Safety first!

[13inches]

You can come to your own conclusions.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3197431

[StewPiddass]

Wow! This may have been just a freak accident or not but it really makes me think about which way we aim our stop boxes (and fast turns). Imagine the old Wosca courses in Woodstock where the box was pointed straight at the parking lot. I'm not just picking on them either, I'm sure we've all done it. Quite often ours (TLMC) end up pointed in the direction of the timing tent.

This very well may have been driver error but I guess we all need to keep these sort of things in mind when we design courses!

[miataboi]

How when coming to a complete stop... do you try to go for the brake... and get the clutch instead?

Shouldn't the left foot already be on the clutch?

My goodness... what a disaster. Ins? Screaming? Badgering / threats? Wanting to dig a hole, lie down and die?

Awful.

[Dave L]

things can and do happen, but man that sucks for all involved.

[blue dragon]

wow! Thats a freak accident for sure.

[Dave L]

reading about this on multiple boards now. Apparently the Corvette driver drives an auto so may have been trying to left foot brake.

[Marsh]

That is an astoundingly stupid mistake to make. I can only assume that the vetter driver is used to two footing without a clutch and instinct took over. Never the less there was obviously not enough shut down room if the driver didn't have time enough to fix the mistake and at lest scrub of most of his speed. Also why were there enough room before the beam to even build enough speed to do that kind of damage. With the clutch in that would mean that he didn't accelerate in the box, and looking at the damage I would guess he was going as fast, or faster, than the top speeds on the fastest courses I've ever run.

This is going to cause some repercusions. If the cars hit were spectators then you can bet they'll be going to their insurance companies.

[J.C.]

From what I have been told he had more than double the distance of our stop boxes, yet not once did his brake lights go on. He most likely accelerated threw the beam.

[wikdslo]

Or he started pumping the clutch thinking the brakes were shot?

I would be terribly worried about explaining this one to insurance...

"Yeah thats right.. on a race track"
"Yeah... 4 cars.. all smashed"
"Yeah.. a porsche, vette, celica, and impreza"
"Yeah, it was my friend driving it"

I think they can cancel your insurance on you if you dont disclose the racing part of it to them no?

[StewPiddass]

Oh the Porsche would almost definitely not be covered... it's the other 3 cars I worry about. Technically they're just innocent victims but I'm guessing their insurance companies don't see it that way as they were a part of an uninsurable motorsports event.

Now the liability if anyone was hit is a whole other story...

[MazdaMatt]

a long chain of poor planning led to that... wow, that sucks. I think I won't be trying to get the parking space closest to the start/stop anymore. And I certainly won't be letting any vette drivers into my car.

[Dave L]

there are probably many things that led to this accident, I see a few;

-the course MAY have been one
-an AutoX hardly seems to be the place to learn to drive a GT3
-also not a good place to drive a stick when not used to it
-probably the biggest fault is a combination of the previous 2, plus trying to eek out the last 100th of a second in a car you are total unfamiliar by left foot braking

its an unfortunate accident and I would hate to have to make that call in the insurance company.