ifb_mole wrote:Then by what Rick told me, the Hooked On Driving course taught him (rightfully) to always look up the track, which is what he was doing.
Rick did not check his mirrors to see where the Cavalier was, he was looking up the track and at the Miata, so as he moved over to his right, he was shutting the door right as Tyler was making his pass. Clearly the Cavalier was passed Rick on drivers right, but since Rick was looking so far up the track, Rick told me that it seemed as though the Cavalier appeared “out of nowhere” and by the time he saw Tyler, it somewhat surprised him and they touched before he could move slightly to the left (or stop moving to his right).
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS PARAMOUNT on a racetrack.
You DO NOT change your line of travel into the path of a faster moving car at the last second. You must yield.
ifb_mole, you said it all when you said "Rick did not check his mirrors to see where the Cavalier was, he was looking up the track..." If you change your racing line into someone else's, you are responsible for the outcome, regardless of how risky the pass the other car was attempting may have seemed. Rick did not check, or he wouldn't have struck a car that was already nearly past him. We know there are tremendous speed differences in Lemons. We know there are tremendous skill differences in Lemons. You must ALWAYS drive defensively, and watch out for other drivers.
I've worked a lot of crashes in 15 years as a cop. We don't usually have the luxury of video evidence. Even without it, given the factors involved, the Maxima would be determined to be the primary vehicle at fault. It failed to yield to the overtaking vehicle. It failed to "change lanes" safely by checking mirrors, or turning the head to look. It went right because Rick assumed either the coast was clear, or the other driver(s) would yield. Either way, that makes him wrong. I mean no offense to him, I just call things as I see them, and I'm trained in accident investigation. There, but for the grace of God, go any of us. Racing incidents happen. They are usually preventible, though not always. This one was most certainly preventible.
Jay has to look out for the good of the masses, not just the desire of one team. We all want this series to flourish. For that to happen, he has to keep injuries (and liability) to a bare minimum. If a particular car cannot seem to keep from contacting other cars, it will inevitably come to his attention, and be addressed. If it causes a serious injury accident, it should be prevented from coming back out on the racetrack. He doesn't want to lose his insurance carriers just because your team wants to keep racing.
This could happen to anyone. One moment of inattention, and disaster can strike. The way to prevent that is to never have a moment of inattention while racing. Easier said than done, I know, but that's how it has to be, for the safety of all the participants. My cousin had one moment of inattention, then sent tires from the tire wall into orbit at Nelson Ledges to avoid striking other vehicles. He did quite a number on my vintage Caddy in the process, and he still feels bad about it. I don't want him to, but he does. None of us wants Rick to feel bad, any more than we want Tyler to suffer. Johnny and Phil, on average, have to keep 400+ drivers in line, and keep them from acting like idiots on track. While they may try to make it fun, when they tell you yours was a bonehead move, there's a reason.
Taking responsibility for your actions is critical in an incident such as this. Johnny said that Rick did not. That was his undoing. We can all learn from it. CHECK YOUR MIRRORS. WHEN IN DOUBT, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION. OWN YOUR MISTAKES.
Do these things, and you will stay out of Johnny and Phil's hair, on Jay's good side, and in the race.
Captain: Speedycop & The Gang Of Outlaws -'94 Mark VIII (Least Horrible Yank Tank Stafford '09, NOLA '10) '61 Caddy (Org Choice-NL '09) '63 Tbird (EPIC Repair Failure-Gingerman '10, I Got Screwed-Summit Pt '10, I.O.E. WINNER Stafford '10!) '77 Lancia Scorpion (I.O.E. WINNER Joliet 2010!) '67 Galaxie 500 (Judges Choice-CMP '11)
Future Fleet: 1957 Ford Prefect 1942 Buick 1959 Bugeye Project GLCOAT
