Ranchero Crash? (Page 2 of 3)

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I always watch a car spinning in front of me.  I want to see if the wheels are spinning freely or locked up.  If they're spinning freely, it might affect which side I want to try to go around on.  You're right, you've got to see what's going on, make a quick decision, and react.

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I was right behind this accident in car. I think there are a few things I read in the topic that while contradictory I agree with. I think that racing is racing, when on the track things are bound to happen, some random some not. I do however feel that with these slow cars (even the faster ones are slow) you shouldn't be in a position where you are running into someone. I was having a blast racing side by side with guys, but we never had to do more than a "love tap," but the thing is to be smart about where you can be that close. Turn 3 might have been somewhere more appropriate, however you should allow more space on higher speed corners. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are in a much faster car (not always better driver we figured that one out right) and you are passing someone you are coming up on for the first time that lap, just take it easy. The only time you should be close enough to bump back and forth is if you're going back and forth racing the same person lap after lap. Then it is fun and exciting to go for that tight pass deep into the corner. What I thought was inappropriate, and needs to be payed attention to more, is the cars that have more speed and come up on others, and how those drivers use that speed.

Just a thought, if it helps with any validity I did shifters and formula atlantics, so I'm not a total dummy

Still trying to find Miata #108 in the red...had a really fun time going back and forth with a few friendly bumps both ways.

Best to all!

SAVE THE PARSH!

It looks the fire may have started from the back in the pics I've seen. All the fuel tank and major fuel bits are back there. My gut says it had to be some kind of freak failure; those cars are pretty solid otherwise.

Either way, SAVE THE PARSH! Oh, and maybe it's a good idea to check suspension bolts and such for tightness when you yank the car off the track for the evening. If it's a case of something getting knocked loose and poking into the fuel tank with hot metal, welp. That's 15 minutes well spent to shake things around and check stuff under there. I'm also going to start forcing myself to go visor-down more often, regardless of stuffy nose.

...

SAVE THE PARSH!

(P.S.: Free Coco, too.)

Edit: Found an update; cause of mechanical failure unknown but a fuel line was ruptured. https://www.facebook.com/stephen.cox.50 … 7944839678

(Also, sorry for the 'chero hijack. Now back to your regularly scheduled WTF crash discussion.)

Not sure.

Yea this was at COTA, the Sonoma one was the stock standard exploded engine.

Am I the first to comment on the fact that the Ranchero driver was cruising like it was a Sunday drive down the boulevard? He was completely unprepared for the tight racing with the BMW, and paid the price. Put two god-damn hands on the wheel! The steering wheel is two feet wide and you think you're gonna catch that tank slapper with 1 hand? The contact with the BMW should have been completely inconsequential if it wasn't for the over-reaction.

I completely agree with that also. Not just class C captains; all cars should avoid driving down the middle of the road..

I think he was holding it in 3rd. it had sifter issues last time and was making some grinding in the stream this time.

If you are in a slow, poorly braked, ill-handling Class C car, Sears Point turn one is the toughest part of the track to deal with.  Most all other parts of the track you can get out of the way a lot easier.  Uphill, increasing radius left with an off-camberish right immediately after.  All of which occurs at the end of a straight where the speed differential will be the highest.  More than likely, your pile is going to want to be pushing heavily one way and then you have to change directions and push the other way.  In watching the video again, this crash started before the video starts and long before the S/F line.  Once Pujo got between the wall and the Ranchero, the Ranchero was screwed.  Hit n Run Rx7 follows Pujo through and basically condemns the Ranchero to the middle.  That sweeping left makes it hard to see who is coming up on your outside when you are dealing with cars coming up the inside so once you are there, it's going to be safer to stay there rather than move to the right and possibly punt someone you can't see or move to the left and spin out.  I like to have my leftside door handle scraping the pitside wall once it comes out to meet you after T11 and keep against that wall all the way down and take the outside of T2 away from the mayhem at the apex.  Once you let someone get between you and the wall, you're just jobbed because the floodgates open.

Having said all that, the BMW still caused this.  Something to also consider is that the Ranchero is pretty planted/wallowed over on the RF at that point and if you knock the weighty off that RF (like the BMW did), it's gonna be tough to control.

The "3PM Rolls Royce line" would have prevented this, but oftentimes impatient faster cars disallow the slow car that line. Sucks hard all the way around, but a moment of extra patience by the BMW would have prevented this, too.

I need to preface this comment with a couple of things. 1) I am not nor have I ever raced in anything but dirt tracks. 2) I am only commenting as an observer of the Barber race and that race alone (since it's the only Lemons race I have attended)

At that race and Mike help me a little here, the corner just before the straightaway in front of the grandstands. When cars would exit that last corner and start down the straight portion it was VERY common to see the faster cars leave little room or maybe 2 feet or less when the overtook a Class B or C. Again, I am only telling you what I saw and I had a great vantage point from the top of the grandstand.

I thought at that time it was just part of racing, a couple of fans up there even winced when it happened a few times. Maybe this is something that needs to be a more harsh penalty?

Yes and no.  The problem is you never know WHO is in that car.  I now react quite well to being dive bombed in predictable, single corners but I was not so calm in the past about folks appearing out of nowhere from behind other traffic.  Most of us Class C guys drive our mirrors and if you aren't in our mirrors at the start of a turn and now you are RIGHT there in front of us it might not cause issues for you but it will occasionally cause issues for for those on either side or behind us.

Now make that a left/right/left combo and you might be putting yourself in danger if we have a "point and squirt" car that intentionally takes the left/right slow to line up for our big finish powering through the second left.  This has caused folks to hit the outside rear of such cars because the better handling car in the rear thinks the poorly handling car in front was not capable of beating them out of the last transition.  In such combos, your tiny momentum car is visible for brief seconds during our slow transitions...and likely invisible as you slam into our left or right rear corner because you are committed...and surprised.