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Any chance of recovery in wet grass?

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#1
Keith Novak

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Had a rather unexpected dent yesterday. Going around a carousel type turn on a damp track and sliding slightly but happily, I found myself a bit wide where the grip dissapeared. It was a very neutral slide, no rotation involved with a lot of room between me and the tire wall, all covered with very wet grass. Once I reached the, "I'm going off." point, I put both feet in and hoped the Holy Mother of Friction would catch up with me eventually but no dice. Straight as an arrow up to the point of impact. Remarkably little damage other than one front fender, which unbolts.

I realize "both feet in" prevents the car from doing very unpredictable things on the track when you spin. I've also saved it on the track when I locked up in the wet in a straight line by letting go of the brake so I could steer again. My question now is once off the track, I'm not going to spin into anyone. Is keeping both feet in the right course of action? I was on shaved tires so perhaps nothing could be done, but I had a lot of time to say, "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO"...crunch. I was angling about 30* to the wall and thought if I could just change my direction a bit, I'd miss it and I'd just be stuck.

Is it better to keep both feet in (which didn't do squat in my situation other than leave nice straight mud trenches in the grass), or let go of the brake, get back on the throttle, and try to change the direction away from the wall.
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#2
Johnny D

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Spinning on track it's good to be predicable. Spinning off should not be practiced in your head. Your going to get higher pos. in a race staying on track and then getting faster, as opposed to going fast and flying off.
It all comes with car control and learning the track. Always good to test your limit during practice, not really in the rain.
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#3
Bruce Wilson

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Keith,

Once you've gone ag, you should definitely try to save the car using the steering and throttle assuming you aren't going to put others at risk of being involved in your situation. Although given the conditions, I doubt it would have helped you much this weekend.

Hope to see you back next month!

-bw

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#4
wheel

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You are far better off, in wet grass, to try and drive out of it. Light input from the steering, little, or no, input on the brakes or gas.

wheel

#5
Cy Peake

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And don't let the car come to a stop once you have it saved or you risk getting stuck for the rest of the race in that very spot.

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#6
Keith Novak

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Good info. I was thinking about stomping the gas but it sounds like that wouldn't have helped. In this particular situation, I don't know if anything would have helped, but it would still be worth trying.
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#7
wheel

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I had one of those this weekend. Off the outside of the corner leading on to the main straight at MAM. It had rained for several days, and the ground there is pretty flat, so the water stays. I straightened the wheel, added a little gas and eventually pulled back on the straight. Adding a little more gas made the car start to rotate, so patience was the answer. Not my first one of these, but just the most recent.
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#8
Qik Nip

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My first visit to Nelson Ledges some years ago I very gently slipped off the black stuff on turn three and thought, "no problem, that tire wall is really far away." A few seconds later I realized that it wasn't really THAT far away and as it loomed closer and closer, I actually had time to decide what end of the car to thump it with. (BTW,I choose the rear bumper). ;)
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#9
Glenn

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You are far better off, in wet grass, to try and drive out of it. Light input from the steering, little, or no, input on the brakes or gas.

wheel

+1

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#10
Ken SM94

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The area Keith is talking about is slightly down-hill from the track to the tire wall. I've been off in the wet in that same spot three times in the last 10 years and hit the wall all three. Unless you're running tractor tires you're going to hit the wall. Thank God for the whoever stacked all those tires there!

It's really just better to stay on the track.
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#11
tony senese

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Driving on wet grass is definitely "possible" but not probable..... both feet in as others have said, definitely does nothing. I was touched in moderate rain this weekend and pushed off track to the outside of turn 2 at NJMP Lightning. If you look at the track as you go by, you would swear there is LOTS of room to recover, unfortunately, even in the rain that is a pretty fast turn, about 60 mph.... At that speed, all I had time to do was get the car almost parallel to the armco before I hit. Small inputs, then Big inputs, then BAM!

Bent front LCA and tie rod, rear crash bolt, nice impression of the armco on the rear quarter and folded up fender and inner fender on the front quarter as well as a broken motor mount.

No matter what, the best alternative is to stay on the wet gray stuff!

Phew...... that was a close one!

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#12
Qik Nip

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As The Star Trek Collective (and Senese) says..."Resistance is futile. You will be assimiated" (Either by the Armco, or the tire wall)". B)
Rick

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#13
Tom Hampton

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The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is this quote: "So...you're telling me there's a chance!"

-tch
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#14
Andrew Charbonneau

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why yes there is a way

Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement.[1] Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon.
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#15
Tom Hampton

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That's great! Sadly, i have a friend who built a racing mower. He is also from the southeast. Hmmm..... crazy people.

-tch
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#16
dstevens

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Dude, there is a pro mower racing series. Sta-Bil is the title sponsor.

http://www.letsmow.com/

Though if they were "real Men" they'd leave the blades on.... :lol: B)

#17
Keith Novak

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Yeah... I have a friend who it's often been said about would race anything. If you could race a bar stool, he'd probably race that too. Probably shouldn't show him this...

http://www.bmikarts.com/item/2005-Barstool-Racer--$1595-675000-3100
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