Pitt Race Crash 6-4-2017

I had an accident at turn 16 on the Piutt Race Full Track.
Here's my analysis of what went wrong. Turn 16 is a fast right-hand kink, which allows for very little time to settle the car for braking hard into 17. I usually took 16 flat, at 110-115mph.
On this lap, I was catching a TTU Mustang in front of me. I expected him to pull away on the straight much more than he did, and I definitely did not expect him to lift like he did for 16. No brake lights, but you can see right before I lose it how fast I gained on that car. Once I realized what was happening, I hit the brakes at exactly the wrong moment: in 16. But my only thought was 'do not hit that car.'

[@alexanderwademd]

What a gift it is to us less experienced drivers that you are willing to post these crashes. I deeply appreciate it. I hope I'm as honorable as you are if I dent mine. Also - if we're ever at Road America together let me buy you a beverage of choice to thank you for posting the turn 13 crash. I take that turn like it's impossible to spin there and I'll definitely be thinking of you the next time I'm through there!

[@owensnicholas]

Thank you for the kind words, Alex. I hadn't actually seen this video in a few years, so thank you for the walk down memory lane. I became a MUCH better driver in the couple years that followed...until the pandemic hit and I skipped all last season. I'd be happy to share some stories over a drink some day. I love Road America so much. I hope that I get to go back there soon.

[@jsvorec]

I commend you for use of the head and neck restraint, and paying attention to this aspect of safety and driving. Everyone who watches this video should go out and buy one right now. Given the impact you could've had significant neck injury. Even with very experienced drivers things happen very quickly on the track.

[@owensnicholas]

Yeah, I made a pretty big investment in safety this year, and it was just in time. Thanks for your comment. :)

[@porsche901911]

Thanks for posting. Huge lesson here, for everyone. You're obviously nailing it to the wall, but then, oh sh#t! Summit Point going through the Chute, same situation except going left into T5.

[@Ryan-wo4rm]

Thanks for posting and a great lesson. I hate 16. I have a big heavy car and it is a bit tricky getting through 16 right to set up for 17. Most of the time I am very conservative because it's the only place on the track I have puckered myself. I will be extra careful when there is traffic after seeing this.

[@dvas2686]

Thanks for sharing. To me, this looked like a classic case of lift off oversteer in a front wheel drive car.

[@gpcirillo]

Bummer. Looked to me like a heavy lift at apex. But you can't learn without making mistakes! Think about a sharper, bigger countersteer. You don't want to tank-slap, but you need to stop the car's rotation ASAP, not gradually. This video is in a car that has 1 turn lock-to-lock steering. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnjYqHanlsqtns0

[@CountryBoyShane]

We had three catastrophic wrecks this weekend at Pitt Race. All due to "red mist" phenomena and trying fixate on other cars in front of them. T17 is a doozy, and the brake zone is way longer than what it seems. You're pretty much rotating the car 180 degrees and there's no way you can do that at 70 MPH! A lesson to all that are in time trial or trying to cut the fat out of your lap times. The high horsepower guys can't take T16 flat out, and need to lift a little. Let this video be a reminder to all to be 3 steps ahead of the person in front you at all times!

[@owensnicholas]

Sage advice. When I get a chance I'll post a video that demonstrates application of what I learned here in this crash. I went to pass another car and wasn't absolutely sure he saw me. So when he didn't, I had the margin to brake a little harder and avoid him turning in to me.

[@racedayphotog]

Yeah, I would say that this one was a bit worse than the one at Road America.

[@oleboy4332]

Seems like the car in front of you stopped! Wth happened there?

[@owensnicholas]

The lesson I learned here is to be cautious around people I don't know. This event combined a couple of NASA regions, so there were drivers I didn't know. Yes, that driver went through that corner way slower than I would have expected. But I should have been prepared for it. I was competing, so backing off in case that driver did something unexpected wasn't my first priority. As I said, lesson learned. Thanks for the question and stay safe. :)

[@rbpeirce]

Been there but I chose to hit the car. I didn't. Amazing how good ABS is! Years ago there was a similar accident at 16 at just about every event. Not so much anymore but it still happens.

[@wdodd2004]

Hey Nick, not sure if you're open to 3rd party analysis or not but here is my take on this...but I think you overreacted to the closing speed to the Mustang... when you lost it in 16, you were not that close to him in my opinion. You had at least 3 maybe 4 car lengths. If you were on his bumper at 0:53, I'd have a different opinion completely. Yes, you were closing on him, but if you had kept on it, or just lifted you could've closed within a few feet of him and by that time you would have been in the braking zone and could handle the situation much differently with a more stable car. That's just dealing with the situation as presented... by your own admission you thought he would gap you more. I know this car since I drive TT in the same region and if he is not gapping you, he's just cruising. With so little time to react on the race track, use that car knowledge and expectations to prep your reaction. If he wasn't gapping me I assume he's off it and I'm probably going to lay back coming into a heavy braking zone. It's also easy for me to say that since I'm not out there right now, on a hot lap, trying to win TT. :) Sorry about the crash and I hope the car is fixable.

[@owensnicholas]

Thanks for your comment, Will. I am always open to feedback and critique. It's totally possible you're right. I'm pretty used to running with other cars at speed, even through tricky sections like this. But the rate at which I gained on the Mustang caught me totally off guard and my only thought was 'do not hit that car.' Not overreacting, as you said, will come with more time on track in TT. In the meantime, I think there are plenty of other lessons to be learned. I made a pretty big leap in lap time in this session. Among other things, that meant I was gaining on cars I hadn't before. Lots of things to be cautious about there. Thanks again for your comment. I'll check out your channel when I have a chance.

[@wdodd2004]

You're welcome Nick! It's easy for me to sit here and watch a video and say what I would've done. :) Get the car fixed up and get back out there soon!

[@rcarson15]

If you were closing on him that quickly, why didnt you just pass him on the brakes? lol

[@owensnicholas]

Because I had entered 16 with no room to get to the inside under braking. As I said, I did not expect to catch that car as quickly as I did, particularly through 16. If I had been prepared for that, sure, that would have been nice. The best I can do is learn from this mistake and move on.

[@milesonewheelwinter]

Lifted

[@owensnicholas]

Thanks for commenting. As I say in the description, I hit the brakes to avoid a car which slowed through that much more than I expected. As you rightly point out, that's a terrible place to lift - much less brake. If I had been more prepared for that eventuality, I might have tried to go straight off instead of spin. This was one of two big crashes I had last year where I learned some important lessons.