40 years ago, less a few months I had a big loose.
I was driving a V12 GTB Ferrari in the 1968 Surfers Paradise 12
hour sports car race. In the dark, at about 7.00 PM, as I went
through the 125 MPH sweeper at the end of the main straight, I found
some of the 3 gallons of oil the car infront of me spread around the
racing line, when one of his con rods came out through the bottom
of his sump. I spun it, of course.
According to one of the magazines, someone counted my headlights
12 times, as they spun past. I don't know, I was not counting.
According to one of the flag marshals, the car stayed on the
bitumen, spinning for 300 yards, before I drove it off the track on
the inside, to make sure I didn't drift off & hit a rolled car, on
the outside, some distance after the corner.
It took some time to find the starter button, in the dark, but the
car restarted, no trouble, & I went on, & won my class.
Well, Saturday afternoon, on my way home, from a Triumph club run, I
had another one.
There has been much controversy about "Stone Mastic" a new type of
bitumen they are using on some expressways in Queensland. It's
supposed to be very Slippery when wet, & some people have been
killed in big smashes. It certainly makes a great road in the dry.
Its smooth, quiet, grippy, & well drained, but it may have given me
a "moment".
The road is a 4 lane main road, elevated 4Ft above the coastal
wastlands, with a 20 degree slope down to the plain.
It had been raining very heavily, with the traffic down to about
70Km [45MPH] in a 110 zone, due to visibility. It was still raining,
but not too much, & the traffic was cruising at about 115Km, no
problem. The only car within 150 yards of me was one to my left,
about 3 car lenghts in front of me. The road was flat, straight, &
we were just cruising, with very little throttle, & there was no
standing water on the road.
I think I must have hit an oil patch, because the back just started
to come around to the right. Nothing I did had any effect on it. It
took for ever, [quite a few seconds] for the car to get sideways,
[90 degrees to the direction of travel]. At 30 meters per second
thats about 150 meters, & I was still in the same lane, just
sideways. I must have declutched, as the engine did not stall, & I
probably braked, but I don't remember.
I now started to move to the left, & felt like I was actually
gaining on the car in front. The car had now swnng about 200
degrees, & was heading backwards, off the road, at about 20 degrees
to it, still doing about 90Km, [about 50+ MPH]. I let go the brakes,
& tried to steer it, backwards, down the slope, at that fine angle.
I succeeded, until I got to the soggy flat, where the back dug in a
bit, & the front swung back, hard enough to drive grass under the
bead of the tyre, between it & the rim.
Over all, I reckon it slid over 400 yards. A number of cars had
stopped to see the fun, & appeared a bit disappointed, when I stuck
the thing in gear, & managed to drive off, along a muddy access
track at the bottom of the elevation.
No other cars lost it, while I was there, so why did mine? I have no
idea why the thing lost traction, but I'm going to replace my 10
year old back tyres, this week, just in case they are the problem.
I had a flat about 50Km later, but that was probably from the 3 Km
of off roaring I had to do, before I could get back on the road.
I then drove a the remaining 80Km home, & can see no damage to
the car, but will have a look under here, when I get the new back
tyres, this week.
Hasbeen
