RA Results, Stories and Video thread

[Ranger]

RA coverage in the SE Newsletter. http://www.nasa-se.com/senews.php

[Steve_D]

I was doing really well until I hit the inside gators in T5 over corrected and ended up hitting the outside wall. In my first mock race! … So the instructors in comp school decided I could get my license if I raced clean on Saturday, so I had to be extra careful!

OK, I guess I’ll be the asshole. As a former SE30 racer, I don’t have to worry about who I offend.

That is ridiculous.

Here’s a suggested rule: If you crash in comp school, you have to repeat comp school.

[twilson]

[quote=“Aaron15w” post=76455]I was doing really well until I hit the inside gators in T5 over corrected and ended up hitting the outside wall. In my first mock race! … So the instructors in comp school decided I could get my license if I raced clean on Saturday, so I had to be extra careful!

OK, I guess I’ll be the asshole. As a former SE30 racer, I don’t have to worry about who I offend.

That is ridiculous.

Here’s a suggested rule: If you crash in comp school, you have to repeat comp school.[/quote]

+1 Steve Fast tracking at its best. Guess SE needs the $…

[Ranger]

For a couple guys that weren’t there and don’t know the kid, you’re sure full of criticism. He did fine in the weekend’s racing, maybe we could give him the benefit of the doubt. Every kid needs to hurt his car so he can learn the need to keep the excitement under control. Better he learn the lesson banging into a wall then another car.

Subject change. The Whitinger’s pointed out that I’d forgotten the Palacios as one of the families racing at RA. I’ve fixed the version of the article that went to NASA Speednews. My apologies for screwing up.

[Steve_D]

Regardless of how great a guy/gal may be in the paddock, if they can’t make it thru comp school with the car intact, they aren’t ready to race.

The idea that you learn the limits by crashing is a wrong, misguided and dangerous rationalization. It is IMHO utter BS.

The tolerance of loss of control (with and without damage) is really disheartening.

[Sandro32]

Scott, I think we should just ignore the comments made by people who are not part of the group or most of the time don’t even own/race a Spec E30, it is a Spec E30 forum after all. The people who were there know how it happened and the decisions that were made. If one of our FELLOW racers would’ve had a problem, they would’ve voice it directly to you. One of those guys got something right… the “asshole” part… hahahah! Let’s keep this shit FUN, like it’s supposed to be!

[Steve_D]

Let’s keep this shit FUN, like it’s supposed to be!

Fair enough. My opinions aren’t worth much at all any more. So here’s one more.

“Fun” is winning a championship without totaling a car along the way.

Let me know next time that happens.

[twilson]

I understand your position Sandro. I like to keep it fun too! I love racing (particularly spec e30). Been doing this for 9 years and have my 5th spec e30 in the warehouse right now. Work and kids keep me away a lot, but I hit at least a few events each year whether its spec e30, chump, pro3, or whatever to get my racing fix. Having just bought another race ready car, I’ve been trying to figure out a race schedule this year and have been going through the forums to see what kind of idiots I would be running against. I can honestly say I have NEVER heard of ANYONE passing comp school after a wreck in a mock race. That, coupled with the inordinate amount of crashes last season has to make one wonder. Just my 2 cents (which is apparently not worth much). Over and Out…

[cwbaader]

My two cents…if you wreck of your own volition during driver’s school, you FALE!!! Simple as that. Perfect evidence that you do not belong on the track with other cars under racing conditions. I can’t imagine SCCA/BMW/Porsche/PBOE, etc. ever passing someone that wrecked in school!

[Aaron15w]

You guys are right, I shouldn’t have passed comp school ……in fact after coming back to the paddock with my car on the flat bed. I was going to pack it up and stay home for the rest of the weekend and not show my face until next comp school. But when I went back to class and the instructor ask me what happened. I told him and everyone else in class what happened. During that classroom session we had to take our written test. The instructors encouraged me to take it……so I did. I had know idea why I even decided to take it. When i was finished with the test and they graded it and one of the guys said i passed the written test with flying colors! So I ran the next Mock race in our back up car. With a lot of people on track watching me to see how did.

At the end of that day after there was A LOT of discussion between Jim, Scott, my parents and a couple people that were running with me. They decided I wasn’t going to get my License that day. Instead they were going to let me do the warmup-up, Qual and race on Saturday and if I ran “CLEAN” in all three sessions and didn’t go off track they would pass me. So thats what I did! So that night I got my License!

In fact on Sunday I even did qualifying in the monsoon on slicks. I only stayed out for 1 lap of green and decided it was to dangerous considering I could barely see out my windshield and 1 person hit the wall and a couple spun out.

One other thing the instructor said " I would not be giving you this license if I could not trust you racing with me or anyone else side by side."

[quote=“Steve D” post=76551]Regardless of how great a guy/gal may be in the paddock, if they can’t make it thru comp school with the car intact, they aren’t ready to race. /quote]

After I hit the wall Every part of my car was still intact…. there was just some body damage and some broken suspension parts.

CWBAADER: FAIL

[Steve_D]

I was going to pack it up and stay home for the rest of the weekend and not show my face until next comp school. But when I went back to class and the instructor ask me what happened. I told him and everyone else in class what happened. During that classroom session we had to take our written test. The instructors encouraged me to take it……so I did.

Good work. Seriously, I think it is great you stuck it out.

[quote=“Steve D” post=76551]Regardless of how great a guy/gal may be in the paddock, if they can’t make it thru comp school with the car intact, they aren’t ready to race.

After I hit the wall Every part of my car was still intact…. there was just some body damage and some broken suspension parts.
[/quote]

:blink:

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[Aaron15w]

Correction: Mostly intact

[King_Tut]

[quote=“Aaron15w” post=76455]I was doing really well until I hit the inside gators in T5 over corrected and ended up hitting the outside wall. In my first mock race! … So the instructors in comp school decided I could get my license if I raced clean on Saturday, so I had to be extra careful!

OK, I guess I’ll be the asshole. As a former SE30 racer, I don’t have to worry about who I offend.

That is ridiculous.

Here’s a suggested rule: If you crash in comp school, you have to repeat comp school.[/quote]

I gotta admit that when I read that I thought the same exact thing. As I was coming up through the NASA SE HPDE ranks I was under impression that the only rule in comp school was that if you go off track or miss a session you fail. You didn’t even have to crash, just four wheels off was enough.

[Rob_in_VA]

I like Aaron and I know he’s really into the whole car thing, but putting that aside, it’s pretty absurd to let anyone pass comp school with such a big eff up. I can’t believe that an exception was made.