How do you think this would have ended without a cage?

 

I'd say probably, death! Altho, the rally cars do have a pretty strong pillar in stock form. In fact, they are known to be hard to cut thru with the jaws of life. There was a actual demonstration by a rescue crew that showed how much stronger they were compared to most other cars. This was for a corner worker class.

 

Would not have ended pretty. Evo's DO have a strong stock structure. But that was a hard hit. Glad to see the driver was OK.

 

Guys,
Yes it was a hard hit and rung my bell pretty good. I had the corner workers behind me out of camera view. They were waving cars to slow down by hand, since they had dropped (and temporarily lost) both the radio and flags running from my car. I didn't become aware of this until after I had jumped the wall.

The left front tire had a gash in it and had demounted prior to impact with the wall. Here is the video with some data attached, not that it is very obvious but I went through all the logical plowing/understeering drills (decrease throttle, left foot brake, brake like crazy, throttle to rotate) and you can see how they effected the trajectory.


I was back in Pro Cup car 4 days later, but realized I shouldn't have been after consulting with my Neurologist (and current owner of my previous Evo 9 T2 car). He got me fixed up and AMS just completed my replacement car, another Evo 9. I've not had the best luck racing the X, so I'll keep my X MR on the street

 

yeah, it wouldn't have been pretty with out a cage or roll bar. looks like it landed square on the roof. i don't know if the evo roofs are more reinforced than the lancer, but i've seen some pics of lancer rollover and the roof completely collapsed.

 

I was lucky that Piper Motorsport recommended adding FIA bars buttressing nearly exactly where the main load was when it landed. I think without those bars the story may have been much different, as do they. This wreck without a cage would have been fatal, no doubt, seeing as how even the overbuilt cage bent under the load and the sheetmetal was like tinfoil laid over it at best.

 

Glad you're okay! Yeah... possible concussion. Only thing I would have differently would be to let go of the wheel right before impact to avoid the possibility of the wheel breaking your hands.

 

Care to share any aftermath pics?

 

120 mph in straights? pretty impressive!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNv_w_TR98M

 

Yeah I was a bit late on the hand removal, guess I'm no Danica Patrick I get credit for pulling them before the 2nd impact with the ground

I did end up with a concussion, but not because of an abrupt impact (like I've had in the past). It was caused from my brain being scrambled in my skull akin to shaken baby syndrome my Neurologist explained. Took me a couple months to get rid of my completely blood shot eye and pass the IMPACT concussion test. The weird thing about this sort of concussion is that you don't notice it much in daily life, but jump back in to a situation like a race car and you have to over concentrate to try to do things that used to come easy...then the headaches...then nausea...then I do not want to know since that is where I tapped out.

Glad to have walked away to race the following Thursday at Road America...bet you thought I was going to say 'another day'.

 

Good to see you are recovering well CJ. Now get you a real seat! *hint* Recaro

 

I am a bit concerned about my OMP seat. NASA states that any fiberglass seat needs a back brace after 5 years. The manufacture requires the seat free to flex without touching the cage. So now I will have a plate crashing into my back if I hit going backwards like a 911. It would be nice to afford a new light weight carbon/levlar seat but that much money can buy me a 2.3 stroker motor!

 

CJ, sorry to hear this happened. Question, have you ever used arm restraints?

 

No argument here just an opinion.
I have used it, I hate them.( I still have them in the helmet box in the car) I think they are only good for carts, and open wheeler body type of cars. For obvious reasons + where is a much lesser space to work around in the cockpit. Meaning , your movements and space are limited already for you hands vs the Evo. We only had to use the window side arm ones form the begin with.
I don't think it will stop anything when you make it workable for the Evo, and bothers me when I am driving. Window net, i can see to work, and Hans type of things.
Closed cockpit, the arm restrain just silly in my opinion. There is a window net, which is a much better option + if you can leave the window up , even better.

BUT that is mine only personal experience and opinion.