The Road Train

In racing - whenever faced with driving a strange car, uncertain or unpredictable circumstances, I used a simple motto to focus –

“Pay attention and take control of the situation”.

I lived by that little catchphrase. It helped me out numerous times. Turned around plenty misfortunes. I wrote about in the book Supersede Control...

Brought me many, many podium finishes and race wins.

It also paid dividends during testing. People have always been amazed by my knack to quickly assess a car on the track and provide feedback.

So - There it is, a little advice from me to you.

Memorize it. Use it, it may also work for you. Of course, it helps when you have a fair understanding of a car’s basic geometry, set-up and physics.

Experience is another obvious asset that comes into play here. The better your understanding of the variables, the more control you’ll have, so make sure you always pay attention to the different platforms you drive, different racetracks, conditions, tyres and so forth…

Anyway, this story is about a different skillset I required to take control of a unique situation…

We were on our way back from a race weekend at Phakisa, Welkom. Marino was asleep in the passenger seat. I was behind the wheel of his pretty little red Porsche 911SC – “The Red Lady”.

Somewhere ahead was Mark Saunders in his black X5, towing his yellow Porsche 924 on a trailer.

Dave Dunsford was following at a distance in Marino’s white Isuzu that he borrowed for the weekend to tow his blue 924 racer to and from the track.

Now, Dave Dunsford…

Dave is the kinda guy who once topped up his race car’s engine oil with Castrol SRF racing brake fluid. Figure that.

On this occasion he fiddled with the Isuzu’s 4x4 and diff-lock settings whilst on the move, broke the rear diff and got stuck on the side of the road, unceremoniously.

We had to go back for him.

Marino assessed the situation, weighed up our options and jumped into action, attaching a tow rope from Mark’s trailer to the front of the Isuzu. Talk about taking control of a situation!

Mark took one look at the X5-trailer-Isuzu-trailer contraption and promptly proclaimed:

“I ain’t driving that.”

Everyone turned and looked at me expectantly.

Right – My turn to take control.

I assigned Mark to the 911 to open the road for us – Smokie and the Bandit style - Dave as a spotter in the passenger seat next to me in the X5 - Marino to the stricken Isuzu.

Adjusted the wing mirrors slightly so I could keep tabs on the road train behind me. Got things moving, ever so gently. Took the train to a safe and steady 60 km/h.

Experience taught me to keep an eye on engine temps when labouring a tow vehicle under heavy load. I tried to find a setting on the X5’s digital display that showed the heat gauge. Couldn’t find it. Called Mark – Turned out that model X5 didn’t come with a heat gauge. WTF?

Mark’s job description in the 911 was to clear the road, including toll gates. We weren’t about to stop for anything.

He did an excellent job. At the first toll he had the boom up and about five cops on point, waving us through, giving us a wide berth. It was a sight to behold. Excellent!

Everything was running like clockwork. Dave was my extra pair of eyes, constantly monitoring the train. Marino and I operated in perfect sync. Stability felt good. We were cruising at a steady 80 km/h along the R59 highway to Alberton.

Just as we approached the Blockhouse, things suddenly went catastrophically pear-shaped.

I felt a slight tug and immediately checked the driver’s side door mirror. What I saw turned my blood cold. The Isuzu’s rear wheel was separating itself from the vehicle, complete with side-shaft attached and cartwheeled through the centre-medium and onto the opposite side of the highway, cars swerving wildly to take avoiding action.

Marino and I clicked as if it was mental telepathy.

I didn’t touch the brake pedal. Used the drag from the Isuzu to slow us down evenly. Mario dialed in just enough counter steer to keep things aligned.

And just like that we brought the road train to a safe stop on the shoulder of the highway with a proper display of combined control - tow rope still taut.

Phew! Close call.

Nobody got hurt, thankfully.

We all walked away from that one with lessons learned and experience gained.
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That’s the thing with Experience – It can’t be taught.
It gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards.
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- Pierre Martins

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