Extremely Disturbing Track Video!!
#1
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Extremely Disturbing Track Video!!
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:
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:
#8
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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.
+1000. Never again.
#9
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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.
#14
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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.
#15
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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.
He was not only putting himself in jeopardy, but the other drivers too... obviously.