May. 16, 2006 - One Lap Insanity

I just got back from the enormous Tire Rack facility in South Bend, Indiana.  The final act of the Cannonball One Lap of America was played out there this past Saturday.  If you’re unfamiliar with the One Lap, it is basically a week long, 5000 mile rally with timed stages at various race tracks around the country.  Competitors drive large distances, and spend an insane amount of time in their “race” car only to perform a few laps at the chosen tracks.  If it sounds like a week of hell, you’re probably right.  Those of us who have completed a lap or two like to say that it is an event you hate doing, but love having done-- if that makes any sense.  My brother and I competed in the One Lap in 1995, 96 and 97, and many times during those events we asked ourselves why.  The minute the event was over though, we started planning for the next year.

The king of American automotive journalism, Brock Yates, is the author of the madness.  A quick look at the overall standings proves that this year’s event concluded in typical, scratch your head, One Lap style.  While insane horsepower and huge tires tend to help, more than any other racing event that I know of, driver skill is the biggest deciding factor for who comes out on top.  A Civic Si in fourth place beating out Nobles, Vipers, Corvettes, and Porsches?  Certainly!  How about Chevy HHRs and Honda minivans ahead of AMG Benzes?  Anything goes.  The One Lap is truly a contest of skill, luck, and preparation.  Many high horsepower cars tuned to the nth degree simply don’t last the entire race.  Many less than skilled drivers in expensive rides find themselves backed into Armco or simply struggling to keep up with the more fleet footed drivers in their high strung sport compacts.  The One Lap of America is brutally honest in that way.

Top 50 Finishers of the Tire Rack 2006 One Lap of America sponsored by Car and Driver:

1     1 Porsche           996 TT            SSGT1 BB        7095

2    25 Chevrolet        Corvette Z06      SSGT1 BB         6595

3     8 Mitsubishi       Lancer Evo 8      MidPri Sed       6520

4    71 Honda            Civic Si          Econo Car        6475

5     6 Subaru STi       Top Speed         MidPri Sed       6470

6     5 Ultima           GTR               SSGT1 BB         6300

7    31 Noble            M400              SSGT1 SB         6235

8    43 Subaru           STi               MidPri Sed       6155

9     7 Subaru           WRX STi           MidPri Sed       6115

10    33 Noble            M400             SSGT1 SB         6010

11    10 BMW              M5               Luxury Sed       5960

12    12 Porsche          996TT            SSGT1 BB         5940

13    42 Chevrolet        Corvette         SSGT1 BB         5940

14     4 Chevrolet        Corvette Z06     SSGT1 BB         5845

15     2 Dodge            Viper            SSGT1 BB         5690

16    49 Dodge            Daytona CS       SSGT2 SB         5665

17    36 Porsche          911 Turbo        SSGT1 SB         5475

18    14 Dodge            SRT-4            MidPri Sed       5340

19     9 Jeep             Grand Cherokee   S U V            5330

20    15 Porsche          930              Vint For         5230

21    53 Mazda            RX7              SSGT2 SB         5150

22    38 Volkswagen       Beetle TDI       Retro            5110

23    74 Dodge            SRT-4            MidPri Sed       5045

24    41 Subaru           WRX-STI          MidPri Sed       4890

25    56 Mercedes-Benz    E55              Luxury Sed       4845

26    19 Chevrolet        Corvette Z06     SSGT1 BB         4825

27    66 Chevrolet        Camaro Z28       Vint Amer        4825

28    20 Ford - SVT       Shelby GT500     SSGT2 BB         4815

29    44 Dodge            Neon             MidPri Sed       4795

30    27 Porsche          997S             SSGT1 BB         4765

31    50 World Class Mot  Ultralite        SSGT2 SB         4740

32    17 Ultima           GTR              SSGT1 BB         4695

33     3 Hennessey        Viper            SSGT1 BB         4660

34    47 Chevrolet        Cavalier         Econo Car        4590

35    24 Chevrolet        Corvette Z06     SSGT1 BB         4560

36    60 Mini             Cooper S         Retro            4550

37    37 BMW              M Coupe          SSGT1 SB         4525

38    69 Dodge            Charger SRT8     Luxury Sed       4390

39    57 Dodge            Magnum SRT8      Luxury Sed       4335

40    13 Dodge            Viper RT/10      SSGT1 BB         4315

41    65 Dodge            Viper SRT/10     SSGT1 BB         4145

42    59 Jaguar           S Type R         Luxury Sed       3965

43    68 Datsun           280Z             Vint For         3935

44    48 Chevrolet        HHR              Retro            3935

45    87 Subaru           STi              MidPri Sed       3760

46    81 Ford             Focus            Econo Car        3740

47    58 Cadillac         CTS-V            Luxury Sed       3700

48    72 Honda            Odyssey          S U V            3585

49    30 Mercedes-Benz    CLK500           SSGT1 BB         3480

50    18 Porsche          GT3              SSGT1 BB         3310

Oct. 10, 2005 - Your Attention, Please

I was nearly killed while riding my motorcycle this past summer by an inattentive driver blowing a stop sign . The result of hitting the car which suddenly  appeared in my path was a lacerated spleen, internal bleeding, bruised and battered bones and muscles.  The trauma doctors said if I were not wearing the protective gear that I was, I would not be here today.  I mention this not to garner any sympathy (my abuse of the English language in this column does a good enough job of that), instead it helps illustrate what I feel is a growing problem.  Motorists no longer feel that controlling the vehicle they are at the helm of is the primary task of driving.  People feel the need to accomplish so many other  things while they are driving.

In a recent article in a local newspaper, a man said that he uses his time behind the wheel to catch up on voicemails.  We’ve all seen people “multi-tasking” while driving their cars, everything from shaving to putting on make-up and reading the newspaper.  If you spot a person alone in a car, chances are he or she is on a mobile phone.

Since when has the actual art of driving become secondary and all those other tasks more vital?  What can be more important than properly wielding a two ton vehicle of mass destruction safely from one point to another. It not only deserves but demands our attention.  Put into the mix all of the other moving objects that one shares the path with and it soon becomes clear what the task should be.  Controlling that car, truck or even motorcycle has to be the center of attention. 

I went to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) the other day to see what I could find.  While driver distraction is just becoming a dot on NHTSA’s “speed kills” radar scope, checking out some broad trends seem to indicate that we as a nation are becoming careless drivers, inflicting immeasurable pain to hundreds of thousands of people needlessly every year.

Gross fatalities in recent years have been trending up after a slight dip in 1998.  In 2002, the most recent data I found, we had roughly 43,000 traffic fatalities on the streets of these United States.  More important is the fatality rate, the number of deaths per 100 million miles driven, just over 1.5 in 2002—an ever so slight downward trend.  Good news, right?  Wrong.  The rate has hovered almost steady between 1.7 to 1.5 between 1997 and 2002— a negligible positive considering how much more safe the cars on the road have become.  Smart airbags, ABS, traction and stability control are slowly infiltrating the fleet represented in the numbers.  People are wearing seatbelts more often.  Cars with much more advanced energy absorbing structures are being introduced everyday, yet the fatality rate is not coming down as fast as the gross number is going up. 

So, passive safety is increasing, but fatality rates are not going down in commensurate measure.   Roadway departure and motorcycle fatality rates are both on the rise, with the motorcycle rate increasing at an astonishing clip.  Cars leaving the road are due either to the lack of  driver’s skill to keep the car in control, or have been forced off by another motorist— either way more an issue of motorist than vehicle. The motorcycle has not benefited as much from safety advances as the car, which is why the fatality rate increase in its case can almost solely be attributed to driver error, either on the motorcyclist’s part or somebody sharing the road with him or her.

I know this is only cursory evidence of poor or inattentive driving but it fits the evidence we see around us everyday.  And its time we asked more of ourselves and fellow motorists and less of the car makers and government.  We can’t legislate away stupid behavior, nor can we make a foolproof car.  Those of us who love riding motorcycles are simply the most vulnerable to the current lack of care and skill displayed on the roadways of America.