Heartland Park - ONE MORE TIME

[tnord]

my stomach fell to the ground when the steward told me you mentioned to the corner workers that there was a brake problem. i immediately went to the garage where they were keeping the car and popped the hood to check the master. the resevoir was still full...so i checked the brake pedal and it felt fine. the guy with me said he could hear the calipers clamping, and we used the brakes when we rolled it off my trailer into the garage. wierd.

the best mechanical explanation i can come up with is pad knockback. i've heard of it happening on somewhat rare occasion in miatas, particularly at Road America, when hitting the curbs hard enough and just right. something happens in there that causes the pad to force the piston back in the caliper, so that when you go to hit the pedal again, all that's happening is the piston is taking up the extra space between the pad and the rotor created by the knockback....and you don't have any brakes. given that T10 is just a quick stab at the brakes, it wouldn't take a whole lot of knockback to really F things up for the driver.

So, why are there not tires or some sort of soft barriers around all of HPT?

because the track owner is too stubborn/stupid to put them in.

I'm thankful to be okay and it's not like I can change the past, but I do wonder what shape myself and Travis' car would be in now if I had the same off into a tire wall.

you hit awfully hard. hard enough to knock an 8000lb concrete wall over. i don't think there's any question that the damage to you and the car would be considerably less if they had the same protection over there that they do on the outside of T9.

[tnord]

does anyone know how to get a hold of the HPT track photographers?

[ebb]

Do you happen to have in-car video by any chance? The next thing I would want to know is if there were brake lights??

I don't have video, and I could not say either way on the brake lights. I was not too close behind, and just can't remember. Sorry I cannot be more help on that.

[uncleben]

I don't have video, and I could not say either way on the brake lights. I was not too close behind, and just can't remember. Sorry I cannot be more help on that.

Oh well, thanks anyway you've been a big help. And by big help I mean just at putting my mind at ease. Though who knows, maybe after 15 years of driving manual transmissions only, and 5 years of racing, I jammed in the clutch instead of the brake?? Haha, that was the first thing my dad asked me when telling him what happened. Yeah, thanks a lot pop!

[mustanghammer]

I guess I am kind of in the same boat that Matt is in. I don't remember brake lights or tire smoke as I was watching Matt and trying to find a way around him. You were in my field of vision from tturn 3 to turn ten and noted that you were pulling a lead on Matt. I remember wishing that you were slower so that Matt migh get bottled up behind you.

Of course I really started to watch when you went off the track. I figrued you would get the car slowed down or if you hit the wall it wasn't going to be all that bad. So I was surprised by the violence of the wreck. I'm glad you are okay and I understand the reason for the double yellow and the shortened race. I didn't like it but your welfare was more important. That could be me next time.

As far as tire barriers - this debate has raged for years with HPT long before Ray Irwin in fact. HPT has never been proactive enough with regard to tire walls in my opinion. Way to reactionary.

To me the only answer is for the SCCA to be more strict with respect to track certification and be more insistent that walls be covered. The tracks won't do it on their own because it costs money and time. Maybe we need to volunteer to have a tire wall building party??? I believe this has been done in the past.

As far as whether this will keep me from HPT??? No, probably not. HPT is my "home" track and I like the track/facilities. It also isn't the most dangerous track in the division - that would be Gateway in my opinion. Still it is frustrating because HPT doesn't need to have a danerous reputation at all. IF only someone (Track Management or the SCCA) would just take the lead and do what needs to be done.

[tnord]

To me the only answer is for the SCCA to be more strict with respect to track certification and be more insistent that walls be covered.

[tangent]
oh....but wait...guess who certifies that track for safety? Ed Ozment.
[/tangent]

[mustanghammer]

[tangent]
oh....but wait...guess who certifies that track for safety? Ed Ozment.
[/tangent]

Isn't he "related" to Terry Ozment

[tnord]

Isn't he "related" to Terry Ozment

yeah...you could say that.

guess who was the one that designed the new layout as well? yup.

[CRallo]

yeah, tire walls/foam barriers are the most obvious thing that first came to mind. unfortunately, it appears ray just doesn't get it.

somebody needs to do something

I know drivers that will not run at that track... even if it means missing the runoffs!