Poll For Trackers
11-18-2008, 05:49 PM
#12
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Out in the coutry I routinely get to practice
threshold braking and steering control to avoid the surprise deer here and there, where in the past I would have just mashed the brake and hoped the car would stop of deer would move.
11-18-2008, 06:05 PM
#14
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How about avoiding accidents thanks to on-track training?
I've been in a few situations where I had to make evasive maneuvers and thanks to understanding car control/dynamics/threshold braking, it helped me prevent an accident.
11-18-2008, 06:16 PM
#15
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Right here
The skid pad exercises helped me save my car in a spin from oil on the road. Of all the cars and trucks that crashed after hitting this oil slick, I was the only one able to drive away (it was quite a pile up). Some people actually flipped and totaled their cars.
11-18-2008, 06:48 PM
#17
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Yep... twice, and both times I woulda been splatted.
If anyone here has done the lane change excercise at an ACNA event, that saved my life time number one...
Was tooling along on 301 at about 55 over on the eastern shore in my old Chevy Caprice..a handling machine if there ever was one.. and I approach an intersection, seeing a car kinda rolling at it..then they pull out.. while I was 1/4 into the intersection..no way to stop (17 tons of 'merican steel baby) so calling on my lane hurl experience, I gently lift to get some traction on the front tires, and swerve to avoid the f-er. No harm no foul.
Second time was again really not panicing and reacting as you do on track when grip goes away.. ok.. i didnt do that run 1 sat... was coming back from DC on 50 eastbound in a really bad rain storm, again at the speed limit.. in the left lane in a Geo tracker.. (my GF;s) another wonderful piece of automotive history.. Im following a semi truck, when they make a very abrupt lane change to the center lane... revealing that there was a stalled car in the left lane directly in front of me... again, calling on limited grip experience, I lift gently and change lanes behind the truck, then apply some brakes..in a straight line, about 6in from his bumper.. that WAS scary, not only for me but for the folks standing by the car in the left lane...who certainly would have been hurt at least if I had slammed into their car..
Point is, the DE aspect of the track events is dead nuts on, and to be able to execute in a controlled manner will save your life sometime..!
Hals PSA.
Hal
Was tooling along on 301 at about 55 over on the eastern shore in my old Chevy Caprice..a handling machine if there ever was one.. and I approach an intersection, seeing a car kinda rolling at it..then they pull out.. while I was 1/4 into the intersection..no way to stop (17 tons of 'merican steel baby) so calling on my lane hurl experience, I gently lift to get some traction on the front tires, and swerve to avoid the f-er. No harm no foul.
Second time was again really not panicing and reacting as you do on track when grip goes away.. ok.. i didnt do that run 1 sat... was coming back from DC on 50 eastbound in a really bad rain storm, again at the speed limit.. in the left lane in a Geo tracker.. (my GF;s) another wonderful piece of automotive history.. Im following a semi truck, when they make a very abrupt lane change to the center lane... revealing that there was a stalled car in the left lane directly in front of me... again, calling on limited grip experience, I lift gently and change lanes behind the truck, then apply some brakes..in a straight line, about 6in from his bumper.. that WAS scary, not only for me but for the folks standing by the car in the left lane...who certainly would have been hurt at least if I had slammed into their car..
Point is, the DE aspect of the track events is dead nuts on, and to be able to execute in a controlled manner will save your life sometime..!
Hals PSA.
Hal
P
11-19-2008, 03:04 AM
#20
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:)
Actually was getting a bit philosophical. Was debating internally whether, even though we lose some driver's lives on the track each year, motorsports as a whole represents a net savings of life as a result of increasing our safety when on public streets. For example, found this thread
http://sccaforums.com/forums/35918/ShowPost.aspx
...where some rough math showed safety on track is lower than on streets statistically, but not radically. Because we drive many more miles on public streets, it stands to reason that even a modest decrease in the street fatality rates for drivers who participate in motor sports could result in a NET savings of life for motorsports participants. But it's hard to quantify. We have numbers for losses on track, but no numbers for savings on street. So wanted to get a warm and fuzzy from the forum by hearing some stories
Miata is doing great!! Here is my blog.<ul><li><a href="http://web.mac.com/rhoyer2031/iWeb/Miata/Blog/Blog.html">http://web.mac.com/rhoyer2031/iWeb/Miata/Blog/Blog.html</a</li></ul>
http://sccaforums.com/forums/35918/ShowPost.aspx
...where some rough math showed safety on track is lower than on streets statistically, but not radically. Because we drive many more miles on public streets, it stands to reason that even a modest decrease in the street fatality rates for drivers who participate in motor sports could result in a NET savings of life for motorsports participants. But it's hard to quantify. We have numbers for losses on track, but no numbers for savings on street. So wanted to get a warm and fuzzy from the forum by hearing some stories
Miata is doing great!! Here is my blog.<ul><li><a href="http://web.mac.com/rhoyer2031/iWeb/Miata/Blog/Blog.html">http://web.mac.com/rhoyer2031/iWeb/Miata/Blog/Blog.html</a</li></ul>