A sentence that I listen every briefing before a trackday is: " If you look at the mirror and you don't see anything, look again and see a car, that means it's faster than you".
I pull in and drive though the pits then back out onto the circuit in these situations. It gives me time to calm down and reset before I rejoin the circuit, and typically the slower driver has either run out of talent/tyres/brakes by that point therefore freeing up the circuit again. Not ideal, but you’ll see this behaviour on most trackdays so it’s best to remain calm and not allow the red mist to descend.
You’re absolutely right. The minute of track time you’ll loose isn’t worth risking your car. I know we all think anger won’t get the better of us but we are all human. Also I had a car in front of me go off while I was fallowing him closely and he blamed me for “pushing him” never gave me a point by.
He was all over the track, not following lines and cutting right through other car's trajectories... He even goes wide out of track and comes back in cutting off other cars (1:19 shocked me). He showed no respect for other people's laptimes nor safety... If he drives like that on a track, I can't imagine on the streets
marshals should kick drivers like that off the track or at least pull them off for a warning. The merc driver has clearly no clue and is a danger to himself and others on the track
I can't believe how many people in the comments have no idea what they are saying. The part of the video that proves the driver of the Mercedes is a complete asshat is 1:03 to 1:30. He went off track and still wouldn't calm down. Also all of the normal drivers are hesitant to pass him (you would be too). This is a track day, not an all out race. Move over for faster cars, give yourself space even if your car is fast in a straight line and other cars beat you in the corners.
I think the whole video showed he was pretty bad. A driver with common sense would not pass the cars on the straights instead he would recognise he was faster on the straights and slower in the corners and let faster cars by and then give himself a gap so he wouldn't catch the cars again on the straights. But I agree that the part when he went off also showed the stupidity.
Xtina K || until you ride a litre bike you won't understand that you can't fly into corners like a car, hell even the best of the best won't fly into corners often. Good way to slide and risk huge injury. You're on two wheels man.
I think he's referring to motorbike track days, I see it all the time in the twisties too, big bike, less than adequate rider, pins it down the long and narrow and hits the brakes to a dead halt around the twisties going a snails pace and most often crossing white lines. And yes I own a litre bike haha :D
@@burgerbandit3646 Ah yes motorcycles have no grip at all, right. They definitely cannot corner if they want to.... Lol have you ever even seen a motorcycle?
On some tracks at track days they don't have blue flags. They just have to let the faster car pass, its part of the rules. He should of been black flagged because he was pretty much just blocking the car from passing. As well as being a hazard on the track.
I'm actually more shocked about the number of people commenting here that think the Merc was actually not the one in the wrong. They clearly have no concept of driving on a track. Imagine it like this, if that Merc was doing that on the street would you be saying the same thing? Just because he's on a closed course does NOT mean it's ok to drive your car all over the road like an idiot that is out of control. There's no excuse for that and he should have pulled over, slowed down, and let the better and faster drivers by. Just because his car is faster going straight does NOT mean his car is faster. He would have been left behind by the camera car if the camera car wasn't getting blocked so many times wrecklessly.
Speaking as an instructor, I think there is a lot to learn from this video. The most important thing you can do is focus less on the mistakes other drivers are making and more on the ones you are making. Realize that your brain made a conscious decision to battle it out with this Merc who clearly had little or no track experience. Was that a good decision? What were your other options? Once you assess that a driver may be out of their element on the track, it is usually best to either get by quickly or find some space on the track without that particular driver in it.
***** To each their own I guess. When I go to the track, I want to get into a rhythm and work on my lines. I try to mix it up with people I know, people I trust. That trust is very important when you have to drive the vehicle home after the track day. This guy exhibits the classic signs of someone that doesn't know what they are doing who has more car than they can handle. When I see that, I typically pull into the pits and give them some space, let them collect someone else.
Agree. Also when they 50 in the 60 zone and then going throw a town STILL do 50 in a 30 zone and they they pull away from you in a dangerous area and you miss the only over taking opportunity coming back into a 60 zone. Had happened to me a few times.
Mercedes drivers don't use the mirrors. Though it seems fast enough down the straights, he's probably thinking"Wooh, great ontrack battle with that Westfield"
That's what happens when you take a heavy Merc AMG dragster to a group full of lightweight trackday cars - you can gain some distance on the straight, but you end up missing every apex. Looks like he was outdragging the cars on the straight, then lumbering around the corners reducing their corner speed, then outdragging them on the straight again!
Lifeofriley18 Bullshit I own an AMG and your comment makes no sense, the driver sucks and that is all. The car is fast on straights and corners it is matter of having a driver there to do the job not some imbecile. ua-cam.com/video/uDNPpzm0uBM/v-deo.html&spfreload=10
Pedro C I think you will find that it's your comment that makes no sense. First of all, you say that you own "an AMG", then post a link to a trackday showing a C63 AMG... which is a completely different car to the SL in the video. It's a completely different body, different engine, different suspension setup and geometry, and is some around 225kg lighter than the SL. Your comment implying that they're comparable cars reveals a lot about your background knowledge on the matter. Nevertheless, either way, trackday special cars are better than big heavy road cars that have been made more focussed. So even the C63 is over 1700kg, and I can't think of a single racing car that weighs that much. Even a NASCAR car weighs less than that, and they're not exactly the daintiest of racing cars. And there's a good reason for this... nobody wants a heavy racing car. Tyres have a certain coefficient of friction, which resists the lateral force generated through the corner. Less weight means less lateral force for a given speed, so you can carry more speed through the corner with the grip the tyres can generate. Lightweight track specials like Caterhams and Ginettas are designed specifically for use on the racing track with all of that in mind, whereas something like a C63 is a saloon car with a more powerful engine and suspension. For clarity, the argument isn't whether a C63 or SL55 is a good car or good on track days... the argument is if they're as good at cornering as a lighweight trackday special. The C63 is designed so that it can also take a bootful of shopping home and the kids to school, whereas Caterhams and Ginettas can't, and the SL55 is designed to waft along the autobahn at 155mph in near silence, and have a fancy folding metal roof for when you drive it to the French riviera, and Caterhams and Ginettas aren't. Of course the AMGs aren't as good on track - they're compromised for a different set of circumstances. And in the same way that you wouldn't want a Caterham driver blocking the outside lane of the autobahn when you're trying to waft past at warp speed in an SL55, you don't want an SL55 lumbering all over the track like a hippo in ballet shoes when you're in a lightweight trac special on a track day.
Grant Madden You are obviously someone who gets in other people's way and feel the track is yours. He's all over the corners and has pull away speed on the straight. Know one will be able to get by him. You pit and tell the officials who will Black Flag him. You either use common curtesy, act like a grown up or go home. Track Days are a privilege not a right.
Not normally.The onus is on you to pass safely.He does not need to let you by unless shown the blue flag and although I raced bikes not cars,I never held anyone up.This is just a play day,not an actual race meeting so it's probably every man for himself rules.
Panoz Racing held the events. They had flagmen posted around the track who would black flag those drivers who did not follow the rules, like letting faster cars pass. Fortunately I never had a problem passing cars; the drivers always signaled when they saw me coming up fast. I miss those track days and I look forward to getting back to driving a Road Atlanta next year.
Yeah, the Merc is holding you up on the corners.... but you are holding him up on the straights just the same. Track days like this are not a race and you can drop back for a bit if other peoples driving is that much of an annoyance.
+morbsGTI20vt .... very good point....if you dont have the talent or speed to pass safely, back of a few seconds let the merc go then get your foot down and enjoy your self.....respect to your comments....happy days..
+morbsGTI20vt But if u start out with no cars behind u, and then suddenly there is a car that are so close behind u, clearly that cars is faster than u on that track, even if u are faster on the straights. might just give way for the car and enjoy your session.
Doesn't matter if the merc is faster down the straights, he's lapping slower. If he were to let the camera car pass, it would get away from him through the corners.
This one time my dad and I where out at Sebring. He has a modified 2014 z/28, making around 650hp, and at the time we where on Hoosiers. We here chasing down a radical, when some guy in an old striped out BMW was up ahead. He didn't let the radical pass. Or us. Or any of the guys in gt3's. They had a line of about 5 cars behind. Wasn't because he was fast, but because he didn't let anyone pass. He radical got fed up, and after a good amount of flags and a lap later, we all started passing him. Worst part is they where in the garage right next to us....
The Mercedes is quite clearly faster than your car. What are you talking about? The fact that it flew past you and you put your hands up in disbelief is astounding! He's BEATING you.
Another instructor here, After the session go tell the chief instructor/steward and get that type of driver into a novice or intermediate group. Unless you are driving in advanced/red group you can expect to be dealing with that a lot. Best scenario for those run groups is to pit in for a few seconds then go back out less red misted.
I had a friend like that once, he hated being overtaken and on a road with two lanes going in one direction he would drive up the middle of both lanes (on public streets), just to stop people that wanted to pass him.
+asdfawesomesauce Nah, he almost killed me in a car crash after he sped away from his old school friends and just kept accelerating up the road forgetting that there was a 90 degree bend at the end. He tried to take the bend at about 65mph in a 30 limit and lost it. After that I told him what I thought of him and his driving and he went in the huff and we stopped hanging out.
+Sinky ....im a class1 lorry driver and see this alot.....people hate lorrys overtaking them too... i see some terrible driving i do around 130,000miles a year!! with work pleasure and track all together
+lewis eyers Yeah I always wanted to drive trucks but never got round to it. I've got a pretty powerful car but I'm never above 60 with it. I plod along happily at truck speeds and if I end up behind one on the bypass I usually don't bother overtaking and just stick behind until my turnoff.
If you have people on your ass, let em' pass. All the nay sayers in the comments either don't know or forgot that track days aren't about racing and if you have people constantly behind you, that means your out skilled and need to let them through. Leave your pride at the pits, and forcus on improving your own skills and not worry about getting passed up like this guy in the video.
That guy was a perfect example of why I only do track days that require a "point by" for passing. The last thing I want is to have my car taken out by some guy who is super-competitive (in an event specifically intended to be non-competitive) and doesn't know what he is doing.
I was at Silverstone on 4th October, driving a black Caterham. I remember the guy in the AMG, but didn't meet him on track. What a total IDIOT!!! People driving like that should be sent home. UNBELIEVABLE.
Wow that is so dangerous. It’s even worse since lockdown and people are just ticking the boxes online to say they understand track etiquette. Well done for keeping your cool
The Merc is driving like a flog, but when I come across someone like that if I can't get past them quickly then I would just back off and let him gap me or drive through the pits to be released into clear air.
At a certain point track officials should've been doing something. Seeing him fly off track and then come back on and stay in front of you was appalling. He became a massive danger to others and they should've had him revisit the safety briefing.
The word "cock" springs to mind! Ruins it when you get people who dont move over. Im not a quick driver but if someone catches me up i move over at the earliest point and signal. If your on a trackday there will always be a quicker car than you at somepoint. Its not about racing its about having fun.
normally when i get up on slow streetcars on track and they wont move i just stress the shit out of them by going up seriously close and just fill there rear mirrors with red mx5 amazingness :D
Haha 😂 My old tricks, but I’ve been told off a few times now for doing it. TDOs have had a hard time lately, so money seems to talk at the moment. Hopefully when we start having briefings again he penny will drop.
There was a lad in a Honda EP3 doing that at Croft in AprIl. He was entering the TrophyR Cup series so getting some testing in. He was literally pulling over to the left down the straights to prevent others overtaking. I complained twice to the TDO and I know others did too, but he remained on track all day. I hate complaining as everybody pays their entry fee and we’re not racing, but you’ve got to know when to calm down or as you say there’s going to be a major accident.
This is a Track Day. Track Days are not Race Days and have different rules to abide by. Track Day rules usually state that you are only allowed to overtake on the straights and that you can only overtake on whichever side you are told to overtake on in the Driver's Briefing before the circuit opens.
The rules also usually state that you are to point by faster cars behind you in a timely manner. Hence my comment. Better yet, move up to an experienced class that allows passing without point bys. Its more fun anyway.
Being "right" won't be much consolation when your car is going home on the back of a flatbed truck because you've had a collision whilst passing one of these clowns.
Hi Dave, I don't remember the specific model of the main camera but I think it was a fairly generic 1080p recording system that supported an external mic. The rear facing camera was a Contour HD which shot in 720p. This video is very old! My current equipment is a VBOX HD2 which creates beautiful footage - see my latest video here: ua-cam.com/video/eWCnrNkhU84/v-deo.html :)
guys like this are why they took away track days at Circuit Of The Americas now there are no track days within 800 miles of me. granted my s13 isnt fast but it was still awesome to get to drive an F1 track. he almost caused 2 accidents in less than 3 turns! guys like this just truly piss me off!
I’ve done a few track days in my Mini ( real one) the terrifying bit about track days isn’t whether you will wrap your car up yourself it’s worrying about the Morons that are faster in a straight line but don’t know racing lines so shoot up the inside of you then realise they’re never getting around the corner from there at speed so hit the brakes and totally fuck up your line across the apex or nearly take you out. Hate to say it but typical Merc driver that thinks he owns the road and screw everyone else.
LOL been there.... The car maybe fast in the straight but slow as hell on the corners. If a car catches up to you, then let them pass. After that you can try to get the point by back. Sometimes you can learn a new line from a faster car thats in front of you.
I'm sure he actually thought he was quicker because his car could hold its own on the straights. In his mind he was just proving how good he was by passing on the straight despite that over a lap he was much slower. Under the same circumstances on nearly every track day I just find space by driving through the pits, assuming it's open pit lane, and avoiding these situations. All good fun.
I've seen this many times and it's not just annoying it's dangerous. But people who drive like this still has their ego on the track and think it's a race and also they think they are good just because they outrun you on the straights with 600hp compared to say 150-200hp. The speed difference into the corners when they brake maybe early but way too much makes it very dangerous because you don't expect them to go that slow in the corners either. Also the fact that they are all over the place and unpredictable makes you very hesitant in trying to pass because you have no clue what comes next.
In Australia we're told to focus on the road in front of us so you wouldn't know if someone faster is coming up behind you. I think we have it the right way it's the responsibility of the driver or rider behind you. I know myself if I come up behind someone who's doing inconsistent lines. I'll follow for a lap or two and try to find a pattern and a place to overtake it's ussaly Under brakes in my case. I also believe you become a better reader of speed and judgement the more track day's you do. When I think back now I did some dangerous moves my first few track days every now and again it still happens too.It's part of learning and coming up to speed. I've had new rider's do dangerous stuff to me also. I think to myself that's me 4 years ago lol so I don't get mad we're just human beings being human being s with different phases of experience
In the UK we don't generally allow overtaking in corner, so going by Aus rules we'd never be able to overtake an 'only quicker in a straight line' car/driver.
Amazing quality footage for 2011 - no idea why it was recommended by impressed! Note, nothing much has changed since 2011, people still don't get out the way!
I'm not defending the guy in the mercedes or anything. He is the one at fault here and is in fact ruining the laps for the guys behind him, but it might just have been the guy's first track day or something. Remember to check your mirrors regularly, and if you see a car behind you that wasn't there before, that means he is faster and caught up to you. Let off the gas for 2 seconds on a straight, point them by, let them pass, and get back on it. The guys at the flag stations even have a flag specifically to signal other drivers when there is a faster car behind them. If you see that flag being waved as you're driving and it gets pointed to you, check your mirrors. With that being said, with it probably being the guy's first track day, he was too focused on driving and forgot to check his mirrors and watch the flags.
I find it so hard to keep my cool in those instances. A fault of mine i know. Out here usually Porsche drivers and BMW drivers who dont like being overtaken by a little clubman car.
Track days are simple:- Only pass if it's clear and safe to do so also only if the driver in front is happy for you to do so and remember it's left passing only and only on a straight. If he's holding you up he should get a blue flag if he ignores the blue then he should get a black. I blame the stewards if the flags were not used.
So little man in his Caterham didn't like the fact the merc, although in the wrong was clearly alot more powerful than his little scaffolding on wheels... Oh bless
I was thinking of taking my new M240i to the next Track Day at Silverstone. Is it full of nobs showing off and cutting you up or will I get some time to fly through the corners and down the straights without any traffic at any point in the day?
I imagine you will be one of the nobs as you "fly through the corners and down the straights" thinking you're a hell of a lot better at driving than you actually are.
Try driving a Mini 7 or similar powered classic mini...they never let you pass on the track then come up to you afterwards to compliment you on your car..."Is that a 1600 you've got in there... etc?"
Just pull into pit for 30 seconds, and they'll be well away from you. Not worth the hassle of getting irritated on your fun day, nor risking an accident from their lousy driving.
It's called a 'novice cross' and if racing it indicates you're new/inexperienced. After a certain number of clean races your race license is updated and the cross can be removed. It's not required at all for track days.
A sentence that I listen every briefing before a trackday is: " If you look at the mirror and you don't see anything, look again and see a car, that means it's faster than you".
Sometimes you need to overtake others too. So courtesy all round is needed.
I pull in and drive though the pits then back out onto the circuit in these situations. It gives me time to calm down and reset before I rejoin the circuit, and typically the slower driver has either run out of talent/tyres/brakes by that point therefore freeing up the circuit again.
Not ideal, but you’ll see this behaviour on most trackdays so it’s best to remain calm and not allow the red mist to descend.
Also see it on the one highqays..id10t's...
You’re absolutely right. The minute of track time you’ll loose isn’t worth risking your car. I know we all think anger won’t get the better of us but we are all human.
Also I had a car in front of me go off while I was fallowing him closely and he blamed me for “pushing him” never gave me a point by.
Sensible. There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old bold pilots.
He was all over the track, not following lines and cutting right through other car's trajectories... He even goes wide out of track and comes back in cutting off other cars (1:19 shocked me).
He showed no respect for other people's laptimes nor safety...
If he drives like that on a track, I can't imagine on the streets
The fakt that it's a stock amg makes it worse, we can just assume its some rich hillbilly's son, or similar.
topkek
darth415 nej
Are you the guy in the Mercedes?
the people questioning this comment, are part of the problem
Love the finger from the ginetta geezer
SJW Motorsport 46 yeah I got a chuckle from that ginetta too lol
Just before I was saying to myself, mhh That Ginetta dude will be...Yep there it is..
lol puts his foot down in a straight line, goes 2mph through the corners, and then has no idea what he is doing
+sniktun1 not only that but his lines were just terrible, he was all over the track for a simple turn
im an American but... he drove like most Americans. lol
Are you sure it's not the cars that you have? I once had a '71 Charger and it handled TERRIBLY! Great in a straight line though!
well Mercedes kinda is a German muscle car.
and why is that? their fast in a straight line, but aren't known for their cornering abilities. so it makes perfect sense to me
marshals should kick drivers like that off the track or at least pull them off for a warning. The merc driver has clearly no clue and is a danger to himself and others on the track
+jamie mitchell x2 spot on mate !
Clew? It's not sailing son. ;)
jamie mitchell clew lol. clue
jamie mitchell no clew,i sincerely hope you can see the irony in that my friend.otherwise i really have no CLUE
jamie mitchell no clew,i sincerely hope you can see the irony in that my friend.otherwise i really have no CLUE
I can't believe how many people in the comments have no idea what they are saying. The part of the video that proves the driver of the Mercedes is a complete asshat is 1:03 to 1:30. He went off track and still wouldn't calm down. Also all of the normal drivers are hesitant to pass him (you would be too). This is a track day, not an all out race. Move over for faster cars, give yourself space even if your car is fast in a straight line and other cars beat you in the corners.
He/She is an I D 10 T! Didn't have enough sense to get the h**l out if the way...
@@pg1171 I get that, but there really was no need to “censor” the word idiot.
@@ooohhenrybmblm Just my way of writing it. Not censored on purpose.
I think the whole video showed he was pretty bad. A driver with common sense would not pass the cars on the straights instead he would recognise he was faster on the straights and slower in the corners and let faster cars by and then give himself a gap so he wouldn't catch the cars again on the straights. But I agree that the part when he went off also showed the stupidity.
by far the best reply to this video ,you summed it up perfectly
Good ol straight line hero. Same issue with the noobs on litre bikes. rip it down the straighaway and park it in the corners with no sensible line.
Xtina K || until you ride a litre bike you won't understand that you can't fly into corners like a car, hell even the best of the best won't fly into corners often. Good way to slide and risk huge injury. You're on two wheels man.
Aside from the racing line part.
I think he's referring to motorbike track days, I see it all the time in the twisties too, big bike, less than adequate rider, pins it down the long and narrow and hits the brakes to a dead halt around the twisties going a snails pace and most often crossing white lines. And yes I own a litre bike haha :D
Except they're usually in the kitty litter by about the 3rd bend.
@@burgerbandit3646 Ah yes motorcycles have no grip at all, right. They definitely cannot corner if they want to.... Lol have you ever even seen a motorcycle?
Why wasn't he black flagged?
TheMadRatterUK he flagged the black flag
It's not assassin's creed
Don't know if this is a joke or not.
Blue you mean?
On some tracks at track days they don't have blue flags. They just have to let the faster car pass, its part of the rules. He should of been black flagged because he was pretty much just blocking the car from passing. As well as being a hazard on the track.
I'm actually more shocked about the number of people commenting here that think the Merc was actually not the one in the wrong. They clearly have no concept of driving on a track.
Imagine it like this, if that Merc was doing that on the street would you be saying the same thing? Just because he's on a closed course does NOT mean it's ok to drive your car all over the road like an idiot that is out of control. There's no excuse for that and he should have pulled over, slowed down, and let the better and faster drivers by.
Just because his car is faster going straight does NOT mean his car is faster. He would have been left behind by the camera car if the camera car wasn't getting blocked so many times wrecklessly.
Being whipped by an OAP merc when your a race hero on a track day hurts lol !
@@Dan-wz9tr Except he didn't, he passed him easily.
That finger at the end.
Speaking as an instructor, I think there is a lot to learn from this video. The most important thing you can do is focus less on the mistakes other drivers are making and more on the ones you are making. Realize that your brain made a conscious decision to battle it out with this Merc who clearly had little or no track experience. Was that a good decision? What were your other options? Once you assess that a driver may be out of their element on the track, it is usually best to either get by quickly or find some space on the track without that particular driver in it.
Logic.
***** We are usually picking those people out of a tire wall.
***** To each their own I guess. When I go to the track, I want to get into a rhythm and work on my lines. I try to mix it up with people I know, people I trust. That trust is very important when you have to drive the vehicle home after the track day. This guy exhibits the classic signs of someone that doesn't know what they are doing who has more car than they can handle. When I see that, I typically pull into the pits and give them some space, let them collect someone else.
Hehe you said asses
Well put sir!
That's the same on the road when you have someone doing 40MPH in corners and just accelerate on straights. It brings a lot of frustration.
Agree. Also when they 50 in the 60 zone and then going throw a town STILL do 50 in a 30 zone and they they pull away from you in a dangerous area and you miss the only over taking opportunity coming back into a 60 zone. Had happened to me a few times.
Omg that comment brought me nightmares
Hahaha that clear, full finger towards him is justly!
Mercedes drivers don't use the mirrors.
Though it seems fast enough down the straights, he's probably thinking"Wooh, great ontrack battle with that Westfield"
He's that new kid who joins a Forza race with their stock car and thinks he's fast
That's what happens when you take a heavy Merc AMG dragster to a group full of lightweight trackday cars - you can gain some distance on the straight, but you end up missing every apex. Looks like he was outdragging the cars on the straight, then lumbering around the corners reducing their corner speed, then outdragging them on the straight again!
Yup and that's fair. Assholes in their lighter cars like the camera car don't like it, maybe they should have more hp next track day.
Not really. If you want to go fast in a straight line, go to a drag strip, instead of floundering your way around ruining a trackday.
tinton3w Wrong. You don't belong on a track with that mentality. It can get people killed. The asshole in this video is in the AMG.
Lifeofriley18 Bullshit I own an AMG and your comment makes no sense, the driver sucks and that is all. The car is fast on straights and corners it is matter of having a driver there to do the job not some imbecile.
ua-cam.com/video/uDNPpzm0uBM/v-deo.html&spfreload=10
Pedro C I think you will find that it's your comment that makes no sense.
First of all, you say that you own "an AMG", then post a link to a trackday showing a C63 AMG... which is a completely different car to the SL in the video. It's a completely different body, different engine, different suspension setup and geometry, and is some around 225kg lighter than the SL. Your comment implying that they're comparable cars reveals a lot about your background knowledge on the matter.
Nevertheless, either way, trackday special cars are better than big heavy road cars that have been made more focussed. So even the C63 is over 1700kg, and I can't think of a single racing car that weighs that much. Even a NASCAR car weighs less than that, and they're not exactly the daintiest of racing cars. And there's a good reason for this... nobody wants a heavy racing car. Tyres have a certain coefficient of friction, which resists the lateral force generated through the corner. Less weight means less lateral force for a given speed, so you can carry more speed through the corner with the grip the tyres can generate. Lightweight track specials like Caterhams and Ginettas are designed specifically for use on the racing track with all of that in mind, whereas something like a C63 is a saloon car with a more powerful engine and suspension.
For clarity, the argument isn't whether a C63 or SL55 is a good car or good on track days... the argument is if they're as good at cornering as a lighweight trackday special. The C63 is designed so that it can also take a bootful of shopping home and the kids to school, whereas Caterhams and Ginettas can't, and the SL55 is designed to waft along the autobahn at 155mph in near silence, and have a fancy folding metal roof for when you drive it to the French riviera, and Caterhams and Ginettas aren't. Of course the AMGs aren't as good on track - they're compromised for a different set of circumstances. And in the same way that you wouldn't want a Caterham driver blocking the outside lane of the autobahn when you're trying to waft past at warp speed in an SL55, you don't want an SL55 lumbering all over the track like a hippo in ballet shoes when you're in a lightweight trac special on a track day.
merc should have been black flagged
goddamn that was hard to watch, AMG driver's line is all over the place, seems like he just focused on blocking people and rather than the roads.
When that happens, pull into the pits and back out. Let him be somebody else's problem.
Jack Smith that's what I would have done. god only knows what would happen after you pass him.
Jack Smith one lap?not a big hassle if you ask me.Next lap and he's through.Grow up,no one needs to get out of your way
Grant Madden You are obviously someone who gets in other people's way and feel the track is yours. He's all over the corners and has pull away speed on the straight. Know one will be able to get by him. You pit and tell the officials who will Black Flag him. You either use common curtesy, act like a grown up or go home. Track Days are a privilege not a right.
Not normally.The onus is on you to pass safely.He does not need to let you by unless shown the blue flag and although I raced bikes not cars,I never held anyone up.This is just a play day,not an actual race meeting so it's probably every man for himself rules.
Please do not go on a Track Day if you think that they are 'everyman for himself rules'!
hes probably thinking "damn,this guys cant keep up"
Shocking behaviour and it amazes me that he wasn't black flagged. I generally find the marshals on track days to be too lenient.
Right up until a skilled driver starts having fun and gets flagged for 'racing' lol. I never understood that about British track days.
Panoz Racing held the events. They had flagmen posted around the track who would black flag those drivers who did not follow the rules, like letting faster cars pass. Fortunately I never had a problem passing cars; the drivers always signaled when they saw me coming up fast. I miss those track days and I look forward to getting back to driving a Road Atlanta next year.
It's not AMG being bad at corners, its the fact that the guy had no idea what racing line is, and missing all his braking points
Yeah, the Merc is holding you up on the corners.... but you are holding him up on the straights just the same. Track days like this are not a race and you can drop back for a bit if other peoples driving is that much of an annoyance.
+morbsGTI20vt .... very good point....if you dont have the talent or speed to pass safely, back of a few seconds let the merc go then get your foot down and enjoy your self.....respect to your comments....happy days..
+morbsGTI20vt But if u start out with no cars behind u, and then suddenly there is a car that are so close behind u, clearly that cars is faster than u on that track, even if u are faster on the straights. might just give way for the car and enjoy your session.
Doesn't matter if the merc is faster down the straights, he's lapping slower. If he were to let the camera car pass, it would get away from him through the corners.
This one time my dad and I where out at Sebring. He has a modified 2014 z/28, making around 650hp, and at the time we where on Hoosiers. We here chasing down a radical, when some guy in an old striped out BMW was up ahead. He didn't let the radical pass. Or us. Or any of the guys in gt3's. They had a line of about 5 cars behind. Wasn't because he was fast, but because he didn't let anyone pass. He radical got fed up, and after a good amount of flags and a lap later, we all started passing him. Worst part is they where in the garage right next to us....
Monty 4248 what are you saying ???? He wasn't fast so why didn't you overtake him then??
They had a rule that day. Point by passing, since all the skill levels where out at the time.
my local track they've made rules around idiots like this now that protect them... now if they are in your way you are told to go to the pits
The Mercedes is quite clearly faster than your car. What are you talking about? The fact that it flew past you and you put your hands up in disbelief is astounding! He's BEATING you.
Faster down the straights does not mean faster around a whole lap.
Another instructor here, After the session go tell the chief instructor/steward and get that type of driver into a novice or intermediate group. Unless you are driving in advanced/red group you can expect to be dealing with that a lot. Best scenario for those run groups is to pit in for a few seconds then go back out less red misted.
Uk track days run open pitlane so no groups etc
I had a friend like that once, he hated being overtaken and on a road with two lanes going in one direction he would drive up the middle of both lanes (on public streets), just to stop people that wanted to pass him.
+asdfawesomesauce Nah, he almost killed me in a car crash after he sped away from his old school friends and just kept accelerating up the road forgetting that there was a 90 degree bend at the end. He tried to take the bend at about 65mph in a 30 limit and lost it. After that I told him what I thought of him and his driving and he went in the huff and we stopped hanging out.
+Sinky ....im a class1 lorry driver and see this alot.....people hate lorrys overtaking them too...
i see some terrible driving i do around 130,000miles a year!! with work pleasure and track all together
+lewis eyers Yeah I always wanted to drive trucks but never got round to it. I've got a pretty powerful car but I'm never above 60 with it. I plod along happily at truck speeds and if I end up behind one on the bypass I usually don't bother overtaking and just stick behind until my turnoff.
0:55 I would not have guessed that that car would spit flames
Sometimes with people like that, you just have to force yourself onto a half a cooldown lap and hopefully they get far enough ahead....
The driver at the end became Italian for that brief moment.
If Vettel was in one of those Ginetta's he'd be on the radio crying at Charlie.
This is because here Brazil is mandatory you make a fast course for good pratices before you go to track day
those Ginettas look really cool, I had never heard of them before
Here in France we use turning signals to let pass, pass or blinking too.
If I'm ever on track with people like this I just pull a cool down lap till they are half a circuit away. Let them crash into someone else
Man you guys are very nice to let him off that easy!!
If you have people on your ass, let em' pass. All the nay sayers in the comments either don't know or forgot that track days aren't about racing and if you have people constantly behind you, that means your out skilled and need to let them through.
Leave your pride at the pits, and forcus on improving your own skills and not worry about getting passed up like this guy in the video.
That guy was a perfect example of why I only do track days that require a "point by" for passing. The last thing I want is to have my car taken out by some guy who is super-competitive (in an event specifically intended to be non-competitive) and doesn't know what he is doing.
I was at Silverstone on 4th October, driving a black Caterham. I remember the guy in the AMG, but didn't meet him on track. What a total IDIOT!!! People driving like that should be sent home. UNBELIEVABLE.
On the other hand you couldn't even get past him lol
Wow that is so dangerous. It’s even worse since lockdown and people are just ticking the boxes online to say they understand track etiquette. Well done for keeping your cool
This is why you now have driver skill rated sessions.
He was all over the track but his car left yours for dead on the straights lol
Love the quality of these videos! what do you record with? Keep it up
this might be a stupid question; in some racing footage i see the cars headlights flickering, what is that? can somebody explain
The Merc is driving like a flog, but when I come across someone like that if I can't get past them quickly then I would just back off and let him gap me or drive through the pits to be released into clear air.
At a certain point track officials should've been doing something. Seeing him fly off track and then come back on and stay in front of you was appalling. He became a massive danger to others and they should've had him revisit the safety briefing.
lmao this just looks as if that guy in the AMG was taken straight out of a public lobby on FM7 haha
The word "cock" springs to mind! Ruins it when you get people who dont move over. Im not a quick driver but if someone catches me up i move over at the earliest point and signal. If your on a trackday there will always be a quicker car than you at somepoint. Its not about racing its about having fun.
normally when i get up on slow streetcars on track and they wont move i just stress the shit out of them by going up seriously close and just fill there rear mirrors with red mx5 amazingness :D
Haha 😂 My old tricks, but I’ve been told off a few times now for doing it. TDOs have had a hard time lately, so money seems to talk at the moment. Hopefully when we start having briefings again he penny will drop.
There was a lad in a Honda EP3 doing that at Croft in AprIl. He was entering the TrophyR Cup series so getting some testing in. He was literally pulling over to the left down the straights to prevent others overtaking. I complained twice to the TDO and I know others did too, but he remained on track all day. I hate complaining as everybody pays their entry fee and we’re not racing, but you’ve got to know when to calm down or as you say there’s going to be a major accident.
I've found if you keep pushing idiots like this enough they tend to eventually fall off the track 😂
You guys are too nice. Just pass him in a corner without a point by and dare him to complain about it.
This is a Track Day. Track Days are not Race Days and have different rules to abide by. Track Day rules usually state that you are only allowed to overtake on the straights and that you can only overtake on whichever side you are told to overtake on in the Driver's Briefing before the circuit opens.
The rules also usually state that you are to point by faster cars behind
you in a timely manner. Hence my comment. Better yet, move up to an
experienced class that allows passing without point bys. Its more fun
anyway.
Being "right" won't be much consolation when your car is going home on the back of a flatbed truck because you've had a collision whilst passing one of these clowns.
nothing like a track day grand prix driver.
Lmao the ginetta at the end
At 1.33-136 you overtook him on a corner, cutting up his line though, Something you're not supposed to do on track days as well....
The video quality is outstanding. What was this shot with?
Hi Dave, I don't remember the specific model of the main camera but I think it was a fairly generic 1080p recording system that supported an external mic. The rear facing camera was a Contour HD which shot in 720p. This video is very old! My current equipment is a VBOX HD2 which creates beautiful footage - see my latest video here: ua-cam.com/video/eWCnrNkhU84/v-deo.html :)
Wow - what a throbber. Did you report him?
Ngl at first i thought this was a game and was like these seem like really good graphics for the time, only then to realise it's real-life ahah
He sure did have some great straight line speed though.
why no speedo?
have you disconnected it to also keep the mile ommiter low?
I. Think the speedo is broken,I saw the needle jump.
Holy fuck, I can't be the only one to think this was a video game the entire time.
guys like this are why they took away track days at Circuit Of The Americas now there are no track days within 800 miles of me. granted my s13 isnt fast but it was still awesome to get to drive an F1 track. he almost caused 2 accidents in less than 3 turns! guys like this just truly piss me off!
it was me....sorry but i was drunk and my girlfriend left me so i hope you understand
Hahahahahaha -- Best comment. :)
Now if you'd said your girlfriend was in the passenger seat with her head in your lap, I would understand.
By the way you were driving, I though she had her head in your lap. ;-)
I’ve done a few track days in my Mini ( real one) the terrifying bit about track days isn’t whether you will wrap your car up yourself it’s worrying about the Morons that are faster in a straight line but don’t know racing lines so shoot up the inside of you then realise they’re never getting around the corner from there at speed so hit the brakes and totally fuck up your line across the apex or nearly take you out.
Hate to say it but typical Merc driver that thinks he owns the road and screw everyone else.
LOL been there.... The car maybe fast in the straight but slow as hell on the corners. If a car catches up to you, then let them pass. After that you can try to get the point by back. Sometimes you can learn a new line from a faster car thats in front of you.
This knob never let any cars past,way to slow
Old saying, power is nothing without control never been more appropriate.
I'm sure he actually thought he was quicker because his car could hold its own on the straights. In his mind he was just proving how good he was by passing on the straight despite that over a lap he was much slower. Under the same circumstances on nearly every track day I just find space by driving through the pits, assuming it's open pit lane, and avoiding these situations. All good fun.
I've seen this many times and it's not just annoying it's dangerous. But people who drive like this still has their ego on the track and think it's a race and also they think they are good just because they outrun you on the straights with 600hp compared to say 150-200hp. The speed difference into the corners when they brake maybe early but way too much makes it very dangerous because you don't expect them to go that slow in the corners either.
Also the fact that they are all over the place and unpredictable makes you very hesitant in trying to pass because you have no clue what comes next.
I literally can't distinguish if this is real or a video game.
In Australia we're told to focus on the road in front of us so you wouldn't know if someone faster is coming up behind you.
I think we have it the right way it's the responsibility of the driver or rider behind you. I know myself if I come up behind someone who's doing inconsistent lines. I'll follow for a lap or two and try to find a pattern and a place to overtake it's ussaly Under brakes in my case. I also believe you become a better reader of speed and judgement the more track day's you do. When I think back now I did some dangerous moves my first few track days every now and again it still happens too.It's part of learning and coming up to speed.
I've had new rider's do dangerous stuff to me also. I think to myself that's me 4 years ago lol so I don't get mad we're just human beings being human being s with different phases of experience
In the UK we don't generally allow overtaking in corner, so going by Aus rules we'd never be able to overtake an 'only quicker in a straight line' car/driver.
At my event, that Mercedes driver would have a very short track day.
The Mercede driver's general attitude is summed up by this driver's head shake at 2:39
Amazing quality footage for 2011 - no idea why it was recommended by impressed! Note, nothing much has changed since 2011, people still don't get out the way!
There would be words or fists off track.
I'm not defending the guy in the mercedes or anything. He is the one at fault here and is in fact ruining the laps for the guys behind him, but it might just have been the guy's first track day or something. Remember to check your mirrors regularly, and if you see a car behind you that wasn't there before, that means he is faster and caught up to you. Let off the gas for 2 seconds on a straight, point them by, let them pass, and get back on it. The guys at the flag stations even have a flag specifically to signal other drivers when there is a faster car behind them. If you see that flag being waved as you're driving and it gets pointed to you, check your mirrors. With that being said, with it probably being the guy's first track day, he was too focused on driving and forgot to check his mirrors and watch the flags.
What did you say to the organisers when you got back to the paddock.
At any of the tracks I've been to, that guy would've been black flagged and booted from the event.
Typical berk in a Merc.
Should have got a warning , but i didn't see any blue flags/lights to let the faster car go ?
that dashboard is beautifully simple
I find it so hard to keep my cool in those instances. A fault of mine i know. Out here usually Porsche drivers and BMW drivers who dont like being overtaken by a little clubman car.
lol the merc driver couldnt even take a racing line
B-b-but he has like... a million horsepowers or something! He can do what he likes, even though he's clearly a talentless peasant.
Wow, hope the eventmaster had some words with that guy.
Track days are simple:- Only pass if it's clear and safe to do so also only if the driver in front is happy for you to do so and remember it's left passing only and only on a straight. If he's holding you up he should get a blue flag if he ignores the blue then he should get a black. I blame the stewards if the flags were not used.
blue flags aren't used at Silverstone...ever
Those Line smh, would love to see him drive a car without TCS & ABS. I always take the first laps or two to focus on my lines.
This looks like a video game and its tripping me out
So little man in his Caterham didn't like the fact the merc, although in the wrong was clearly alot more powerful than his little scaffolding on wheels... Oh bless
Don't be a pratt
I was thinking of taking my new M240i to the next Track Day at Silverstone. Is it full of nobs showing off and cutting you up or will I get some time to fly through the corners and down the straights without any traffic at any point in the day?
I imagine you will be one of the nobs as you "fly through the corners and down the straights" thinking you're a hell of a lot better at driving than you actually are.
Try driving a Mini 7 or similar powered classic mini...they never let you pass on the track then come up to you afterwards to compliment you on your car..."Is that a 1600 you've got in there... etc?"
I’m all for keeping your calm, but some people just need to be put in their place. I’m never afraid to rub a lil bumper
Straight line hero.... couldn't find a line in a nightclub toilet.
This looks more like a video game than real life lol
Just pull into pit for 30 seconds, and they'll be well away from you. Not worth the hassle of getting irritated on your fun day, nor risking an accident from their lousy driving.
The guy in the mercedes is probably Jeremy Clarkson ... POWER!
What the yellow square with black cross mean? Curiosity of a french trackday driver.
It's called a 'novice cross' and if racing it indicates you're new/inexperienced. After a certain number of clean races your race license is updated and the cross can be removed.
It's not required at all for track days.