Why People Crash Supercars from a Pro Driver
Slideshow: All the basic vehicle dynamics apply with a couple of small variables in the mix.
Lift Off Over Steer
By far the largest way exotic cars are wrecked is from panic-induced lift-off oversteer. As most six-figure fast cars are mid-engine this is a common mistake. My transferring weight to the nose—especially in the middle of a corner—you are running a huge risk of terminal oversteer. This where a majority of your supercar owners wad it up.
Abrupt Throttle Input
Another common error I see frequently from first-time supercar owners is the abruptness of their right foot. Often times these owners come from driving something that might be a bit more…pedestrian. This means that their right foot needs to be calibrated and sensitivity needs to be dialed in. It’s not uncommon to work with owners for an entire session on this one topic alone.
Paul Bunyan Steering
Chopping wood is an industry term for drivers that tend to give jerky inputs on the steering wheel. It comes from the obvious force needed to split heavy chunks of wood in two. You don’t need to be Paul Bunyan when you steer into a corner, but many supercar owners think driving a McLaren is a full-contact sport. Smoothing out the steering combined with the topics mentioned before will result in most accidents being avoided.
Traction Control
Here’s another common one that often ends in tears: shutting traction control off. If you take the time to work on the first three bullet points then you will likely understand how far you can push the car before TC starts kicking in. Failure to learn the car before will result in a high chance of wrecking. Even as a professional coach I will leave traction control on for a few laps before switching it off. You need to understand where the car wants to intervene before you switch everything off. Especially if you aren’t a pro!
No Coaching
Speaking of professional help it is a mistake to buy any high-performance car and not seek expert level help on the track. Even if you don’t race or have zero desire to do track days it is wise to get coaching so you understand where the limit is. This is often how owners get into trouble as they can confuse the size of their wallet with the size of their racing portfolio.
Lack of Seat Time
Last but not least is the simple fact that most people can’t afford supercars in their earlier decades of life. This can result in a lack of experience, but the ability to afford an incredibly fast car. When the dust settles an automobile is nothing more than a collection of nuts and bolts that depend on a driver to tell it what to do. Seat time is the one thing that can’t be optioned into a vehicle’s specification but is arguably the most important. Hope you enjoyed reading.
Cheers!