DanDurusky wrote:
holy crap.
so what exactly are you supposed to do as you enter teh oak tree turn or the roller coaster at 100+ w/ no brakes?
This past time at VIR Full, I had brake failure at the end of the backstraight. Fluid was leaking out past the over-extended caliper piston which had conveniently welded itself to the backing plate, which, much to my dismay, was holding on to very little friction material. I did pretty much what Wes said. Lots of rev-limiter assited braking (non-interference engines are a wonderful thing), pumping of the pedal (rear brakes still trying to work) and looking for a safe way to go off.
I have also had a piece of a rear shoe delaminate from the frame, spin inside the drum and chop the wheel cyinder seal while going into Oak Tree. That was trickier because the fluid was on the rear tire and the car steadfastly refused to go straight. So again, it was rev-limiter assited braking, looking for a way out and taking a line that scrubbed a lot of speed through the corner.
Moral of the story is, as the Guide says: DON'T PANIC! Long braking zones from high speeds give you a lot of time to do something. I made it out of both mine having just run my heart rate and motor at a little higher speed than usual.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
