gt3 crash at the 'ring

[bell]

my good friend tim was stationed in germany for a few years, he regularly visited the ring to do some laps.
he had found a really nice '75 bmw 2002 and was going to bring it home with him.
he was turning some laps in the '02 with a friend who had never seen the track, when he was getting to the end of the long strait he got sideswiped.
he was braking........checked his rearview....no cars......still braking.....turns in and BAM!!!!!!!
a gt3 sideswiped him, tim said the gt3 hit him doing at least twice the speed he was traveling.
the basic rules of the ring is to pass with caution, seems this guy came in hot and shot to the inside of tim's '02......spinning him and sending him into the guardrail.
the '02 was heavily damaged.....and the gt3 wasn't pretty, he said the kids dad showed up at the site in a gt2 (yes kid...probably 18-19 or so)
here are a couple pics......




tim is heading over to baghdad next week for a year, he'll be blowing stuff up in his M1A1.
godspeed tim.

[Jeff Alton]

Yikes, that sucks. Was your friend hurt?

Jeff

[Adam]

That blows.

I hope Tim wasn't hurt.

[bell]

only egos were hurt that day

[350HP930]

So the porsche was passing on the left and your friend turned into him?

Concidering that slow drivers on the ring should be keeping their eye on the rear view I would think your friend is at fault.

[dlearl]

Originally posted by bell
only egos were hurt that day

And hopefully "Daddy" will buy Tim a nice new 2002tii for his trouble.

[bell]

no the car was pretty much written off.......and the track tried to make tim pay $300 and some change for repair to the rail.
tried.

[350HP930]

Is it because he hit it or did they find him at fault for the accident?

[bell]

it was because he hit it, fault was the other driver, he didn't ensure that tim saw him coming up from behind.......
but who really knows other than the people whom were in the cars

[UK Carrera]

This is the reason why, whilst I would dearly love to drive the Ring (and despite visiting it), I haven't.

Great to hear that nobody was hurt, but this type of accident must be quite common. Such a mix of cars and abilities on a course that few will learn due to irts sheer size.

[Emission]

It's not the speed, it's the DIFFERENCE of speed that causes issues...

Sorry to read about Tim.

[k9handler]

I can't even begin to point the fault in either direction since I was not there, but I know that the ring is scary and you must stay on your toes the entire 21km. I did my share of passing and was passed by many more...and I made sure I was as far right as possible and still there was some close calls by aggressive drivers! It's very simple...know the risk as accidents at the ring will happen!

[aigel]

You couldn't pay me to get on that track. Everyone knows the yellowbird video. Have you noticed the passing that is going on there? I wonder how this is at all possible in Germany. It is otherwise a rather (over) regullated place. There isn't a track anywhere in NorCal where you can drive with no safety precautions whatsoever and worse, with such a mix of vehicles!

George

[911-32]

From first hand experience I can confirm that the Ring is a bit daunting first time out but even after 5 laps you get quite comfortable. First time I just assumed the worst and drove only as fast as I could see ie., assumed my knowledge and recollection was zero as to what comes next. Sure this creates disparities of speed but a close eye on the rear view mirror made it ok. The problem comes when you start pushing it a bit and either "get lost" thinking you know the track and which way it goes next, or you are focusing so much on your own driving and pushing close to the limits that you neglect to look behind for faster cars/bikes. There are *always* faster cars! And bikes takes different lines and are fast in places you don't always expect.

My personal view is that the overtaking car rather than the overtakee should always ensure it is safe to pass. Diving up the inside on the assumption that someone has seen you and will give you room is just plain dangerous in any circumstances - even in racing.

I feel sorry for your friend, but as the Ring is a public one-way toll road I would think the usual Highway Code (or German equivalent) would apply and the car coming from behind would be at fault. Being charged for track/armco repair is normal for the Ring.

For those who have said they would never drive the Ring, well your loss. There are controlled track days which minimise risk but honestly, it is not that bad. It helps to treat it like a public road not a racetrack and forget about lap times though.

Richard

[MAS]

"tim is heading over to baghdad next week for a year, he'll be blowing stuff up in his M1A1.
godspeed tim."

Hey... let's hope that nobody will be blowing anything up. Geez

-MAS

[k9handler]

if it needs blown up...then they need to react quickly and do it without hesitation.

[MAS]

Originally posted by k9handler
if it needs blown up...then they need to react quickly and do it without hesitation.

Fair enough... but that was not what was typed, was it?

-MAS

[Eric Mckenna]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. The RING.. The Glorious RING..
Hey i say **** happens.. if you don't wanna maybe ding the car DON'T GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.. As I always say.. at LEAST they were on the track having fun and not at an intersection and hit by a SUV.. so ...


Eric

[armandodiaz]

Originally posted by 350HP930
So the porsche was passing on the left and your friend turned into him?

Concidering that slow drivers on the ring should be keeping their eye on the rear view I would think your friend is at fault.

Usually the rule of thumb is the car doing the passing is responsible for the safe pass.

Maybe your friend can picture the GT3 driver's face on the insurgents. That sure give him some motivation.

[KLR]

At least he wasn't on a motorcycle! The mix of cars, bikes, inexperience, different speeds, etc. there is an unbelievable recipe for disaster.