Stalwart, hard luck #6 is no more.

#1

Yesterday I went into a wall at RA’s S curves. Was head on. Was probably doing 80-85 when I hit. Spec3 in front of me blew a radiator hose. He went outside and I got off the gas and gingerly went inside in order to avoid whatever it was that I could see spewing out of his car. I thought I was clear of the fluid but then my rear end snapped around on me. I stood on the brakes so the car wouldn’t hook into a wall. Which is when it hooked sharply right.

My last thought was “I wonder how much that grass is going to slow me down”?

The impact knocked the wind out of me so I mostly just sat there and tried to get some air with shallow breaths while I pondered just how messed up I might be. By the time I could breath they stopped the race and pulled everyone off of the track.

I figured at that point it would probably be good to get out of the car in case something got suddenly worse. I figured that would also give me a chance to take a good inventory of body parts so I’d have answers for the ambulance when it showed up. So I crawled out of the car and on to the grass. I waited for the ambulance in a good prone position. It was quite comfortable.

I’m ok. I hit my harness straps so hard that bones moved in all sorts of ways that they’re unaccustomed to, but it’s nothing that motrin won’t take care of.

The car’s not ok tho. It’s a write off. If the engine had been pushed back any further it would have ended up in my lap. I claim the most severe SpecE30 crash the SE has ever seen. Those of you that took pics, pls post them at some pic hoster so I can get to them. My cell phone got swiped at Hutchinson so I didn’t get any pics of my own.

The guys were a huge help getting my car on to my trailer today…in particular Chuck Taylor, the Harnesses, and Robert Grace’s dad. I really didn’t do anything in that effort, other than to badger Fred to take lots of pics.

It’s going to take much of next year, I suppose, to build a new car. Is irksome.
Ideally I’ll find an '87 or '88 that someone started preparing, got a cage in, and then ran out of motivation. That person is now desparate because their wife found out about the mistress and will sell their car for beer money and a winning smile.

#2

Sorry to hear, Ranger. Good to hear you are alright. Please document the new build so we can learn all the tricks . … .

#3

http://vimeo.com/33128427

In reviewing the video, I’d say that the Spec3 didn’t go off line as much as I thought, and I didn’t back off the gas much. I thought I could stay off whatever he was pouring on the track, but I was wrong. I clearly drove right on to the coolant, but the only other alternative would have been to go into the grass and at that speed I’d probably would have lost control in the grass.

#4

Wow! That’s a hard hit.

#5

Scott, very sorry to hear you killed your car, but also very happy you are OK. Shouldn’t take more than 2 months to build a new car. Call me about a donor and cage. CB

#6

That really, really sucks!!! Glad your okay. Let me know if you need any help or parts for the new build…

#7

Glad you are doing well, Scott, and I really hope you can get back on track no later than next Spring.
It was a very hard hit, but the passenger cell seemed to hold up quite well. As you examaine the wreckage and reflect on the incident, please post comments/reflections so we can all learn from this and be even safer going forward.
Again, I hope to see you on track, and at the track, soon.

#8

[quote=“Gilles” post=61468]Glad you are doing well, Scott, and I really hope you can get back on track no later than next Spring.
It was a very hard hit, but the passenger cell seemed to hold up quite well. As you examaine the wreckage and reflect on the incident, please post comments/reflections so we can all learn from this and be even safer going forward.
Again, I hope to see you on track, and at the track, soon.[/quote]

Re. comments and reflections. I don’t know that I learned all that much from this. Hmmm.

  1. When you see the guy in front of you all the sudden blow smoke, slow way way down, shift into first and creep thru the grass until well clear.

  2. When it comes to safety gear your budget should be unlimited.

  3. Cage knee bars need to be relatively high on the firewall and behind the dash. Having a bar that really is just in front of your knees is a bad idea. Mine bent inboard a bit and that allowed my shin to slam into it. I’m probably lucky I didn’t break the leg.

  1. Wear your harness really tight. Every couple of laps, give it a tug to tighten. If you can breathe it’s not tight enough.

  2. Be a nice guy because when you’re royally screwed it will be your buddies that help your ass.

#9

Some pics. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1753248

#10

Wow that sucks bad. Glad you are alright.

#11

Scott the most important thing is that you’re OK. There were many concerned faces around your car in the paddock. Everyone was waiting to hear word on your condition. As you know, when you walked up, all those faces turned into big smiles and a round of applause erupted. You definately had a captive audience at that point. You handled it so well. It was a cool thing to witness and heartwarming to see the outpouring of concern and support.

I read that you’ll probably take your time building a replacement and want to do it yourself. I completely understand that. But, I won’t be a mere 2.5 hours away forever. :wink: Please let me know if there are any immediate big tasks that you might need help with. I’d gladly come down and give you a hand some weekend. I know E30s very well and I could prove to be a valuable assistant! Let me know!

#12

Scott,
It was good to hear you are doing well after a hit like that. Let us know if we can help at all. I have an '86 325e 2dr shell if you need a starting point for your next build.

#13

@Jim and Andrew. Thanks a lot guys, I won’t forget all the well-wishes and volunteering to help.

#14

I’m really sorry to hear about the car, and really glad that you are okay.

The Esses are a dangerous place. The speeds and loads on the car are high and the walls are close. Just about anything that goes wrong will result result in a loss of control and frequently will result in an encounter with a wall.

#15

Just going to add to the pile of “glad you’re ok and good luck with the next build.”

It’s good to see such a positive attitude so soon after a hit like that.

#16

Here’s the photos I got…

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Good luck with all aspects of your recovery.

#17

Scott -

I’m really glad you are OK. That was the biggest hit I’ve seen and your investment in a great seat, HNR, etc. paid dividends.

If you need either of my spare shells (84 318, 89 325is), just let me know.

Steve

#18

Very sorry to hear this. I will continue to look forward to running against you next year though as I know you will be back ASAP.

#19

Glad to see you’re okay, Scott. That was a hell of a hit…

#20

Do you have any Traqmate data at the point of impact? Speed, G-forces, etc.? These might be interesting to see.

Mark