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OK guys, I got my VIR tape back and as promised, here’s the video of the April 09 VIR crash:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiSuyIACGys

To set the stage a bit, what you’ll see is portions of lap 7 and 8 (of 14 scheduled) of the 2d race at the VIR National.  I’m showing portions of both laps to show (and teach) the proper way to drive if you’re being passed, and the wrong way. 

I was leading the race with Johnny Miller on my six and we were turning 2:01s.  Two of the other T1 cars were in the 2:04 range and Jack Hall was turning between 2:17-2:30.  His fastest lap was a 2:17?!  He did the exact same thing on Saturday’s race too.

The first part of the tape is me gaining on an AS Camaro thru the uphill esses.  The Camaro did the right thing – maintaining his line while I moved off line to pass.  This is taught the first day of driver’s school, and he did what he should and what was expected.

The clip then transitions to lap 8.  The little dot you’ll see way up ahead of me is Jack Hall.  Jack rarely actually registers for an event; he just shows up and pays the fees.  He also doesn’t qualify…ever.  He starts from the very back of the field and just cruises around 10-20 seconds per lap slower than the other cars.

Johnny and I started thru the up-hill esses and we’re both expecting Jack to maintain his line at the top of the hill.  The normal line is to tuck back to the right, squeeze the brakes and fly thru the left-hand turn #10 (known affectionately as “Stevie Wonder”).  The last turn of the esses is taken well over 100 mph and the left-hander #10 is not much slower.

Both Johnny and I committed to the left expecting Jack to stay right (just like the Camaro did) and we will move off line and complete the pass.  Instead, Jack decided to move left and suddenly slammed on his brakes.  I was at the limit exiting #9 and tried to move right while braking when he hit his brakes abruptly, but it was just too late.  There was no where I could go to avoid him. 

I have nothing personal against Jack, but for some reason, he shows up at these events and is just on a Sunday drive.  I guess he does it just to keep his license…but he’s certainly not racing.  To make matters worse, he doesn’t just complete half the distance and then pull off – he stays out the entire time.  At the Roebling event, we lapped him four (count ‘em – 4) times in a 23 lap race…on a 2-mile track.  If you’re not going to race, why bother keeping your license?!?!

For those of you considering any class of racing at the National level -  We come to race and hopefully win.  If you’re just looking to come out and cruise around, please stick to DE events, the freeway, Auto-X, or anything other than a National Event Race.  I understand that Jack was just trying to get out of the way (and be a nice guy), but the move caught me (and Johnny) completely off guard.  He took me out and Johnny had to ditch it off track as well…but was able to continue.  He braked unnecessarily and on the wrong side of the track, costing me a possible win and over $11K worth of damage.  It’s taken me 2 months to calm down over this incident and I’m still a little upset (if you can’t tell). 

I have no problem if competitors, who are racing hard, mistakenly have contact – stuff happens.  But when you get knocked out by somebody that’s just there enjoying the scenery while the rest scream by 20 seconds per lap faster, it really hurts and is extremely dangerous. 

Jack got at least a reprimand for his actions and poor driving, and I’m not sure what else.  A couple of years ago, Phil Croyle, me and a few others talked about this very scenario and how it was so dangerous for somebody to be going so slowly when others are racing.  I wish I had said something back then so this could have been avoided.

Questions?  Comments?  Snide remarks? 

I don't understand that braking.... I think if he hadn't braked you could have avoided him although going through 10 would have been very interesting. Snide remark: Bump drafting, you are doing it wrong (although at least you didn't fight in impound like the SMers).

 And frankly if you are gonna run around VIR at 2:17 in a T1 to keep your license it needs to be at a regional, not a national.

It's not about speed and a 'sunday drive'.  It's about track awareness.

We run with HP guys who are 20 secs slower per lap and i'll bet each one qualifies for the Sr discount at Sizzler's.  They are absolutely no problem to run wth.  They hold their lines and don't make any silly, sudden moves. 

I am in total agreement that one should hold the line they are on when about to be passed, but I do have one exception that I make to that rule:  When in a qualifying session, if I am trying to get a gap from others in order to get a good lap in and someone comes up rapidly--trying to get a good lap in--I will attempt to make sure that I am either out of the way for a corner if I am reaching one, or through the corner before they get there and tucked way off of line so that they can get the good entry & exit that they need for a good lap.  Same story for a slow cool down lap in qualifying--don't be caught in a corner and slow another driver looking to get through that corner.  Watch the F1 drivers (well, the good ones, usually).

This predicates that I have seen the approaching cars and can actually do those things, otherwise, I stay on line and let them deal with it.  I have also used this principal in a race if I see a pair or more of much faster competitors coming in time to safely get the "H" out of the way and avoid being in the middle of a corner when they are coming through.   With mixed classes in most of our races, we almost always have a huge speed differential and can really stall someone else at a critical time.

I can't tell you how many times this simple courtesy could have given me a better qualifing time or a better race result, but it is plenty.  In fact, during an IMSA race at the Glen some years ago, I was specifically thanked by three top pro drivers for giving them that specific courtesy--made me feel very good to know someone understood that they had been watched and helped.

Regardless, you can't go wrong sticking to the "stay on line" rule because sooner or later you will end up in the wrong place for a reason out of your control and you will need to know that you are consistent about where you go on the track, and not a scatterbrain.  Your best defense in that case will be that you follow the stay on line rule unless forced off of it.

Soooooo the thing that sticks out for me here is all this preface here you make about what a moron this guys is and how many times you have encountered him in the past and how "EVERYBODY" knows he is such a moron and a rolling chicane yet you completely trusted and 100% commited your line to him doing the right and normal and accepted thing in this situation even though your closing speed was obviously 50++ mph!?!?!

Uhhhhh, DUDE! Not me...

My assesment?

Narrow track = Jonny aint gettin by (unless he takes to the grass which aint Jonny's style, he's smarter) while I take a little extra time to deal with Jack

I check up a little to deal with Jack and get by clean and get a jump back on the gas and reclaim my gap on Jonny anyway and finish my race...

No way in hell I would have barreled in there @ Mach 7 knowing jack as you do being a known menace... Uhuh! No how No way! Even if I didn't know him! If I have a 50mph closing speed on a car in the same class as mine on a track that was only wide enough for 2 cars IE: Jonny on my 6 can't pass when I check up to get by cleanly I would have taken a little more time to make sure I had some room for error "just in case" something wacky happened... We used to start at the back of 80 to 100 car regional grids just for the purpose of learning to read newbies and whacky drivers and it got us plenty of close calls and a few off road field mowing excursions but it is one of the greatest exorcizes there is IMO...

Just my thoughts and worth every dime you paid for them...

I’ve never driven VIR, so hard for me to say what the flow should be.  Looked like you were aiming right at him! J  It’s the passing drivers responsibility to get around cleanly.  That’s one issue and other is the driver that far off the pace and getting on the brakes there.  I doubt when someone takes a defensive line racing hard first lap you ram them 30 mph up.  Sometimes the groups faster traffic gets an attitude and forgets its still their responsibility to pass cleanly, even expecting other drivers will do some things unexpectedly.

Scotty B:

 "EVERYBODY" knows he is such a moron and a rolling chicane yet you completely trusted and 100% commited your line

Narrow track = Jonny aint gettin by while I take a little extra time to deal with Jack

I check up a little to deal with Jack and get by clean and get a jump back on the gas and reclaim my gap on Jonny anyway and finish my race...

No way in hell I would have barreled in there @ Mach 7 knowing jack as you do being a known menace...

Rabbit is quick.. rabbit is wise.

We have some cars in our group out here that we ALL know not to stick our noses inside unless youre willing to risk death.. i just kind of thought that was a given.

Rob Lay:

I’ve never driven VIR, so hard for me to say what the flow should be.  Looked like you were aiming right at him! J 

The correct line is to come thru 9 (track out no more than 1/2 way) and get back to the right for the fast lefty.  I expected him to stay right (or get back to the right) like the Camaro did the lap before and we'd go by him on the left.  The reason for the "aiming" part is that there is a rise exiting that corner - car gets very light when you're really moving.  As I came thru and saw his brake lights, I hit my brakes and tried to move right, but it's dicey and you'll surely spin there if you make any quick moves.  As Scotty said, it's an expensive lesson for both of us.  And yes, I've done the "come from the back of a few regionals" too...  ...just never expected that action at that place on the track.

wtknght1:

  ...just never expected that action at that place on the track.

Especially at a National Race...

People can keep their tickets by running 4 Regionals over 2 weekends if that's the goal.  The pace is often less frenetic and varied.

Chris I., I have done the 13 hours of VIR, of which I drove 6.5 hours of it. Half during the day and half in total freakin darkness.  On top of that, test days in other cars.  During that time I have never seen anyone pass on the left there.  The fast line thru the "incident corner" is all the way to the right.  If you pass on the left......it totally blows your next corner which is a left hander and you run out of track.   You even displayed the staying to the right method in your "Fastest T1 qualifying lap ever" video shown here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVES715qL0w&feature=related

The AS car probably freaked and just tried to stay out of the way.  The guy in the vette slow or not could not have moved over any further to the left.  There are fast and slow cars/drivers in every series and in every series it is the person passing's responsibility to get around safe.  If you know the guy is slow or a moving road block then lift a little.  There was plenty of room to the right.  To assume that the vette driver would do the same thing as the AS driver seems unique.   I would not assume any driver is going to do anything.  It honestly looks like you target fixated and ran right into the back of him.   Replace him with another car.   He could have easily been Dave Pentaric or Stan Wilson with a broken car or flat and trying to limp back to the pits.   Anyone in his position would have gotten hit from behind on that day. 

C

Here is a video of Phil Currin in his 1970 Hemi Challenger running a 1:56.95 at VIR also displaying the correct line thru the "incident" corner.   He knows a little somethin' about fast and also stays to the right there.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1RB6_497c

Every single person I lapped during the 13 Hour race there, moved to the left to let me by on the right.  The fast car has got to hit the left hand corner that follows correctly or run off the track at full speed.

T1T2:

Chris I., I have done the 13 hours of VIR, of which I drove 6.5 hours of it. Half during the day and half in total freakin darkness.  On top of that, test days in other cars.  During that time I have never seen anyone pass on the left there.  The fast line thru the "incident corner" is all the way to the right.  If you pass on the left......it totally blows your next corner which is a left hander and you run out of track.   You even displayed the staying to the right method in your "Fastest T1 qualifying lap ever" video shown here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVES715qL0w&feature=related   

Dude, of course the fast/correct line thru the next corner is to line up on the right side.  But the passing line is to the left there (out braking them into the corner)...just like I did on the AS car and 100 other cars since I've been racing/driving there (in the 1990s)!  

And of course passing someone slows your next corner...but that's not the point of passing someone.  The point of passing someone is to get by them. 

I understand what he was doing - he was trying to be nice and let the faster cars go thru.  My point to this was that he should have just stayed on his line and certainly not slammed on his brakes.  I would have gone by him easily.  Had I KNOWN he was going to move left, I'd have been more than happy to tuck in to the right and just go around. 

Staying on your line is the norm (and what is taught).  Deviating from the correct line is not normal and extrememly unexpected...especially in certain places.