This is a disturbing video.

I have a friend that I invited to an Apex driving event to co-drive my track Miata. My expectation was that I would run with the Advanced group and he would go out with an instructor in Intermediate as he doesn't have any seat time at MSR-C and, I suspect, doesn't have much recent seat time period.

My friend has an ego though. And he's a big talker. He took it upon himself to send a racing experience resume to Apex and was able to convince them to put him into the Advanced group.

After he got off track from his first session, he turned the car over to me and I headed for the air station to adjust tire pressures so I could go out with the Intermediates. At the air station, I was accosted by Apex staff wanting to know who was driving in the Advanced session and, upon determining it wasn't me, whether I would immediately trade with my friend so they could get him out of Advanced. I'm thinking WTF?!?

We did the trade. I had a lot of fun in Advanced and, I hope, my friend had fun riding/learning with an instructor in Intermediate. He was never granted solo privileges.

After the dust settled, I looked at this video and my heart sank. There is some seriously scary stuff here. Highlights:

0:35 -- First lap (warmup under yellow), he's dragging it down and forcing people to pass him in non-passing zones under a yellow flag! You can see the confusion/hesitation in the other drivers.

1:19 to 1:29 -- More of the same. The green flag just came out. My friend is going 25mph at the apex of Ricochet right in the middle of the driving line. That's an 80mph corner (that's right . . . a 55mph delta in a place where there's no grip left over for braking). Wow!

Subsequent laps are at least 20mph below pace throughout and the lines are unpredictable.

2:57 -- Black flag. Ignored.

3:27 -- Group is up to full speed now. 46mph at the apex of Ricochet (35mph delta).

3:29 -- Black flag. Ignored.

4:49 -- Black flag. Ignored.

5:18 -- Black flag. Ignored.

5:41 -- Time for some 4-wheeling.

6:18 -- Frantic black flag waving.

6:46 -- Black flag pointed.

7:13 -- Waving awayyyyy!!!!

7:58 -- Video suddenly ends. Not sure why.

I think Apex learned something from this. I certainly did.

Without further ado:

 

Jesus that's bad driving. All I could think of was him telling everyone "I drive flat-out"

 

I honestly thought he was having a mechanical failure when he parked it on the apex.

 

I am surprised you still call him "friend". He couldn't be further from the apex, in many parts, if he wanted...

 

I'm glad nobody was hurt and nothing happened to your car. He must indeed be a smooooooth talker. Did he reevaluate his track ego after this or is he oblivious? I'm no experienced racer but damn, I cringed at Ricochet. Do you know if he purposefully ignored the flags?

 

I drove with Trackmasters Advanced Racer group at Sonoma this weekend. We had a couple of such idiots out there as well. By Sunday they were gone. Scary IMHO. Not sure why people would put themselves in that kinda situation.

 

Painful to watch and read about. Believing someone's resume is silly and sending someone out without a check ride is irresponsible, IMHO.

robert

 

I am soooo thankful. Every time I see this vid, it looks worse.

Talking to him during the day (before I saw the video), he was bummed and humbled that he got kicked out of Advanced. I don't think he knows how dangerous his driving was. He just plain didn't see the flags. He was completely overwhelmed, no SA, no clue.

+1000. Never again.

 

Just to add more perspective, my friend was hoping to use the event to get a provisional racing license for vintage racing. He's restoring a Lotus radical that he wants to drive at vintage races this year. He's talked for years about all his racing experience and how fast he is, but I've never driven with him before. I took him at his word. Jeez.

 

Well, the Miata just doesn't handle like the race cars that he is used to. And the tires were cycled out. And it was set up super loose. Why would you hand him a car that loose, do you want to kill him?!

robert

 

Wow. Do you know my friend?

And when are you going to be my instructor? I'm signed up for the Driver's Edge July event in Yellow.

 

LOL.

Cresson in July, that sounds painful to me. I tend to take July and August off, but I'm not sure about that this year since I'm not getting to the track as much. But if I am there, I'm happy to go out with you for a session or two, assuming I'm not having a heat stroke.

robert

 

It is painful. You were there last July when I did my first ever track day in my G8. This will be my anniversary! (Wife is asking why I can remember this anniversary and not others . . . .)

 

I'm surprised they let him stay in Intermediate. I was at a track day a few weeks ago and they bumped someone from Intermediate down to Novice for failing to let people pass, holding up traffic, and even causing enough confusion on track to get almost everyone to pull into the pits 5mins early.

 

Good grief... did he lie on his track resume to convince them he was advanced? If so he should have been banned for the weekend, or the day at least.
He was not only putting himself in jeopardy, but the other drivers too... obviously.

 

Double post

 

As someone who has no track experience, I was cringing through the whole video. I didn't know you could drive that bad without trying.

 

I have no racing experience and ***** of tapioca and it looked bad even to me.

 

He needs his State drivers licence removed

 

that was hands down some of the worst driving I've ever seen on a racetrack. I'd venture a guess that this was his first time ever driving on one. I'm glad nothing happened to anyone or your car but in the future... I'd be more discerning of who you throw your keys to.