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+--- Thread: RIP my friend (/showthread.php?tid=5768)
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RIP my friend - John - 04-08-2007
A sad day for me, as I look over the carcass of my beloved car. You were a humble servent old friend - 4.5 years of ownership and 9K miles of track weekend fun. I will miss you...
What happened? Well, a combination of things, but ultimately the icing on the cake was my driving. I came to a new track with a new suspension, and I simply pushed the envelope too much with the car without respecting the track enough. Instead of spending time on perfecting the line and learning the nooks and crannies of the track, I focused too much on exploring the limits of my new suspension. Another mistake was that I should have been running a little more conservatively on my rear sway bar setting to learn the car instead of flicking it around.
I came into the esses (Buttonwillow 13CCW) pretty hotat the top of 4th gear, using the curbs pretty aggresively. As I crested the last left curb hard, I got knocked sideways in a blink of an eye and I was sent sideways directly into the raised concrete flag stand, which was protected by a layer of tires. Nothing I could do at that point, and I saw the corner workers there jump out of the nest right before I impacted.
The damage? Well, ground zero was right behind the front right wheel - the entire firewall is shifted over several inches. I almost rolled, and I have to say that I can't say enough for having my roll bar there. I didn't even notice the airbags go off, and the OEM door bars held up wonderfully. I have to admit that these cars really do well in protecting the cabin as I had a VERY hard impact that probably would have seriously injured the passengers in most cars.
All in all, I'm alright, although my ego is bruised and I know that my neck is going to be throbbing tomorrow. I have nobody to blame but myself as I make all the decisions on my car, and as the driver, I made a mistake that I can't take back. There were a lot of preventive measures that could have avoided this accident, but that's all in hindsight... it's unfortunate, but just a friendly reminder that unless you can bite the bullet and write off the car, you probably shouldn't be taking it to the track. While I'm pretty upset that I totalled my car, I think I'm more upset that I did it at the time that I did. This weekend was the culmination of many hours of personal work and energy to get the car back where I wanted it to be, and unfortunately, my enjoyment of that moment was minimal...
I have no idea what's next to be honest, I will just need some time to recoup my thoughts and prepare myself for whatever lies ahead.
And of course a few pictures for your sadistic enjoyment...
![[Image: total2.jpg]](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t165/jseddon3/total2.jpg)
![[Image: total1.jpg]](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t165/jseddon3/total1.jpg)
![[Image: total3.jpg]](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t165/jseddon3/total3.jpg)
- BLINGMW - 04-08-2007
wow yeah.... look at that door bar poking through there...
Glad you're ok man.
- JohnC - 04-08-2007
That'll buff right out. I'm just glad to hear hear that you're relatively ok.
- WRXtranceformed - 04-08-2007
Oh man, I'm glad you're okay!!! That really sucks though dude, I guess you weren't planning on insurance covering it heh.
That's the #1 reason why I never tracked the STi.
Nurse your wounds and plan ahead brother, you'll be back on the track in no time with another hellchariot!
- G.Irish - 04-08-2007
Well you walked away from it so its all good. In the life of every fast driver there will be mistakes. You already know what you did to lead there and thanks for sharing it with us so we can check ourselves too.
You'll ride again and you'll be able to look back on this and laugh (or cry). Glad you didn't get hurt, that looked like a damned ugly impact.
Did you catch the looks on the cornerworkers faces?
- Feersty - 04-08-2007
Sorry about that John, glad you came away relatively unscathed. Was the car paid off?
- Ginger - 04-08-2007
Sorry to see the car like that, John. It's good to hear that you're OK, though, and not as if it needs to be said, but the maturity with which you talk about it is pretty awesome.
Do you think you'll end up back at the track; maybe with a cheaper car, or go a completely different direction altogether?
- BLAIR - 04-08-2007
So sorry to see that..glad you are ok..I will always remember my ride along passing everything on the track ( ferrari guy didnt know what was up)
- Sijray21 - 04-08-2007
Sorry to hear about the car John
. The way you explained it is a good reality and ego check that can be heeded by all.Did you sustain any injuries? Did you have a passenger?
- Mike - 04-08-2007
Feersty Wrote:Was the car paid off?
Rob, some day you'll learn all the things you're not supposed to say.
John, sorry for your loss. I'm really glad you're OK.
- John - 04-08-2007
Dropped the car and trailer off at a shop out here today just to placate the shop's request to see if they could buy it to salvage it and turn it into a racecar. Once they saw the car, they concurred with my opinion that it's unrepairable, even for the best of frame pullers as the entire tranny tunnel is shifted over as well - sometimes the pics don't do it justice.
To answer a few questions:
No, no passengers
Car has 5 more payments left - I was really looking forward to getting rid of a car note.
I have a few ideas as to what I'm going to do next, but I need to take a step back from being impulsive and think about some of the other important things in my life (i.e. the lady friend). Too long have I always thought about myself and I need to consider what's going to be best for "us" when she joins me here this summer. I've considered an 05 Elise, E36 IP M3, 02 Z06, and even a replacement car... there's something wrong with me... Regardless, I'm not going to be doing anything this month as I'll be travelling a decent amount of time the next several months back and forth to the east coast...
While I'm not injured, I am feeling worse as the day goes on - almost fluish symptoms with a now very painful neck and some numbness from the whiplash.
- BLINGMW - 04-08-2007
Honestly John, you should probably see a doctor. It's likely a little physical therapy would do you good. Not trying to scare you, but you could have a muscle spasm (like I had after a wreck years ago, I too was "fine" and walked away... until the next day when I could barely move) or messed up disk, which is all repairable stuff, but the longer you let it go, the harder it is to fix. And in the meantime you're just in pain instead of getting cool electroshock massages from hot nurses and feeling better! :thumbup:
- Scott - 04-08-2007
from someone in the medical field, go see a doctor ASAP
- John - 04-08-2007
I guess I'll make an appt for tomorrow - I refuse to sacrifice my sanity to spending hours in the ER this evening...
J, who is very stubborn...
- Scott - 04-08-2007
John Wrote:I guess I'll make an appt for tomorrow - I refuse to sacrifice my sanity to spending hours in the ER this evening...
J, who is very stubborn...
I agree the ER is a very frustrating place
- .paul - 04-08-2007
at least you are fine.
there will be plenty of time to get more cars. best of luck with that neck
- JackdaMak - 04-08-2007
Sorry john to see that happen to your car... I know everything probably feels really awkward now when something like that happens. :? Def get yourself checked up hope you get to feeling better. You'll be out there on the tracks again in no time. Take it easy man.
- ScottyB - 04-08-2007
sorry to see this happen man. at least you are being humble and intelligent about the results -- keep us updated and best wishes for the next trackmobile
- Dave - 04-08-2007
I'm so sorry to see your car in such shape, that makes me really sad. However, I am glad to see that you seem to be ok, though I highly recommend checking out with a doctor as well.
Since you're already tossing around ideas, I'll add to the fray. Why not get an older base model Z and transfer the goodies over that weren't damaged? Would probably be very cost effective and would keep you in familiar territory. You always seemed very happy with the car, and it was quite fast and fun to drive.
- Mike - 04-08-2007
john, i concur that you NEED to see a doctor ASAP. i wouldn't even wait until the morning.