psreynol

• did not work well for me but your experience may be different.
• next year I might consider getting a small tire trailer so I have the option of running a summer tire in a slightly narrower fitment.
• https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=yK14XJm0804&video_referrer=watch

The track really seemed mostly dry but I crashed anyway. so here is the video for your entertainment.. its not very exciting really. I made mistakes but the car is fine and so am I. normally i would apologize to those who lost track time due to my error but I was something like number 10 of 11 or 12 so seems unnecessary. not a good day for many drivers but for me I only wish I got some time on a dry track,good news is that I finally proved the Miata theory . the best car is the one you can crash, laugh at, walk away from and then drive it home. miata! damaged driver fender, damaged bumper, minor hood dents and a headlight tire mark. but no creases, should push out easy.

any recommendations for good aftermarket fenders oe/oem?

ThePass

iTrader: (3)

Yep, grass. I feel quite strongly about this, it's just not an appropriate surface for racetrack runoff. That East coast tracks feature it everywhere because "that's how it's always been" sounds to me like "cars didn't come with seatbelts when we were kids so who needs them?"

Aaaaanyways.... /rant

Looks like the skies were pretty clear at this point so I assume you had rainfall earlier and then the track dried. If there was standing water earlier, grooved tires would have helped at that point. However, in the case shown in the video there wasn't any standing water left, just a slick section of track. A treaded tire only helps in cases with standing water where it can evacuate water better than a slick. In other words, the tire wasn't the issue here, you just have to check up where there's less grip available and anticipate the loss of grip. Slightly reduced pace just prior to entering this section, staying extra smooth, keeping off the curbs, and bringing pace back up smoothly once you were through the wet section would have avoided this.

psreynol

right is was nearly dry, but if you watch the vid you can see for sure one other Miata clearly splash a puddle when we go by in a spot that does not really look wet. there were damp sections and standing water in places. In the past I could skate through small puddles on s strait angel with minor line adjustment without issue. the wet spots were difficult to see in the vid but they were present for sure. in the future I will try to avoid dampness more carefully and or careful testing. first error was increasing speed to to the corner I had seen many people go off. I wrote it off to noobs and didn't even consider what I had witnessed in that corner. my bad, it was a bit slippery.

I think it was a combination of set up ( car seemed to pop loose a bit harder than normal, plus the obvious correction error due to not realizing where I needed to be, distracted by the previous bobble?. I feel a little foolish about that, and think the video is clear on that. Is that what you see? just curious.

ryansmoneypit

iTrader: (6)

grass... you left the track at only 45 mph and never dropped to 44 after sliding 100 ft... sand seems like less maintenance and better car control.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (1)

I have always been impressed with how much speed grass can carry, especially when wet.

Gee Emm

Sorry to see that, glad you are OK. A good, relatively cheap lesson - lots of them in fact. Tracking after rain, especially right after rain, requires more caution that you seemed to realise - not only can it wash away the rubber and reduce grip levels, staying out of the outfield becomes a major priority. You also had a very early wobble IIRC, pushing too hard too soon on cold tyres?

Wet grass is a bugger, there is no friction and you slide until something stops you. You are lucky, we had a driver killed here at one of our faster tracks in almost the same way. The other similarity is he wasn't wearing any HNRS either.

I mean, you are out there, pushing (obviously), in a T shirt, no gloves, no HNRS, visor up. FFS, learn the lesson cheaply, next time it might be at a much greater personal and financial cost.

Hope you can make it back on track soon!

matrussell122

iTrader: (1)

Saftey equipment is a must. When I raced MX a lot my thought was is it worth the injury and recovery over the couple hundred in saftey equipment and the answer was always no. Really saftey equipment is cheap when you compare it to EMS on scene and anything past hospital check in.

Glad to see you are alright and minimal damage to the car

loudes13