my forward progress or move the car to a safe location off the track.

It was a great lesson in not focusing on the past, but making decisions with a clear thought process to avoid becoming a barrier to another driver’s forward momentum.

 

Tom Kerr, It's the narrowest part of the track run-off at VIR, and after they applied new sealer to the surface, anything with torque was having issues there... Since the sealer has been put down, a lot of cars have been destroyed in the exact manner the Vette Driver experienced. He was lucky.

I was using General UXP tires... This in my new track toy, a MAZDA MIATA!



Mike

 

I saw a buddy's car wreck in that exact same spot...same wet conditions too. The new sealant there is slick as hell in the wet.

 

Mike,
Great camera work, what camera are you using, which mount? The sound of the engine is nice and clear and hardly any vibration at all.

 

Scott, It's a mount I've never seen before that was in the Miata when I bought it two weeks ago. My camera is an older Panasonic model and it shoots great. Unfortunately the screen has gone bad, but the recorder works so well I hate thinking about replacing it.

Guys, Tom Kerr's response to this footage was what I'd have expected from many, because it doesn't look like much when the Vette breaks traction in the rain... However, look closer to how narrow that track is at that point and you get the understanding of "what's the big deal". That is the narrowest point on the track at VIR and cars are getting detroyed there with great frequency. Add in a little rain and things can get ugly in a hurry!

Guy in the Vette told me he didn't see it coming at all and said "lifting" was what brought it back and slowed him enough to catch it. I'm not sold just yet, but I'm really glad he didn't end up buying Armco on both sides of the track!

Mike