Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

[Michael M.]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

Is the lady in the white shirt actually taking pictures with a camera phone ??? Documentation for a pending lawsuit ...

[mike cobine]

Re: What happened?

I bet that driver in that black Corvette was really wishing he had a cage when that Mustang came up on that hood.

Did you read the comments at the bottom of the page? One guy was complaining this group has had several crashes before.

Vintage racing seems to work well on a regional level, where most know each other and are having fun for the weekend with their cars, often as much fun in the paddock as the track. But bring in a bunch from all over, and the problems seem to happen.




Read comments at bottom under pictures

[Michael H.]

Re: What happened?

Mike,

If you're talking about the #71 car, that's the same car I raced in 1990, at that same track. It HAD a full cage before restoration but the front portion was removed. (partly my decision, I hate to admit)

[mike cobine]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

That is probably why they disappeared off the RA site.

I'd like to see the other side. I'd like to see the cars that were in this BEFORE the accident, but all pictures of this group are not to be found.

[mike cobine]

Re: What happened?

Oh, they look so much cooler with a rollbar. But boy, get in trouble, and that cage is one beautiful item!

I ran some formula cars with both the regular roll bar and the high cage, and the high cage really looks goofy. But I have seem formula cars (and other open wheel cars) get launched and I'm sure that the cage is a very welcomed thing to anyone with only the rollbar about that time.

[mike cobine]

This guy doesn't look happy

Notice the driver on the left side being held by the guy in the white shirt? That hand pointing out I bet isn't one of "Wow, look at that!"

[Jack W.]

Re: This guy doesn't look happy

for some chat from some who were working the race, as well as the operating steward (note the one comment from said steward about fist fights breaking out post-pileup):




Production Car Racing forum

[Paul L.]

Re: This guy doesn't look happy

Jack,

Thanks for that chat link. Very informative!

[Clem Z.]

the flagman should always start the race

even if it is a bad lineup because if he does start the race someone will be full throttle and not looking at the flagman and the wreck will happen. i have seen this happen more than once.

[Jimmy B.]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

I thought I would be a racer once. After 2 lessons and some scares I said "no way"!!! I had the bejesus scared out of me and walked away and never looked back. Still have a nice racing suit, shoes, and other items in a box. My wife brought the camera for some "action" photos after the race was over.

Oh yes, 1 of the guys in the pre-race warm up went off the track and broke his wrist. This was at Second Creek Raceway in Aurora, Colorado.

I still enjoy going to the track and watching my friends race but on the track is not for me.

[mike cobine]

Re: the flagman should always start the race

I have to disagree here. The reason for a green to be given is that everyone is where they are supposed to be and the pack is ready to race fairly. You have too many that know the track is green everywhere on that flag and they jump the start because they are 5 rows or 10 rows back and can't be seen. Well, soemtimes they can be.

There is so much discussion and so many views on this one as to what happened, I don't know if they should have or should not have gone green. But the problem is, they didn't and someone messed up.

That link to the discussion says that several in the lead raced as far as Turn 4 under the RED flag. I remember a guy doing something like that ONCE at Moroso and then getting a suspension. Once IMSA had a different Red Flag rule than SCCA, but you can't use that excuse anymore.

If someone wrecks on a start for a full throttle start because he wasn't looking at the starter, then yank his license for a year. Put him on mandatory worker program, 4 races in the starters tower, 4 races on a corner. Then he can see first hand what happens with a driver screws up. Let him pass driver's school again before he goes back out.

This could have very easily killed someone because someone wasn't looking.




Track Map

[Michael H.]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

Jimmy,

Interesting that some feel quite comfortable going 170 MPH in a race car but others want no part of it. The same is also true in reverse however. I know people that would never even get in a race car, yet feel quite content to jump out of an airplane with a parachute. You would NEVER get me to jump out of an airplane, ever. Downhill skiing is another one that I absolutely want no part of. Turning at 60 MPH has to be a little difficult and with no brakes on ski's, it's suicidal as far as I'm concerned. Yet, people that do this would never ever want to chance driving a race car.

I think it probably has more to do with the interest level than it does the fear factor. I've been around cars and racing for most of my life so it seems completely natural to me.

I know exactly what you feel though. If I were to try to attend motorcycle racing school, I would probably never even make it as far as my second class. I'll stick with four wheels, thank you.

[mike cobine]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

Interesting how you compared sports that I thought were quite common.

I was snow skiing before I went road racing, and thought the lessons I had learned in the twisty Ozark roads applied quite well. While I have never raced bikes, it is more because I wanted to race cars more and couldn't afford an extra bike to race as I liked the long-distance touring on the bike too much to give up the big bikes.

Still, I have dragged pegs from Florida to Maine to Mulholland Drive. And I ran at the back of a pace lap once at Moroso to get out to a corner (lot of strange looks from each corner station on the way out) and have been the only motorcycle successfully to get into the 12 Hours of Sebring in a long time (1991 ?)

A friend, Dick Durant, ran his Durant Special in the Midwest Division in the '60s, Corvettes in the late '60s, and Can Am in the '70s. When he moved to LA in the '80s, he took up skiing as it was what gave him the closest rush. And he could store his "racer" in the closet rather than a three-car garage.

The Mahre brothers (Olympic skiing champs) took up Trans Am racing with the Bob Sharp group in the '80s. I ran against one of them at Summit Point. Case of big money, come out to a MARS event with a Bob Sharp Oldsmobile and blow everyone away. Big time.

[mike cobine]

Re: Vintage Racing Gone Wrong

Racing is fun but the level you get into it at can be either a big plus or a big minus. I know guys who are great racers, but they prefer to stay in cars that will never get over 100 mph ever, including a tailwind and downhill. Then there are others who don't consider it racing until you have crossed 150 most of the time.

I remember one lady who worked for Consulier and wanted to go race. So they took her out in one of their Consuliers for driver's school. She did terrible. In the beginning, she was ready, anxious, and excited. Before the day was gone, she was frazzled, nervous, and a wreck waiting to happen. Several of us noted that the car was more than she could handle. Had she been out in an IT Corolla or 510 or an SSC car, she would have most likely had a great weekend and came away with her first school done.

The right car makes a lot of difference. It could be you were in something you didn't belong. Hurtling into a corner in a car that goes 100 is quite different than one going 160. A whole lot different, almost undescribeable to someone who hasn't been there. The difference between 160 and 140 is kind of like the difference in 140 and 100. And the difference in 140 and 100 is like the difference in 100 and 30.

But if you got anything scared out of you, then it was wise to quit. Being scared on the track just means that somewhere along, you just might have something bad happen and odds are it will involve someone else.

[Clem Z.]

after the green flag start you throw the yellow

and then you have a restart.