NE Track Day/Autocross/Racing Reports

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by onasled

Safety equipment; .... the key here is to end up with a Hans device, or similar head restraint.

The problem here is that all safety equipment works only with other safety equipment. In order to end up with a Hans you need a good six point harness. In order to install a harness safely you need a roll bar or cage

Thinking out loud here...

Schroth harness belts vs the Brey Krause harness bar and some other belts. Anyone have input?

http://www.bkauto.com/mini/r1305.php

I keep reading about how shoulder belts on harnesses need to be coming in from the rear at the right angle - close to horizontal. The Schroth belts don't do that, but everything I've read about the Schroths is that they're "okay".

[onasled]

Jason,
The clip in Schroth is a controversial belt system which include the Boston and White mountain chapter politics.
As you may know the supplier of this DOT system is also very involved with both chapters. The problem here is that many (maybe most) other BMWCCA chapters and most other DE organizations don't like them and several ban them. My understanding is a submarining issue.

Many clubs also do not allow a four or more point harness without the use of a roll bar. Thinking here is that there is no escape if you roll and collapse the roof.

Keeping your Mini as your road car is not effected by a roll bar, like the one I have, and a six point harness, so that excuse in not a valid one ...

[onasled]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid

Thinking out loud here...

Schroth harness belts vs the Brey Krause harness bar and some other belts. Anyone have input?

http://www.bkauto.com/mini/r1305.php

.

What would be the advantage of this thing over a Built by Bones sport bar (my rollbar)? This rollbar lets you keep the rear seats, access to them and alows them to also be folded dowm.
By the way, I may be selling mine this winter. If you are interested I will keep you posted.

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by onasled

What would be the advantage of this thing over a Built by Bones sport
bar (my rollbar)?

Nothing... I just found the other one first.

Quote:

By the way, I may be selling mine this winter. If you are interested I will keep you posted.

Sure, let me know.

[jwardell]

I would suggest installing a supercharger before a rollbar!

[NHRef]

Quote: Originally Posted by onasled

So here is the million dollar question. What is you life worth and what do you think the odds are that you could be in a life threatening situation on the track? The Hans alone is close to $1,000.

Especially since it can be dangerous out there! A club racer ~ not a drivers' ed participant ~ died as a result of injuries received in a crash at NHIS on Friday.

There was a sign at the exit from Otis Air Force base on Cape Cod onto the notorious Mid-Cape Highway (Rt. 6): You are now entering the most dangerous place on earth ~ a public highway.

The key is to remember the Hill Street Blues' Sergeant's daily reminder: Let's Be Careful Out There!

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by NHRef

Especially since it can be dangerous out there! A club racer ~ not a drivers' ed participant ~ died as a result of injuries received in a crash at NHIS on Friday.

I was afraid I was going to hear that... I kinda-sorta-almost saw the crash in question. heard the explosion like sound, saw the car slide along the outside wall of the turn for a huge distance. Saw the ambulance speeding away from the track... stopping halfway between the track to transfer from ambulance A to ambulance B and pick up a state police escort. Then, oddly, when I got to the on ramp for the interstate (I-393), the ambulance pulled onto the shoulder of the road. I had leapfrogged the various ambulances a few times on my trip away from the track, always letting it / them past me when I saw them.

On a brighter note, I've got some more video encoding as I type...

[snid]

More video...

http://homepage.mac.com/jtross/iMovieTheater47.html

[GadgetGav]

All the roll bars and HANS devices in the world can't stop the impact of the brain against the inside of the skull... Sad to hear someone dying on a track, but as others have pointed out, a lot more die every day on the roads...

[onasled]

Quote: Originally Posted by GadgetGav

All the roll bars and HANS devices in the world can't stop the impact of the brain against the inside of the skull... .......

That's not what the Hans prevents. The Hans prevents the number one cause of death in a race car and that's a sub scull fracture. This is when the scull pulls away and separates from the spine. I do hope to hear how this poor unfortunate person died. It's just not something that should happen these days.

[GadgetGav]

Quote: Originally Posted by onasled

That's not what the Hans prevents. The Hans prevents the number one cause of death in a race car and that's a sub scull fracture. This is when the scull pulls away and separates from the spine. I do hope to hear how this poor unfortunate person died. It's just not something that should happen these days.

No, I know. The HANS helps to slow the head in a controllable way. The head is a heavy enough weight on a flimsy support (the neck) at the best of times. Add the weight of a helmet to that and then decelerate it at however many g you pull hitting a wall and it's a good idea to try to slow things down controllably and not let the head go whipping around. The only point I was trying to make was that even with all the protection devices, at some point the energy ends up getting dissipated somewhere and that can end up being in the space between brain and skull. Any automotive accident that's enough to kill you whether it's on the road or the track is a gruesome way to go...

[onasled]

Jason
Just watched the second video. Your pushing that car quite hard. I mean to say that you are driving very well, and fast.
SO, I won't say it again, but don't put another penny in that car before you take care of you first.
Your in that percentile that seems to have above average abilities on the track. Most out there are only driving 7/10 but it seems that you are pushing 10/10 of you current ability. This puts you "on the edge"

Your young. Get serious about safety now.

Greg

By the way, I still got 7 seconds on ya ...
(the benifits of a modified S... )

[jwardell]

As for the pixel doubling question, it was as apparent on the new video. It may be due to the very low bitrate you are compressing at, but may also be because imove has a lower quality antialiasing. Don't forget the source is actually interlaced and you're outputting a progressive video. I usually de-interlace before outputting a scaled version for the web. It makes it compress better as well.

I never saw the DSC light blink when you said it helped. Maybe you're not giving yourself enough credit.
And thanks for all the videos, I continue to live vicariously though you all.

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by jwardell

I never saw the DSC light blink when you said it helped. Maybe you're not giving yourself enough credit.

I certainly wasn't look around for blinking lights at that moment. But, the car slowed much more than I expect it would just from tire scrubbing. So, I assumed that the DSC had put the brakes on at least one of the wheels.

Video is really bad at showing just how things feel.

[jwardell]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid

Video is really bad at showing just how things feel.

That is inversely proportional to the quality of your mount. My MOT video does a great job showing how things felt!