NASA racer

the closing driver has to assume that nobody sees him and be very patient but one of the biggest problems is that in the Radical, you sit so low that even the TINY artificial "humps" at a track like Buttonwillow are blind hills...the biggest risk is not seeing an incident ahead and then there's the difference in mass/size between the cars.

Our enduros have a SLIGHT benefit of being at night so everyone sees your headlights but I'd hate to be in a position where I was stopped on-track and get T-boned by a M3 or something.

Ironically, our 1000cc Radical is only about as fast on the straights as a Honda so all our speed advantage is under braking and then the fact we don't slow down at all for most of the high-speed turns.

OTOH, that's what endurance racing has always been, a wide variety of cars and speeds sharing the track. It's a risk.

NASA racer

a driver not even attempting to manage risk. We've seen that super-aggressive drivers in the fastest cars usually have a massive accident because they aren't as respectful of every car as they want people to be of them. OTOH, I know a couple of guys in faster cars who were repeatedly run into (aparently intentionally) by slower cars for some psychotic and senseless reason.

We have had other drivers compliment our "manners" after races but we still come across some complete idiots (usually rookies) who do stupid things like try to follow us into the braking zone in a Mustang or drive down the middle of the track so we can't pass (since we have no HP).

Our philosophy is it's inherently risky and we can't change that BUT if you go around asking for trouble like that, it WILL find you.

NASA racer

so they are familiar with us and know to look for us. What sucks is aparently this guy came over the crest of a blind hill and ran into a stopped car and there's nothing that's gonna save us in that case...he MIGHT not have had a HANS device, the injuries kind of suggest that but OTOH, there are just some accidents which are unsurvivable.

I guess you're gonna find out though...a guy I sold an old motor to had just bought a Radical and has driven it once or twice and is going to run in HPDE in October at BW. Hopefully he's not a mobile chicane. He ran at T-hill with the F-Renault guys and was circulating at not high speed heh.

NASA racer

at the first 25 hour, a Radical SR3 had some sort of engine failure and the driver didn't pull off the track and was rear-ended by a Factory Five Spec Cobra. The Cobra driver had foot injuries and by all accounts the Radical was destroyed right up to the roll bar but that driver was uninjured.

A lot of it is "luck" I guess. I'll probably be racing a sedan at the 25 hour though...if for no other reason than rain and freezing cold + open car = no fun ;-P

NASA racer

the worst thing evar was being put in the middle of a pack of race trucks and stock cars who don't have outside mirrors. Last time I ran SU and would likely ever run SU heh.

<img src="http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/nasa+racer/california+speedway/turn+1.jpg">

AudiJon

My plans for the near future are to slowly get back to competetive driving. I actually may be getting behind the wheel of a radical sometime soon (interestingly enough...) but just for testing purposes. I've been wanting to for awhile now, and there is a guy who rents them in FL now.

If I can attend winterfest, I will. I don't have a drive planned yet, but depending on how things in the next few weeks/events go, I may be looking for one.

I just had my first track day since the wreck and it went really really well. My confidence and comfort levels were where they needed to be and I drove well and had fun even though it was just a DE event.

You're not going to bring your car down to winterfest?

AudiJon

That just doesn't look right!

AudiJon

The open wheeled/sedan mix is a bad idea, that much I'm sticking to.

But the sports racers with more body work and mass than an open wheeled car, are ok to be on track with the bigger cars, assuming that everyone knows that they're there and that the driver is patient and curteous when overtaking and approaching slower cars. Ideally there would be classes/races that put just the radicals and other types of sports racers on track together (yes, I know there are a few) but like Pete said, part of endurance racing is different makes, different types of cars, that's part of the fun and risk.

I have had plenty of good experiences with sports racers on track at the same time as me before, curteous passers, safe passers, fast drivers. There have been a few crazies though that have scared the CRAP out of me on occasion too.

Pat-SoCal

It's all about knowing the guys/gals you share the track with. Your buddy who plans on running in HPDE/TT will be just fine. Just tell him to watch out for a black sedan who will be throwing the high beams from about 3 turns back :P

Actually there is a chance I won't be able to make the Oct. Buttonwillow event. The car is apart right now and I'm swamped at work. Although if I do make it, I'll be busy helping my brother with his ASC car... it's scheduled to make a shakedown appearance that weekend. Are you doing the SU race in October as well as the enduro? I'm trying to figure out how to get some seat time in SU before the season is over... only two more chances.

BTW, you're brave for running the radical around those spec trucks... those guys know how to dice it up!

AudiJon

probably wouldn't have been as severe in a different type of car, but the wreck would still have been a big one. There were some obvious saftey goofs on the part of the track that led to my accident (plus a driving mistake on my part, but not one that should have sent me into a crash like the one I had).

I don't remember the impact, though, so I can't say exactly what it was that broke my leg, but one of the main theories is that the steering coulomn which was only inches from my legs (in a formula dodge, the steering coulomn sits between your legs) played a part. I don't like to speculate though.