Another Autocross Safety Thread

In reply to iceracer:

I've seen at least 4 different fwd cars lift the inside rear wheel at our local events. Its never been an issue expect for the fact that they were all facter than me

Back in the early 90s I put my Datsun 1200 on two wheels twice; the first time we were using the local 1/3 mile oval and one of the corners was off camber, I ran a touch wide, the outside wheels caught the flat at the bottom of the banking, the car snapped back the other way, popped up on two wheels and lifted the inside wheels about two feet of the ground. The second time was a 90 left into a 90 right, I was letting the car slide into the left hander then I would apply opposite lock roll on the throttle and let it snap into the right hander to get a great drive off the corner. On my third run the car snapped up onto two wheels in a big way. People in the timing trailer could see the whole underside of the car......it was very close to going over. We made some suspension changes after this event and never had an issue again. I was running in DSP at the time, the car was also road race legal so had I flipped it at least there was a roll cage and window net.

Tom

Back when we held autocross on a 3/8 mile oval, we had two cars roll.

Both were because of course design. Off camber and too close to the edge of the pavement.

In later years we learned to avoid both.

In reply to Lancer007:

My bone stock Civic Hybrid will lift a rear wheel It's surprisingly quick.

I've seen one car go on 2 wheels. It was a smart car, lowered with sticky street tires. Off camber decreasing radius. I was working that corner and could see a large part of under the car. Saved it. Somehow. Don't think that car's permitted back.

At least two of my local hotshoes lift a rear wheel at events with their old Hondas.

Knurled wrote: i can produce a video of a Passat wagon on OE tires rolling in a parking lot. Whipsaw this way and that and over it goes.

I agree, many stock cars with taller ride height and relatively soft suspension can really give 2 wheels a run for its money with a good scandinavian flick (for best results, get a suicide knob on the steering wheel), even on stock tires.

I don't think they should be dis-allowed from AutoX events because of that.

Saw an Isetta fall over at a Gymkhana.

I also had a 1200 and had it on three wheels - though that may have been the time I forgot to tighten the lug nuts. Anyhow, after turning it into an autocross terror, while on an especially fast off-camber part of the track, on race slicks, I'm pretty sure I lifted both inside wheels; the ride suddenly got quieter and smoother. Uneventful though - I miss that car sometimes.

Gary wrote: Rupert, I agree with Chrispy that it makes for a dramatic cover picture, but is that really a race track? It looks like a track from the fifties with the trees so close to the pavement and no Armco. Or is that a country road somewhere around Ann Arbor, Michigan, with an amateur red and white stripe paint job on the curb added for effect? Did they mention in the article where it was photographed?

Sitting at the local B&N sipping a latte while perusing R&T, and found the answer to my question. The location is "State Route 165 heading towards Carbonado, Washington," according to Zach Bowman. I still don't know how the red and white stripes appeared on the curb. Chicanery I assume. No pun intended.

I was told I put my cousin's bone stock 4 door Rabbit Diesel up on two wheels in an autocross years ago. There aren't any pictures from it, but based on how easy it was to lift the rear wheel on my Rabbit it doesn't surprise me. I will have to look at some of the pictures from those events and see if I have any of either car with more than one wheel up in the air.