I know most of us here are responsible drivers...

I just read an article on SJ Mercury News today regarding a crash involving a 2004 Nissan - could be a Z or not - street racing with a 1997 BMW. An innocent driver not involved in the race died when the Nissan hit her car causing her to crash into the center divider..
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_136261...ce=most_viewed

Here's another fatal crash on 10/13 in Pacifica.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/21283049/detail.html
Devil's Slide Reopens After Fatal Crash
Posted: 9:38 am PDT October 13, 2009
Updated: 2:21 pm PDT October 13, 2009

The driver of a Nissan Z coupe was traveling south on the narrow, twisted highway and was "going a bit too fast," CHP Officer Shawn Chase said.

The Nissan crossed over the center line and crashed into another car head-on, killing the driver, Chase said.

On a personal note...
A week or so ago, black Z coming off the baybridge into SF was racing a 240SX at the 101 curb around Portrero... Cutting to the left lane to go after the 240SX, this duded literally swerved in front of the pickup truck right ahead of me, causing this dude to brake and wiggle a bit... Could have been another accident is what I'm sayin....


It's been said here before. Take it to the track... It's not worth another life loss or injury -- innocent or not...

Sorry for the rant.... I don't post much anymore, just have been lurking but I just felt the need to get the message out...

Hope you all have a good weekend.. Be safe out there...

 

I hear you...

I honestly think if we had a local track, less of this BS would happen.


The older Zs are so affordable now that younger and less mature people are picking them up.

 

^^^+1000000000000000000000000k.. A local track would help so much.... BTW, what da hell is wrong with some Z drivers. I commute daily and stock Z are tailgating me and pushing me to gas it. WTF Also, when I go to school is the same thing.

 

Posting things like this wont affect the people that do this crap. Swerving in between cars and acting stupid wont be cured by reading somebody offering common sense.

 

^^^+1000000000000000000000000k.. A local track would help so much.... BTW, what da hell is wrong with some Z drivers. I commute daily and I've seen many scenarios in which Z's were driving recklessly. It was not like that 3 years ago when I bought my car.

 

They could just make blackboxes and put them in cars. If you go pass a certain speed, the car blows up!

 

Jessi, no disrespect, but we have 4 VERY local tracks. The reality is that we are spoiled in NorCal.

Depending on exactly where you live in the Bay Area, you are about an hour away from a track. If you live around the Peninsula, Sears Point is about 60 miles away and
Laguna Seca is 70 miles away. That's damn local. In fact, there is a group of us going to Sears this Wednesday night. We go to Sac about once a year also for their Saturday drags.

If you live in the Sacramento area, Sac Raceway is 5-20 minutes away, with Thunderhill a mere 90 miles away. Move to Farmville, where they have to drive 2 hours to make a 1320' pass down a dirt road.

The real problem is that people build queen cars that they cruise with on the streets and think they are cool enough and have enough skill to race on those streets. I'm not saying I've never done a roll-on myself, but I'm at various tracks about 20 times/year, which takes out most of the speed habit.

 

Scott, do you drive your car to the track or trailer it?

I use to make the drive from Fremont to Sac 4-6 times a year to track my Camaros. I stopped when I busted a rear end and couldn't drive home. My tow bill was ridiculous from Sac to Fremont.

Sears Point, I never liked it and I still feel it is too far. Non of the tracks you listed are local IMO. Could be Im spoiled and that could very well be part of the reason why so many don't make the effort to drive 1.5+ hours out to the track(s). Many people work and get out around 5pm. I know I don't want to spend 3+ hour in traffic only to get a couple of runs on a Wednesday night.

Lets take the old Fremont Drag strip... I can bet my years salary that more people would take it to the track if it were still around simply because you are looking @ tops 45min-1 hour in traffic from the furthest point in San Jose.

Again, I would love to track my car, but I fear breaking something and not being able to drive my car home. I would feel a little better if I would have to tow my car locally versus from out in the boonies.

I do get where you are coming from though, just different opinion on what is local.

 

There are local tracks, but it's the cost that deters most people. MAINTENANCE to RACE the Z is expensive, not owning one. I'm going to start tracking my car around December or January hopefully. It'd be a nice Christmas present to myself.

What's the point of this post though really? It's not going to change how people drive... and just because there was an article about some Nissan driver crashing doesn't have anything to do with Z's. People in all makes, models, and of all ages do stupid **** with their vehicles.

 

^True, I got cut off by a dude in a Prius last week weaving in & out of traffic... I saw two trucks run from a red light last month.

Edit: Lets not talk about the dude in the Tahoe that decided to drift in the rain and put it on the median. He was drifting on purpose cause he had done 2 turns like that on the way to the freeway.

 

the funny thing is around where i live the Z drivers are the most serious, skilled and courteous.

just last night i was in a red g trying to merge from 87 to 280 when a blue Z calmly let me in while the other morons were jostling for position and trying to block me. if that person is on here i'd like to thank him/her. after i got on i broke immediately to the left lane and avoided the mass of stupidity congregating on the right.

aside from the racing...accidents happen when there's a herd of stupidity trying to grab space on the freeway when there's open space everywhere if people would just calm down and relax and ease their way in and out of traffic.

the worst part is when it rains, people act like it's a totally different world and forget all their driving skills. people relax, it's the same streets! there's just water on it. slow down and keep a little distance. but all i see are people acting like chickens running around without their heads. just last tuesday i saw a 5 car pile up on 280 near 7th street exit in san jose. my first thought was wow...at least $120K worth of car gone and my second thought was...so who didn't know how to drive?

this article is eye opening to some but bad habits die hard. and well, we all know cops are on forums too pretending to be members sniffing out where the next meet is anyway. most of us don't get in trouble though because we talk, eat, and look at cars.

 

I used to drive 3 1/2 hr to buttonwillow, 5+ hours to willow springs. So I do think that Infineon, thunderhill, laguna seca are very very local to us.

Plus consider the dangerous of racing on the street, killing someone, crashing your car, jail, fine, losing ur license vs the cost of maintainence of tracking the car. I still think going to the track is a lot more affordable!

 

I remember when I first got my z about 2 years ago, it was alot of older men that drove them,they would flash there lights and give a thumb up or a wave,now that there alot cheaper a lot of teens are getting them and always pacing me trying to race, I just look at them, nod, and go about my business then they take off

 

One time I was at the track and checking out another Z. I greeted a teenager Z owner, he nodded and ignored me... I was so embarrassed lol

 

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That's a . It is not the same now with the used Z's prices in reach of the not to know how to drive sensibles'. I don't drive mine unless I'm going to a Z/G event. And it's definitely changed. It used to be a wave or a headlight blink, now it's a look the other way thing, and be sure to notice the ages of those in the accidents. You will not be surprised. Even at the events I go to, sometimes you hear the squeal of tread, or the engine revving up. Let's face it, the majority of these are the ones no doubt as aforementioned probably aren't even on the forum, but out revving. But, don't forget, we all will be noticed on the hwy thanks to the reputation of the few. I am not an innocent bystander either, my foot has gotten stuck before, but never by a bunch of cars, cities, and all that stupidity. Laguna SECA is a fun track by the way, especially the "corkscrew turn".
But as a majority I think we all are mostly good, safe drivers overall. and of course, here we are....on the forum and conversing with each other. And that's really good. Oh anybody hasn't seen or heard about Ed's misfortune, pls take time to read. He's a great guy. GilRoy BBQ on his behalf, hope to see some of you there.

 

i hate how some of the older z's are waay affordable now and kids can pick up one of these sports cars and give us a bad name. theyre pretty much doing what fast and furious did to civics. im not going to lie...the low resale value was the only thing that allowed me to afford a z. in my defense...im 25, i drive like my grandma, and my works are too expensive to take a risk. =P be safe folks.

 

i agree with all the mature post about being safe and responsible driver. i joined this when i bought my 06. I had my share of those. I realized that the car is too powerful and i need to learn how to handle it. Safe to say, i went and took car control clinic at a local BMW event. I was driving since 16, and did not know that i still need to learn alot in terms of being safe on the road.

Everytime i see people driving crazy on a highway or racing i really shake my head. Up to this day, i just ignore the "brain dead" drivers. Sad to say that there will be alot more of the "kids" being able to get the Z because they are cheaper now..

My prayers to family of the victims.

Cris

 

Typically, I drive my car to the track. I have towed 3 times when I had something "new" with the car, but the other 100ish times I have driven, and I only once in those ~100 times did I have an incident where I had to get towed home (from Thunderhill). I will venture to say that over 99% of the N/A Zs could go to/from the track without issue. The Fremont drag strip was before my days in the Bay Area (been here 10 years), and though I agree that having that drag strip would allow more of the locals to run their Zs, the one hour drive at 3pm to Sears Point is really easy to do every four months. As most of us know, there are Saturday drag race options as well, and open track days are on every day of the week, so that's completely open minus excuses.

I understand that open tracking isn't for everybody, but with access to 4 of the best tracks in the nation within 3 hours, it's hard to pass up.

 

^^^+1 Indeed Infineon is only like 15 mins away hehe