Snuckley

Prayers to him, his family , the healthcare team and the driver. The times I've heard of the right seat guy getting hurt always reminds me of a chopper crew going down trying to help someone in need.
Any of you who live near the instructor can help by bringing them some meals, walking the dog, helping with kid duties etc. The little things we need to do everyday, so his loved ones can spend more time with him during this critical phase.
Hang in there man, keep pushing for the checkered.

rmackintosh

As one who has been through many of the same issues...my thoughts and prayers go out to all involved! Hoping for the very best!!

jaa1992

Any updates on the instructor's condition?
Prayers to him and his family

athornt2

I was searching the net for updates and came across this on rennlist. Mods - If this information is not accurate or inappropriate please feel free to delete my comment. My thoughts and prayers go out to the instructor.

"I hate even posting this since it comes to me second hand. But in this case a very, very credible second hand so I'd thought you'd like to know

Absolutely no fatality, but instructor did apparently suffer the amputation of a lower extremity body part.

I have no other details so please don't ask.

What you can do is say a prayer for his speedy recovery and rehabilitation.

This is certainly the dark side of our passion so do everything you can to remain safe.

Tom B."

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...-question.html

sothpaw2

Glad he's alive. Praying his quality of life will be the best possible.

95jersey

Prayers and thoughts with the instructor and his family. I have been fortunate in my day to have very good experiences instructing. It is hard work.

You want to think what could have been done better or would any safety devices have helped, but the answer is probably no. I have had debris fly at my car at speed and if I was on line at speed, I just let it hit the car, not to upset my line, knowing paint or a body panel can be repaired. One time a huge softball like rock flew directly toward my face (eye level) from the car in front of me that went off. I was doing 90mph through a tricky section and thought for SURE this rock was coming through the window and right into my face. I had no choice but to keep my line and pray. Thank GOD the rock did not break the windshield. The guy in front of me would not let me pass and was driving beyond his limit. Needless to say I got in his face after that session.

NASAblue

Best wishes to a fellow instructor.

I have seen plenty of ground hogs on that track last year: a couple of times on the front straight and the entrance to the carousel, I had my student stay wide to avoid hitting it at the apex of the carousel. Fortunately it seemed decisive and went the opposite way, but the next time around the track he was over on the outside, meaning he crossed back over, or there were two.

Similarly, on the front stretch there was a ground hog hit there at one school and another where one seemed to just hang out on just past the start finish line. Those groundhog didn't seem to mind one bit there were cars coming by at 120+ mph. It might make a little more sense that the "object" in the middle of the front straight might have moved unpredictably to force a sudden correction and cause this sudden and obviously violent reaction.

If I went down (got injured or killed) going wheel to wheel, I could live with it; however the idea of being taken out looping the track and hustling back and forth, giving up track time to explain things to the students to save $300-$500 doesn't seem worth it. It's so rare to get a weekend off, and with the investment in the car, trailer, and tow vehicle, it just doesn't seem worth being subject to this sort of risk or hassle. I think instructing might be something I save for special occasions where I know the student or ride along with a friend.

sothpaw2

Not sure if there's an update...hope he is making some sort of recovery.

I've found in HPDE that what you mention here is all too often the norm w/solo drivers. I was actually congratulated last year in the paddock for letting someone pass with the implication that few actually follow the rules. I wish I could say it's as simple as 1 marquee vs another but it's not. I've experienced it at all Corvette events. Even from guys you passed on day 1, when they had an instructor, won't once they solo. There's a lot of ego in HPDE unfortunately.

StreetSpeed

That depends entirely on which groups you do events with. I primarily instruct with the Audi Club which are some of the nicest, helpful, most welcoming people you could ever be on track with. The beginner groups are usually full of eager to learn drivers, and the advanced and instructor groups have very strictly enforced passing rules. If you keep someone behind you for more than one passing zone you will get black flagged and the second time they'll ask you to leave and not come back. That's one of the nice things about non-profit clubs - they don't really need your money and will turn people away.

Anyway, point is if you've had bad experiences with some clubs that are a lot of real good ones out there.