Hey guys,

I'm formally introducing myself, after lurking these forums for years. I have met a small few of you in person at the tracks, and my involvement in the racing community, like some others, has relied heavily on the help of Alex.

Unfortunately, my reputation round here has been given the opportunity to proceed me. Due to this little diddy (attached Picture).

So there has been a lot of speculation about what happened. A lot of anger at the accident based on assumptions that I was pushing too hard. I guess I was to a degree, but not in a car sense. The story goes like this;

I was working in Albany on the hospital at the time, doing 12 to 14 Hour days. I drove (5 hours) back for the event on the Thursday, and got home about 2pm. I proceeded to then change over my brake pads that I had got the weekend before and was excited about using. I bedded them in on the way to picking up my partner/co-driver from work.

I was feeling a little tired, but had already paid to play, so I went ahead anyway (a mistake I will never make again).

All night, I was lined up behind the ADVAN sponsored porsche. Every time it left the line, it was blowing REAL rich black smoke. PLEASE NOTE: I, in no way blame anyone else for the crash but myself. However, it is said that 6 factors must go wrong for an accident to occur. This was one.

On my first run, my brake pedal went a bit spongy. With fear that I had boiled the brake fluid on account of the new pads, I backed off. On my second run, I started easy, and ramped up. The brakes felt different, but were pulling up ok.

The run I crashed, was the first dark run for me of the night. My co-driver asked if I needed pace notes, but by the third run, I normally have the course dialed, so i said no.

Heres where it all comes together;
On the line, another layer of petrol/oil is added to my screen.
Tiredness has kicked in, and I simply forget to put on my High beams.
I launch, and come to the first corner, and the road markings are criss crossing, a factor that I hadent noticed the other times I had done this event (whiteline fever from tiredness). I come out of the first corner, and the road is bending away into nothingness (slight right hander on incline). It's at this point, I forget where I am on the course, on my GoPro video you hear me say "I can't see S**t!". I have got up to my max speed of this section, and now am coasting with my foot off the pedals trying to gather myself. I see the barrier, come into view. Time slows down (2 second period): "I yell F***!" I hit the brake, I turn in, I see we are not going to make it, I Turn back hard to try and hit square (an idea I had imbedded in my brain that I would always do if I crashed).

That's how it happened. You may argue I was pushing too hard, you may get angry with me for doing what I did. I have learned from this, at the cost of my car (fortunately only that). I will share something else with you too; On that night, In my mind, I was taking every precaution, and had I asked for pace notes OR had I turned on my high beams OR had I not had oil on my screen Or had I not boiled my brakes? I might have been fine, and I would conduct myself in the same way as I did that night. But, all of those things happened, and now I know $120 is a small price to pay if you feel a bit tired. It's cheaper than the $17k it cost me in that car, or the $14K in my new car, and its cheaper than your life.

DONT DRIVE TIRED!

Thanks everyone. Happy to be here.

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