Dean Lampe's RCR GT 40

Found the answer on another forum, sad, but glad the new owner is OK.......


Dean's car was bought by a friend of mine from Wichita Falls. He races it on a regular basis. Unfortunately last month while racing at Eagles Canyon he hit a slick spot, went into a skid inot to runoff area and hit some ruts. The car rolled 2 1/2 times resting on its top. Mike wasn't hurt but the car sustained a lot of damage. It is currently being rebodied and repaired. No frame damage but the roll cage has to be replaced. Lower arm was also bent as well as 3 wheels. All in all he was lucky all the way around.

Jay​
 

Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
For clarification...lower arm did not bend...a mounting bolt did though...
The damage is mostly cosmetic and the chassis is perfectly intact...
Mike had quite a hairy ride but got out unscathed..
 
I'm glad to hear the driver is safe and the car is rebuildable. Dean did a great job with the initial build of that car.

Did anyone hear how the fuel system made it through the 2 1/2 rolls then upside down for a prolonged period? I would like to know if there were issues so I can make any necessary change/enhancements to mine.

Tom
 

Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
Six point cage...a commonly chosen option...in fact in the last three years I dont remember building an RCR40 without one...
 

Charlie Farley

Supporter
Rolling it or being T-boned, has always been a worry of mine.
I was thinking of a rollbar built into the rear baulkhead section,
now it's going to be a 6 pointer !
Excellent work Fran, i bet that owner was singing your praises within minutes
of the accident.
By the way, how's tricks ?
 
Studying the video, I'm not convinced that he hit a slick patch. Sounds like a missed gear change, downshift then caused the diff to lockup and the tail then got away from him. Exagerated lift-off-over-steer!

Tremendous that Mike is OK and the RCR stood up to it so well. 6-Point Cage is a must IMO. You wouldn't catch me in one of these things without one!
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
Studying the video, I'm not convinced that he hit a slick patch. Sounds like a missed gear change, downshift then caused the diff to lockup and the tail then got away from him. Exagerated lift-off-over-steer!

Tremendous that Mike is OK and the RCR stood up to it so well. 6-Point Cage is a must IMO. You wouldn't catch me in one of these things without one!

Lucky man indeed.. Good solid chassis and cage for sure.

In watching his approach to other corners, he would continually grab the next lower gear without so much as the intent to match revs. This introduced the trailing throttle oversteer condition that he saw when he steered the car to the edge of the track to setup for the next corner and at the same instant he let off the clutch in the next lower gear.
If he doesn't change his driving style - he may well be going for that same ride again...

As a performance driving instructor, I see this type of driving quite frequently. Luckily though, I don't see many roll-overs, but a LOT of spin-outs....
 
Glad to hear the driver is doing well.
In my career I have seen a lot of accidents on a daily bases and it is unbelievable that the driver was not hurt especially when it involves a rollover. Just another example of what a great car Fran and his crew build.
 
Most unfortunate and expensive incident. Super happy that it did not result in injury.
Cudos to RCR and Fran for providing an obviously well built chassis and cage.
RCR RULES!
 
Ditto with Randy on this, when watching drivers of cars that Ive done prep work on I frequently find them downshifting without matching RPM, when asked why they often state that the car stops better & that 'they' feel better for getting the 'chirp' or rear braking sensation... after telling them that was a load of bollocks I get them to go out & approach the same corner, but shift to neutral at the same time as they hit the brakes, every time the car stops completely well before the corner, its the only way I seem to be able to get the message across to them before going thru the brake balance setup & teaching them a better style...some never learn though...spend heaps on motors , clutchs, & trans & wonder why:)
 
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