79 replies to this topic

[True North]

Fellow racers, I really need your assessment here to help me decide if I need to hang up my racing suit and shoes for good.

I was in the Spec Miata Western Conference opener at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday (1-17-15) and was involved in a racing incident. Please post your positive or negative feedback on what I could have done differently. I am also aware that NO race is won on the first lap, I had a decision to make in a split second so I did.

I downloaded the video on youtube under my name, Dean Busk and also provided the link below.

Tomorrow, I will re-post and tell everyone what the SOM's decision was from Cal Club.

 

 

[wheel]

Where is the incident?

 Can't watch the whole 40 minutes to find it.

[True North]

sorry, my mistake. First lap....

[Steve Scheifler]

Start about 5:45

Can't say much from that one view. I assume there was more video and accounts if any action was taken at all. All you did was go way wide, and it did not appear that you cut down hard on anyone but another angle may show otherwise.

[Jason Owenby]

Keep racing!!

Have you seen other spec miata videos?

[Bad Rusty]

Hey Dean,
Sorry to see that! Looks like Drago built you a good motor though! I think I understand what happened but a little more video would help. Can you get someone behind you or maybe the silver car you passed entering the corner on your left?

[Tom Hampton]

Looks like the 6 minute mark. He makes a move to the outside heading into turn 1, lap 1 that looks like makes it 3 wide.

[Bad Rusty]

And I heard SOM decision,did you get in trouble? I can't see that thus far??

[True North]

Here is another video I just pulled up on youtube of the incident. In car camera from Marco Gallaher.


http://youtube/F9CYPi9tCxc

Looks like a pretty good angle...

[True North]

Let me try that again....

 

 

http://youtu.be/F9CYPi9tCxc

[Steve Scheifler]

My first takeaway is that you guys have cool video with overlays but need to learn how to edit out some of the tense action on grid.

Having never driven there I should watch more laps from yours to see what's more typical, but with a little better sense now of the corner, I question if there is any way to get cleanly through the next corner from where you were. Got a view from the blimp?

[AW33COM]

Keep going regardless of what comes out of SOM decision.

[Mike Babcock]

What did the driver of car 71 have to say?  Plenty of room through that section to go 3-wide... and it looked like he should have been able to see you there.  Certainly didn't look to me it was caused anything you did.

[Ron Alan]

Couple observations Dean...

No doubt you brake late as does Clement in the black car. You both are way deeper than ideal. But you both get it slowed down and turned. In Marco's video the silver car you pass is also deep but off and then back on the brake as the two of you have contact. Hard to tell if he is still trying to turn and washes into you or if you make a move across his path. But you are definitely at the end of the track as you can see by the white line to your right as you turn...not ideal but you are still on the track and look to be following the car in front of you. Obviously the first contact between you and the gray car causes a chain reaction.

There is a lot of room in this area but the ideal line funnels down to less than 2 cars as you make that left and then the immediate right. Especially at the start, pretty important all are on there game going into this corner. You make it 3 wide but actually look to complete the pass. Again, based on the line the gray car takes, it would seem he is trying to slow down before he can turn. Ideally he should be further left door to door with the red car but ends up leaving a big hole which Marco in the camera car fills(making it 4 wide!). I'm sure in hindsight he wishes he would have stayed in line! I see a racing incident that snowballed

Based on recent actions by SOM I've seen, when a car or cars races are ended they look to make someone an example. And usually the car passing is looked at first. If they felt you hadn't completed the pass and came across the gray car( though you really had no where to go but follow Clement)I see where this may have gone.

[RussMcB]

When two cars are involved it's easier for each to gauge each other.  When a third (or more) car gets involved they may not know about the situation happening on the other side and the guy in the middle has to choose which car to try and avoid.

 

Earlier this year I was squeezed down from a car on my right.  The driver on my left probably thought I was squeezing him and he didn't want to be squeezed so he hit me.  There was plenty of room for all three but the guy didn't know I was trying to avoid hitting the other.

[Steve Scheifler]

I guess one perspective is that where you put your car in T1 left you no choice for T2 other than the equivalent of a dive-bomb, where you "complete the pass" but have no hope of making the corner in control without crossing the line held by other cars. Would that describe your situation here, or could you have been on that line at that speed and still made T2 cleanly, including leaving room on the outside for one of those other cars?

[True North]

Steve, the line that I took was to the outside right of the (black) lead car giving what I felt was plenty of room for the cars behind me to follow to the left. And there is room in T2 (actually is T4) to turn and stay right. Not a good fast line but when everyone is together at the start you can make that work.

What baffles me is why the silver car that I passed did not stay in line with the black car ahead of me, separating himself from the rest of the pack allowing Marco to move into that spot.

 

The SOM's decision:

 

Take my finishing position from that race and move me to the back. Take away all my qualifying times for the weekend, take my SCCA license and put me on probation but they did allowed me to race on Sunday from the back. 

[Rob Burgoon]

Steve, the line that I took was to the outside right of the (black) lead car giving what I felt was plenty of room for the cars behind me to follow to the left. And there is room in T2 (actually is T4) to turn and stay right. Not a good fast line but when everyone is together at the start you can make that work.

What baffles me is why the silver car that I passed did not stay in line with the black car ahead of me, separating himself from the rest of the pack allowing Marco to move into that spot.

 

The SOM's decision:

 

Take my finishing position from that race and move me to the back. Take away all my qualifying times for the weekend, take my SCCA license and put me on probation but they did allowed me to race on Sunday from the back. 

 

 

No surprises here.  71 actually at fault, cal club stewards clueless, Elliot jumping the start as usual.

[john mueller]

IMO this is a situation where the passing car (you) failed to complete the pass.  They have the right to be on the track, you were way off the racing line and had a compromised position for the next corner.  Take your lumps and come back.

[powerss]

IMO this is a situation where the passing car (you) failed to complete the pass.  They have the right to be on the track, you were way off the racing line and had a compromised position for the next corner.  Take your lumps and come back.

 I agree with the rule you state but I disagree with your interpretation of what happened.  If a car punts me while I am making a pass it is not my fault.  The 71 car is not following the racing line.  Dean gave him the the right to be on the track and that is why he was way wide and offline.

 

 In Marcos video at the 9:08 mark why is the 71 car not turning in?  Look at Elliotts path compared to the 71 path.

 

IMO I would not have done anything differently. 

 

Steve