An E-Ticket Ride at Roebling Road

A. Background

I started having brake problems last May. I changed to a higher temperature pad material and added cooling. It seemed OK, except at the end of a long straight at Sebring (heading into the esses). I checked the front pads before heading to Roebling Road (Savannah) and had sufficient pad thickness

B. Saturday

This weekend I was in Group 1, so we headed out on the track at 8:30 AM. It was in the 60's. I spun early with no brakes going into Turn 1 (which is at the end of a very long full throttle section that is maybe 1 mile long) and go stuck in the sand trap to the floor pan. My friend Jesse Trout and I repaired the damage from being pulled out. I went out for the race and was passing cars (that was fun)and brakes felt fine except a couple of spots. One time heading into Turn 1, I slid and slither my way through and did not spin. I was wondering if I had a sticky caliper, when I spun in Turn 5. I got back on the course, fishtailed until full throttle and spun. I pulled over the corner station and discovered I had a big oil leak and that the Accusump had not discharged. So, I parked it.

After I got back to the trailer, I thought about my brake problems. I believed that they were not getting up to their operating temperature. So, I taped over the cooling duct inlets.

C. Sunday

Qualifying 8:30, temperature in the 60's. I went out and the brakes were OK but often needed pumping to get them working. I came out of Turn 9 on the front straight like a bat out of hell. I even passed a RX7. It was great. I think I was over 120+mph. I was pumping the brakes at 500 ft from Turn 1, so I pumped the brakes at about 600 feet. Nothing happened. I pumped about 4-6 times. Still nothing. I tried make the turn and the car swapped ends. I was facing backwards. I knew I was going to hit the berm and it was going to hurt, but backwards was the way the way to do it.

I felt the hit, saw the grass, saw the sky and then my helmet hit the roll cage and I had long blink. I realized that I had not only hit the berm but went right over. I turned off the ignition and unbuckled. No pain, so I reached over and turned off the master switch. I knew the corner workers at Turn 1 were having heart attacks. So I ran up the 80 degree, 8 foot high (on the backside) berm to signal to them that I was not dead or seriously injured. I was out of breath when I reached the top and could not signal them. :-) When I caught my breath, I signaled them that I was OK. After the session, I was taken to medical.

D. The Car

The rear bumper was torn off. The right rear corner is damaged. The rear subframe is bent. The differential support arm is broken. The right rear fender is dinged. The front bumper is displaced. The radiator cowling is damaged. The left front wheel is bent. The left front tire is cut. The rear sway bar is bent. The frame is bent right behind the right rear bumper support.

E. My Condition

The EMT's did not find anything wrong with me, except for an elevated pulse and blood pressure. I had a little tenderness at my solar plexus from my belts. My left leg was a little sore that feels like I pressed really hard on the dead pedal. My back and neck were a little sore, which was from the physical effort to loading the car and other gear into the trailer, I think). By the following Wednesday, I was no longer sore anywhere.

F. The Other Stuff

I checked my helmet and there's a mark from the red duct tape that holds the hard foam on the rollcage and in its center are some surface cracks. So, I bought a new helmet the following weekend at Daytona.

That Sunday Susan (my wife) and I got the Miata out of the enclosed trailer with technical advice from Jay Griffin. It involved careful trailer driving, car dollies (borrow from Steve Martin - no not the comedian) and changing the left front tire while inside the trailer.

I am upset at myself. I should not have been out there with the marginal brakes. I should have known better. But, I know I am lucky to be alive, uninjured and without any pain.

I'll be back, so see you at the track.

Perry