41 replies to this topic

[svvs]

Wow Yosh, I saw the car but didn't know the hit was that hard. Really glad you are ok now.

[Cy Peake]

Is it verboten for the starting officials at WG to wave off a start? All the starts that I've been a part of or watched during the last two seasons have been a freaking mess. The front of the field always seems to get a run coming out of T12 but then the green flag is held back. So they all check up while the back half of the field is going to WOT and then everyone ends up at start/finish at the same time for the green. This results in slower cars from the rear of the field dodging around faster cars from the front of the field, 4-5 wide into T1 and wrecked cars shortly thereafter.

[Muda]

Yes, that way or everyone from row 2 back each hangs back to try to get a run on the guy in front of them.
Puts mid pack of a decent field in the middle of T10 at the flag.
Most just assume a start and come flying through T11.
Sucks.

Wow, Yosh, who did that to you???

[Cy Peake]

They should tell us at the drivers meeting to expect a wave off if everyone isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing, which includes the front row taking off before the green, cars hanging back throughout the field, peeking out of line, etc. So we lose track time after a wave-off until people settle down and do it correctly. I'd rather miss a few race laps than have to drop thousands of dollars to fix my car after a botched start that could have been avoided. Expose the bad eggs after the race so we can cane them to death before the next race.

[ner88]

I wish I knew how to edit my new video, I have a great view of the SSB Cobalt having to swerve to avoid a Miata at the start.
Thanks to a late green, the Cobalt swerved left and ran down the front straight along the Armco.

[geneclev]

link to the broken hub wreck http://youtu.be/3QcY-cv6dGs

[David L]

Wow Gene really hard hit hope your feeling ok.

[Muda]

Gene, I heard you saying something after the car landed but couldn't quite make it out.

[geneclev]

Do you remember George Carlins seven words you cant say on TV,well it was something like that.The bearings didnt fail the hub housing broke in two,the flange seperated from the hub that houses the bearings right at a parting line .I urge everyone to check thier hubs,it was the older style hub with 10 bearing balls,the newer style has 11 balls and the housing is a little beefier with no parting lines.Thanks guys for all the well wishes.

[svvs]

Wow..........

[ner88]

Gene, front or rear hub?

[Muda]

LF

[wreckerboy]

Impressive flight, and you stuck the landing too.

Did you notice any weirdness with the braking in the laps leading up to that? The reason I ask is because at NJMP I experienced pad knock-back for the first time. Later I found that the left front hub had developed a little bit of play in it. (The hub has about 12 weekends on it, and was scheduled for replacement anyway.) I'm wondering if the two are connected, and if knock-back is an early warning sign of hub failure.

[Ken Lendrum]

Impressive flight, and you stuck the landing too.

Did you notice any weirdness with the braking in the laps leading up to that? The reason I ask is because at NJMP I experienced pad knock-back for the first time. Later I found that the left front hub had developed a little bit of play in it. (The hub has about 12 weekends on it, and was scheduled for replacement anyway.) I'm wondering if the two are connected, and if knock-back is an early warning sign of hub failure.

[Ken Lendrum]

I am a little late getting to the keyboard and it often gets me in trouble but here it goes
Starts no one is safe when cars from row 8 take off and are along side if row 2 cars in turn one, 4 or 5 cars wide is not good. Last July after a big crash we asked the officials to enforce the start rules and there was a wave off, next lap the start was clean. we need to re visit this issue with the officials and ask that happen all the time.

There are no safety zones on this track, watch the nascar race this summer if you need to see what I mean. There are guard rails everywhere and contact with them is always bad, consiquently there are areas of this track where there can never be contact, the esses the outer loop laces and turn eleven. contact there ususlly ends in mass destruction.

There is no way that you can go into the inner loop 3 or 4 wide it never works, let the other guy go and save your car.

This is the most exciting class in racing, the close races are what make it so great, unfortunately it also makes for crashes.

Front wheel hubs: We too have had that problem in turn 11 last October, the hub broke, went through the wheel then the car went straight into the wall. It also was an old hub, Very scary no warning.

I have been buying new hubs from Karl Zimmermann each year before the Glen enduro, but we hadn't enduroed this car therefore no new hubs.

I talked to Karl (Applied Racing Technology) today and he had not heard of this type of faiure. He suggests that you call him if you need help.

As for us we plan to change these hubs more often.

I am glad tha all of uou on this post are OK, hope to see you in October

Ken Lendrum

[geneclev]

Yes Rob I stuck the landing,but if I had a choice I would have gotten the hell out of there well before the landing!!!
Brakes felt fine and nothing else unusual before the soiled pants moment,I had no pad knock-back as it was just the 4th lap of my first session there since last year so I was just getting up to speed.I have knock-back all the time at SP turn 10 and have very few front bearing failures,so I am not sure.

[racinglawyer]

Here is my last lap of the race on Saturday.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=t0E6_2TIwfg

Steve Berry had gone off driver's right at the Bus Stop which bottled us all up a bit. You can hear me breathe out of the throttle in the Outer Loop as I was watching to see where he would come back in (he didn't get off the gas at all). The Black/Silver/Red 06 car behind me said "well I had a run on you." Someone needs to clarify to him again that coming up and hitting someone in the rear at the apex of a corner a.) isn't good and b.)isn't a "run" but a "hit and run".

I'm a little torqued that the driver of the 06 didn't bother to figure out where I was after the race - it wasn't like he didn't have a close up view of my car - I had to go find him. Chose not to throw paper, but his attitude stinks and his judgement lacking.

Bent up the car pretty good - needed a LF upper & lower, ball joint, tie rod, hub, and wheel. LR needed a hub carrier, hub, wheel. Thanks to Chris Windsor and Nick Leverone, managed to get the parts and with tons of help from John Kuitwaard, Jason Livingood, and Chris Windsor we managed to get it somewhat pointed straight. Feel bad that Jason missed his SM2 race, but we did both run on Sunday. Car still needs a ton of body work - LR quarter is destroyed and missing a taillight, and I'm not sure I can bang the LF fender out into a nice shape again The hit was hard enough that it stretched the motormounts quite a bit - the throttlebody slammed into the hood and the motor went so far back it bent and broke the heater core pipes.

The real shame is that the car had been really good on Saturday! Consistently managed times in the 22s and got the car well into the 21s before the incident.

[racinglawyer]

75 Not sure this ads anything to the conversation...here is another view of the SSM race at the fun one 9-18-11..

[racinglawyer]

for what its worth to the conversation...it was a bad start.....and a bad first lap...unnecessary damage to a lot of cars...maybe I'm getting old...71 years old today......don't we race for fun..I do.... if you are racing for something else...maybe NASCAR is a better place for you.just my 2 cents

[edzeb]

I spoke to the CS about either waving the green earlier or banging heads at a Driver's Meeting. I was on the sixth row, outside. Whitt or someone in the 3rd or 4th row checked up BIG TIME. Lost many, many places and spent the race getting back up towards the front. Speaking as the Chief Driving Instructor...I agree to waving the green earlier, but guys (and gals) we all know what to do at a start and checking up is NOT it. Now, all together, "We accelerate slowly to the green". Repeat after me, "We accelerate slowly to the green".....