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It was a week of highs and lows. From winning on Sunday to this display of incompetence on the following Saturday… 
Slow-mo replay at the end. It was very close to being a bad day for my lime green friend. Watch for the gravel that gets stuck under my Traqmate as I am careening toward the wall. Everyone drives with their shields down, right?
Steve D.
Sorry about your mishap. Glad that you are ok. (at least the weather was good.)
By the way, what G force did Traqmate record at the impact?
Sucks. Was it just bad foot work? Been there, done that, but with less expensive results:
Look on the bright side… You’ve got a long way to go before it will look like Brian Jones’ car.
TheRedBaron wrote:
Yup. Plain and simple. 
I was getting lazy with heel-toeing. Instead of firmly planting my foot on the brake and rotating my heel over, I was hitting the brake with the ball of my foot and rolling the side of my foot towards the gas. Hence, the slip-oh-$hit-slip-oh-$hit-foot-through-the-firewall-lockdown move you see just before I started working in my “Zen Garden” of gravel.
I think I got used to the pedal positions in my old Miata and the E30.
Actually, when people see I drive a Miata they often ask “Are you Brian Jones?” :blink:
Steve D.
Hopefully, you will not receive a bill from Road Atlanta for damage to the outside wall as I did. I recall my encounter with turn 7 wall; I received a bill for $300 to move the concrete section 3 inches back to its original position, talk about insult to injury.
There is plenty of land around RA, seems to me offering more of a safe run off area would be in our best interest. What is behind the walls at six and seven that needs wall protection…anybody know?
I have been told it’s a ravine behind T6, but never looked for myself. I think the wall is as far out as can be. Glad the damage is so slight.
The lazy heel-toe is maybe a good wakeup for all of us not to take that for granted.
Steve, your RA bill was cheap. About 5 years ago I wrote off a pristine E30 at Barber and the repair bill for the armco would have bought about 10 race tires, shaved and mounted. Ouch.
Steve D wrote:
[quote]
Actually, when people see I drive a Miata they often ask “Are you Brian Jones?” :blink:
Steve D.[/quote]
Now that’s some funny stuff right there.
The damage doesn’t look too bad. That camera stuff you have is pretty dang awesome.
Gasman wrote:
There is a steep drop off all around 6 and 7. If you search “Road Atlanta” on Google maps (satellite view) you can see the L-shaped lake that surrounds the whole 6-7 end of the track. There is another ravine that is protected by the wall on driver’s left at corner exit.
There is a lot of land around RA. As I understand it, the track property lines are pretty close to the existing walls.
Steve D.
PS - The wall is as far back as possible. I stood in the camera stand back there for a while and got the willies 'cuz it is hanging off the side of the hill.
TheRedBaron wrote:
[quote]Sucks. Was it just bad foot work? Been there, done that, but with less expensive results:
Look on the bright side… You’ve got a long way to go before it will look like Brian Jones’ car.[/quote]
Like I’ve told you before, you’re just jealous. My car has style…all of yours look exactly the same with your wrinkle free panels, that boring.
Steve D wrote:
Actually, when people see I drive a Miata they often ask “Are you Brian Jones?” :blink:
Steve D.[/quote]
:laugh: :laugh:
It’s funny you mention that, after you posted your video I got several PM’s asking if I lent my Spec E30 to you 2 years ago at VIR. Wonder what they meant?
Damn Steve, that sucks. I am however glad it was your miata and not the E30, since I’ll be calling you for some part to fix mine!
Alex.
csrow wrote:
Chi -
I haven’t pulled the data off my Traqmate yet, but I will. It was the last race of the day and they made me go to medical. I was running late for a date with my wife and 2 other couples, so it was a hurried throw-your-crap-in-the-bag-and-sort-it-out-later kind of end to the day. I figured it would NOT help if I wrecked the car and her plans for the night. 
My friend registered 2.5g when he backed my other car into the Turn 5 wall. I’ll be well south of that number. Hopefully well south of his damage cost, too.
UKRBMW wrote:
Alex -
Still want to buy my Miata? If my friend doesn’t buy the 1990, I’ll likely put it up for sale after the body work is fixed.
Steve D.
Teufelauto wrote:
C’mon. It’s a freeing experience.
Plus it is a great head game. Right now Geegar is wondering “How did I get beat by some jagoff who can’t even find the brake pedal?”:laugh:
And Jones is wondering “Is that a hair out of place?” He’s kind of ADHD.
Steve D.