Yes I have quick release, but unfortunately in bad situations (re: ST2 competitor Tage Evanson and a couple years ago Charles Espinlaub at the 25), every second matters in getting out under fire situations, and that's one extra step to remember to do. If I'm forced to go out a window with helmet on, it has to be the passenger window unless I modify my Cobra Sebring Pro. I fear fires in the Corvette with this seat..I'm seriously considering putting the old seat back in and just using the center window net, but with what happened to Randy, his window net reportedly failed..

I fear fire too... So I bought Carbon-X underwear (it does WAY better then Nomex especially with heat and direct flame) to wear under my 3 layer Nomex suit.
You can also improve your fire system as well, add more nozels and tank capacity, to help buy you the precious seconds.

I agree, I've done both of those things as well!

I tell you what though, the 2 fastest I got the F out of the car, both times I thought there may have been a small fire starting in the bay. Scary stuff when your cockpit fills with smoke and smoke is coming from under the hood heavily too

Any update on Randy?

Does he or his family need anything?

Because of his concussion and I'm sure partially because of the impact too, his last update was that he's still a bit queazy and slightly blurred vision but is otherwise feeling better

This is the inter-web.
Plenty of folks post up while queezy and with blurred vision.
Hell, I think I saw an iPhone app for just that.



Randy ... glad yer feeling better, dood.

I talked to Brandon today up at Thunderhill - He said Randy is improving but the vision problem is keeping him off the keyboard. The best thing he said was that Randy was released from the hospital the day after the surgery, so he's recovering at home instead of a hospital bed. Brandon said the crash scene was horrific, and Randys whole family was there and pretty traumatized.

Im just glad to hear that he is relatively OK, especially for what he went through. Glad to hear hes home and resting up!

Hello all....thanks for the many kind words and thoughts over the past few weeks!

I AM ALIVE! That is the important thing, and from all I have been told, that is no small feat. I just finished SQUINTING at the video of the crash and it was horrific. Mostly car parts flying like a bomb went off. The car looks to go 30+ feet in the air and landed upright...Thank God! My door was ripped off and the my arm seems to have knocked the window net off, so I was riding the flip like a rodeo cowboy with my left arm out the window for style points....Image is EVERYTHING! ;-).

I was found with a purple face and black eyes, which the EMTs later told my family that I was extremely lucky to survive. I remember nothing other than seeing a bright light and the rush of air....then the helicopter engine starting and seeing the ceiling of the chopper. They said I was concious at the track and complaining mightilly of the other driver...don't remember that. It took them 50 minutes to cut me out of the car. My cage broke the Jaws of Life!

I had a broken Clavical, Scapula and approximately 5 ribs. The clavical was sugically repaired with plates and screws a few hours after the accident. My scapula and ribs will heal "naturally"...which is doctor speak for PAINFULLY! hehe. I have been back to the surgeon on Friday and the X Rays show the sugical repair healing nicely as are the ribs and scapula. My biggest issue now is my vision. I still cannot see too well. I am typing this on FULL SCREEN mode and still can't read it too well. I have been to several eye doctors and am now in the car of a Retina specialist who seems to know his stuff. They tell me I "likely" will recover my vision. No one will give too much information since I think they don't want to be on the line for promissing something that doesn't come to pass. I have talked to a few "crashers" in the past, mostly motorcycle guys and they talk of similar vision issues that does go away after "some time". My vision seems to get better each day, but not much...it is microscopic improvements. Which, as you all know when sick, sucks sinced while daytime TV sucks....staring a a blurry wall sucks EVEN WORSE. I have downloaded a book on iPod this week and plan on chilling out that way a bit.

The crash video, I will post as I get better at seeing. I do not remember driving it at all. While I don't think I was at fault, surely I drove to a spot that was "tight" and the other driver just moved over on me for little reason that I can see. Knowing my conservative self, I was surprised to see me even drive the car in there.....but oh well....

I no longer own a race car, but more like a ball of tin foil....so if you know of any good deals out there.....hehe.....you will have to fight my wife off, but let me know....hehehe.

Thanks all....

Randy

Glad to see you posting again. 50 mins. to get you out? That must of felt like a lifetime. Get better and hope to see you race again at Sears.

living, breathing and typing.... I'd call that alive.

Great to hear from you Randy... 30' in the air? I think you need a pilots license above 31'..... lucky you, could have been busted for flying without a pilots license

Glad to see you back, brother.

Thanks for telling us your story Randy, and more speed to your recovery! That is amazing your cage broke the jaws of life too! So relieved you are safe and sound.

Randy - It's great to hear from you! And you still have a sense of humor, that's a good sign. Don't worry about the car - a better, safer, faster one can be built.

Welcome Back Randy

Welcome back! Do your best to let the body's healing process progress at it's rate, not the rate you want. I can speak from post-op surgery experience, that trying to rush the healing process does no good. Re-injuring will only set back any progress made. And as we age, healing times will increase. Get better soon, and get back on track!

Time for something slow, like a CMC car!
Glad to see you back.
And get that vid posted. Lots to be learned from it like all other post race crash's.

Glad to see you posting again.

Randy,

Glad to see you here. Hope things improve rapidly, try to check in as you feel up to it...we're always glad to see you.

And I have a 3rd gen with a TON of roll cage in it that I've debated parting with... You might be the guy to talk me out of it. You KNOW you want an old EFI small block car (and parts are CHEAP). (Ducking...and please don't give your wife my address).

LMAO! Gotta love that, after going through all 'that'.

Good to hear from you Randy! Keep the spirits up!

So glad you're okay, Randy! Good to hear it form the source, as it were.

FWIW, I do have a car for sale in the classifieds here. I'm more than happy to make a deal with you if you're at all interested. And I'm stoked to hear you still want to get back into it

D

We were both holding our fingers and toes crossed up here Randy! It feels sooo much better now that we can relax knowing that you're going to mend.
I JUST got back in the car after fighting three years to save my left eyesight. Finally found a professor at UBC that deflated my eyeball, sucked all the juice out, scraped the crap off the retina, and reinflated it! I spent weeks looking through a strange artificial horizon until it refilled with fluid. Best part is I now have binocular vison and almost 20/20 again! They CAN do miracles these days! Last weekend's first race on my newly restored licence was hard to feel anything but thankful for, despite tossing the driveshaft at 110 mph while leading! You will get to do this again too! All the best!

that is a hell of a cage to break 3 jaws of life. Glad to hear you are getting better everyday.

Randy, glad to see you update in here After a crash such as that, I could only imagine "with time" being keywords. Heal up and don't try doing too much too soon, you'll be behind the wheel in no time! And look into audio books if the reading starts giving you headaches, I think Amazon is selling downloadable audio books now

Heh... He's already done it! About 10yrs ago Randys car tossed its driveshaft at me, exit of T1 at Thunderhill, in a qual session. I threaded the needle between the tumbing ds and coasting Randy, and loaned him my spare for the race.

Alan's right... a great attitude like your's will make for a much faster recovery!

Driveshafts are never a fun dodging....

I'd rather dodge this again....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR1TrGA5oQE

Was that a shock?

HEHE....I remember that weekend! Car was new and had some MAJOR teething pains! Alan saved the day after I tried to take him out at a pretty good rate of speed! I still had the dents in the tunnel from that day....bet there are more dent's now. HAHA...thanks for the memories Alan!

I was very lucky last w/e because the two containment loops I welded onto the stock torque arm survived the thrashing and were able to keep it attached to the trans. Very noisy and some lock/unlock as the remains of the rear U joint was jamming on the pinion saddle, etc. It finally locked up somehow and stayed that way so my brand new rear tires took the real beating as I avoided the wall. All fixed now. The saddle clamps were still in place, with all four bolts tight, but the bearing cup had escaped on one side. The only thing I can guess is the inner clip that retains the bearing cup parted company letting the whole assembly come apart. I notice the 3rd gen alum d/s has two different u joint part numbers (with the thin retaining ring!) while the 4th gen ones have a single ( but different) p/n. I have to assume they went back to the steel retainer 'bump' in the pinion saddle outer faces which will not be tossed out. I'm using my spare with new u-joints only until I can change to a better version. Life's little lessons...

Randy,

SO GLAD YOU ARE OKAY....happy to hear you are on the road to recovery!!

If we can do anything, let us know please!!



Costas
cars and such...

A Pheasant........

LOL ... we had deer running across the track at TWS a couple years ago.

It's gophers we have to dodge at Summit Point.

After reading the thread and having followed a few of your builds; it's good to see you're still ticking. And as everyone has stated goo to see you still have a sense of humor.

Great to hear from you Randy..

Glad you are getting better and better.. You WILL make a full recovery and you know it! Thats the important thing!

Feel better and keep us updated!

good to hear you're on the mend Randy, look forward to many new projects and experiences from you.

Just reading that part tells me Randy was already on his way to a full recovery right there and then.

Glad you're ok Randy!

Don't forget all the deer there too. There is a good picture on NASA forum with one dancing over a hood. I think it made it but what a pucker factor!

Have the car in my back yard now......

All I can say is....HOLY S#&@T!

My wife looked green and told me once it was good she saw im in the hospital BEFORE she saw the totalled car.....now I know why! I am ONE LUCKY MAN!!!! That car is TORE UP. They cut just about every upper bar to get me out, but you can see the cage was intact. The seat broke of the rear shoulder mount, but the bottom mounts held. The pedals are all tore up/bent...funny my legs feet never hurt. The car is scary bad. I took some pics but will have to wait for the eyesight to get them online.

I am hoping the motor/trans is OK. The rear can be straightened I am sure. The car....uh...EVERY floor panel is buckled/moved a lot. The floor boards tore open in a lot of spots as did the fire way and rear bulkhead/trunk. All that and not a drop of gas spilled from stock tank. No oil either....amazing.....

Wow Randy, that sounds ugly. Hopefully we can learn a few things from what ideas worked (which seems to be lots of things).

Hearing about scary wrecks always makes me double check my safety stuff, it brings the reality home. Glad to hear you're on the mend and thanks for the updates.

Glad to hear you're gettin' better

Some shots:

Kids LOVED this at the dinner table:

sad...

how in the heck...

spent some time here while my car was being turned into a convertable:

all four corners...CRUSHED:

COCKPIT INTACT!!! WOOT!

Front:


Pictures do not do it justice to how bad it is. The floor is buckled and torn open all over the car. The fire wall is torn open, the rear firewall/bulked is pushed into the car by feet. It was about as back as it can get. I am a lucky man!

Randy
Glad to see your are Progressing on your recovery!!!!! As for the car shots

John

I can't think of anything to say Randy... I'm just so glad you're still with us.

WOW! I don't think you could ask more of a cage, it had to give in some spots! What do you think Alan? Hope you keep healing up and you see better soon Randy! I hope you are not in that much pain.

ITS STILL GOOD! ITS STILL GOOD!!!

Man.. Glad you survived that Randy.. That car is messed up.. Thank GOD you had a good cage in there to protect you.

Seeing this makes me want to put at the minimum a 4 point roll bar into my street/hpde camaro, as a just in case measure.

Glad your feeling better.. You will be back in the drivers seat in no-time!

Yeah, the cage was amazing! Not a collapsed part into the cockpit at all. I have seen lots of roll overs with cars and almost always the cage is bent down in SOME manner. Usually one of the door pillars is smashed down when the car landed on the top. Mine has NO downward deflection at all. The cage builder came over the other day to look at it and he was pointing out all the "stress" marks on the welds and the tubes, but it did its job admirably. I am "happy"....

The cage did a great job. You are very much alive and breathing!!! Just keep relaxing, and healing..

And that's exactly why I had my 4-point roll bar installed.