Everyone who races has stories. Some are about victory so sweet, but most are more likely about total disasters. Here is the first of my seven hairiest moments on track.
Every racer eventually gets hit–or worse, hits someone. My first time was at the kink at Mid-Ohio. I was running my Triumph TR3 vintage racer and minding my own business when, all of a sudden, I heard this horrible thwack from behind.
Apparently, a novice driver had done what we all do early in our racing careers: He was driving the car in front of him instead of the track itself. He apparently had no idea where he was on track and was even more puzzled that I would slow down to get through the kink after Turn 1. He just kept going straight–right into me.
[Every racer’s worst enemy? A lack of awareness.]
The hairiest part of getting hit on track, especially from the rear, is that you have no idea how bad it is. You can’t just get out of the car and look things over while still on track. Have you cut a tire? Is there even anything left of the car behind the driver’s seat? You just don’t know.
After recovering from the spin, I slowed down and pulled off the line with my mind racing. What should I do, keep going or head to the pits? As I heard no weird noises coming from under the car and the corner workers weren’t running toward me, I did what most racers would do: put the hammer down and kept running.
[After a Crash, Part 1: Three Types of Wrecks]
Once back in the pits, I hurriedly jumped out to assess the damage. That huge noise and all that drama resulted only in minor dents in the quarter panel and tail panel. We quickly patched up the car and kept racing.
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