When it rains on the Racetrack...

L

Louv

Member
 Das cats, Cali
Just a couple of photos to show you what happens when it rains really hard on Infineon Racetrack in Sonoma, California. These two pictures were taken in Turn 10, a notoriously fast and dangerous corner (read: stay on the gas; if you lift, you die). However on this day, since there was a river crossing in Turn 10, we were hydroplaning at 40 mph instead of a dry 100 mph. Within an hour there were rivers of mud crossing the track in at least 8 places, and part of Pit Lane was 6 inches deep in rushing water. The track was shut down just after these were taken.

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Photo Credits to Dito Milian. (and many thanks to Dito for being there, in the rain, shooting.)
 
:thumbsup:

I drove Thunderhill once when it was raining like that. There was a small river about 40-50 feet wide flowing across the track from the infield between turns 7 and 8 about 2" deep.

Being able to experience hydroplaning in a controlled environment like that (as opposed to out in traffic on public roadways) is pretty neat because you can get used to how to handle your car entering and exiting the failed traction condition. Definitely up there on the pucker scale the first couple of passes through however. I have experienced hydroplaning out on a roadway since that event and it definitely helped that I knew what to expect - make sure the front wheels are aimed in the direction the car is traveling in when you hit the pavement on the other side of the water and don't make any effort to change the car's direction while the wheels are not in contact with the pavement.
 
AlanL said:
make sure the front wheels are aimed in the direction the car is traveling in when you hit the pavement on the other side of the water and don't make any effort to change the car's direction while the wheels are not in contact with the pavement.
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That was a great explanation. Better than my attempt to explain the it while driving on asphalt.... :thumbsup:
 
I'm doing Donington Park next Sunday, I have a nasty feeling it is going to be just like that............. :driving:
 
halcyon said:
Awesome shots! That's not rain, that looks like a downpour.
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Northern CA can get some pretty incredible downpours. Stuff that easily heads into multiple inch per hour range. The Pacific NW may have a reputation for rain, but its always a gentle rain and nothing like what can happen down down there.
 
halcyon said:
Awesome shots! That's not rain, that looks like a downpour.
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Dito did a great job, as usual. All I did was drive! :driving: Of course, the windows were down, so technically, I was out in the rain too.

Click through for more of the other cars out on track that rainy, rainy weekend.
And, car #84, a brand spankin' new Nissan GTR
 
Louv said:
Dito did a great job, as usual. All I did was drive! :driving: Of course, the windows were down, so technically, I was out in the rain too.
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Eeek - car dried out yet? I had to do that when we got soaked at Thunderhill in my old Audi S4 and it took a week for the interior to dry out.
 
AlanL said:
Eeek - car dried out yet? I had to do that when we got soaked at Thunderhill in my old Audi S4 and it took a week for the interior to dry out.
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Yeah, a few hours of driving with the air conditioning on and the heat turned up full dried it out. I think...
 
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