The first time I got hit on track
The first time driving Laguna Seca
Passing in the Watkins Glen Bus Stop
Pittsburgh Vintage GP in a famed GT6
Photography by David S. Wallens
Everyone who races has stories. Some are about victory so sweet, but most are more likely about total disasters. Here is the first of my seven hairiest moments on track.
Every racer eventually gets hit–or worse, hits someone. My first time was at the kink at Mid-Ohio. I was running my Triumph TR3 vintage racer and minding my own business when, all of a sudden, I heard this horrible thwack from behind.
Apparently, a novice driver had done what we all do early in our racing careers: He was driving the car in front of him instead of the track itself. He apparently had no idea where he was on track and was even more puzzled that I would slow down to get through the kink after Turn 1. He just kept going straight–right into me.
[Every racer's worst enemy? A lack of awareness.]
The hairiest part of getting hit on track, especially from the rear, is that you have no idea how bad it is. You can’t just get out of the car and look things over while still on track. Have you cut a tire? Is there even anything left of the car behind the driver’s seat? You just don’t know.
After recovering from the spin, I slowed down and pulled off the line with my mind racing. What should I do, keep going or head to the pits? As I heard no weird noises coming from under the car and the corner workers weren’t running toward me, I did what most racers would do: put the hammer down and kept running.
[After a Crash, Part 1: Three Types of Wrecks]
Once back in the pits, I hurriedly jumped out to assess the damage. That huge noise and all that drama resulted only in minor dents in the quarter panel and tail panel. We quickly patched up the car and kept racing.
I might have had a car-on-car incident in my first SCCA school. That’ll get your attention. (For the record, I had the corner.)
I learned the hard way that I shouldn't out brake a Formula V at the end of the longest straight when they are right behind you and they have no place to go.
My first racing incident was caught on tape. Mixed class racing at VIR. I was running with the slow guys at the back of the pack in my 190E 2.3-16 and got punted.
https://youtu.be/GOcmgDHrGpQ?si=8Yknek0YJYjSwR52
[can’t figure out how to embed the YouTube video?]
I think we've been rubbed at almost every race but only truly hit twice. This was me driving at Barber. The ae86 PITed me and cracked their radiator leading to a warped head.
In reply to LanEvo :
That was a total dufus move........
I've only had two minor contacts.
One someone lightly bumped me
The other I gave some one a shove come off a corner. I was in an ITC Corolla closely following a novice in what I thought was an ITA RX7. Turned out it was a SpecRX, when he upshifted to third I was only six inches off his rear bumper. The Corolla had the bumper shocks which after fully.compressing shoved the poor RX7 about 10ft ahead of me.
Naturally I apologized profusely.
Tom1200 said:In reply to LanEvo :
That was a total dufus move........
Yeah. E46 guy got a 13 month ban. He did apologize to me, so no hard feelings.
I’ve only done DE’s and time trials, no racing. I’ve been hit once, by a factory five cobra. I passed a car on the front straight at HPR, the Cobra thought he could also get by that car. I’d already turned into turn one when I heard the Cobra lock up his brakes. I straightened my car out and he hit my drivers rear corner, spinning me to the outside of the turn.
He was incredibly apologetic and offered to pay for my damage. I was driving my LSx swapped 951, and was able to source used parts for pretty cheap. One part needed to get painted and that cost a few hundred. He more than paid for all the damage, which wasn’t necessary but he wouldn’t hear of it.
Our Toyocedes has also been in one significant collision. The Sephia understeered right into us. The trailing arm was bent but was thankfully an easy fix. The Sephia busted it's radiator and knowing that team lost an engine.
Going into blind turn nine at Mid-Ohio... Youngster ahead tried a low percentage move on the car in front of him. Unbeknownst to me they tangled over the hill. When i hit the apex the track was blocked. Got launched end over end, piledriving the nose into the track and sliding on the roll hoop into Thunder Valley . Radioed the wife to say I was OK. Then got T-boned by next car in line. Flipped me right side up farther down the track. Thought it was over. Then got hit by next car and rolled again. Ended up strapped right side up in the drivers compartment of the chassis. Bodywork, wheels, A-arms, and wings were scattered elsewhere. Radio was found another 50 feet up the track from where i ended up. Thank goodness for arm restraints. Alive because I had recently purchased a HANS device before they were mandatory. Life changing event in many ways.
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