Perhaps the Honda Insight needs more aero-stability...

[kach22i]

Another thread in another forum offers some more insight, that's right........I said insight.

180mph crash at El Mirage...in a Honda Insight, no less! - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

Originally Posted by Embraer

I run El Mirage about once a month. not forgiving at all...it's dusty silt, not a salt lake bed. The conditions there have been pretty bad, too. they got rain last month, and it didn't smooth out the bed like normal.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by botsapper

Example why downforce is good; your friend and angel.

This looks like more of a Cp vs. Cg issue to me...

Although, I would guess the Cg is pretty far forward considering it's a front wheel drive car.

[RedDevil]

Short wheel based car, extremely light, no wings to create extra downforce, doing 200 mph....
No need to ask what can go wrong. Honestly, what can go right with those parameters?

[sheepdog 44]

It's 60/40 front rear. But there is so little weight in the back being all aluminum, add to that a much heavier front engine, minus a rear battery, with a narrower rear track. I would say it's a possible contributing factor. Not saying it couldn't or wouldn't happen in any other car.

[aerohead]

Regardless of what caused the yaw,there was no weather-vane built into the car.Once you're sideways,any number of things can happen.
A more seasoned driver might have instinctively gone for the parachute at the first awareness of yaw initiation to keep the back of the car behind the car.
Perhaps the SCTA will consider allowing tail fins for cars attempting certain velocities.
Jaray and Kamm both advocated fins for low-drag race cars.

[wmjinman]

If it's a 60/40 weight distribution front to back, it's possible they should have had more weight in the back. One time at Bonneville when I spun out and had to go to the special inspection they require after spin-outs, they recommended I be sure the gas tank is full so there's more weight in the back. Some guys in rear wheel drive cars try to put as much of the weight distribution in the back as they can for traction, but that's often not good because of the Cp/Cg issue. However, too much weight in the front is apparently bad too, because losing traction on the back causes just as much trouble.

As far as fins, they would certainly help, but I think they're only allowed in the more modified classes like streamliner & I believe, lakester.

Deploying the parachute at the first sign of instability is recommended, but it ends the run, too. So a lot of guys like to think they can "steer out of it", but by the time it's clear they can't, oftentimes it's too late - by the time the 'chute opens, the car's already going backwards. Maybe more experienced drivers can tell sooner whether they can "save it" or not, but in a couple videos I saw, the spin goes faster than the lag in the parachute opening even if it's deployed early.