F458 Craash @ Laguna Seca

[RonDent]

Laguna Seca hosted the Ferrari Challenge over the weekend. For the most part the weekend was uneventful until the Sunday race.

Ferrari F458 Crash at laguna seca rare rollover - YouTube

Fortunately the driver wasn't hurt.

[dennis in se pa]

Glad he got out OK. Where were the corner workers?

[Tobra]

That guy is an awful cameraman

[techweenie]

Wow. Talk about coming in too hot. Wonder if his brakes failed him? Comments say he walked away -- as he should. Spectacular flip.

[RonDent]

I was working in turn 4 and did see the crash. Our emergency people got to him pretty quickly. But hanging there upside down, it must have felt like hours.

[rusnak]

That looks like the top of the corkscrew. That little kids sure is annoying.

[Zeke]

Never touched the brakes. Wonder what happened?

[Nine17]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Never touched the brakes. Wonder what happened?

I wasn't there, but I'm guessing lack of focus in a very fast car. The Rahal "Straight" can give a driver the illusion that he's actually on a straightaway. There are no straightaways at Laguna Seca.

As you come up the hill, the braking point for 7 is almost invisible -- you can forget that there even IS a turn 7 as you crest the hill. However, if you don't get slowed down and transfer weight onto the front tires through 7 the car will be too "light" to effectively brake for 8a, the entrance to the Corkscrew. I suspect that he's actually locked-up, having left his braking until after cresting the apex of 7 and completely unloading the chassis. His left rear is pulling schmutz across the track from the inside of 8a, suggesting that he got 7 very wrong and was trying to get the car turned-in to 8a after the slight right at 7.

I have always found 7 to be the most daunting corner at Laguna -- not as scary-fast as 1, 6 or 9, but really difficult to visualize. I've never felt that I got it right. This reminds me of the fatal Gonzalo Rodriguez accident in the Penske in 1999. In the aftermath of that tragic accident they have subsequently extended the run-off at 8a and raised the barrier height. Saved this guy's life.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Nine17

As you come up the hill, the braking point for 7 is almost invisible -- you can forget that there even IS a turn 7 as you crest the hill. However, if you don't get slowed down and transfer weight onto the front tires through 7 the car will be too "light" to effectively brake for 8a, the entrance to the Corkscrew.

I am not an expert and only have played a few times at Laguna. But I remember that the hill there crests in the middle of turn 7. The car will be very light if you don't brake while you are going up hill. I have gotten a couple high pucker factors in that section myself, carrying to much speed out of 7 and that's with a SC or 993 that are very slow compared!

Google Maps has Laguna - they have the turn numbers wrong but if you go to turn 7, you can see the uphill and then the downhill into turn 8. If you still need to shed significant speed on the downhill while completing turn 7, you may be hosed.

G

[Heel n Toe]

That's not a rollover. That's a slide and a bounceover.

[Bill Douglas]

He wasn't even close to making the turn. Something odd.

[rouxroux]

An even mnore detailed video:

Ferrari F458 Crash - Laguna Seca - Ferrari Challenge 2012 - YouTube

[javadog]

Here's a comment from that second video. Looks like driver error...

"Negative, it was not brake failure. The driver was attempting to pass another car in turn 7 and forgot about slowing down."

Nice.

JR

[speeder]

Wow, those tow truck drivers are really really good.

[RonDent]

Talking to another corner worker, He though the driver was trying to make in inside pass on 8 and was way to hot to make the turn.

[kach22i]

That sideways drift is not something you will see in any Ferrari promotion.

That car flew up like a toy, the scale of things totally blown.

....is it now?........is it now?.......is it now?......maybe that annoying kid knew something we didn't.

[rouxroux]

I just about spit coffee when I heard someone quote the "Ferrari line" from the movie "The Rock".

[motion]

What a beautiful car.... such a shame. I'm sure the crash truck guys know what they're doing.

[Head416]

My favorite comment from the second Youtube video:

Good to see EMS rolled quick on that one......

Good thing that guy wasn't hurt.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by speeder

Wow, those tow truck drivers are really really good.

no kidding Denis

Man those Ferraris are smooth on the bottom