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Subject yup, also had that happen
     
Posted by vorpalZ on December 13, 2016 at 2:54 PM
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In Reply To I instruct for a living and saw this horror story unfold posted by hunterg on December 13, 2016 at 01:23 PM
     
Message Was doing a discovery session with a new driver (I'm not a coach, but standard practice for the previous small track we used to run at) We would pair an experienced driver with a new driver for the no-passing slow discovery sessions at the start of the night. I'd done this before with several new drivers, no problems. Got paired with the attitude guy in a Z06, no track experience, who was trying to pass and charge up on people during the slow laps. Taking corners wide, spinning in the pit lane, wouldn't listen to anything I was telling him. Finally got out after the session and warned the track marshals about the guy. Against my advice, they let him run 2 sessions before black flagging him. He was pissed, but not before he discovered he'd cracked a front brake pad and had to drive home on it. Served him right.

The M3 story ^^^

We were at Spokane Raceway which back in 2009 still incorporated the 1/4 mile strip into the front straight. The road course ran parallel to the strip, you took a wide exit on turn 10 and ran the straight on the far right, off the dragstrip surface:

Raining all weekend, and it was getting wetter and wetter, but still fun and safe. However, the VHT compound was finally sliding off the dragstrip in the rain and migrating onto the road course. I had no clue this was happening until I exited onto the front straight and took a pass point by. I pulled out to pass on the left and picked up the VHT as I edged towards the drag strip. I knew I was fucked when the car kept sliding to the left even as I was correcting back to the right. Off power and braking did nothing, the car started a lazy spin at 100 mph, but was at least in the center of the dragstrip travelling mostly straight. I heard Merry-Go-Round music in my head as the car was spinning slowly as I lost speed. I thought I was going to spin to a stop in the center of the dragstrip, but nope, the car started drifting left towards the wall. Was probably going ~ 30 MPH by the time the rear corner hit and things slowed considerably:

Lucked out... no damage to suspension, tire, exhaust. Towed off track and pulled the fender out, ran it the rest of the weekend.

So, told the organizer that the front straight was extremely greasy and not to allow passing. Both he and the instructors said I didn't know what I was doing, didn't know how to pass, was not able to drive fast in the rain... yadda yadda...

Two laps into the next session one of the instructors did exactly what I did passing on the front straight in the M3... he hit the wall pretty much immediately. He was fine, car was a write off. I took the above photos.

Then the organizer called a driver's meeting and told us not to pass on the front straight :/

     
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