I would just like to say to all those that claim the traction control does not work or does absolutely nothing, you are wrong. I have witnessed my car engage traction control several times. Each time it has happened I was on throttle and the 'traction control' warning lamp illuminated on the instrument cluster for a very brief time. Control of my car was never lost. So sad to see a tragic loss like this. Prayers to their families.
matthew, you have made some great posts on this site and most of us here have thick skin. john is a good guy and I think you are too...we will all bounce back these discussions can get emotional and whereas it is the web, many of us are real people to one another and this is a strong community where we can actually lever up relationships. always good to keep ourselves in check! Cheers! pcb
This and this. As a new owner of a CGT, this untimely tragedy deeply effected me and is extremely sad all around. But Mark has it right, the driver is responsible for any vehicle he steps into - it could be a Prius, or a GTR with all the electronic technology in the world....at high speeds and beyond limits, the car will lose control. Before Stability Control was even around, how did drivers drive these powerful cars? Perhaps respecting the limits? You can't fault a car for not having a particular technology in it. Driver must respect the car. This incident just reminds me of how easy rear and mid-engine cars can spin at high speed. With a high power to weight ratio in any car, it can be impossible to catch a spin. I've done this many times on track when I first got my 211. The car was so fast that at a high speed corner, if you lift, the car will spin - and there is NO way to catch it. It reminds me of T4 at Laguna Seca which is a high speed corner with a slight bend to it -very deceiving but the slightest lift on throttle put me into the kitty litter twice. I just think that people take these supercars (CGT's, FordGT's, CS's) beyond their limits (especially on public roads with little experience), and do not respect the danger and consequences when pushed. The CGT is a very focused car, and I have taken it up to the canyons and it feels very well-balanced and planted. But this is also because I was driving it 5-7/10. I will Never drive it 10/10 as I do with my Lotus on track. It is a very rewarding cars as others have claimed and IMO the "purest" production car I have driven. But I will certainly respect the car and learn from this tragedy.
Eric, you are right....I have gone around slow turns with a little too much throttle, and TC light flashes and rear wiggles a bit, but car still felt very "controllable."
^ pro driver, meaning even he couldnt handle the cgt. pro drivers dont crash all the time......on the street....... ed
Pro drivers crash on the street and mostly on the track. The CGT is a hand full at lower speeds due to various aspects that effect the car's traction but it's a very precise instrument at higher speeds. Others have confirmed that. Based on the level of impact the car must of been traveling very fast. In other words if control was some how lost while traveling circa 100 mph or higher they could of been driving an Enzo or a Camry and the result could of been similar. Once control is lost you just sit back wait as you're at the mercy of physics. Let's not blame the car before knowing the whole story.
I guess pro drivers needs to be defined. We are not talking about the regular suspects we watch on TV in a Formula 1 race. I mean guys that race on a constant basis on various tracks as a hobby. Are they pros? I know a few personally and they got them self's in deep trouble on a few occasions in cars that had 600-1100 hp, but lived to talk about it. It can happen with capable drivers.
There's a thread on a crashed F-car in Florida that I believe was driven by a pro driver. The driver in the Walker crash was a racer too. Mike Hailwood died in a street crash, as did Jungle Jim Liberman. Spencer Clark (NASCAR), Norick Abe (Moto GP), and Peter Bourne (rallying) also all died in traffic accidents.
I don't think I could say it better than Matt Farah "it's like when you were a kid and had slot cars, it has tons of grip, until all of a sudden it doesn't, but when you lose it, it flies off the track and hits somebody in the face... http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=g-high-rec&v=HmscSzFurwg (go to 10:05) We all have these cars which are overkill on the streets. We all know the risks when we take them out and have a spirited drive. However, this is what we love doing and taking the car to the brink of the loss of control is usually the high we're after. Contrary to one of the posts, the CGT wasn't the last car to be produced without nannies, the Viper was produced without nannies until 2013. If the two were driving a Scud, they probably would have turned off the nannies so they could do donuts or whatever it appears they might have been doing! So I don't buy the whole lack of nannie issue and argument. This could have been anyone of us going over the cliff in a canyon or flying sideways into a tree. Just an unfortunate accident- There, but for the grace of God, go I. RIP guys!
Formula 1 racing drivers Mike Hawthorne & Mick Hailwood both had accidents on the street driving road cars and died. This is relatively common knowledge. There have been other in more recent times. It happens, and perhaps will happen again. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hailwood had a car pull across in front of him. Granted he may have been going faster than limit but it was an unavoidable accident. This latest CGT was a car recently sold by a current Indycar driver FWIW who felt it dangerous to drive on the street.
Remember waaay back, BMW would not sell the 2002Tisa only to race drivers? Unfortunately, current films and games and TV such as TopGear lull people into a fantasy role, in real life it don't work like that. sSame with the guns/violence syndrome that's in some people. IMHO
Where did you get that information about Graham? I just spent a week with his Dad and Brother and his brother said he loved the car. He just has car A D D. Nothing else.
Here are comments by Walter Rohrl and Graham Rahal.... Porsche That Paul Walker Died In 'Dangerous,' 'Needs Respect'
I read that and found it interesting. I find it hard to believe that Rohrl found the car "scary" - perhaps it's a little out of context. Nonetheless, point taken. Rahal's comments make sense - and I would think any car with that capability surely demands respect. Good for us plebes that can't afford one...my secret hope is that the car's value will tank such that I can acquire one. Wishful thinking on my part, but hey - I can dream!!!!
