Fatal Accident at Road Atlanta

"e3pres" (e3pres) 08/04/2015 at 00:42 • Filed to: None

67

100

Saturday, I stood in the paddock at Road Atlanta as a medical helicopter landed to tend to an HPDE 2 driver who had crashed on the back straight. We all hoped for the best, but assumed the worst. When the last race and final two DE sessions of the day were cancelled, that told me everything I needed to know.

As I understand it, 56 year old Glenn Dick, Jr.’s SN95 Mustang sustained driver’s side damage and Mr. Dick succumbed to his injuries.

This hits home for me for several reasons:

1. I was instructing an HPDE 1 student in a similar car last weekend. We hadn’t received word on the result of Saturday’s accident, but I had to get in the right seat with a student who was beginning to show some speed protected only by a helmet, a three point retractable seat belt, and some two-decade old stamped sheet metal.

2. A good friend of mine had an identical car to the one involved in the accident. Same engine even the same color. Everyone in our core group from the track had driven that car at Road Atlanta at 130+. We’ve placed ourselves in the same danger countless times.

The difference? The race driver in me wants to say that we are better. We have more skill. More talent. We would have reacted quicker. We would have done something different.

That, of course, is just so much macho bullshit we tell ourselves so we can keep going out there. The truth? We are more fortunate. Nothing more.

3. I lost my two best friends in January 2014 in a car accident. We owned a shop together prepping, building, and repairing track and race cars. They were test driving a customer’s TTU C6 Z06 after replacing the clutch.

The short story is: they lost control about 1/8 mile from the shop, struck a tree, and were killed instantly. The part of the story that is relevant here is that this TTU car had over 600hp, would lap Road Atlanta in 1:29, and had a race seat and a harness bar as its only safety upgrades.

The Value of HPDE

The entire concept of the tiered HPDE structure that most competent track organizations employ is spectacular and is quite unique in the motorsports world. We give classroom training to new drivers then put trained instructors in the car with students to reinforce and build upon that knowledge. We build drivers. We instill good habits. We reprogram drivers to react based on the unfailing physics that will control their situation rather than allow them to react in the typical way that people do when things feel uncomfortable: by hitting the brake.

Most people think that instructors are there to make them fast. In our world, that just isn’t so. We teach them to be safe. They learn the line, the flags, how to pass, and be passed, then we move them on. There are people who specialize in race instruction, car setup, data acquisition and analysis. We are not them.

I’ve been instructing for 9 years with various organizations. I’ve sat shotgun in everything from Camrys to 640hp 911s. My students have included teenagers, stubborn middle-aged gold chainers, and geriatrics and aside from one young soldier just back from being shot at for a year in Iraq and thoroughly convinced of his immortality, I’ve never been anything close to scared in the right seat.

Typically the students are so nervous and overwhelmed that, even in the fastest of cars, they are so far from the limit early on that it is difficult to stay awake. As they build good habits, the speed builds. As a rule, by the time they are fast enough to worry you, they are ready to find more speed on their own... then there is a gap.

The Gap

This is the part of the story where I become much less confident in my own analysis of things and far less capable of offering an ideal solution, but I can state a problem that I see with the HPDE model.

Once drivers pass from instructed driving to solo driving they are still monitored by the sanctioning body. There are still classroom sessions and on-track drills are common. Side-by-side sessions and passing drills allow for some guidance, but for the most part, each driver takes control of his own development. By now drivers are hooked. They are addicted to achieving the next goal and bolting on the next mod. Brakes fade, so they buy better brakes, the new brakes overpower the old tires so they go next. The new tires tax the old sway bars and bushings so they go too and suddenly lap times have plummeted. What safety upgrades are required to accompany this newfound speed? Nothing. Until the jump to wheel to wheel racing where a roll cage and full safety gear are compulsory, factory belts and a recent helmet are still good enough. In this gap between novice and racer there are incremental increases in speed but not in required safety equipment.

Maybe this is good enough. Everyone involved knows that motorsports is inherently dangerous and it is the responsibility of each individual to ensure that they are as safe as they feel they need to be. Even for wheel to wheel racing, minimum safety requirements are just minimums. You can buy better suits, lighter helmets, and thicker roll cage tubing. I don’t think that we should be setting maximum lap times before requiring cages or harnesses or anything else and I’m sure the promoters aren’t at all excited about the thought of adding costs that might be prohibitive for their customers but maybe we can focus more on safety. Maybe we can include crash test videos, explanations of the function and operation of each piece of safety gear, and case studies of fatal accidents as part of higher level HPDE classroom instruction. I don’t want to frighten any new drivers away from this sport. It is difficult to promote track events as it is, but if we are as instructors meant to build safe drivers, perhaps we should look beyond the end of our last session on Sunday afternoon and give our students the knowledge to keep themselves safe and maybe even a little dose of fear of what can happen in the worst case scenario.

We can do better and I’m sure we will. We owe that to the sport, and more importantly, we owe it to the next driver who will have that unexpected accident but who will walk away from it.

Godspeed, Glenn Dick Jr.

Update: A safety gear supplier does offer classes on the purpose and use of safety gear for DE students for the group that hosted this event. My remarks on training needs were meant to be broader in scope and inclusive of all track day organizations.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 01:15

6

Great article. With speed, compensation must be made for safety. The more speed you can get, the more measures you need.

smobgirl > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 01:15

6

It’s too late for me to think this through as well as I’d like, but I think that The Gap, as you so aptly named it, exists for most people as they progress in most adrenaline-fueled activities. To me, it’s the point at which you have the skills to really wind up in trouble, but still need luck to get out. Most people, in most sports, crash their way through the worst of this phase and learn through their experiences without any permanent damage. Some are lucky enough to get through it by learning from others’ mistakes. Some people crash their way into the space between skill and safety equipment and come through the worse for wear - or don’t. And I don’t know that that space will ever be entirely bridged, in motorsports or elsewhere. Safety equipment can help when your luck runs out, but it'll never be enough to solve everything.

I don’t know, just something I’ve thought on a bit over the years. I’ve gotten myself into enough trouble with downhill sports to know that I don’t have as much luck as some people. I’ve paid plenty for ending up in The Gap and I’m very thankful I’m still around (and I can still walk).

For Sweden > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 01:32

6

More SAFER barrier would help (yes even on road courses)

AM3R shamefully returns > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 01:36

1

Nice read. I like to let myself think I’m a “good driver” and have some fun on local backroads fairly often.. I have all the turns memorized, I know all the speed limits, and I even know when the best time of the week is to drive them. What I don’t know is when I’ll see a deer of other animal wandering around in suburban NoVa, or when a a slow moving oversized construction truck is crawling around a blind corner on these roads. Always unsettling when what you see is different than what it is 90% of the time.

Always throws me off and reminds me I'm just a guy in a car.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 07:05

2

My friends were there and noted that the Life Flight helicopter got there and didn’t fly away with him in it.

That can only mean one thing. He wasn’t stable enough to be flown away. Glenn died at the scene (possibly even before they were able to extract him, if my rumors are accurate)

RIP Glenn

e3pres > AM3R shamefully returns 08/04/2015 at 07:12

9

I thought that I was a good driver too until my first track event. By the end of the first lap, I was convinced that I was the worst driver on earth. Lol.

NASA Mid-Atlantic is in your area. You should do a weekend with them. Your skills, and more importantly your instincts, will be much improved. They can’t improve your luck with deer and farm trucks, but you might react a little differently to them after some track time.

e3pres > For Sweden 08/04/2015 at 07:14

0

I don’t disagree. It’s an expensive solution and I always prefer more space between me and something to hit, but for natural terrain courses where runoff is limited it might be a good option.

e3pres > smobgirl 08/04/2015 at 07:16

0

Well said. You can’t get it right until you’ve risked getting it wrong and in some things, getting it wrong has a high penalty.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 08/04/2015 at 07:18

0

I heard through the Track Midwest FB group that it was the case that he wasn’t stable enough to be air lifted.

Bad Idea Hat > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 07:18

7

The difference? The race driver in me wants to say that we are better. We have more skill. More talent. Even if the track was oiled down, we would have noticed. We would have reacted quicker. We would have done something different.

That’s pretty much the logic of test pilots, that the guy who bought it didn’t try hard enough to fight the plane, etc. It’s a psychological response to put incidents like that at the back of one’s mind, primarily.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 07:46

1

Road Atlanta has a few places where run off is limited, and should there be something like oil or coolant on the asphalt, you are effectively screwed no matter how good you are.

Down the hill to T12 immediately springs to mind.

I’ve only tried to push things at a track like Roebling, only because there are fewer things to hit. And there’s still that piece in the back of my mind screaming “This is a 15 year old Audi! Crashing it will never end well!”

I’m considering taking time away from the track to get a roll bar installed (also to see how annoying a full cage would be for ingress and egress), and proper seats. I also need to get a new helmet once the Snell standards are updated, and a HANS.

Sometimes I can’t believe how stupid I’m being by relying on 3 point belts and a 15 year old metal structure. Let alone the fact that the car has nothing aside from ABS.

bptst21 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 07:55

3

I am close with the Glenn’s family, I sat with his father in the hospital, and since Glenn’s first time on track 18 months or so ago he has worked out of my ‘paddock’ at each event he attended. Our group of experienced racers, instructors and HPDE drivers have played a role in Glenn’s development of a driver and what modifications to make to the car and in what order.

This accident was just that, an accident. It was a mechanical failure and not driver error. I spent nearly 2 hours loading his car into the trailer on Sunday morning during quiet hours. It is my opinion that anyone that is running HPDE 2 or above needs to have a properly mounted racing seat and a 5/6/7 point harness. I understand the implication that this presents to the organization but I also feel that these items would have saved a life on Saturday afternoon.

Justin L > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 08/04/2015 at 08:02

1

I track and E36 M3, same thing 18yo car, not the best technology back then. I also race Chumpcar, full cage, halo seat, HANS.

It cant come soon enough that I have the resources to strip down the M3 to the point where I can get some form of cage in there and be able to utilize my HANS.

Cline > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 08:23

1

I’ve gotten a little apprehensive of the HPDE world. When I started in a 2002 Mini Cooper S I remember the first class I went to I was told I shouldn’t start in such a high horsepower car. I’m now tracking a race prepped, fully caged, 2003 Mini Cooper S with a ton of upgrades. The last event I went to it was referred to as a low HP car. The speeds have gotten crazy. I’m much more at ease in Lemons and Chumpcar as the speeds of those around me are so much lower.

e3pres > bptst21 08/04/2015 at 08:41

1

I'm sorry that you had to do that. I've picked through pieces of a car like that and I know how rough that can be. I hope no one thinks that I was pointing a finger at the driver. These things happen. If you do it long enough, you'll get caught up in something that is out of your control. I just hope we can convince other drivers to better protect themselves for the worst case.

e3pres > Justin L 08/04/2015 at 08:44

1

A HANS is the best money you can spend.

e3pres > Cline 08/04/2015 at 08:47

0

I've raced both Chump and Lemons. The quality of the drivers in both can be pretty sketchy. Remember that speed has nothing to do with injuries. It's all about acceleration. Just take a look at the number of injuries and deaths on low speed bullring ovals and you'll see what I mean.

BKRM3 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 09:03

33

God damnit. I really hate reading this. Why? I let myself go from beginner to advanced in HPDEs with the BMW CCA in a full weight E90 M3. The progression from slow to fast was so gradual and it’s so easy to be focused on track awareness and etiquette and being signed off solo and keeping tabs on one’s friends that, before I knew it, I found myself glancing down at 148mph indicated on the Summit main front straight. It was too fast, even with Schroth quick fit (4 point) harnesses and a HANS. Yes, the safety systems in the E90 are vastly better than those in an SN95 Mustang but, at a certain speed and assuming an unfavorable point of contact, I am absolutely certain none of that matters. I recently had a friend ruin a beautiful stock-safety Z4 M coupe in a very scary accident (he’s fine, thankfully) due to an exploding OEM rotor and it was at that point that it completely clicked. If you can’t afford to ruin your fancy street car with a cage then you also can’t afford to go 150mph in it over and over again at 6 or 10 weekend events per year. Not if you value your safety. Something IS going to happen, eventually.

I was lucky. I had enough money on the line with that car to talk myself into driving down to 8/10ths or so. Pretty hard to do when you’re used to wringing out every last hundredth of a second on sims and in endurance karting, and when you’ve got a chassis with so much power and balance practically heckling you for not driving up to and over the limit and back and then over it and back again and again.

Coincidentally, a long time friend of mine decided he was fully invested in DEs and racing right about the time all of this occurred to me. He said it made sense to him to have a dedicated track car so as not to endanger his daily, and I wholeheartedly endorsed that idea. He went shopping for E36es or whatever else was in his budget before absolutely lucking into a high mile E46 330i, which just so happened to be a perfect donor for the new spec series I had been following. We decided to split the cost of a proper build to meet the spec rules and share the car at DEs, so my friend could develop his skill along with the slow build of the car (keeping within our budget).

This car is VASTLY slow compared to my E90. It had 220hp way back when, and god knows what it has now. We haven’t put it on a dyno yet. After shaking the car down at two events and replacing reliability related maintenance items and getting proper brake pads, fluid and lines on the thing, we started the build in earnest. I insisted (and he agreed) that he ought to do things in the right order for him to learn, rather than how I did it.

Here’s the first track modification (aside from the brakes)

I’ve never been so eager to drive a slow car.

As much as it sucks to read your story, I’m glad you took the time to write it. If it flips the “Ah-ha!” switch for even one DE student who intends to stick with this hobby, it was worth writing.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 09:12

3

I’ve been planning to start doing DEs in my FR-S, and likely will do my first one soon. However, I know that in my mind once I begin to progress to where I’m truly starting to go fast that I will want a dedicated track car that I can cage. One day I plan for the FR-S to make that transition, but for the time being I intend to build a dedicated caged car within the next year or so.

Converse > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 08/04/2015 at 09:17

0

Road Atlanta has 1 place you want to go off and that’s at the end of the back straight at Turn 10a. Anywhere else and you will find a concrete wall fairly quickly (and firmly!).

Ivegotmrcracker > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 09:18

2

First off, no matter how you look at this it’s just sad somebody has lost their life pursuing an activity that invokes as much passion and fun as motorsports. As a fellow instructor, and racer I totally see and agree with sometimes accidents happen and there’s nothing you can do about the results of an accident. That’s why they’re accidents and no amount of preparation or safety gear might help (see Jules Bianchi as the most recent example).

The juxtaposition HPDE organizations face in terms of requiring safety gear is not an easy thing. They’re business and need customers, but at the same time they want to be safe. How/where do they draw a line to make certain safety gear required? Can those standards fairly span across hundreds of diffferent types of cars?

Cars, yes cars. It used to be a 250hp car was considered high and uncommon. At a previous event this year the front row of HPDE 1 (novice group) consisted of two mclaren 650S and two new z07 vettes. There was something around 2400hp in the first 4 cars on track out there with my student in their slow 300hp 944. Keep in mind a competent driver in a NA miata could have lapped them all. That being said though, the potential for those cars speed is so high that when the miata is at 10/10ths, they could be cruising at 5/10ths and out pacing the miata.

I think the best solution for now is for classroom time to start enphasizing safety equipment in HPDE 2. Get the students knowing/understanding the risks more and they should be considering seats/roll bars/harnesses before super sticky tires.

Sadly (myself included) is we get very dulled and put the potential consequences of incidents far away in the very back of our mind. We don’t want to and just don’t think about this kind of stuff until an incident like this happens.

Sorry for if this is a bit of a random rambe, this was typed up pre-coffee.

BKRM3 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 09:18

1

Excellent plan. Buy a cheap car that you’re confident wrenching on and do a cage and seats straight away. Once that’s done, you can learn with confidence (not to mention that the increased chassis rigidity and communication from the race buckets will be WILDLY beneficial to your progress). If the engine goes, meh, get a new one. That’s the best way to look at this hobby. Physics doesn’t care if your event has a trophy at the end of it. If something happens, you’ll be glad you’re in a safe car (and, beyond that, one that doesn’t need to take you to and from work).

e3pres > Ivegotmrcracker 08/04/2015 at 09:29

0

Well put. I couldn't agree more.

fleming > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 09:32

0

With all due respect to Glenn and his family, was this fatal accident due to lack of proper harness/hans, or blunt trauma due to the impact which a proper harness/hans may not have changed? I only ask because I put many laps in at Road Atlanta each year doing HPDEs and I know for a fact that my car would not do well in a high speed crash - 44 year old fiberglass body with none of the modern car safety technology. I do have a harness bar, 5-point and hans but question if that is enough.

e3pres > fleming 08/04/2015 at 09:37

0

I don’t know and will not speculate, but I’ve seen very few harness bars that I would trust. If they are well designed, I see no reason that they wouldn’t be effective, but you must consider what is called in the engineering world P-Delta effects. Basically, look closely at your bar and think about how it would react if the body of the car deflected in an impact. Would the load increase? Would the bar be loaded differently? Can it be braced to prevent those effects? Etc.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Converse 08/04/2015 at 09:45

0

And 10a only works if you forgot to brake. It’s still more dangerous than Roebling.

bptst21 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 09:51

0

I don’t feel you were blaming anyone at all, I was just hoping to point out it was mechanical and not driver error. Like you, my hope is that those that are new to this sport identify how to keep themselves safe while seeking to go fast.

To be honest, on Sunday when I strapped into the racecar for qualifying & the race I didn’t have a single doubt that I’b be safe if an accident were to happen, then again i have a full rollcage, a HANS and a great seat.

GVIrish > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 09:57

1

Incidents like this bring into focus that we need to re-evaluate our risk calculus from time to time. So maybe more people need to go to roll bars and hans devices at the HPDE 2, and more people need to think about the speed of their vehicle and the age of their vehicle when they’re evaluating their safety.

At the same time, a crash like this is fairly rare in this sport. If one out of probably tens of thousands of man-track days ends like this, I wouldn’t consider it time to start requiring roll bars for everyone in HPDE2.

Granted, part of my risk calculus is informed by bike track days and racing, which are higher risk. Ultimately I think there’s a minimum bar for safety, then each person needs to make a choice about the risks they’re willing to take. Bottom line is this sport is going to have risk regardless of the safety equipment. One just has to determine what level of risk is right for them.

bptst21 > fleming 08/04/2015 at 09:57

0

I’m not going into injury detail, but I believe that had the car had a simple 4pt roll bar for a harness mount, a 5pt belt and a proper racing seat he would have walked away from the accident sore but otherwise ok.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 10:05

1

Chances are I will do one DE this year, there’s one in October at Road America that I’d really like to do. Since I will be running with an instructor and plan to be rather slow I’m not worried about doing it in the FR-S. I even plan to put the stock wheels/tires on rather than my Koseis and Rivals, to limit my speed a bit more and stay focused on car control/line. But next spring/summer I hope to be building something for dedicated track days. Likely an E30/E36/E46 since I work for ZF and can get a lot of spare parts at a nice discount. lol

MyOtherBathtubIs-aSAAB900 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 10:12

2

I’m not a racer. I love a fast track day though and have designs on a used spec Miata nearby. I am constantly aware, however, that I also have a wife that I love (and who tolerates me with amazing constancy) and a 3yr old that needs his Papa. While it’s easy to say that Mr Dick died doing something he loved (and that is no doubt completely true) his death no doubt left many who loved him devastated.

I certainly do not want to bash this guy. Racing at 56? He’s a hero. But it’s a wakeup call for all of us who love to drive and feel most alive when driving (or riding mountain bikes though the trees or whatever) quickly. Our loved ones can’t afford us to take too much risk. And while you could just as easily get killed at a random intersection while fully stopped by a drunk in a Caprice, we should also be cognizant of our own culpability when we place ourselves in high risk environments for the purposes of our own thrill.

I agree that a racer can’t have enough protection around him. There’s just too much that can go wrong. Frankly its amazing this doesn’t happen more often.

Have fun, enjoy your live, be careful out there.

wuzilla > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 10:12

5

First of all, my condolences to the family of the driver who passed. This is something that I’ve seen happen one too many times in my current job.

I’m not going to get too preachy in this comment, however, I would like to bring up a topic that is often overlooked, and will say that I am a very big proponent of qualifying the driver and car. The cars that are available for purchase today are waaaay over the heads of most of the drivers trying to bring the car on track. A 600hp Hellcat or Shelby GT has absolutely no place on track in the hands of a green student, regardless of the instructor sitting next to them. I believe that clubs should be more willing to deny entry to such students and/or require prior X-amount of prior track experience before being allowed at an event. 10-fold if it is a solo-type event.

I understand that these events in the end are all about fun. But if you haven’t figured it out yet, you can have just as much fun on track in a rental Focus as in a fresh-off-the-showroom-floor Porsche GT3. And with the key point of an HPDE being the “Driver-Education” part, you will learn just as much without getting yourself into nearly as much trouble.

Splendo > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 10:26

3

I’ve been taking driving seriously for the last few years or so, starting in the sim on iRacing, to getting a dedicated track-day Miata. Having been your typically fearless 20-something, I can tell you that as I got quicker and closer to 30, things just started to click... Realizing that the harnesses and seat in the Miata weren’t just for holding me better and allowing me to drive the car quicker; that my friggin head is gonna pop off if I have a hard shunt and no HANS; that even though I got a little bored in the Miata, maybe installing a H/C 402 stroker motor/road course build on my 2000 Camaro SS didn’t make any sense because it would be too fast and without a full cage, too dangerous; to buying my 11 Vette GS, keeping it stock except a nice FIA seat, 6-pt harnesses and a good harness bar. Dead stock, the car is plenty capable, and I know that if things go wrong, they’re going to go VERY wrong.

The next step is definitely a race car with a cage.

2BWise > Bad Idea Hat 08/04/2015 at 10:36

3

Its the way we all rationalize it. Its the same way the grand Prix drivers of the 60s, 70s, and 80s rationalized it.....until they had a big shunt. The truth is that no matter how good we think we are we’re never good enough to get ourselves out of every situation. In the meantime we bury those thoughts deep down and never let them surface. Because if you do, your time behind the wheel in a competitive environment is over.

BKRM3 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 10:36

1

You work for ZF!? We have the 5 speed box (I think it’s the 5HP19) in our 2001 330i. Currently, it treats us to jumping out of gear once or twice per event if you’re not really careful. It’s a solid box, though, and I think that problem will be solved with hard trans and engine mounts and an AKG shifter (have you ever used one of those!? they’re the truth ). Do feel free to send any spares my way =)

I’ve got 4 days’ experience running a 245 section square setup of Rivals on the E46 - I think you should use them at RA (which, you lucky bastard, is my #1 bucketlist track!) for a couple reasons. First, yes, the Rival is really sticky and in that sense will allow you to go faster than a lesser tire BUT it will also do so very predictably and without getting greasy or weird when worked at full temp for 25 minutes at a time. RA is pretty brutal, and I think you’re best suited starting off with a tire that you know won’t be the weak point. Second, in my experience the Rival has been really progressive at the limit of traction and provides a lot of audio feedback on the way there. The same will be true of a street tire, of course, at a lower limit, but there’s no reason to be afraid of the Rival for that reason. It’s not like a slick that just grips incredibly until dramatically breaking traction with little audio warning. Quite the opposite. Finally, the stock tires that come with that car are not suitable for track driving. The car is prone to oversteer on those and you don’t want to find yourself tank-slapping at 75mph. Your engine will not overpower a full temp Rival without doing it intentionally, and that’s the confidence you want to have.

Anyway, if you’re doing your first DE on a track like RA, your speed is going to be limited, I promise. Your FR-S is a perfect car for your first time. Remember: you don’t actually know yet that you’re going to love doing this, or that you have the requisite feel to be good at it (there is a certain amount of talent required, and you’ll know if you have it). Take the sturdiest hardware you have (NEW brake pads, good tires, FRESH DOT4 brake fluid (doesn’t needs to be expensive high-temp stuff, you won’t be that fast)) and focus on getting in the rhythm of basic car checks prior to your sessions (air, clean windows, check torque at the beginning of the day when cold, and also after lunch when cold), thinking about things to bring up during your classroom time or to discuss with your instructor following the session, and paying attention to track safety (pit out/in procedures, traffic awareness and safe point-bys) and etiquette. There will be a lot going on. Make sure you have shade, a camping chair and plenty of water. I hope you’ll post something on Oppo to let us know how it goes =)

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 10:47

0

Yep! Specifically our aftermarket division in North America, doing marketing. The only ZF trans I’ve driven so far are actually the automatics, go figure, in a bunch of FCA vehicles when they did a test drive event at our office. Originally being an import guy, I’ve mainly driven Aisins. I figure it’s about time I owned an “ultimate driving machine” though, especially given how many Euro guys (specifically BMW) that I work with. It also helps that I pal around with some guys who know a thing or two about running BMWs in races, both on and off road; particularly cheap BMWs... like in the $500 range. ;) So I’ve got their experience building and racing to draw from.

The Rivals are actually fairly worn. Picked them up used from a WRX driver as a last minute option for autocross tires when my money that was going to be spent on RE71-Rs had to be used elsewhere. I need to check with a friend who tracks to see if they’ll still hold up to a full weekend of tracking.

I’m really excited to drive on RA. I love the track, one of my favorites in racing sims, and it’s an absolute blast to watch racing at (went to the TUDOR race last year). Can’t wait to drive on it myself.

Yeah, I bought the FR-S figuring it’d be an excellent introduction to sports cars and tracking. It’s a car built with a focus on handling, the experience of driving, and the feeling of truly be connected to both the car and road while keeping the power relatively low. Seems like a great starter IMO. One day it will become a full on race car, but that’s a ways away. haha

BKRM3 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 11:06

1

Yes, come over to the dark side! Muahahahaha. (No, really, you’ll love the E36 or E46 - and given how cheap those have become, I’d almost say to avoid the E30 because the platform is really getting pretty dated and it seems they’re starting to go up in value (and so are parts)).

If the Rivals are just worn but not heat cycled out, I’d still prefer them over a lesser alternative because of how well they work when hot. They’re also not directional, so if you notice, say, the left side getting more wear on day 1, you can swap them to the right for day 2. If your friend doesn’t think you’ll cord them during the event, they’re probably what you want to use. Hey - you can always take both sets, right? Swap them out if they get too bad.

You’ll have a blast with that FR-S either way, I see a lot of them on track and never heard of anyone not having fun =)

justafriend > bptst21 08/04/2015 at 11:15

1

I worked closely with Glenn in the professional world. He was a wonderful man who was supportive of his employees both professionally and personally. We talked often of his races and how much he loved it. Even though we have lost a dear friend and co-worker, he was happy doing what he loved. Rest in Peace, my friend. You will be missed.

kgcphoto.com > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 11:15

0

Is that run by Midwest F-Body? If so they run a great program as I’ve run my Subarus with them in the past at Road America.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > kgcphoto.com 08/04/2015 at 11:19

0

This one is hosted by MVP Track Time

SpecRacer50 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 11:50

1

Great article. I like the idea of educating and encouraging the adoption of increased safety equipment. The proliferation of HPDE as a business has raised the level of the game, and people are developing incredibly fast cars that are often not even street legal. They are HPDE machines. It’s like racing but racing bodies have safety standards. HPDE enthusiasts should be free to set their own safety levels, but instructors have to ask themselves whether they are going to deny the laws of physics and common sense and get into any car that they are assigned to.

DonJugless > wuzilla 08/04/2015 at 11:53

2

I’m with you. My vision of hell is being forced to right seat with someone at their first track day in their new Hellcat who skipped the classroom session to properly mount and align their 37 GoPros.

AM3R shamefully returns > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 12:22

1

Planning on doing a track day soon enough. The local BMWCCA chapter hosts tons of events too, so I just need to find the time to make it out to one.

SpecRacer50 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 12:29

1

It’s not the speed. It’s the stopping? The amount of deceleration and the timeframe in which it occurs is a product of speed and the nature of the thing that stops you.

Oli Thordarson > wuzilla 08/04/2015 at 12:41

1

I acknowledge this death is a tragedy, but I have a different outlook on track days. I look at how many lives they have saved by taking the “racing” off of public roads and onto the track. We need to make it as easy as possible for the drivers of these high performance cars to get onto the track. We need to encourage them to go to the track where they are themselves much safer and not endangering the general public. We will never know how many people track days have saved, but at least we know people are self-selecting only themselves to take the risks in a more controlled environment. As was pointed out by another post, the safety record of a hundred track days every weekend from coast to coast with around 100 drivers each day average is a pretty amazing safety record. It is far to say that each year there are well over 500,000 track days purchased and consumed each year in the US alone. I am glad those drivers are off of the public streets on Saturday and Sunday.

jerkstore58 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 12:45

1

If you built it, speed will come.

Seriously, building your own car I believe is the only way to reliably increase your speed. While you are driving your daily, you have to worry about more than car control and racing, you are always worrying (at least a little bit) about screwing up your car and it costing a lot of money.

Even in a purpose built car, unless you are a professional racer, you had better know how to fix most things on your car. You don’t have to be able to weld up your own cage, but you better know how to replace the entire suspension, bleed brakes, etc.

Knowing that much will allow your mind the freedom to explore the race track and figure out the limits of the car.

kgcphoto.com > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 12:53

1

I’ve also run with them. Todd Zimmer and crew are great as well. Road America is an awesome track to run. It'll also eat your brakes if they're not up to snuff.

Converse > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 08/04/2015 at 13:00

1

Road Atlanta is one of the more dangerous tracks in the US and maybe the world in respects to circuit design. However, the safety team at Road Atlanta is far and away better than what you get at Roebling....

Converse > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 13:03

0

I hate to hear of another driver passing away at the track (or from injuries sustained at the track).

This reinforces my stance on not getting in the right seat except for very special circumstances. Honestly spot coaching, lead/follow and film review can achieve everything that you try and accomplish by right seating, but with so much less danger to yourself.

I know I will get a lot of flack on this, but by telling my students that riding is too dangerous, it does impress upon them the responsibility they have to themselves and fellow competitors on a track.

e3pres > SpecRacer50 08/04/2015 at 13:19

0

Certainly more speed can result in higher accelerations, but there is danger in believing that lower speeds are safer. Most fatal accidents are not high speed and with hard barriers it is difficult to predict g-loadings. I'd rather run a little faster with better drivers than with complete newbies in Lemons a bit more slowly.

e3pres > Converse 08/04/2015 at 13:23

0

I disagree for DE1 students. I think right seat feedback is essential to give students the tools they need. That said, I don't like check rides.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Converse 08/04/2015 at 13:34

1

Don Panoz wouldn’t have any less than the best.

Spaze > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 13:38

7

After tracking for a year, I remember distinctly going WOT in my modified subaru through the kink at Beaverrun.... I still owed money on that car and I was out to shave off every last tenth of a second. I remember doing that and then realizing that stopping the car at the speed required more distance and I nearly put myself into the gravel trap. That is when I realized this was stupid and sold all the go fast parts for that car. The next weekend I bought a 944 race car for $5,000. With a cage, all the safety equipment and 120 raging ponies... I was set. I then started to enjoy my “throw away” car and I started racing shortly there after.

Do you know what I learned racing that I NEVER learned in HPDE? Something very bad WILL happen. Once you start racing, its not a matter of “if” anymore... but when, and how bad. But most racers will start to talk about places with more run off, or where the tires are thicker in turn 3... why? Because they’ve been there and the dent or new door of their car tells that tale. I bought my first HANS in 2007 after the 3rd car in my race class had to be removed from the trees (they had gone OVER the tire wall.. in a 150hp cars). HPDE is so focused about keeping your car under control that when you are no longer in control, most people are lost. Sure that isn’t a problem in a 90hp miata, but in a 700hp corvette, it is!

When I started instructing I would teach my students about off pavement portions of the track. Like turn 10 at summit point.... if you run wide... keep it wide into the grass... if you get too close to the pavement to quickly its REALLY bumpy. Or the fact that you can take the 5-8 expressway if you loose your brakes into the chute. Most students haven’t a clue about what happens when things go wrong, because they are never taught it so they never think about it.

Yes, some accidents are unavoidable and that is part of the risk you take in an HPDE or racing. But I agree with the OP, that if you think a helmet and a seat belt are going to save you from a 130mph impact with anything... you might need to brush up on your biology. I had a dear friend pass away a few years back at summit in an S2000. He had the safety equipment, but between the speed and the wall, his life was still cut short.... way too short. Yes, he died doing something he loved, but he has so much more life to give. I suspect Glenn had the same and may he rest in peace.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 13:43

1

A good friend of mine was killed there while karting 8 years ago.

Be safe out there, guys.

Arrivederci > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 08/04/2015 at 13:53

1

Took my BRZ to its first HPDE last month at VIR and it was so much fun. I can certainly appreciate how so many people get bitten by the “bug.” That said, the 86 is a wonderful car to learn in - its capabilities still far outstrip my own, but it’s so docile and tactile that it will do everything you ask it to, and has a huge margin for error. We ran the full course at VIR where many powerful cars could probably hit 150 on the main straight, I was lucky to get 110 if I got a really good run off the final turn. A crash at that speed would’ve still been horrific, but not nearly as bad as those at the speeds the powerful, fast cars can run.

I plan on keeping the BRZ indefinitely and eventually turning it into a caged, fully prepped, track car.

Arrivederci > wuzilla 08/04/2015 at 13:55

0

Noob driver showed up in a borrowed GT3 at my last track day - ended up spun off the course, fortunately no injuries. Can’t say that I was surprised, I just don’t understand how the GT3 would be a good car to learn on.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Arrivederci 08/04/2015 at 14:07

1

Sounds like you and I have very similar plans.

Maybe one day I’ll see you out there if they ever make a Spec86 class ;)

SpecRacer50 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 14:11

2

Nobody’s said it, so I will. Racing. If you love the track, and you want to improve, and you want to run on the ragged edge of control. Go racing. Anybody who is trailering an HPDE car or who owns a dedicated track-day car, can be racing. Get a cheap race car (SM, SE30, 944Cup, SRF) and enjoy the safety benefits of a strong sanctioning body like SCCA or NASA. 20-30 days of HPDE is more than enough training to go racing. Let HPDE focus on the beginners and intermediates.

SpecRacer50 > Spaze 08/04/2015 at 14:25

1

Great post. I think there’s too much emphasis on remaining on track for HPDEs. If you enter Turn 10 too hot (Summit Point) and you are afraid to drive off, there’s a decent chance that you’ll pinch it, spin, and find the concrete pit entry wall. Since I “converted” from HPDE to racing, I’ve never driven anything with more than 135 HP.

Griffer > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 14:33

2

Yeah, i’m physically fine, out a shit ton of money and rattled as hell. E46 is getting build out right, though. Yours. And mine.

Griffer > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 14:35

0

Also, you’re not that fast, kid. ;)

996C2 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 14:52

1

Well said.

At my home track which is also one of the fastest in NA, I have witnessed the growth of track day events where companies and individuals rent the track and ‘retail’ it out to clients and friends. Except for the track personnel giving a do’s and don’t’s in the morning, the events are left up to the group leader of the rental day to police things. Only when the workers call in stupid stuff does the track day manager and or track president step in and order black flags and or a shut down.

We’ve been lucky with car events from fatalities - but not so lucky from bike events...

The problem as I see it is two fold: 1. Modern cars are so much faster then dedicated race cars of the 70’s and 80’s (and in some cases even modern race cars) yet have little in the way of survival gear such as a full cage, window nets, auto fire systems, electric cut off etc that a true race car has along with driver safety items such as HANS and Nomex. 2. The rise of these events is directly proportional to the rise in region / national racing costs. Many drivers simply don’t want to go through the system of going to a race school, modifying their cars and going through the licence upgrade system. Even clubs such as PCA and BMW whom have very high standards are seeing a slight drop off in their events and many of these members can be seen at pay as you play events because they can’t give a s**t for rules or standards or don’t have the money for modifications that have nothing to do with going faster.

People seem to want to jump in a GT3 or M3 and just go flat out without so much of a thought to safety.

Part of the problem are track owners whom absolve themselves of all responsibility and lay it at the feet of a guy whom has rented the track from them and needs a full track to make a buck. Driving standards aren’t questioned to hard when you need 25 drivers and only have 20 drivers at 8:00AM.

One scenario now playing out in my area is that these less then experienced drivers are being sent over to our second track a mile away which has a lot more run off room and is a slower track until they gain experience there. Many tracks don’t have that luxury - it’s straight out onto a track that hosts Tudor or Indy Car events for a guy that does two events a year in his turbo on old tires from 2010...

Something has to change.

Spaze > SpecRacer50 08/04/2015 at 15:03

1

I’ve spent some time in all sorts of machines, with power numbers ranging from “Get out and row” to “omg we are going all going to die” and they all have their pros and cons. That being said I used to instruct at BSR and they had a (what I first thought) was a funny way of teaching people how to prepare their instructors for the worst. It opened my eyes into what the worst really was, and how to try and make sure everyone makes it out.

People used to ask me what the racing line was... and my response was “The black stuff... and the brown stuff right next to that on occasion. Then sometimes even the green stuff after the brown stuff. But NEVER the black round things after the green stuff.”

BKRM3 > Griffer 08/04/2015 at 15:05

0

Yep, that’s the right way to do it. I’m sorry your gorgeous car was the example that made me act on what I had known all along (150mph in an airbagged street car isn’t the world’s best idea), but I’m glad we’re talking about it now and both making a better choice with our sweet E46es. Steel gray is the fastest gray!

BKRM3 > Griffer 08/04/2015 at 15:07

0

I am so, although this new car feels like the Fred Flinstone mobile compared to that glorious S65. Thanks again for making a profile on here so that you have yet another avenue through which to harass me. Did Justin rat me out? He totally would!

Porsche924GTR > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 15:21

1

HPDE’s are a great hobby and I agree with 100% of the points you brought up. I do think it’s time these HPDE clubs get together and rethink how they classify drivers and the vehicle requirements before someone else makes them. I would love to see that any “stock” configuration car be limited to a lower class and possibly implement SPEED limits. If ChumpCar, WRL, NASA, SCCA, etc can have minimum safety requirements - then so can HPDE’s. Will it keep people out of the hobby? Perhaps, but as you point out we buy bigger brakes, tires, and engine mods - this would just force newbies to spend that money on safety before speed.

I for one started like many. I purchased a fast production car and wanted to learn how to “really” drive. Went to PCA HPDE and learned a lot from some great instructors. Like many others, I graduated from one level to the next until I was solo...then the real speed started happening...as well as more expense in my mostly stock 911 Turbo.

To put it in perspective - I was hitting ~149mph right before T10A at Road Atlanta - with nothing more than stock seats, stock seat belts and a cheap helmet. No roll bar,cage, harness, or HANS. But the faster I got - the more I realized that I had to make a decision or potentially something very bad WOULD (not COULD) happen. I either had to make my beautiful street car a PROPER track car which would make it a horrible street car - or - I had to get a dedicated track car.

I decided to get a SLOWER and SAFER dedicated track car (924S). I decided that my money was better spent on safety - not speed. The speed will come later. My new car had a cage, fire suppression system, 5pt harness and race seats. For me, a better helmet, HANS, 2 layer Nomex suit, balaclava, gloves, shoes and even underwear. If I can’t survive with all that - then it wasn’t for lack of trying.

So to all of you that want to take your new shiny sports car to HPDE’s - I will tell you this will be a decision you will have to face one day as well. Make your fun street car safer (not faster) or get a real track car.

My advice - go buy an old track car/race car (chump car!!) - and learn to drive that! Trust me - your wallet, your family and possibly your life will thank me.

RIP Glenn - my heart and my prayers go out to you and your family.

Porsche924GTR > Arrivederci 08/04/2015 at 15:25

0

If you can’t afford to write off your car when it gets totaled, then it’s not a good idea - your money is still better spent on a cheap used car - turned track car. E30’s, E36’s, 924,944, Miata’s can be had for cheap money. Some of them already track prepped. You’re better of in one of these than ruining your new BRZ/FRS.

Arrivederci > Porsche924GTR 08/04/2015 at 15:28

0

Agreed - which is why HPDE use will be sparingly until its both fully prepped and paid for. Until then, track day insurance isn’t that much of an expense.

JSC Speed > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 16:20

1

I hate reading these stories. They are tragic and hit way too close to home. I didn’t know Glenn Dick, Jr but I am friends with people who knew him. We HPDE regulars are a pretty tight knit group, even though we are spread out across the country—and around the world. We are all affected when one of our own dies, even more so it seems, when it happens on track. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

Even more than reading them, I wrestle with whether I should re-share publicly. I know my family, especially my wife, gets nervous when I go to instruct or participate in any sort of on-track event and these stories do nothing to quell those concerns. I am quick to tell people that, “I am risk adverse and drive way under my car’s and my own abilities at HPDE—I know I am not winning anything.” I say that to reduce their fear and my own. The missus (and I) worry more about me getting caught up in someone else’s mess than me running out of talent. It would appear that someone else’s mess is what led to this fatality. We (and most of our other track friends) share the same concerns about driving on a public street too—we are all pretty well convinced that everyone else on the road is trying to kill us all the time.

So, why do I feel I need to share [I posted this on my Facebook profile earlier today] this story of another track day-brother who died in an on-track accident? Because part of why I enjoy instructing is that I get to help drivers become safer on the track (and on the street) and we learn from others’ mistakes. I’ve heard many HPDE instructors tell students that, “there is a greater chance of having an accident on your way home than at the event,” which is very true, but they skip the fact that there is a very distinct possibility that something could go very wrong very quickly at the track too.

We don’t like to talk about the bad stuff. We don’t want to scare away newcomers or give our significant others any more reason to worry. But sometimes, things go pear-shaped. Usually at an HPDE when incidents occur everyone walks away. Cars may be totaled and bells may be rung, but between improved personal safety gear and energy absorbing crash structures, most crashes are benign. It is a painful wake-up call when someone does not walk away. It is terrifying and difficult to come to terms with.

Most posts about this, and other fatal on-track incidents, focus completely on driver safety equipment. About all the passive safety stuff: Head and neck restraints, helmets, roll cages, seats, and harnesses. About the escalation of street car performance that didn’t exist 10 or 20 years ago. How students should be limited to under X mph and/or under Y horsepower. But what most aren’t talking about are the intangibles. About the things they rarely are able to teach. About what to do when things do go wrong, about preparing for the worst.

I believe a crucial part of instructing is talking to students about the very real risks involved in HPDE and the things they can actively do to minimize those risks. I discuss escape routes at critical corners where I know drivers are most likely to drive beyond their abilities. I talk about how to handle loosing brakes when they are going 130mph and need to make a corner at 50mph. I talk about keeping a safe following distance and where on the track it is acceptable to close that gap. I talk about how to handle adverse surface conditions and why it’s crucial to be looking one or two corners ahead. I know some of the instructors I am close with have similar conversations with students, but far too often instructors shy away from discussing these realities and aren’t doing anyone any favors.

We can’t practice sudden loss of grip at high speeds and we hope we never get to demonstrate it real time. Coaching for that kind of situation is very difficult. Some classroom instructors will discuss how to control a slide, but rarely what to do in a spin (besides “both feet in”). Instructors will rehearse to themselves what to tell their driver to do during an incident but if the first time a student is hearing how to save a spinning car is while trying to save that spinning car, that makes the task that much harder. If the odds are stacked against them in that scenario, what does that make the odds if the driver is alone and has no one to try and talk them through the motions? It is extremely rare to hear instructors talking to their HPDE students about target fixation and what to do with your hands during an impact before the student needs that skill set. Instructors can (and often do) share personal anecdotes—which frequently devolve into fish stories of miraculous saves; “remember that time I spun in turn 5 and Steve barely missed me?!” But that doesn’t impart the skills to make a similar save.

I’ve always thought that HPDE2 and HPDE3 students are the most dangerous drivers at the track. With many clubs they are allowed to drive without an instructor, often for the first time ever. To achieve HPDE2, students have to display enough knowledge of the line and enough awareness regarding passing and flags to be let loose on their own. For some clubs this happens on the second event. So now we have 20-40 drivers of similar skill level trying to prove something to someone—be it themselves, their instructor, or their buddies also on track. It is a dangerous situation. More often than not everyone comes out unscathed. But it doesn’t change the fact that these drivers really haven’t had enough experience or education to prepare them for what to do when things go wrong.

I hope that my instructor friends who don’t already, will start having real conversations with their students about the dangers of driving. About how to handle adverse situations. About the reality of what we are doing. We often tell students that we know we had a good day at the track when we can drive home. Not every day at the track is a good day. We can’t prepare for or coach every scenario. But we can continue to improve how and what we teach.

I want all my family, friends, casual acquaintances, colleagues, and customers to know: There is no guarantee your drive home will be safe. There is also no assurance that if you drive at an HPDE or an autocross that you will be safe. But I can promise you that going to a driving school, an HPDE, or autocross will help you be a better, safer driver. It will help you to be more observant of your surroundings, of road surface changes, of erratic drivers. It will help you notice that car way up the road swerving to dodge a pothole. It will not save you from every incident every time. But you will be far more prepared than you currently are.

Corovius > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 19:17

0

Are there any regulations against installing a roll cage on a daily driver?

Tim > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 19:23

0

You stated it perfectly. Hated reading this, a friend even commented that he thought of me while reading about the progression of an HPDE driver. Like many modern performance cars, my brand new Mustang is exceedingly fast on track from the factory. It instills way too much confidence to the driver and the coach. The issue is at the speeds I and anyone with a modern car can reach. Airbags serve no purpose at 100MPH plus. So now we approach a cross-roads, dial it back and focus on driving a line and carry much less speed or as you did make it safe for the speeds it reaches. My car was purchased just to do HPDE’s all the miles are getting to/from the track and on track. I’m no good at dialing it back so the only option is to take a car with 5000 miles on it, under warranty, with a payment book and put a full roll cage in it with containment seats. Losing your life doing what makes you happy is not the worst thing, my Wife even told me she would understand that...but I’d rather just build a safe car.

Tim > wuzilla 08/04/2015 at 19:27

0

As my Coach often tells me “Tim nobody wins a track day, you can only lose”

jeebus > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 19:39

1

Totally sad. But...I bet if you look at the number of fatalities per track-driven mile and compare that to fatalities per street-driven mile, the track is the safer place to be.

Shiarlis > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 19:42

1

#2 and 3.... Damn.

BAS33 > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 21:49

2

Very well written summary of HPDE, what it’s purpose is, and what is emphasized. Being an instructor myself with NASA-SE, I whole heartedly agree with your summation. That said, I hope to put to rest any assumptions made and hopefully redirect them to see that this tragedy resulted from nothing other than what it was.

I was what could best be described as a “track buddy” with Glenn. He was a capable, safe, and very proficient driver. He chose to stay in HPDE2 because that was where he was comfortable. He could have progressed and did not. That’s just who Glenn was. He wasn’t there to break track records or get in over his head. When I met him, he was driving a beautiful Camaro ZL1 but had recently parked it to preserve it. He was driving the mostly stock 03 Mach 1 Mustang which he shared with his nephew as a track dedicated car so he learned to drive out there on a significantly more powerful vehicle. One of the other guys we all hung out with at every NASA event at Rd Atlanta for the past 2 years had his GoPro going and was directly behind Glenn when this happened. I have not seen it but those who watched the accident back (before knowing the seriousness) said that it appeared that something broke in the front suspension. As soon as he hit the brakes at 130+, going downhill into turn 10a, while track right, the car shot at a 25-30 degree angle to the left, back across the track, and struck the opposing wall. The engineers in our group of friends think that from seeing it and knowing recent work done to the car, that the L front control arm broke loose.

It broke my heart when I learned of Glenn’s accident and passing. If you could picture the kind of humble, selfless, and always situationally aware driver you’d want around you at the speeds we drive, Glenn was that guy. The sport and community certainly lost a friend but also great example of the kind of person, driver, and student all of us in the grassroots motorsports community hope to learn from as a student or instruct as a mentor through the HPDE program.

Again, great writing here. This is what I would have written if I had the talent or ability.

Dr. Strangegun > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 08/04/2015 at 22:13

0

That does raise the possibility of a medical emergency causing/participating in the leadup to the incident.

Dr. Strangegun > BKRM3 08/04/2015 at 22:15

0

Why not simply gear it to top out at 130 or so?

e3pres > BAS33 08/04/2015 at 23:14

0

Thanks for that. As is so often the case for me, I knew the car and not the driver.

SoManyBlueCars > e3pres 08/04/2015 at 23:55

0

I think there are 3 things wrong with car culture as it stands.

1- the cars and coffee epidemic. You know it. If you’ve ever been to a show, you’ve seen a brand new bla bla, and it’s lowered, or chipped, or tuned, or whatever. Stop. Do not buy a fast car to show off. Definitely do not buy a fast car to immediately mod it. Most of these kids have never been on a track, so how do you know what needs to be adjusted? Take that mod money, and do 3 HPDE sessions. You’ll get a lot more of of them.

2- Listen. My first O SHIT moment came on my first HPDE lap, when I really learned what brake fade was. My instructor and friend was so calm, and so cool, and I to remained calm, that he was able to get me out of a potentially dangerous situation. Both skill and luck were involved, and you always need both. But because I was able to listen and process what my friend said, we made it out just fine.

3- Like many have said, get an old, slow car, prep that, and race it. I love my e92 to death, but it’s just to much in a track environment for me, and to heavy. Which is why I’ve been looking at e36 pricing. And so it begins.

Stay safe everyone. Most importantly, if your thinking of doing an event, do it! I've made friends and learned skills that have been useful in my everyday drive.

MyBMWNeedsARotary > 996C2 08/05/2015 at 00:57

0

Mosport?

ToastedTires > BKRM3 08/05/2015 at 03:31

0

I’ve spun four times in autocross in three different cars. The last was a 625 hp mustang that couldn’t find any traction at 70 mph on a cold track (the Porsche club sets up its AutoX a little faster than SCCA). It was a scary ride. $300 in damage but it might have saved my life. I sold the car later that year. I’m looking for a new track car and your post made a lot of sense to me.

Also...never track an SN95 without a cage. I've seen them cut in half by minivans at much lower speeds. The heavy engine up front and the solid log axle out back are much stronger than anything in between, to include the meat sack behind the wheel.

TheKug > e3pres 08/05/2015 at 07:31

1

As Road Atlanta is near me and I’ve driven it once and had planned to again, I can’t help but ask how did he crash. The story says he impacted the driver side at turn 10. How did that happen? Isn’t turn ten a left/right sweeper with a good bit of run-off? Or did he contact the area near the bridge? Seems a little ghoulish to ask - but I’d rather know the parts of a track that can turn lethal. I know 12 is notorious and it scared me but I never worried about 10.

RabidWombat88 > e3pres 08/05/2015 at 08:02

0

Big boy tracks are for big boy cars and safety gear. Its somewhat like chicanes being added to the Mulsanne straight, too much speed for too little safety. Modern street cars are just too fast for most of the tracks to be run with no extra safety equipment. Adding some chicanes and more curves to keep the racing interesting and the speeds in check seems like more of a win than requiring cages that would turn most guys away from track days.

HammsonHammsonHamms > Corovius 08/05/2015 at 09:25

1

Its not the smartest thing to do. They protrude out and you can knock your head into them. Not good if you have your belts loose while driving. I used to winter beat my spec neon every year and never had an issues besides it being annoying. It blows my mind that people invest so much in track cars that they daily. Best investment I ever made was buying a dedicated race car. It got me my job and its always better having more cars.

BKRM3 > Tim 08/05/2015 at 09:27

0

Thanks. Building a safe car is always the right decision, whether it’s fast or slow or new or old. There will always be some risks, and I’m fine with that. My girlfriend doesn’t share my view - yesterday when she learned about this accident she made me explain exactly why it was so unlikely to happen to me. I told her, well, we have a cage with NASCAR bars, a brand new halo seat with FIA cert, a HANS and six point harnesses, all of which are designed to work together as a system to protect the driver from this sort of accident. She felt a little better, and I felt a lot better.

BKRM3 > Dr. Strangegun 08/05/2015 at 09:31

0

That’s about where the 330 is going to end up once the LSD goes in. It’s actually a bit slower than that now, because the gears are too tall to make the most effective use of what power there is. My E90, however, makes 130+ a very casual event. That thing’s a beast on track.

BKRM3 > ToastedTires 08/05/2015 at 09:33

0

Well you know what they say about it being fun to drive a slow car fast.... In the best of all worlds, it’ll be a safe slow car. 600+ hp mustang sounds pretty terrifying. Get a cheapo track rat and wring its neck!

HammsonHammsonHamms > wuzilla 08/05/2015 at 09:47

0

I agree that fast cars are not ideal to begin with. I started with a 88 Jetta GLi that barely made it to 90 mph. I had a ton of fun and could take that car to the very ragged limit. I haven’t seen too many cars like that at the track in recent years. Everyone seems to mods their cars first.

I don’t think there should be a minimum requirement to attend a track day. From my experience as an instructor for a few years, it seems like the issue with track days is not from complete noobs, but from drivers who have a few otds under their belt who push it harder than they realize.

HammsonHammsonHamms > jerkstore58 08/05/2015 at 09:51

0

Wut? There’s a huge difference between maintaining a car and building one. I would always recommend someone buying a well prepped car with a good reputation over building one. If you haven’t driven on track yet, how on earth should you know what to change on your car?

HammsonHammsonHamms > SpecRacer50 08/05/2015 at 09:54

1

When I read racing, I was thinking wheel to wheel, but time attack is also a good way to go. I sued to do 4 years of W2W and got sick of it. There are some people that just love going fast without worrying about being punted off the track by the guy behind him :)

e3pres > TheKug 08/05/2015 at 10:18

1

It would be irresponsible to pass on rumors right now. I think it's safe to say that something out of the ordinary probably happened as that isn't a particularly dangerous section of the track under normal conditions.

ToastedTires > BKRM3 08/05/2015 at 10:32

0

I'm keeping an eye out for a Celica GTS or (because I think it would be funny) a first gen dodge stratus.

jerkstore58 > HammsonHammsonHamms 08/05/2015 at 11:05

0

Don’t change anything, just get it prepped for the track. To do that, you probably should be checking brakes, brake fluid (and putting in some high temp fluid at a bare minimum), checking tires, checking alignment, changing oil, checking coolant, etc.

Then when you get more serious than HPDE 1, 2 or 3, strip it, cage it, get the right safety equipment.

Buying a car you know nothing about except that it is “Track Prepped” is a fast way to get in over your head.

BKRM3 > ToastedTires 08/05/2015 at 12:06

0

LOL

HammsonHammsonHamms > jerkstore58 08/05/2015 at 12:17

0

Building is different than making sure its track ready. Also, buying a prepped spec miata or spec neon is probably the best way to get into something that will build your skills while still being safe and fun.

Simpson Racing > e3pres 08/05/2015 at 13:53

1

We at Simpson are sad to hear about Mr. Dick's passing and the accident that took his life. If anyone is interested, you can contact our marketing staff for educational materials on cockpit safety. We want to be a good resource for driver safety.

e3pres > Simpson Racing 08/05/2015 at 14:04

0

Thanks for offering this. Simpson has been a trusted name for years in motorsports. I’ve used your belt mounting illustrations many times. Incorrect belt angles are a pet peeve of mine.

Tommy Need For Speed > e3pres 08/05/2015 at 15:32

1

Glen RIP. Have friend that lost his car in that same corner and thank God, nothing else. I to have driven RA, must say first time I gained speed on that long back straight, I start wondering how would my brakes take that decreasing slope but it did and the rest of the day was wonderful.

A couple of years ago as I was getting way faster than my abilities and my none existent safety equipment could protect me. I listened to a 40+ yrs racing veteran friend of mine who unequivocally urged my to upgrade to Circuit Club Racing because of the danger I was running as a Solo Driver. Needles to say I listed and a few races later y cartwheeled 2.5 in the air landing on the drivers side of the roof and I’m here to tell the story and because of that I.m a better racer today and LOVE the sport. See you at the track, God Bless & Godspeed !

ToastedTires > BKRM3 08/05/2015 at 16:24

1

I once tracked a 1998 grant Cherokee and finished 3rd from last. I think a stratus would be funny, plus, it has a dominating race history so I'd probably finish somewhere above last at most events!

ToastedTires > BKRM3 08/05/2015 at 17:09

0

Holy shit, it’s for sale!

http://bringatrailer.com/2015/06/23/ex-…