Meet Atlanta Motorsport Park’s most dangerous corner. 

Great explanation, it’s also worth mentioning that turn 15/16 at AMP has some bumps that can unsettle things. Also the newer BMWs, when in their most dynamic M modes, make the throttle pedal and steering wheel too sensitive for my liking, especially when you’re trying to modulate throttle position in a tricky section like the video. Luckily you can dial these settings independently from the traction and stability control in the newer BMWs! It would be interesting to see the throttle and steering input data laid over the video with the camera mounted behind the driver so we could tell the rest of the story!

Great content, appreciate Tim’s humility so we could learn from the incident. Well done!

Dude! Props to all involved on helping you create a very informative and interesting video, and extra triple props to Tim for essentially being the subject of this video. Love to see that kind of candor in the midst of an unfortunate situation. Absolutely AWESOME of him to participate like that. Excellent video!

Tim, so happy you're okay. Glad you got the track insurance!

I’m happy to hear Tim is ok. This was well done from setting g the context, to track walk, to analysis of Tim’s loss of control. We’ve all been guilty of showing off to others at times. It’s also helpful to add in what action or should I take when I feel the car beginning to lose control. The counterintuitive action is a difficult in practice. The other feedback was good to know the danger corners and take it easy there. Make up you time in other sections. And for more advanced training to use a data recording tool. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for the thoughtful analysis. I've wanted to try a track day but this gives me pause. Bad $%^& happens so fast. And you're the man, Tim. Guts to track the car, guts to share your accident. Glad you weren't hurt.

I had a similar whoa oversteer moment at AMP at the crest over T16 last year - was lucky to have escaped with a mild case of the puckers and nothing worse! Great video - unusual to see such an honest and direct video about a track incident.

Excellent video and discussion of the accident point by point. Sucks for Tim, but at least he’s ok. Turn 16 sure can be hairy and I’ve seen a few close ones over the years. I personally still pucker up every time and probably take it 5-6 mph slower than I could. I know I lose huge time, but I’m not out there to race or set any records. Just having fun and want to leave the same way I arrive. I think Hunter’s advice was spot on that on the high risk sections of the track you gotta hold back, and on the lower risk sections go ahead and attack. AMP has plenty of great turns with less risk.

Great explanation. I have been enjoying Josh's video for the last week, I should subscibed sooner, I have now! Thanks for sharing Tim.

AWESOME video J2V! Learned a ton watching this and well done.

Great content, well done, and if I was Tim I would consider a mechanical LSD, reviewing the video I see the car wobble at 15, I have had the same experience with the stock F80 Diff, It tends to get confused on ripple strips and can react by locking / unlocking the diff, sure lift of over steer played a big part but the car was not without blame :) , great work on the video

Love you Tim! Glad there was no damage to YOU! And thank gawd for track insurance!

Muuuuuuch respect to Tim for sharing. So rare nowadays for people to claim accountability for their mistakes. If it makes him feel any better, I was at a day with some friends and a very experienced and skilled acquaintance went off in the damp in that turn and ended up shiny side down. Fortunately he didn't get hurt, but a car not often seen at the track was sadly ruined. I'm also not one to talk because when I was less experienced I ruined a perfectly good E36 M3 lifting when I began to spin on a mountain road run. 🤦‍♂ That's only similar in comparison if it was in fact Tim that did the lifting, and not the nannies. In my case, it was definetely not nannies. 😆

I'm arriving to this a bit late to make comments, but for the benefit of others I'll go ahead: While I commend you for making this video to raise awareness of risk and the need to drive within limits of your car and self, I think you missed an opportunity to point out what Tim (or any driver who finds themself with the rear end stepping out) should have done to avoid "being a passenger" in an out of control car. Specifically, what to do to recover from an oversteer situation. Tim needed to identify (in the moment) that the rear end was starting to break loose and the car was beginning to rotate. In that instant, he needed to begin the following steps: 1)Dial in counter steer in an attempt to stop the spin 2) Look where he needs to go, not where the car is pointing 3)Adjust steering angle as needed to stop the spin (time permitting) 4) Return steering to "normal" position the millisecond that the rear end stops rotating. This process is referred to as CPR (catch, pause, recover) and is well described on a Randy Pobst YT video. If you are going to go out on track (I love it and do them as well) and push the limits of your traction, you owe it to yourself to understand how to react in oversteer (and understeer) situations.

I’m having my first race at AMP in a couple weeks and I’m glad to learn more about the track from your video. Glad Tim is okay!

Incredible content! Subscribed with notifications 💪

The driver also grabbed ALOT of the curb at the exit of 16 (most likely due to the early turn in). That upsets the car and the different in grip levels (painted curb vs asphalt) will cause even more problems (I don't know about the LSD on the car but I imagine it was not happy). The exit of 16 is one of those places where you do not want to tag a curb. Also I'm a party pooper and think most amateur folks shouldn't be driving super high horsepower cars. I can scare myself pretty bad in my 210 hp BRZ, but with more HP comes the ability to make an opps at significant higher speeds.

this was very helpful!!

Great video. I went 4 wheels off during my last track day, after my slicks had basically been used up from one too many heat cycles. Going around a right hand sweeper, at roughly the same speed as prior laps, it just let go with all 4 wheels at the same time (a GT4) and slid off the pavement into the gravel. I was glad it wasn’t into a structure. This was my first set of slicks and I was unaware of how much their grip falls off once they are “done.” I have caught the car breaking loose in the rear plenty of times coming out of corners with too much throttle. This was different. It just suddenly let go at both ends simultaneously, as if on ice. All I had time to do was keep it pointing straight ahead to avoid catching an edge and shooting back across the track in front of a following car. Having experienced the “passenger” sensation, I completely sympathize with Tim. Oh, I also have track day coverage.

Glad he’s ok!

Great video and a topic that is rarely discussed. While all the Track day organization and coaches/instructors focus on safety, when something happened, they will keep that quiet. I was at Daytona last month with the Audi Club of Ohio and someone crashed a Mustang race car at the International horse shoe. My friend had the incident recorded on her phone and one of the instructor made her delete the video on the spot using "Privacy" as an excuse :(

Great video! I think you have to understand and acknowledge that any track day could end poorly when you start pushing into new territory regarding you & your equipment’s performance. You also have the “pride/group” mentality. How many times have you been with a group of bikes or cars and somebody increase speed significantly. It’s hard not to try to match everyone else. No one wants to be the slow guy with the fast bike or car…. It’s really easy to see negative results on two wheels. I’ve always had a safety brief before any ride that I’ve arranged. Especially to address the newer ones of the group. Even so when someone exceeds there ability (including equipment) it can go wrong fast. It sucks to have a buddy make & miscalculation and pay the price. It’s also bad when you’re the one who becomes over confident and gets humbled. Ive experienced both in my life.

Wow tim wow

I took my little brother for a spirited drive in my fully built YSi supercharged C6Z06 on R888R’s with EBC yellow stuff pads and dot4 after he bought his C5. There is a nice bend with a woopty at mid turn, the kind that has oil at the end. I told him his C5 was too low and didn’t have adequate suspension travel when he bought it, but you know kids. As we went over the ripple at 80 I told him to never hold the steering angle constant over something like that and to straighten out after compression of the front suspension even if it feels like he’s headed for the wall, and not to begin his gradual correction until the rear is settled again. Naturally he didn’t heed my warning and even at a much lower speed, he held the angle and as the rear suspension uncompressed during the sustained turn, he slid into the Jersey barrier and flipped into oncoming lanes. Mind you he had bought a convertible. He opened his head pretty good, but somehow didn’t get seriously injured. In all honesty I think his lack of travel was the problem, not necessarily his speed. No shortage of car parts were he crashed from previous drivers, likely in the rain. Moral of the story is corvette’s are too easy to raise and lower (4 bolts accessible without a lift or jack) to not set up for street vs track ride hight, and that a performance car’s suspension isn’t for aesthetics or comfort. It’s designed to keep the tires firmly on the ground…

Debating heading up to AMP for my first ever track day in my C7. Guess I'll take it easy around t16 and definitely loading up on the insurance. I feel for Tim for sure, gotta be a huge blow to your confidence after a crash like that. Hopefully he gets back out there.

Is there a slight elevation change right there? Looked like it in the videos, That would make the suspension unload and could affect the handling catching some off guard. Not on you at all regardless of how you feel......

How much did he pay for the armco?

Turns 13-16 are all flat out, in my miata lol

Don't quit TIm! Track days drive 6/10s what the car is capable of. 10/10s are for big time sponsorships and prize money.

Were the nannies off?

How does liability work in these situations? You get in someone else's car, damage it, damage the track, damage yourself, who pays?

No shame in claiming Stig status and crashing. Stig crashed. It is what it is.

I'm a member at AMP and I have been warned many times about the weight transition coming from 15 going into turn 16. I take it especially easy thru that area which is why I don't put up impressive top speeds on that following main staight-away after 16, even in my 760hp GT500 (2020 Silver GT500 w/ number "51" if you see it there on track). Also, the GT500 is a very heavy car for that very tight track and I also have to be very modest coming thru turns 11 and 12 in that heavy GT500. Honestly, AMP is a real track set for a very light and tight turning car that needs some aero and downforce. So, my opinion is that AMP is for sh;ts and giggles only for a road car, so don't try any lap records in a road car. As an example, I only push my GT500 to a 1min 40sec lap time there so that I am not getting into that kinda trouble at turns 4, 6, 11, 12 , and 16. If you guys are pushing towards 1min 30sec in a street car...then that is gonna raise the risk situation significantly. Go buy a real race car if you want to go faster than 1min 35sec at AMP. But hey, its just my opinion based on my seat time at AMP in a GT500 and also a race prepared Miata. The nimble slower cars trump horsepawer at AMP. A Lotus would probably be the perfect ticket!