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[Fot] Followup on that Z-car crash

To: members@dctra.org,fot@autox.team.net
Subject: [Fot] Followup on that Z-car crash
From: "David W. Riddle" <dave@microworks.net>
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:21:19 -0700
Here is the in-car video and the drivers write-up of what happened


>More pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffdegrieck/MidOhioSept2008
>In-car video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DhvdaMMrmkF8
>
>
>Hey all, here are the pics of my crash at mid-o =

>this wknd. Data said I was going about 95mph =

>when I went off the back straight before 7. Some =

>kind of brake failure. Had brakes for a split =

>second then nothing. Slowed from 130 down to 95. =

>Someone said I flipped about 9 times. =

>Cartwheeled over the gravel trap and catapulted over
>the tire barrier and then over/through a 18 foot =

>fence and ended up in the spectator area. =

>Officials said they have never seen a car go =

>that far out or seen a crash like that at =

>mid-ohio. I=E2m completely fine though, just a =

>small bump on head. Can't say the same about the =

>Z. Thanks to everyone out there that helped me =

>out especially cat killer, ralphy and ed.
>
>Yes, i had a hans on. That's what probably gave =

>me the bruise on my forehead. Hans stopped my =

>helmet but my head smashed into the inside of my =

>helmet. I had a racetech seat with wings and =

>head bolsters. Did not have a net on the right. =

>Had a 5 point harness (2 groin belts combine =

>into one buckle). Car never really had a hard =

>impact. Just kept on doing cartwheels over a =

>long distance dissipating the energy. Looking at =

>the in car video looks like instinct took over =

>and i tried turning at the end of the straight =

>so i started flipping almost before i left the concrete. Should of
>gone off straight into china beach and hopefully =

>had the gravel slow me down b/f hitting tire =

>wall. Thing that bothers me the most is not =

>knowing what happened to the brakes. Childs is =

>conducting a csi investigation. My data showed a =

>1.2 G slowdown at the 400 mark just like always =

>but only for a split second. Pedal felt good.
>Then my G's gradually dropped to 0. I remember =

>lifting and pushing in the pedal again and the =

>data showed my G's came back up to .7 then =

>quickly dropped back down to 0 before i turned =

>the car and flipped. I don't ever remember the pedal just hitting the floo=
r.
>Brake fluid reservoir was still filled after the =

>crash. Looking at the in car video, the car =

>really shimmied at initial braking, almost =

>looking like the rear brakes were working but =

>not the front. Only evidence we have so far is =

>on the front left wheel, the rotor had a weird =

>discoloration and was completely scoured and gouged as if
>the caliper was stuck. I don't see how this =

>happend though b/f the crash though b/c the car =

>was pretty dead on straight, not drifting to the =

>left as you would expect so maybe it somehow got =

>scoured after the crash. Car does have ABS but I =

>don't think it ever activated. Braking was =

>totally fine going down the keyhole just prior.

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