Andy..what happened? Chris Foley Video ... Options

[biosurfer1]

i was watching some of the video's you uploaded, specifically the Chris Foley incident (Runoffs_ChrisFoley_QualifyingIncident.wmv)... i saw the first bump didn't seem to be anyones fault, but what was with the main accident, wtf was the guy doing swerving back and forth in the miata(?)???

[Dr. Roger]

i was watching some of the video's you uploaded, specifically the Chris Foley incident (Runoffs_ChrisFoley_QualifyingIncident.wmv)... i saw the first bump didn't seem to be anyones fault, but what was with the main accident, wtf was the guy doing swerving back and forth in the miata(?)???

didn't that guy get popped from unsafe driving? that was a crazy vid....

[SirAndy]

i was watching some of the video's you uploaded, specifically the Chris Foley incident (Runoffs_ChrisFoley_QualifyingIncident.wmv)... i saw the first bump didn't seem to be anyones fault, but what was with the main accident, wtf was the guy doing swerving back and forth in the miata(?)???

do a search here ... a lot of s**t hit the fan over that accident ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) Andy

[biosurfer1]

well i did a ton of searches and still cant find any threads about it. i must be doing something wrong with this forums search functions because it rarely works for me.

any dates, keywords, etc to point me in the right direction?

[ejm]

I think this thread is the one you're looking for.

[scotty b]

Edited due to stupidity.........

[scotty b]

I think this thread is the one you're looking for.

OR that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[biosurfer1]

ah...well i saw that thread, but didnt think that was all it since there was one post about the incident... i guess andy's "$hit hit the fan" comment got me thinking there was a big hoop-la. chris sure seemed to take it a lot better than i would have if someone was being a dumbass and wrecked my car!

[scotty b]

Miata driver is a f-in TOOL ! Banned would be the least I would have done to him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)

[Dave_Darling]

i guess andy's "$hit hit the fan" comment got me thinking there was a big hoop-la.

There was a lot more than that, but it was spread across several threads and in several forums. IIRC, the IT Racing forum had the most on it.

Short version: Miata driver was driving like an idiot. Had history of doing the same. Chris winds up with a significantly damaged car, and out of the race. Chris files a protest, which is upheld, Miata driver's daddy threatens to sue. S--tstorm of words on BBSes ensues.

Never heard what happened after that. I assume the lawsuit threats were hot air, but I'm curious if the Miata driver was counseled to take up other sports?

--DD

[SirAndy]

i guess andy's "$hit hit the fan" comment got me thinking there was a big hoop-la.

there was and that thread linked above is not the miata accident ...

if i find some time today, i'll search for it. but this story had all the elements needed for big drama.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) Andy

[stepuptotheMike]

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...me++rock++miata

[biosurfer1]

i dont race so maybe i'm missing something, but I dont understand what kind of argument the guy could have had. He was swerving across the whole track with cars stacked up behind him. the only time i have ever seen this is behind the pace car, when passing is illegal.

stupid stupid guy

[PeeGreen 914]

So whatever can of this? In this kind of racing do you have to pay for your own damage or does the person that is at faul pay for the damage? I have heard in historics that the one that causes it pays. Is this true? I'm glad I stick to AX, but track racing looks like fun until you see this.

[Dave_Darling]

On the track, the owner of the car that is damaged pays to fix the damage. Or fixes it themselves. Vintage racing, too.

If someone wants to be a "good guy", they may offer to help (financially, or more often putting in time helping). But it is not expected, and certainly not mandated!

One of many reasons that W2W is a whole 'nother level than "track days", which are a whole 'nother level than autoX.

--DD

[PeeGreen 914]

That really sucks. That means that in the historics you could have a guy that is driving a 12k dollar car put a 1M dollar car in the wall because he doesn't like him. At PRI two or three years ago I saw something very similar to that happen. WHen the guys got out of the car I thought they were going to throw down. The guy that got hit was pissed. The one that was at fault wasn't even being as stupid as the guy in the Miata was, but he was still being stupid.

[ChrisFoley]

Lol,
those were the good old days. I'm finally getting around to fixing the car after more than 2 years of letting it just sit in the garage.
I have to take at least part of the blame for rear ending the Midget since I was already quite agitated by the time we left the pit lane. The Miata was going so slow that I could stay in first gear in pit lane and only upshifted because I got tired of holding the engine at 5k rpm in first.
Earlier in the season my wife said I was going to end up being hit by that guy and she was right. Somehow everything came together for final qualifying so that I was in a rush to go fast on the out lap and he was determined to take a full lap to warm up (without considering his responsibility to the other drivers). Apparently we were on an inevitable collision course.
My crew and friends did a fantastic job of fixing the damage before the race but I was hit from behind in the second turn of the first lap and retired without even completing a lap.
2005 was the oddest season for me, filled with extreme highs and lows. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well and was disappointed at nearly every turn as a result. The only good event was Lime Rock in July where I debuted my RAT built engine and won the race.
The Miata driver and his dad got the message and moved back to Showroom Stock.

[biosurfer1]

i guess what stunned me the most was that DURING a race, someone would be that stupid to swerve from side to side without thinking about anyone else on the track... or themselves for that matter.

amazing. cant believe you kept your cool that much Chris!

[degreeoff]

Yep unless I get suddenly RICH I am staying with track days and auto X....too much love in my car and it would break my heart to be in a situation like you were in Chris. I would have ended up in JAIL as a result of my reaction, you are a better man than I (or possibly a grownup...:-)

[ChrisFoley]

i guess what stunned me the most was that DURING a race, someone would be that stupid to swerve from side to side without thinking about anyone else on the track... or themselves for that matter.

amazing. cant believe you kept your cool that much Chris!

Yep, the track condition was green from the moment the first car hit the track. There is no excuse for blocking like that, and weaving is about the worst way to warm up the tires anyway.

I had a chance to cool off a bit while I was still in the car. I recovered from the spin and took off like a bat out of hell, never letting anyone else get by me. I wondered if I was gonna get a black flag when I crossed the finish line with the front lid bent up so bad but no one tried to stop me so I attempted a hot lap with the car all f'ed up, since the steering wheel was still straight.
I got most of the way around the track and spun at 90mph in the left hander before the carousel. When the front end slid over the curb it bent a steering arm so I pitted. The stewards had already started an inquiry when I got to the pits and I added my own protest onto that.
This pic shows how hard I was driving after the incident. You can see I'm a little slideways coming over the crest of the rise.