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The unfortunate demise of JH4NA2163VT000242

Joined
3 July 2013
Messages
1,798
Location
Northern Virginia
On Saturday, May 17, I totaled my car ('97) at Summit Point Shenandoah during an HPDE event with TrackDaze. I am truly sorry for taking one of these wonderful cars away from the world, particularly one with only 39k miles. This was the car that Prime found for me when it was abandoned on the side of 95 in Baltimore, which my mother had purchased new to replace her '95 and drove for 16 years. It has been a tough pill to swallow.

The lessons learned here could go on and on, but basically I allowed two wheels to leave the track surface on track out and the grass was wet from rains earlier in the week. The car nearly instantly started to spin and crossed over the track to hit the barrier on the opposite side, traveling sideways/backwards. The entire right rear of the car was destroyed and the impact twisted the frame. It also drove the half shaft into the transmission case, separated the transmission from the engine, and cracked the engine block. Both my passenger and I were entirely unharmed; this is obviously somewhat significant in light of the death at Summit Point last weekend (different track). The car was completely stock other than a harness bar and I was wearing a HANS device.

Fortunately Liberty Mutual has agreed to cover the loss, because the event was for driver eduction, not an event for the purpose of racing or preparing to race. In the future, I will absolutely have separate track insurance to simplify that process. It will be quite some time before I seriously track an NSX again too. I believe I am purchasing another NSX; I really enjoy the Prime community and the car, and know I would regret it to go in a different direction. As far as the track goes, I absolutely love the time I have spent there. My first experience was at NSXPO13, and I went to several more events this spring. This calamitous event was my fourth weekend and while my skills were improving, I obviously have a ways to go.

The wreck is on Copart. I decided not to buy it back because I don't have the time to strip the parts and with the big-ticket items (engine and transmission) gone, it was not worth it to me. I do have some more pictures/info if anyone is considering it.

demise_1.jpg

-Jason
 
Man that sucks. Glad you are OK. This is my worst nightmare come to life.
 
Sorry about the car but it's just a car and as long as you and your passenger were not hurt, then this was a "fortunate" incident. Was your passenger your instructor?
 
Yes my passenger was my instructor. He said he did not realize we were about to run out of track either until it was too late. I agree completely about the consequences of this being in a different class than they could have been.
 
Yes my passenger was my instructor. He said he did not realize we were about to run out of track either until it was too late. I agree completely about the consequences of this being in a different class than they could have been.
Sorry to hear this. Glad you are OK and the insurance covered you. One less 97 Spa Yellow in the world....
 
Eh, what happened to the engine and tranny?

Because the impact pushed the half shaft into the transmission, it apparently caused damage around where the half shaft exits. And because of the force there, the transmission broke off of the engine, separating by about an inch. The engine took impact around the oil filter and apparently the block is cracked in at least one place. If you are considering buying the wreck from copart, I would talk to Ben at Daisy Import Auto. It was towed to him and he inspected it and determined that the car was not repairable. I have a few pictures of the area if you would like.
 
You are lucky your insurance covered you
 
As I have expressed before, I am very sorry for your loss but extremely happy that you and your passenger were safe. Best luck in your hunt for a replacement.
 
That AD08 still looks good. LOL
 
Jason...sorry to hear about your loss. What part of the Shen circuit did you come off at? That track is one of the most technical tracks on the east coast. It was the first track I drove in my first HPDE. Definitely challenging.
 
painful I'm sure,but you have many things to be thankful for in this instance.For all the folks contemplating hpde, in general one of the many tasks of the instructors is to prevent such instances,anticipate risky behavior , ect.
 
Sorry to hear about your off track excursion. I'm glad you and your instructor are okay!
Also happy to hear the insurance will cover it! Kudos to Liberty Mutual!
 
What part of the Shen circuit did you come off at? That track is one of the most technical tracks on the east coast. It was the first track I drove in my first HPDE. Definitely challenging.

I thought Shenandoah was a great track. Like you say, challenging and fun. My issue was in Big Bend, coming onto the straightaway. I posted a couple more details in the track-talk forum.
 
It is very unfortunate your car is a total loss.
It is however fortunate you and your instructor were not hurt. As well your insurance is covering this as it was considered driving education! All I can say is Wow! Most insurance companies wouldn't touch that.

You are a lucky man. Count your blessings and find yourself another car to replace that NSX.
 
It is very unfortunate your car is a total loss.
It is however fortunate you and your instructor were not hurt. As well your insurance is covering this as it was considered driving education! All I can say is Wow! Most insurance companies wouldn't touch that.

You are a lucky man. Count your blessings and find yourself another car to replace that NSX.

x2. Best of luck with your search for the next one! Cars can be replaced, people cannot.

After seeing pictures/a story of an instructor passing away in a GTO on a track recently, very glad he is ok as well.
 
I'm putting in my vote to name jwmelvin as the coolest, calmest and most composed car lover on this site. From having his car "lost and impounded" for over a week by a transport company to totaling it against a wall at a raceway while honing his skills, he still has a great attitude about it and is already focused on the next NSX. Let jw be an example of the fact that $hit happens but there's no need to let it take away your passion and interests for the things you enjoy doing. My hat's off to you jw, we all look forward to seeing you behind the wheel of another beautiful NSX soon.
 
painful I'm sure,but you have many things to be thankful for in this instance.For all the folks contemplating hpde, in general one of the many tasks of the instructors is to prevent such instances,anticipate risky behavior , ect.

Wow, very sorry to hear. These are the risks we face doing track events. This is primarily why I retired my street Miata and my NSX from track duty and got a dedicated track Miata.

As far as DocJohn's comment, it is a good reminder to instructors that they need to be ever-vigilant, constantly reminding students where and how to make incremental speed changes. I've had many a student get away with unpredictable corner entries, where suddenly either he/she decides to "go for it", or simply lose track of the fact that they exited the previous corner faster and carried more speed into the next. Sorry to hijack the thread.

OP, rain is always a variable that obviously requires extra care. Glad it seems as though all will work out, albeit sad in that you had to experience it and that there is one less NSX out there.
 
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glad you're OK and that insurance agreed to pay out. best of luck in your upcoming search. any idea what you'll go for? another yellow?
 
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