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copst fiesta st crash at oulton park :(

4254 Views 12 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  audiphile
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That sucks.

He was moving out too. Looked like he simply overshot the corner and couldn't recover.
Sucks he crashed, but that's what happens when you push that hard on your first lap out. Didn't even let his tires, brakes, motor, or himself come up to temp before hammering on it.
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Had it coming with how he was pushing it on his first lap.
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The previous replies were right, but but didn't go far enough.

From the video alone, the driver was not only pushing too early, but was flatly over driving the car.
Over driving combined with not knowing what to do when grip is lost is exactly what's exhibited in the video. It's a huge shame, but a lesson. Know what you're doing before you push.
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I think he ran-wide and missed every apex. I've felt that horrible bang myself, I nearly cried when it happened, lol.
You're exactly right and I'll go a bit further. As someone who's had a good bit of time on track in all sorts of cars, there are a few specific things that are easy to pick out:
1) Driver did not follow CPR. CPR = Correct-Pause-Recover. This is a basic technique that should be taught to all drivers, but is currently only taught in some driving schools. Basically the person in the video correct, then over-corrected in the opposite direction.

2) Driver lifted throttle, initiating a spin. In FWD cars it's very important to keep on the throttle. This keeps the front tires rolling in the correct direction and keeps the weight transferred to the rear tires. Lifting (as shown in the video) causes the front tires to "brake" and makes the rear end light. That combined with over-correction = spin.

3) Did not follow the "In a spin, two feet in" rule. If the driver would have gone "both feet in" (brake and clutch) then the car would have just slid down-track a ways and not have darted off track.

4) WIthout a better video angle, it's hard to tell, but novice drivers frequently have issues with looking in the wrong place. I can almost guarantee you that once the car started to spin, the driver was looking at the wall. You're going to drive where you look.

I feel bad for the guy, I really do. A little bit more/better driving training would have avoided this.

To anyone who's interested in knowing what should have been done:
1) Stay on throttle and correct the initial spin
2) Stay 2-wheels off track until the car has settled, then ease it back on track.
3) If all that doesn't work, brake and clutch 100% and look straight down the road (even if that means looking far to the right/left)

I had the benefit of learning all of this on tracks with very little to hit, in a car that was very very cheap with awesome instructors.
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Shame on the crash, hope he gets it sorted.
Never been on a track before coz I never had a performance model. Now with the new FiST I wanna try it since I am a bit of an adrenaline junky.
But like R4D4R explained, it's better for a rookie like me to pay my tuition fees first before I endanger myself or others.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk
Shame on the crash, hope he gets it sorted.
Never been on a track before coz I never had a performance model. Now with the new FiST I wanna try it since I am a bit of an adrenaline junky.
But like R4D4R explained, it's better for a rookie like me to pay my tuition fees first before I endanger myself or others.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk
A few tips...
On a new(er) car, buy HPDE insurance. $160 peace of mind. High deductible, but at least you won't be out the full amount of the car.

Don't fear going on track, just make sure you go with a decent group. There are plenty of groups out there that will get you track time for $150-$200, but they can be quite dangerous (to be fair, there are a lot of good cheap groups too). Make sure you read up on others experiences.

I personally recommended going to a group like the NASA (National Auto Sport Association) or SCCA that has a work-for-credit program. Essentially, you work 2 events and you get a free one with an instructor. Those are the two biggest national groups, but there are plenty of others.

Working a few events get's you familiar with how the event is run, what the flags mean and you'll likely make some friends. That mean's you'll be more relaxed when you finally do get to driving, so it'll be easier to learn. Listen to your instructor, they may essentially be volunteers but they have a wealth of knowledge and most genuinely want to see you progress. 7 years later and I still talked to the guys that instructed me until I was solo'd.
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Looks like he was trying to keep up with the other cars and just pushed out of his skill zone



I go with BMW CCA's and with TrackDaze... TrackDaze is a bit too lax for newbies in my opinion, and BMW CCA of NJ for example is very stringent.. They won't let you get in trouble as a rookie - in fact most crashes at HPDE's (High Performance Driving Events) occur to advanced students running SOLO and instructors themselves.

Go with a well organized club, regardless of make of your car (BMW CCA events have every brand well represented) and you will learn more than you can even imagine!
I can't stop watching this video thinking what I would have done differently if I overshot like that.. but what's nagging at me is that the initial mistake is not some tricky oversteer condition, just plain overshooting the apex (also early, but unassertive, braking) ... I'd have slightly lifted to tuck the nose closer to the inside corner and powered out (at least tried to). What the driver was doing seemed to me by the sound of the engine is something different.. sounds like on-off throttle inputs that continued to plow the car off the pavement..
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