The track was under black flag for the next 30 minutes (the end of the day in fact).

 

Have this one on my desk already



For the next few weeks, I'll probably use my new red 918 that just got delivered this week end:



$0.95 at WalMart, quite the deal... about a million times cheaper than when you buy it from Porsche and already in my driveway

 

Good to know I'm not the only one with the toy obsession.

 

LOL! I was in fact thinking about giving up on track days and putting my old Scalextric together again...

 

Sorry to hear about your accident but glad you're ok. Surprised the flags weren't waving!

 

Performance is who I meant (Performing Imports is a BMW shop). Good to hear that you've been happy with them. Seems they do a lot of Porsche work.

 

Serge,

Very sorry to hear. Glad to see you are OK and the car doesn’t look all that bad.

One of the first things I noticed is that I could not see any flags waving. Now it is hard to see on video but usually you would see someone jumping up and down. Second things I noticed is that you maintained your cool and didn’t panic. Not sure there was anything you could have done different once you were beyond traction.

Gravel traps suck. You will be finding little rocks for years (I know from experience). Make sure they double check the brakes, rims and wheel bearings for rocks.

Question about track day insurance. What is your deductible? I heard it is usually $5,000. If you use it, will your premium go up? If they don’t pay anything, does your premium go up? Would it make sense to try and not use it if it is at all possible?

Marc

 

You're right about the flags: there was no waving... but I should still have been more cautious and not assume that the smoke only came for locked brakes (which happens often at turn 6).

The deductible will probably be in the $5k to $7.5k range, still have to find out. Knowing the price of Porsche parts, it may end up at a much higher cost than that. Not sure about future premium or coverage, will have to find out too. I heard that some track insurance companies would kick you out after one/several incidents...

I already gave a heads up about the gravel to the dealership and body shop. I surely do not want to hear gravel rattling for the next few years and make sure that the suspension, brakes, wheels, bearings & alignment are all OK before I get back on the road.
It is not going to be as bad as what happened to me 25 years ago in Europe where kids stole my car for a joyride (a dull Opel Kadett!!!) and emptied the fire extinguisher in the cabin to get rid of fingerprints. I got white powder coming out of the vents everytime I turned on the ventilation for the next few years. Needless to say that the engine died after 50,000 miles too. Clearly got abused...

 

Have you thought about taking the difference in deductible vs the final estimated costs to repair/paint and trading the car in as is ?
I would always wonder if something wasn't completely fixed, returned to spec, exterior fit and finish, or, white powder coming through the vents
JMHO

 

I got that sick sinking feeling in my stomach from just watching your vids. I absolutely hate that feeling of being in an accident. Glad nobody was hurt and I hope you're back on the road pronto.

 

Serge, I just caught up with this thread. So sorry to hear about your mishap but am super glad that you are ok. Cars can be fixed and/or disposed of! I'm sure Hennessy and the body shop will do a great job in getting the beast back in perfect condition.

Now what comes to mind is whether this was an omen or nudge towards something else hmmm?..... <whisper>maybe a GT3!

Here's wishing you a hassle free repair experience matey!

BTW, I hope your son doesn't up the premium on you for driving his car!

 

Thought about this. Will wait for the body shop quote. Also, the car being 6 months old, I'd take a BIG depreciation hit (disregarding the deductible) if I were to trade it in for a new one already. I would for sure want to get everything back to show room condition... and no gravel left anywhere

 

Thanks guys. Yes, making it safe is the most important thing. Cars are just metal and plastic! Not sure I am ready for the GT3 though... I can not imagine getting this new beauty and running into a wall again

As far as what goes through your mind during the accident, I found it surprisingly 'uneventful': you realize that 'this time it is happening' and that you are closing on the wall, try to do what you can to steer the car and hope for the best.
The disappointed part was that I was stuck in the car (could not open the door) and that I could not see any real damage through the window until I got out of the car a few minutes later. I was still hoping it would only be a small paint job at that point

 

Back to the track day, I checked my footage and found out that the guy who spilled oil already created some issues earlier that day

He in fact gave me the point by in the esses (not easy to see on the video as he hardly sticks out his hand or finger through the window) and then jumped right in front of me while I was passing him and got me with 2 wheels in the grass

I know that passing in the esses is not easy and requires some good will from both drivers, but if you do not feel OK doing it, do not give a point by.
I should have stayed further away from the guy for the rest of the day...

 

yikes! alot of bad mojo there. I didn't see him point you by in the esses but it did look like he closed your gap aggressively. Group 4 (using PCA groups - Chin might classify differently)?

Problem is - you could not have predicted the future events. Nor might a wildly waving flag have slowed you down enough...hard to tell. It is what it is.

Ever think of just building a purpose built race car for ~$20k and track that all the time? Would not be the fastest / most modern - but you'll continue to learn and won't be as big an impact of you have to do repairs.