LCS Cobra Crash

[Bob Broberg SPF667 460BB]

OOPS! This is what happens when you are not used to burnouts and try to keep it going beyond 1st gear. Think it happened today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwNvjjgtLQ

[Danr55]

Ouch. That's going to leave a mark

[scottj]

Well, he hung on to it long enough to avoid hitting the pedestrians sitting on the side of the road... stupid event.

[olddog]

At .25 speed it looks like the car was about 30 deg before he got out of the throttle. Even at normal speed, he was late getting out of the throttle. If he had started rolling out the instant the car started to shift, it would likely ended differently. Once he was all the way out, too much whipping to recover, without lighting reflexes and perfect correction. Still tough to do with all the weight shifted forward. I know it was beyond my capabilities at this age. When I was young, maybe, but short wheel base cars always gave me a challenge.

I have never had my Cobra try to come sideways on a dead straight run like that. I wonder if his differential stayed locked or started to slip?

I hate to see it. The London officials are always nervous about this. This may push them over the edge to end it. That would be a shame.

[Jim Vander Wal]

I was there.
Not a stupid event. Just an unprepared driver.
Heard, but cannot confirm, that the driver had just purchased the car 3 weeks ago. Again unconfirmed info.
Writing a check does not qualify you to drive the car.
A friend and I ran faster in the same but a longer stretch many years ago; all with out incident.
Jim SPO 1855, SPO 2584, FFR 8885

[scottj]

I'll rephrase... encouraging unprepared drivers to endanger passengers and spectators is very stupid.

[patrickt]

I posted this on another thread. Let's see if it doesn't not happen here as well.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by scottj

I'll rephrase... encouraging unprepared drivers to endanger passengers and spectators is very stupid.

It's kind of hard to argue against that logic.

The LCS has been a great show for decades. I'm sure there will be some sole searching between now and next year.

I think some home owner is owed a tree and yard work. If this get's the home owners against it, it will not go well. I hope the home owner is treated very very well.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by Bob Broberg SPF667 460BB

OOPS! This is what happens when you are not used to burnouts and try to keep it going beyond 1st gear. Think it happened today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwNvjjgtLQ

Perhaps a correct assessment of the driver's capabilities, but the root cause was cold tires on cold pavement. No grip and high torque broke his rear end and oversteer got him in the a**.

It looked to me like this was a "prepared" area specifically set aside for this purpose. They had the Jersey barriers set to a lane width, fanned out and there was noone standing downstream. Not that an errant car couldn't have ended up in someone's living room though.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

Perhaps a correct assessment of the driver's capabilities, but the root cause was cold tires on cold pavement. No grip and high torque broke his rear end and oversteer got him in the a**.

It looked to me like this was a "prepared" area specifically set aside for this purpose. They had the Jersey barriers set to a lane width, fanned out and there was noone standing downstream. Not that an errant car couldn't have ended up in someone's living room though.

Yes that is correct. Police instructions are to keep it under control. Mild tire spin at low speeds. They watch the cars. If someone is hammering it too hard they tell them to back down. If someone is letting it get sideways or looks like they do not know what they are doing the talk with them. If they don't listen they tell them to park it. Even if he had saved it he would have been intervened with.

[scottj]

Downstream, about 30-40 feet from where he hit the tree, there was a group of "noones" [sic] sitting in lawn chairs. Correct, they weren't standing... one of them jumped up after the car impacted the tree.

Cold tires on cold pavement may well be the root cause, although not an actionable cause. I’m going to go with the guy’s right foot as the cause. Another way to think about root cause would be to substitute the word “defendant”. Had a spectator been hit or the passenger been injured there’d be a number of “root causes”.

I used the "cold tire on cold pavement" analysis once a long time ago. The cop wasn't having any of it and neither was the judge.

[scottj]

Originally Posted by olddog

Yes that is correct. Police instructions are to keep it under control. Mild tire spin at low speeds. They watch the cars. If someone is hammering it too hard they tell them to back down. If someone is letting it get sideways or looks like they do not know what they are doing the talk with them. If they don't listen they tell them to park it. Even if he had saved it he would have been intervened with.

In the event of an injury some might say those actions by the police constitute gross negligence.

[patrickt]

Maybe he only had one throttle return spring and it broke after he put his foot in it.

[Karl Bebout]

Where's the pictures of the finished product?

Seeing someone's pride and joy, after taking out a tree, might sink into someone's psyche.

[hinoonaz]

I like rephrase and only one throttle spring. Just Opinion, experience and cold tires. Took two runs to get comfortable with tire stick before going harder on launch and run. Gave ten rides. They did shorten the distance from 1/8 mile a 100 to 150 feet less. A lot of very heavy hitters giving rides. Some showed lack of experience with there car or just being carefull. First incident from what I understand. A blast

[twobjshelbys]

Are you serious? Untrained amateurs were giving "drag race" rides? Someone ought to explain about the legal ramifications that start with the driver and end with the shows sponsors about that.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

Are you serious? Untrained amateurs were giving "drag race" rides? Someone ought to explain about the legal ramifications that start with the driver and end with the shows sponsors about that.

Well, gosh, when you put it that way it sounds kind of dumb. Kind of like going to the William Tell festival and having the chance to get an apple shot off your head by one of the festival enthusiasts.

[Dwight]

Great event
I have been 17 out of the 19 years.

Going back next year

Cobras entering town

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdMJJpljx3k&t=6s

one of the burn outs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4isY_vB410U

bird's eye view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmFZTxitti0

I think we have done over 6,000 runs down Main St.

[2bars]

When I was at the Shelby bash I learned something very valuable from Vince, VP Shelby American. We were talking about how easy a Cobra can bite.
Here is the short version. When a Cobra is loosing control, just push in the clutch, it will come back to you.

[patrickt]

Well, I can always remember to promptly put "both feet in" when I'm out of control in my barcalounger watching car shows on the Velocity channel....