While everyone has to fend for themselves to a degree, I'm somewhat
disturbed by these "spin control methods". We advocate a "lock all four
wheels and slide" approach to recovering from a spin, not because it gets
you back on the track faster - it doesn't - but because it's safest for you
and for those around you.
Why? because with all wheels locked, the tires can't steer, and you go in a
straight line. That means that others around you can predict better where
you are going to go, and you tend to go in the direction you where going
before you began to spin - down the track. We learned this at Mosport,
where the armco was very close to the track for many years, and you tend to
be driving very fast when you get into trouble. As a member of VARAC's
driver conduct commitee, we will formally warn a driver who tries to drive
out of a serious spin without locking up and sliding off the track because
many, if not most, of our serious collisions are a direct result of the
"stand on it and see" school of skid control.
It goes without saying, I hope, that throttle control is one of the best
methods of trying to control an incipent spin, before it's too far gone. But
once you've gotten past the point of no return, suck it up, and silde off
the track. Remember, YOU'RE the one that caused the spin, not the guy that
you are racing with!
Rant over! Hope you all understand how one can get emotional about things
like this.
Cheers, Brian Evans
t 06:00 AM 9/18/96 -0400, you wrote:
>jim hayes wrote:
>> ... snip ...
>> BTW, what was everybody taught to do when you spin? I found three separate
>> methods in the books! I'm of the "stand on it " group. If I lose it, I stand
>> on it, spin it to the inside 180-270 and get lined up for reentering the
>> course. Learned at the Roos School and perfected during a rally school in
>> the UK.
>>
>> jeh@fotec.com http://www.fotec.com/jim.htm
>> veni, vedi, veloce
>
>I have to side with the right-foot theory myself... up to a point. My
>cars (911s) do not behave like some "others" in that a spin can most
>often be avoided by planting the right foot (most of the weight in the
>rear, transfer of more weight by acceleration, rear-wheel drive, etc..).
>Once the "point of no return" has been passed, I am more than likely
>going to try to make it a 360 (or two 180s) in order to minimize the
>time lost. This approach assumes the spin is occuring at a spot where
>this method has some possibility for success (like turn 1 at Sebring - I
>have the pictures...). If the spin occurs early in a corner or in the
>middle of a set of complex corners, then the approach reverts to the
>"both feet in" to stop the car safely and in a predictable manner,
>thereby avoiding complicating matters more for any following drivers.
>
>The key word above is "predictable". This is a term we should stress to
>all our ranks and should be practiced religiously (unless it's the last
>lap of the CART finale...). I was taught using the comparison of a
>rolling bowling ball to a rolling football. Which one would you have
>more success in catching? When applied to drivers, which would you have
>more success in completing a safe pass on? Something to think about...
>
>Right foot (Yeee Haaaa, Myles...)
>
>*8o)
>
Brian Evans
Director, General Sales
UUNET Canada Inc.
20 Bay Street, Suite 1910
Toronto, ON, M5J 2N8
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