I chose to upload the whole lap because my mistakes start early in the esses (turns 7, 8, 9, and 10). Basically, I carry too much speed through the esses which takes me offline. I turn in for Turn 11 at about 2/3 width of the track, reducing the room available for track-out on exit. I also fail to recognize that I'm way off line and need to reduce speed. It becomes obvious that I won't stay on track so I straighten the wheel somewhat and get out of the gas. The grass was still damp from the morning dew and offers zero traction. I run basically parallel to the track for a bit with no throttle and very minimal steering angle to the right. The car doesn't change direction at all. As the track bends to the right, I go both feet in and yank the wheel to the right to avoid a head-on collision. Thankfully the tire barrier is pretty forgiving though it bounces the car partially back on track.
The banging you hear is me hitting the shifter in an attempt to engage a gear and drive off track. The whole drivetrain shifted and the car is stuck in neutral. The shifter won't budge.
First, this is 100% my fault. Driver error, plain and simple. That said, I think some things contributed to this collision. The car was understeering and I was getting some vibration under braking. It just didn't feel right and I should have listened to the car and pulled off. This was my first time at the expanded Pitt-Race and probably my second time taking Turn 11 with any real speed. I missed the apex for Turn 11 in previous laps so it seemed, having hit the apex this time, I would have ample run-off room even with poor track positioning at turn-in. I also didn't account for the additional weight of an instructor.
That brings me to my last point. I took another human for a ride at 57mph into a tire barrier. That's unacceptable and I need to exercise a great deal more caution whenever I make it back to the track. Thankfully nobody was injured.
3 окт 2024
