OUCH, that hurt! Carnage at Watkins Glen. Danny Steyn Crashes his Spec Miata 3x @ Watkins Glen!

[@rpcorp]

SM Is Reliably some of the most exciting motorsport racing videos!! Great racing even when things go askew!!! Thanks for posting this Danny!!!

[@dannysteyn]

Thanks Richard, and I totally agree - Spec Miata provides exceptional racing, right through the entire field. Love this class

[@rpcorp]

@@dannysteyn Having raced at the Glen with you guys a few years back I’ve seen first hand (albeit from a ways back:)) how quick and how skilled the whole field is!! Flat out commitment!! These videos have an amazing way of showing far out on the edge the cars are being driven throughout the whole race!! Wishing you all a continued fantastic race season 🏁‼️ keep the videos coming 👍🏼

[@nicholasdugdale]

Watkins Glen strikes! Glad you managed to get the car under control. Great driving as always.

[@dannysteyn]

thanks Nikko - yes Watkins Glen is tough on cars!!!!

[@tuckermartin7573]

such a fun track. hope one day I can compete there myself. was cool to see you shredding around it somewhat fearlessly with regard to the close walls, and always informative on how to get these things around the track in a quick manner.

[@dannysteyn]

Thanks Tucker, yes it is a really fun track, a track with consequences. You really have to suck it up to do fast laps at the Glen, and its magical when you get it right, and its a trainwreck when you get it wrong!!! My favorite type of track.

[@douglassleonard2843]

Great meeting you officially this weekend!!!! Great video as always!!!! Matt Morin was kinda star struck meeting and talking to you

[@dannysteyn]

Great meeting you and Matt this weekend, and congrats to Matt for a fine run on Sunday!

[@douglassleonard2843]

@@dannysteyn hopefully we see you sooner than later at the track

[@joaquinpinon2872]

Excellent job until the wheel died. Very confident driving. God bless you 🏎

[@dannysteyn]

Thank you Joaquin

[@BritAcrossThePond]

I love Miata racing. How come you drag the brakes going up through the esses?

[@dannysteyn]

We drag brakes to get two cars hooked up - two cars pushing (bump drafting) displace one frontal area with two engines, and hence go faster. Normally, when exiting Turn 1, the following car will get the benefit of the leading car's draft and slowly close up to it, but typically only just before we shift to 5th gear, so the benefit of two cars working together only happens late on the straight. However if the leading car drags his brakes, the two cars hook up together much sooner, and will gain several 10ths in time before the bus stop, and probably close to 2-3mph difference. So you will see thisat all tracks with long straights, if there is a car close behind the leading car will drag his brakes allowing the two cars to hook up and break away from the following pack. On the last lap all bets are off

[@dannysteyn]

However in this video, Elivan does not decide to work with me, comes alongside me and we lose two places. He wont do that again!

[@BritAcrossThePond]

@@dannysteyn thank you for the great reply. I thought that bump drafting was the reason. I’ve watched spec Miata’s bump draft around the Daytona banking many times. Great fun to watch

[@dannysteyn]

@@BritAcrossThePond Yup - Daytona with its long straights is the PERFECT place for bump drafting. In fact at Daytona, in Spec Miata, an average lap working with a team mate, is almost 2 seconds faster than your BEST time on your own. Running solo, we barely get 125mph across the start finish line, but hooking up immediately after the bus stop with a team mate we run at 135 mph on the rev limiter across the start finish line

[@donaldmiller8629]

Hello Danny , The Glen has a bite ! It's also my old home track from back in the day. In the old configuration. Before the fences, before the containment walls ( which you know about ) , before the pits were moved. In my day , containment was by hay bales. The experience seemed more relaxed then and the track was more open with wide runoff fields at many turns. I once knew the Glen quite well. It's hard for me to follow now with so many changes. My downfall was a beguiling, sweeping right hand turn just before the downhill. It's hard for me tell now since the field that I used to explore now has spectator seats built there. I'm not sure but I think that is the turn where you first met the containment wall. I say that turn was beguiling because it always seemed to me that I could take it faster than I actually could. Leading me to slide across that field sometimes all the way to the hay bales. I'll tell you what , even hay bales can bend a car. I had to repair bodywork a few times. After my second season I came to two conclusions. One , it was too expensive and I could not afford it. Even at my club level. Two , I really was not a very good racing driver. So I stopped racing. I kept my Dp , TR4 for awhile. Hard to give it up you know. But I finally sold it. To this day ( I'm 79 now ) I wonder, what if I had kept at it ? But I know , that with my low level job, I would have been just barely on the fringes. Carry on. Enjoy your racing. You seem to be doing reasonably well .

[@Gunfox61]

Lots of great racing. Over the weekend. I was flagging over the weekend. Ya put on a great show. See ya in 2 weeks right after IMSA.

[@dannysteyn]

Glad you enjoyed the racing, and thanks for everything you and your fellow volunteers do for us - wouldnt be possible without your help!

[@SphinxRacing]

Holy smokes Danny! Glad you were ok. But with that last quote, very clearly, a Click and Clack fan - well played!

[@WyFoster]

Several impressive saves! You'll get 'em next time.

[@dannysteyn]

Thanks Wyatt, would have been more impressive if I had kept them off the wall and brought home the winners trophies, but some days it all goes to, well you know!!!!

[@PhilJohnston]

I’m glad you made it through the weekend. Was just not in the cards! Best to you. Re save #1. I had a similar incident on turn 11 at Sonoma. Oil on the track and no flag. I had to change my pants after that one. Headed straight to the wall but caught it just before impact. 💩. Definitely ruined a set of slicks and pair of undies that weekend!

[@Gunfox61]

Some types of oil flaggers just can not see it's so thin that it hides. 5w30 or sometimes rear end grease are 2 examples. That can be hard to see and until a car goes over that area and spins out the track can look clear. It's happen to me and a lot of other flaggers.

[@dannysteyn]

Thanks for the insight Gunfox61

[@nautwhelr]

@@Gunfox61 it’s rare that you see the oil, unless it’s a messy one. The tell is the erratic handling of the cars in the turn. Smell is right up there too. If you’re lucky you catch that before the field is skating off the track.

[@BestUnderPressure]

Love the Glen. I can't believe it broke the whole center out of the wheel.

[@dannysteyn]

One of my favorite tracks Michael - but the proximity of the walls punishes all mistakes!

[@johndavison9006]

Jesus. Talk about a rough weekend

[@dannysteyn]

Yes it was, and my STL car crapped out while leading R2 to add insult to injury!

[@douglassleonard2843]

Just wondering pal, are you going to the run offs ??

[@dannysteyn]

Yes @Douglas Leanard, already entered for both SM and STL

[@smiley800]

Holy crap. Do you think some of the other issues might have caused the wheel to break or maybe age???

[@dannysteyn]

Hey Mr Hermit, no I think that it was a combination of several features - 1. Way too much rubber on the current SM tire that is braking hubs, wheels, bearings and other suspension components, 2. Significant G-loads (over 2g through the carousel and toe of the boot) and 3. older wheels nearing EOL (end of life) and we have to pay more attention to that in the future. I think all of that combined to produce an event that when under extreme load it just let go, and I was very fortunate that it let go there, and not in the Carousel or in the Laces, or the consequences would have been way worse

[@smiley800]

@@dannysteyn; yes you were. Could have been a LOT worse. Also, at Roebling this past weekend, your suggestion about moving time from the Saturday qualify to the Saturday race, the stewards said that SCCA likes to hear from the drivers. Do you know if that is by emails, a forum or some other correspondence? We pay for the track time, 15 minutes should be enough to get a good lap. And having a race shorter than qualifying... hmmm.

[@dannysteyn]

@@smiley800 I have spoken with Jim Creighton of the SEDiv, and they are working on an alternative schedule

[@cancercoffman42]

Was there something on the track surface for #1? Sucks that it happened. Glad you're all good! See you at Indy!

[@dannysteyn]

Yup, in that first incident in T11, there was oil on the track but the flaggers had not noticed it and we were the first cars through!

[@jbr3rd]

@@dannysteyn The first watch thru I wonder if the chase car bumped you, but upon rewind/replay it was obvious the surface was compromised with some fluid because you both lost it at the same turn. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3_cqH6qrbRlmsk

[@dannysteyn]

@@jbr3rd Nope, no contact from behind, we all slipped in the oil - I think 6 of us in total went off and 3 of us made contact with the wall

[@jbr3rd]

@@dannysteyn ugh, that sucks, glad you're OK and positive about the experience, love watching you race, thanks for sharing the great videos

[@clayton8or]

Damn that lockup, i didnt think you would fall to that! i suppose it can get us all at some point or another.

[@dannysteyn]

Clayton, that lock up, mine and several others, was due to the massive oil slick through T11. No flags, no warning, just a car under me that wouldn't turn in time, and I would rather go straight in than sideways or backwards, which is why I was locking it down. All the safety equipment in the car performs much better in a frontal impact than side or rear impact,

[@clayton8or]

@@dannysteyn I getcha now, sometimes personal safety over ultimate control does favor, as opposed to my limited actual racing experience.

[@jbr3rd]

When you recovered the wheel did you discover wobble holes indicating lug nut(s) came off, or was the rear wheel exit caused by a failed hub?

[@dannysteyn]

Hi James. No wallowed out lug holes, no worn hub or damaged bearings. Just too much tire for a car that was not designed for it, on a very heavily loaded track (pulling almost 2-G's) and the wheel started to fracture. When we examined the wheel there there were several cracks forming. the 5 spokes pulled out of the rim and and when with the center boss, as you see in the final image of the video!

[@peakskir]

@@dannysteyn I did the same with a right front wheel on my trans am at Sonoma a few years back.......... Ripped the spokes right off the rim..

[@dannysteyn]

@@peakskir Yikes - not fun!!!!

[@ejsmith10]

@@dannysteyn Older wheel or relatively new?

[@dannysteyn]

@@ejsmith10 Definitely older, might have to cycle out my wheels based on age

[@tttigggerrr1]

Glad you are ok!

[@dannysteyn]

All good Tiger, merely a few bangs and scrapes!!!

[@tttigggerrr1]

@@dannysteyn Amazing driving as usual!

[@dannysteyn]

@@tttigggerrr1 thanks Tiger!

[@mikespencer9913]

I’m guessing not, but since no one has asked yet… is there any way that the wheel that Elivan touched in Bite#2 ended up on your right rear for R2? BTW, you make so many little ‘saves’ during the course of a lap, I wasn’t sure if Bite#1 had happened until you found the oil! 😉

[@dannysteyn]

hey Mike, no the wheel that let go was not the wheel that touched with Elivan - and yes, if you are driving on the ragged edge of the tires adhesion limit, you are always correcting!!!!!

[@SkunkBearTK]

@@dannysteyn the outer loop "little saves" wake me up even just sitting here watching the in-car. I still don't think outsiders appreciate what it takes to pedal these cars at the front.

[@dannysteyn]

@@SkunkBearTK Yup - if you are wheeling the car for all it has, you are continually on the edge of losing adhesion with the tires, and fortunately the Mazda Miata platform has a wonderful way of telegraphing when it is about to happen, so you can anticipate and counter steer before it becomes necessary. Not all cars and not all tires provide such great feedback. Some let go instantly and unless you have super fast hands, you might not be able to catch it!

[@shootingsportsvid]

Damn tough day at the Glen.

[@dannysteyn]

Some days at the Glen turn out really great, others not so much!

[@douglassleonard2843]

Matt won the under 25 championship in sm, trying to get him convinced to go, sponsorship from Miata is great and local sponsorship is looking good!!!!!; To pay for the deal Any words of incorregment I can give them to help dad and son?????

[@dannysteyn]

Hey Doug, thanks for reaching out. SM and SRF3 are the two best club racing classes in all of the USA,a nd if your kid is good in either of these, he is going to mature into a great wheelman, in any class he enters. SM is a humbling class, one day you are a hero, the next a zero. No wins are given, they are always earned. Racing is a game of marginal gains. In the beginning you think it is all about the car and his skill, but as you go on you realize there is so much more that determines how successful he will be. he needs to hone his car control skills, work on a skid pan, spend days doing nothing but 2-3 upshifts, work on his data analysis with a good data coach, work on his cardio vascular ability, his muscle strength, his flexibility, and so much more. Nutrition, sleep, meditation, mental preparedness. None of these on their own are worth a tenth a lap, but when you stack them up on top of each other, you have a 63 year old racing his fastest lap times in his entire career. it is amazing what we can all accomplish if we set out minds to it, AND DO THE WORK!!!!

[@christiansandmann6155]

After all a great outcome considering the potential downsides! I have a lot of respect for T11 at Watkins Glen and I hope the race gods never let me experience oil in this one.

[@dannysteyn]

Yes Christian, Turn 11 demands respect. It is one of those corners you always feel you could have gone slightly faster, until you are that smidge too fast and give it a good kiss. I love T11, but that oil was a BIG surprise!

[@jackjetpilot]

a good laugh after you punched him in the face, I hope...

[@dannysteyn]

Nope, it was just a simple mistake, he thought he would have enough of a run to get by me, but it didn't work out. We are good friends, and I love racing Elivan!

[@motorsportheaven9321]

darn chinese made wheels!

[@dannysteyn]

Mine was just one of several that broke over the weekend!

[@philstireservice5476]

It's not Chinese made wheels specifically........there are good designs and there are bad designs.

[@donaldmiller8629]

@@philstireservice5476 , And then there are overloaded older wheels.