Q: What has the weight of a wrecking ball, the chemical energy
of 937.5 sticks of dynamite, and routinely passes within 10 feet of collisions
that have the equivalent velocity of a skydiver?
Hint: you probably drove one to work this morning…
Answers at the bottom.
The Car Control Clinic (CCC) is a non-competitive event intended to allow drivers to experience the attributes of car control at and beyond the limits, in a safe and controlled environment. Although this is not a racing school, you will learn to drive your car better at its limits, and increase your ability to brake, corner, and accelerate quickly and precisely without losing control of your car - skills that can be life-saving in an emergency. We emphasize skills and knowledge to make better drivers - on the course, and on the road.
Theory and practice
The CCC format includes a discussion of car control basics in the form of the
dynamics (acceleration/brake/turn), tire performance, driver inputs and responses,
and management of the process. Then we perform a series of exercises to demonstrate
the elements of the lecture in the car, permitting participants a direct connection
to the discussion, with real world feedback. These exercises include a precision
braking maneuver, a slalom course simulating an avoidance maneuver, and a skidpad
simulation. Each element is isolated in the exercise to make the lesson as direct
as possible.
Putting it all together
The program calls for a lunch break to both feed the participants and to
allow for questions to be answered, and the mornings activities and lunch to
be digested. We then move into an abbreviated version of our Solo 2 event, combining
all the elements in the program. The reason we call it solo is because we run
one vehicle at a time, avoiding any possible contact with another vehicle. Although
you will be driving your car at its very limits, the design of the course and
exercises keep speeds below 55 mph as you find the limits, with plenty of safe
runoff room for when the limits find you. Emphasis is on combining the individual
exercises of the morning, and extending the driver's awareness and planning
beyond what is directly in front of the car.
Safety and qualifications
The Big Island Chapter of the Sportscar Club of America [SCCA] establishes
and controls the exercises and the solo to the standards as required to satisfy
sanctioning and insurance coverage. Lead instructor Jonathan Spiegel has experience
both as a suspension engineer and racer, and heads up the group of instructors
who work with participants at each exercise. All instructors have direct track
experience, and are focused on safety and making sure that the participants
understand and benefit from each exercise.
By the end of the day, participants will have had the benefit of combining the theory of car control with the practical experience of making it happen, and experiencing the result. The goal is to remove misconceptions, and promote confidence and understanding of what the car and driver are capable of accomplishing, as well as understanding and respect for the limits of car control.
Some interesting facts:
A typical wrecking ball weigh in at 3,000 to 5,000 pounds and swings
at 30 miles per hour.
A typical car weighs about the same, but typically moves twice as fast along
public roads.
How much more energy is delivered in an impact by the car versus the wrecking
ball in the example above? (Hint: energy = mass times velocity squared)
A stick of dynamite contains 504,000 calories.
A gallon of gasoline contains 31,500,000 calories, or the equivalent of 62.5
sticks of dynamite.
A typical car holds 10 to 15 gallons of gas, or the equivalent chemical energy
of 937.5 sticks of dynamite.
The terminal velocity of a skydiver is 120 MPH.
The effective head-on collision velocity of two vehicles moving at 60 MPH in
opposite directions is the sum of the absolute of their opposing vectors: 120
MPH.
Skydivers typically activate their parachutes1000 to 4000 feet from collision.
Drivers routinely pass each other within 10 feet of collision.
The big island of Hawaii leads the state in number of auto fatalities per capita.
We spend more time on longer, narrower, and more dangerous roads than our neighbors.
The SCCA Car Control Clinic develops awareness, respect, and skills you need
to help bring down these statistics.
We had you at wrecking balls and dynamite*? Click here
to sign up!
*No actual skydiving, demolition equipment, or explosives will be used in this
clinic.