Buttonwillow Event, Oct 24-25 2009

[Super Stalker]

This reminds me, a "few" years ago in the Charlie T days. At Riverside Raceway I believe it was turn 2 right before the esses. This was one of those corners that if you hung a couple tires off its best to drive off than try and get back on track. The end result if you try and correct, you will roll your car. I have video of a Pantera that rolled in this corner and we know how low they are and not prone to rolling. I have had to take a few off road excursions over the years and I always hear Charlies voice saying "drive off" and I am glad to say it has worked every time.....so far. While I am on a "roll" here the other bit of info from the "Charlie" days was if a car starts to spin in front of you aim for the rear bumper, by the time you get there the rear of the car will have rotated out of your way. This to has served me well as the car in front of me spun going down the cork screw at Laguna. Ahh the good ole days.

[alfabender]

Bruce is right, one weekend we had three cars totalled by smacking into the wall along the front straight just after the last turn onto the straight when running CCW. Darn near happened to me once as well (I think in an earlier weekend)--I overdrove the turn, corrected to stay on the track, next thing I knew I was spinning and by the time I figured out where I was I was rolling backward toward the wall so I hit the brakes to stop the rolling. Lucky.

The same weekend we had the three cars totalled a well-liked elderly gentleman died of a heart attack during his timed laps. One of the totalled cars contributed to his heart attack--he was sitting on the grid in hot weather suited up for half an hour waiting for his laps while they were cleaning up one of the wrecked cars, then went out for his laps and had a heart attack on about his second or third lap, pulled off the track, and by the time the emergency crew got to him he was dead. It's the only serious injury I've witnessed at the track.

Anyhow, as Bruce says, neither direction is trouble free. I can recall going off once at the last turn onto the front straight when we were going CW--I just drove onto the dirt and let the car slow down before going back on track (with corner worker permission). You just have to be really careful at that corner but it's tough in a race situation to back off too much.

One time I was in the tower and saw a car do a really spectacular spin at that same turn, fortunately for him he didn't spin into the wall, but straight down the exit road toward the pits, missing the wall!

[davbert]

i recall that corner has a large outside curbs that most of us want use to take advantage of the short straight. a little too much power too quickly will snap the car sideways due to the very slippery surface? nearly caught me out a few times. i was sharing a car that weekend and warned the other driver of it.

a couple of cars where flat bedded out from that corner the weeked.

not particularly a real challenging or difficult corner imo but you do feel the need to get out quickly and hard on that innocent looking curb for good exit speed on the front straight.

[Alfapwr]

Wasn't the first thing we learned on the skidpad at the AROSC school was "in a spin, 2 feet in". Otherwise apply both brakes and clutch so at least you'll spin out instead of hooking up.

[Bruce Colby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfapwr Wasn't the first thing we learned on the skidpad at the AROSC school was "in a spin, 2 feet in". Otherwise apply both brakes and clutch so at least you'll spin out instead of hooking up.

[davbert]

for that corner i think is safer to stay on the throttle or part throttle and ride it out... people get in trouble when they lift of abruptly when the rear end gets loose and the car pitch 90 degree and straight into the wall. i saw it happen a couple of times.

going too fast isnt a safety issue on that corner. you just fly off wide into the dirt.

although both are drive errors, i recall reading somewhere spinning on the inside of corner is a driving error and spinning outside your just drive too hard. i know it dosent make a lot of sense.

[Andrew]

I am one who nearly hit the pit wall and chain link fence in my 74 GTV three years ago; maybe I'm the one Doug saw from the tower have the almighty spin. It certainly generated the biggest dust cloud I've ever, and in the moment, once I realized the car was in fact going to stop before wall and fence I got the giggles bigtime from relief and the immensity of the dust cloud, most of which seemed to come into the car and settle on the dashboard.

I can attest; going to hot into that corner, getting into the dirt, overcorrecting and the coming back onto the front straight with the power on, and the car now pointed at the pits will get your attention. Skidded across the dirt and the pit entrance lane sideways (luckily no one was exiting the track or I could have hit them) and ground to a stop 10-15 feet from the chainlink. A day I won't forget. If you go wide there and get into the dirt, keep going and slow down; don't try to drive back onto the track with your foot on the gas.

Andrew

[sidewaysalfa]

Have you all been talking up our new HP Driver Education program?
A great way to bring along your friends who cannot commit to putting in 5 point belts.
Almost the same amount of track time, lots of good AROSC instruction (1 instructor/student) the same great AROSC price as Time Trial.
See you all there.

And thank you all for remembering some of the stuff we teach you at our Driving School. re: loosing it when you drive off the track.

[fatbillybob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Colby The second potential problem is going over what the track refers to as "Phil Hill" (the man made hump on the west side of the track). If the car isn't turned enough before reaching the crest, the car may exit the track on the outside of the corner and it may roll. Fortunately, this seems to be a fairly uncommon mistake.

[Racer Z]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Stalker This reminds me of a question I have been wanting to ask but just have not got around to until now. It seems every track has a corner or a couple corners that like to "collect" cars. What are the "gotcha" corners at Button Willow considering the Alfa Club will run its standard course layout.

[smestas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by italcarguy I'm gonna bring the GTA.

[Sniady]

I going to try and make it. I will bring my street gtv.

[smestas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniady I going to try and make it. I will bring my street gtv.

[Racer Z]

Aw I wanted to be Double Trouble I guess I can be Triple Trouble or Quadruple Trouble.

We've got our 240Z back together and in good form finally.
Worked out all the new squeaks and groans from the rebuilt suspension.
We're sporting new shocks, springs and polyurethane bushings now.
Fixed the high-speed miss in the engine.
Changed all the studs and lugs to a racing type.
Mounted up some new "street" tires.

Still need to do some small things like change the oil, but we're ready to roll!

[Alfapwr]

By the way: Anyone gonna have a probe type tire pyrometer with them at BW ? I have a small laser surface one but the probe type is more accurate. I just don't have the cash to buy one right now.