Autocross carnage - GT3 takes out a WRX, Celica GT, A3
I've been to several SCCA Autocross events, run in a couple, and can proudly say the most damage I've seen consists of a dirt-filled grille and a flat tire. But the SCCA folks don't make you sign those release forms and wear those cool hair-pulling bracelets for nothing.
No, the very reason you sign away any right to compensation recently happened at an AutoX competition in Oregon. After running the first three times in his Porsche 911 GT3, that car's owner handed the keys to a friend for the fourth run.
At the end of that fateful fourth run, driven, we remind you, by the owner's "friend," the clutch was depressed instead of the brake. Yeah.
The $100k+ Porsche slammed into and bounced off of a Toyota Celica GT and then hit a Subaru WRX which took out an Audi A3. While the Celica was a competitor's car (owned, ironically, by the safety steward who laid out the course), the A3 and Subaru owners were just spectators.
It's hard to tell how this one will turn out, but discussion in the VWVortex forum is questioning the safety of the course design, but also bringing up safety issues at Portland International Raceway. Thankfully no one was injured. Not that we know of, anyway. However, if one of my friends wrecked my GT3, well...
Check out the gallery as well as the continuing discussion at VWVortex.
Thanks for the tip, TGM3!
Get a WordPress.com Blog
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
In2uition 10:47AM (4/25/2007)
DAMN....that is crazy....
Reply
Sodamninsane 11:08AM (4/25/2007)
LOL> Party foul! this is why you give rides, not let people drive.
Reply
ruggels 10:59AM (4/25/2007)
WTF, was the vette an auto? I mean this guy did shift out of first while executing the course right? Sigh... I guess this is what happens when you had a purpose built german track monster to a Ammmmerrrrrkan car aficionado :).
I kid I kid, more like this is what happens when you had someone a different animal then they're used to driving and said person decides to push it outside their envalope. Damn, I'm curious of insurance covers the other cars. Poor WRX and A3.
Reply
Drewboy 11:05AM (4/25/2007)
I would guess that no insurance will cover this loss, unless they had purchased specialty insurance on the vehicles that covered them while racing. Every auto policy I've ever read excludes losses while racing. If the Subie and Audi weren't racing that day, they might have a chance of recovery through their collision insurance. However, if they raced that day, the insurance company will probably deny and it could end up in court. Also, just because the people involved signed a waiver, doesn't mean they can't sue anyway.
Reply
Panda 11:07AM (4/25/2007)
Depressed the clutch instead of the brake!!!! someone needs a new brain.Bad form on the part of the owner who didnt realise his friend was so physically handicapped to pull off such a farce.What a screw up.
Reply
Mike 11:09AM (4/25/2007)
The owner of the Porsche is going to be responsible, the insurance won't cover damage incurred during a "race" even if it was just a parking lot autocross.
I've run open track events with Porsche owners before, for every decent driver, there's 15 of them who have too much money and think they are the cat's ass. Their overinflated egos can't allow them to be passed by guys in less expensive cars so they typically over drive them and go off track. Luckily most of the time either there is no damage, or they damage their own cars and no one elses'.
In this case, mister rich boy wanted to show off how great his car was and gave the keys to his moron friend who doesn't know the brake pedal from the clutch, you get what you deserve and now he'll be paying for 3 damaged cars and his own which is probably a $50k repair as parts for those exotics aren't cheap.
Reply
Justin 11:10AM (4/25/2007)
That's why I'm staying out of scca racing. Somehow the dumbest people have the most expensive cars and take out the most innocents on the way to destroying their own car.
I would make that kid eat his parents if he destroyed my wrx.
Reply
Dandy 11:15AM (4/25/2007)
I think the SCCA has insurance for this type of thing, I did my first autoX this weekend and they specifically mentioned property damage. Those cars should have been nowhere near the course in the first place. Poor course setup, bad spectator control, and lousy driving.
Reply
RoadRunnerSTi 11:16AM (4/25/2007)
This is insane.... that's why I try attend SCCA events where my car can be parked in area where there is ZERO chance of it getting hit.
Poor A3 owner though.... car can't be more then a few months old and now look at it..... heads would be rolling if it were my 07 STi.
Reply
Aki 11:16AM (4/25/2007)
I'm scratching my head how you could press the clutch instead of the brake. Maybe he's used to an automatic (or F1 car lol), and uses his left foot for braking and right for gas.
But in normal manual transmission land, the left foot's for clutch, right for brake/gas. So there's not even a chance of hitting the clutch by mistake. Yeesh.
Reply
RR 11:24AM (4/25/2007)
It looks like it happen in the pit area. I would not be surprised if he finished his run and then crashed when trying to park the car back. Either that or the pit area is dangerously close to the track.
This is the reason why I always take rental cars to these events :D
Reply
akintz 11:19AM (4/25/2007)
First regional event here is next weekend... but every event I've been to and raced around here has always had the exit pretty far away from anything at all - for reasons seen above. Not to mention the pit/spectating sections usually in a separate part of the lot.
Though maybe my region is just lucky on courses? We also don't have any GT3s showing up last I knew. We have a regular Z06, but that's about it.
Reply
ClutchCargo 1:34PM (4/25/2007)
And there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Reply
jj 12:15PM (4/25/2007)
That Celica GT is a joke of a car and probably had it coming.
Serious bummer, though.
Reply
Deren 1:38PM (4/25/2007)
Hi, I am a Brit living in POrtland and my friend was running at this event. I was looking for him and I was stood leaning against he grey Mazda speedsix (next to the white celica). As I was calling his cell phone to see where he was this GT3 came through the race exit, fish tailed like he was on the accelator and came straight at my and my girlfriend. We jumped left and it missed us and Bens car by 3 feet, pushing that celica back a cars length.
We are just out of all the photos, but we were basically leaning up against the back of the grey mazda. The GT3 swerved to aviod us and hit the celica instead. . .
My account is on my blog at http://gsmblue.blogspot.com/
I was just out of shot for the piccies, me and my girl were the ones walking arounf in snowboarding gear as we had just got off the mountain. .
Can I use your photos on my blog? I will obviously credit you for them . .
That pit lane exit was a joke. I have raced karts for years and I was amazed there was no chicane to force a slow down before the car went towrds the parking lot . .
Thanks.
Reply
Lee 12:55PM (4/25/2007)
There's nothing wrong with a Celica GT (actually thats a Celica GTS)
Reply
Aki 1:57PM (4/25/2007)
"It looks like it happen in the pit area. I would not be surprised if he finished his run and then crashed when trying to park the car back. Either that or the pit area is dangerously close to the track."
Don't think three cars can be bent up that much from parking. Seems like the Celica was sitting at the end of the turn, and the Porsche overran the course, causing the mashup.
Reply
Dan from Delaware 2:18PM (4/25/2007)
That's a bad course design. They should never had a fast straight that pointed right into the pits.
Reply
Don 2:34PM (4/25/2007)
Depressed the clutch by mistake. Riiiiiight.
Just another case of "he shouldn't have been behind the wheel".
Reply
Bob-o 2:38PM (4/25/2007)
Shame on the course designer.
Reply