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Saturday I went to Pocono Raceway for a HPDE on the EAST Course, It’s a short course LINK mostly made up of the infield roads of the speedway. The staging area is next to section of straight with no barrier between the track and the cars waiting to get onto the track (see map it’s the red line). I was waiting on the grid; in a line of about 20 cars, I was about the 10th car from the front when I saw an Evo VII that was running on the track lose control on the straight, run off the track at around 90 mph and hit the first two cars on the grid. They were a G35 and an Acura NSX late 90’s vintage. My guess is the Evo and the NSX are totaled and the G35 looks like it could be fixed (T-Boned type damage)
Needless to say if that Evo lost it a bit earlier it could have hit me. I will not drive on the east course of Pocono till they either put up a barrier or change the staging set up. I would also suggest anyone that does track days or auto-ex to not run on tracks where people or cars are near a “ hot “ track without protection from cars going off course. Nobody was hurt which was a lucky thing; people do tend to mill around the grid. I also don’t know how the cars involved will report this to their insurance. Well the next two days I will be at Watkins Glenn where cars and people are not exposed to that risk.
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Damn that's bad! It's one thing to have no barrier when it's a relatively slow speed like autocross; but what DUMBASS organized it so that the staging area was right next to a high-speed track?!? Even in autocross I've never seen cars parked that close! So much runoff room too! Somebody needs a good smack in the back of the head.
And at the end of that video, what's with the chick grabbing the guy's steering wheel??? I'd have slapped her hand away for doing that, instructor or not.
2005 6 Spd GT - Titanium Grey - Front Air Dam - Front/Rear Accents - Black Leather - Nav System - LoJack Early Warning
Mods: Tokico D-Spec shocks, Hawk Performance Ceramic pads, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 225/40-18, Mazdaspeed front shock tower brace, CG-Lock, Clear corners, Strakes, Racing Beat Oil/AC screens, Zeta console and knee pads.
Who was running that HPDE? So I Never ever ever sign up for an event with them.
That was a PDA event. Pocono East WAS the only course where that could have happend. The track also has some blame as that is were they want you to stage. But the club could have said no. I have been driving with PDA since 2004 and like them and have not seen a wreck even close to that. Looking at that video ( you can see me on the grid ) The Evo went off track left then over corrected too much. I do think the east track is not a good one for high HP cars but they still sign up for it. I however will not drive on Pocono East again, I need to be able to drive home.
Is it wrong that I got some enjoyment out of watching that?
__________________
-Anthony
'06 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe, Montego Blue
'87 BMW 325is race car #007, BMW Club Racing K-Prepared 2007 NC Regional Champion
'07 Silverado Ext Cab 5.3L, Big Red Tow Rig
Formerly: '04 Mazda RX-8, Titanium Grey www.scottbarton.net/anthony || www.MyTrackSchedule.com
Is it wrong that I got some enjoyment out of watching that?
NSX's are works of art ( IMO ) seeing one totaled is a sad thing.
The reason I went to Pocono East in the first place was as a " ShakeDown " for Watkins Glenn Mon & Tue. The thread below contains video from that track that you might enjoy more.
Damn that's bad! It's one thing to have no barrier when it's a relatively slow speed like autocross; but what DUMBASS organized it so that the staging area was right next to a high-speed track?!? Even in autocross I've never seen cars parked that close! So much runoff room too! Somebody needs a good smack in the back of the head.
And at the end of that video, what's with the chick grabbing the guy's steering wheel??? I'd have slapped her hand away for doing that, instructor or not.
not so fast. read and learn. the instructor was trying to get him back on track and into the pits. the music was inserted to cover what the instructor said.
When the EVO driver had two wheels off track, the driver reacted poorly and went into an oversteer situation to get back on the track, then it seems the oversteer was not countered correctly by looking down track and turning into the oversteer. Is that what you guys see?
The guy driving that Audi was a total dumbass. If I was the instructor I would have banned him from coming to anymore trackdays put on by that organization.
not so fast. read and learn. the instructor was trying to get him back on track and into the pits. the music was inserted to cover what the instructor said.
Give a rip. An instructor can give feedback, instructions, orders, yell & scream bloody murder or order me off the track... but grab my steering wheel and I'll throw you out and get another instructor.
Very interesting to read the thread where the instructor was able to defend herself.
Whats sad is...
How incredibly stupid some drivers can be
Wanting to videotape your friends "cool wreck"
and
Overdriving your car the entire day.
I always try to encourage people to get on the track so they can learn how to handle their cars in a safe manner, but after seeing all this its clear that some peoples egos are too large to be on a track. They'ld be better off at home drifitng into light poles and hopefully only killing themselves.
Give a rip. An instructor can give feedback, instructions, orders, yell & scream bloody murder or order me off the track... but grab my steering wheel and I'll throw you out and get another instructor.
so after an accident if you drive off track to continue filming your buddy's crash exacerbating an already unsafe situation and the instructor tries to get you back on track and into the pits by pointing the steering wheel back on track and you stubbornly refuse... who's the ass in that scenario? instuctors have your safety and their safety in mind and aren't concerned about your pride.
Slowing down, remaining in the track and going to the pits is the right thing to do. An instructor informing a student what the proper proceedure is would be correct. But a passenger, restrained by safety belts, reaching over to grab the steering wheel is creating an additional unsafe condition. A passenger can not control a car safely at any speed or road surface, let alone on possibly rutted grass.
__________________ "The shortest distance between two points is under construction." - Noelie Altito
You know your a rotary owner when "Getting a Hummm Job doesn't involve sex".
"Cogito, Ergo Zoom" (I think, therefore, I drive fast)
Rotary History:1982 RX7 GS, 1985 RX7 GSL-SE, 2004 RX8 Sport-Continuous Rotary Owner since 1985
Racing History:SCCA Solo II 1979-1986, Skip Barber Competition School 1983, SCCA Club Racing 1987-1993 - SCCA 30 Year Member
Slowing down, remaining in the track and going to the pits is the right thing to do. An instructor informing a student what the proper proceedure is would be correct. But a passenger, restrained by safety belts, reaching over to grab the steering wheel is creating an additional unsafe condition. A passenger can not control a car safely at any speed or road surface, let alone on possibly rutted grass.
i agree save for the fact that the audi driver had come to a full stop. he refused to get on track to the left to go around the accident or to go right into the pits. he was engaging in rubber-necking of the worst sort regardless of the hazardous safety conditions he had put his car in front of. the instructor pointed his steering wheel with a mind to get them out of harm's way.
so after an accident if you drive off track to continue filming your buddy's crash exacerbating an already unsafe situation and the instructor tries to get you back on track and into the pits by pointing the steering wheel back on track and you stubbornly refuse... who's the ass in that scenario? instuctors have your safety and their safety in mind and aren't concerned about your pride.
Nope, you're making wrong assumptions about my meaning (read the posts again). The guy driving off track to film his buddy was clearly in the wrong. The instructor telling him to get back on track and return to the pits was obviously correct in doing so. But grabbing the steering wheel is out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alnielsen
But a passenger, restrained by safety belts, reaching over to grab the steering wheel is creating an additional unsafe condition. A passenger can not control a car safely at any speed or road surface, let alone on possibly rutted grass.
2005 6 Spd GT - Titanium Grey - Front Air Dam - Front/Rear Accents - Black Leather - Nav System - LoJack Early Warning
Mods: Tokico D-Spec shocks, Hawk Performance Ceramic pads, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 225/40-18, Mazdaspeed front shock tower brace, CG-Lock, Clear corners, Strakes, Racing Beat Oil/AC screens, Zeta console and knee pads.
Last edited by Paul_in_DC; 05-11-2006 at 09:17 AM.
BY JUST WAITING ON THE GRID! 
It's one thing to have no barrier when it's a relatively slow speed like autocross; but what DUMBASS organized it so that the staging area was right next to a high-speed track?!? Even in autocross I've never seen cars parked that close! So much runoff room too! Somebody needs a good smack in the back of the head.
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