jlanka

Photos taken by the track photographer are posted here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/224196...7646200662769/

and some video:



I left my house in Long Island, took the Throgs Neck -> 95 -> Hutch -> Tappan Zee -> 87 -> 17 route, which is definitely the least offensive in terms of crappy roads. With a bit of traffic it took me 6 hours to get to the Seneca Clipper at Watkins Glen. 17 Was fun in spots, having some nice turns on it.

It is cool being part of the Bill Rudtner team, as he is the Chief Instructor and is "the man" at the track. I walked out of the hotel room at 6 AM and Bill, 2 other instructors (John and Barry) and Bill's chief mechanic (Matt) and his GF Jackie were standing outside. So I got invited to go to breakfast with them. We ate at the Blue Ribbon Diner both days.

After breakfast we went in a convoy (Bill's pickup, Jackie's VW GTI and myself) to the track. We stopped at Valero to get some gas on the way. Got to the track at around 7 AM. Parked by Bill's big white tractor trailer (actually the tractor is one of those cool campers) which he had driven up on Wednesday. He had a nice setup with chairs and portable canvas roofs set up for everyone. Had a cooler full of water and drinks as well. I proceeded to start to empty everything out of my vehicle. I took the good advice given here and obtained a plastic storage bin which I put a lot of the loose stuff in. I also had a chair and a backpack (which contained my laptop). I put the backpack inside of Bills truck and the rest next to it. Bill had brought about 6 chairs so I really didn't need my chair.

I went over to the registration table and signed in. They took a look at my drivers license and made me sign next to my name. They also gave me a green bracelet to wear. Then Jackie informed me I should drive over to the tech inspection area which I did. When I got up to the front it turns out I had goofed on my number and put a 160 on my car when it should have been 977. Brain fart I guess. No big deal as nobody else had 160 so they just updated their paperwork for the event. I gave them the tech inspect paperwork I had from a week ago and they gave me the yellow sticker I would need on the car to enter the pit area. Drove back to the paddock area.

Got to check out Jackie's GTI (2010). She has a pink rollbar. Pretty cool. She's in the yellow group and is no slouch as a driver (I'm told, since I didn't get to go out on the track with her). Her boyfriend Matt works his *** off helping everyone with their cars. He checked my tire pressure multiple times, and did a lot of other stuff for other participants like changing wheels, bleeding brake fluid, changing brake pads etc. He gets quite a workout - luckily it was a cool day with low humidity.

At 8:30 was a meeting for green drivers (my group) given by Bill. He went over the flags, some rules on the track, hand signals etc. Useful info but a lot of stuff to digest. I guess that's why it's so helpful to have the instructor. I met my instructor Randy during the meeting and he said we would hook up outside when the meeting was over. He has a 2004 Turbo with a roll cage and race seats. He also said he had some work done to it (more on his car later)

My 1st session was to be at 9:45. There were probably about 15 or 20 in the green group. There was actually a car dealer family from the Buffalo area who had purchased 2 Boss 302s, to Z06 Vettes and a white 458 just for the event, all of them were in the green group. They were going to sell off the cars next week (except for the 458). Randy and I strapped up and put our earpiece communicators on. They make it very easy to talk. He told me the 1st couple of sessions would just be at a reasonable pace to learn the track and the line. We went out to the staging area, showed our wrist bands to the personnel and proceeded out to the pit area. From there we got out on the track (very first time ever for me.)

At first the track seemed overwhelming to me, very large and many turns. I couldn't remember what each turn was but Randy said that was normal. He coached me through each turn. I had the most trouble on the 2 180 degree turns (5 and especially 7) as I would turn in too soon. After the session John the instructor told me to look for the "I love NY" sign on turn 5 as that is where the apex is. That helped a lot. Session 1 was cut short with a black flag, I can't remember what the cause was but we only did 4 laps (which was plenty for me). I drove back to the garage with a perma-grin on my face. It was simply tremendous.

Session 2 was scheduled for only 20 minutes later so I had to "get back on the horse" pretty quickly. This time I "sort of" remembered some of the turns but still had plenty of trouble. Randy was a great instructor, he knew just how much or how little coaching to give in the appropriate situations. I was working on hitting the apex better - touching the yellow with my inside wheels. That really helped on the exit.

During one of the more advanced sessions shortly after this there was a red flag. Nothing really bad but it did give those folks a chance to practice their red flag procedures. The next day they told us that a few folks passed 4 stations before they took action on the red flag, a good learning experience for them. Luckily nothing bad occurred as a result.

After lunch I had 2 more sessions and Randy started working on getting me to carry more speed through the turns. "Throttle Throttle Throttle" he would say. Also he had me braking a bit later and would try to get me off the brakes sooner. I had trouble resisting the urge to coast before a turn. I guess that comes from years of highway driving. The green students are taught to always brake in a straight line before you turn the wheel. We were told that would change as we got to more advanced levels. Randy told me the technique as you press on the brake pedal is 12345 down and then 5 4 3 2 1 up - i.e. slower on the way up.

Turn 10 was tough for me to fathom - high speed with maybe just a tap on the brakes. And right before it, turn 9 is tough to figure out where to brake, a left hand uphill turn. The esses are a BLAST - although it took some coaching from Randy to get it correct. He also coached me a lot on the bus stop, carrying more speed into it. I would brake much too hard and slow down too much. He did a lot of "OK off the brakes" on many of the turns.

I could not believe how much cornering capability the car has. At times I told Randy I thought the car was going to flip over. He said it's plenty capable to handle high G turns. Sure enough, the highest G number on my meter was just over 1.3 on the right and 1.02 on the left. It was also foreign to me to drive with the throttle mashed to the floor - I remember once my dad telling me to never floor the accelerator (in the 70 Buick Electra). Goes against my grain, but I now have a new found perspective.

I met a guy named Scott S. who has a 2001 GT3 Cup car #167. Very nice guy, spoke to me at length about things. Apparently he's a very accomplished driver, he took Jackie out for a ride. I wouldn't have been able to fit into his car as it is very tight with the full cage. Seems like it's a sport for smaller folks.

I drove my car in Sport mode all day Saturday as I was a little skittish about going to Sport Plus. I also drove fully auto as I didn't want to have to worry about shifting as I was doing all this other learning. On Sunday Randy suggested I try Sport Plus which I did and found out it's OK to use, it won't "bite". Sport mode wasn't too good on the upshifts as it searched a few times. But Sport mode in the downshifts on the hard braking was very good. Sport Plus was great in both up AND downshifts and it does go to redline. I saw a little over 120 on the speedo in Sport Plus but only got to about 110 when I was using just Sport. This was on the straights of course.

I finally found out why people don't like the multi function wheel. In a track situation it doesn't allow you to put your hands on 9 and 3. I'd been using 10 and 2 and Randy told me I'd be better off using 9 and 3. But the buttons are right there and you could easily hit one when you don't want to. So the Sport wheel is much better on the track. I spoke to Bill Rudtner about it and he said 10 and 2 would be fine to use. But I see why 9 and 3 is better overall. So maybe someday I'll get a new wheel or something.

Saturday night I went out to dinner with the Bill R. posse, we ended up at a place called "Wildflower". The Italian place had a 35 minute wait. Went to sleep around 11 and again met the crew for a 6 AM breakfast.

It had rained overnight and it was kind of damp out. When we got to the track there were puddles but only a very light drizzle. It was supposed to clear later in the day. I did tech inspection again, went to the green drivers class, then we went out for our 9:45 session. It had drizzled a few times so we were cautious. Bill and Randy had both told us/myself about the "rain line" which was to avoid the concrete, avoid any paint etc. So our first few laps were cautious. But then we had a Corvette blow past us (I gave him the signal) and he took a corner fast with no apparent issues. So we went into normal mode and discovered the track was basically dry. I started pushing harder into corners and the bus stop. I also achieved more improvement on my second session, finding apexes better and keeping tighter. Randy kept his mouth closed for a full lap just to see how I would do, and I handled it. I could also see improvement in picking my braking spots which I had trouble with earlier.

Randy had wanted me to go out with him in his turbo and at first I couldn't fit into his harness (I'm 6'5") so we were going to bail. But after lunch he said he had adjusted the harness. Sure enough I fit so we decided to go out with the black/white group.

All I can say is "HOLY CRAP" I can't believe you can drive that fast and hard. He took me around for about 6 laps (MUCH faster than my lap times). It was incredible, very similar to a roller coaster ride. At one point in the chute (or what I called the laces) an M3 cup type car spun about 100 yards in front of us and I got nervous and said "watch it watch it" into the mike but he handled it well and just went around the guy. No black flag but we did have a debris flag in that spot on the next lap. Again, I was amazed that people can drive that fast and hard. it certainly gives me a new appreciation for any level of race driver. Watching it on TV does not give you 1/10 the idea of how hard it really is, for instance all the G forces on your body as you are driving. WOW.

I told Randy I wanted to go in so he did one more cool down lap and then headed in. I was a little shaken up when I got out - my head was hurting and my stomach wasn't much better. So I had to sit for a while and skipped my next session. I ended up skipping the last session as well, I just didn't feel like I could handle driving any more after that. Kind of felt bad about doing that but Bill assured me that being in the passenger seat is more physically upsetting than being in the driver seat so don't worry about it. He said that some instructors have difficulty teaching at Lime Rock, they get sick too.

So I ended up my weekend with that ride I took with Randy. But I'm glad I took the ride so I can see what is possible down the road.

Drove home and got back a little after 9. Drive home was interesting as I was transitioning back to regular street driving. Scott said the most dangerous part of my day would be the drive home.

My overall impression of the experience? It is a lot harder than it would appear to be. Both mentally and physically. But it is definitely worth trying at least once. I am going to do it again, hopefully in October at Lightning in NJ.

Jeff

Jim M.

Great write up, thanks!

chuck911

Thanks for the write-up. The first part rekindled memories of my first few DE days, meeting for breakfast, driving to the track.

Yes, it is very mentally demanding! In the Driver Skills program I ran with 30-40 students, almost always one or two would call "no mas!" in the afternoon. Sometimes we'd catch them thousand-yard staring and ask if they're okay. "What? Yeah. Just tired. Never knew driving was so hard!"

My first time solo, Novice run group, I came off the track soaked in sweat, it was literally streaming down and dripping off my arms, I was that stressed. Thought I would never go back. Two years later I'm on my Instructor checkout ride, talking the Instructor around, driving comfortably in the Intermediate run group, like a drive in the country. Not one change to the car. 100% skills development. Stick with it. It is so totally worth it!

Welcome to the club!

Grunty

Nice. Those turbos are impressive on the tack, aren't they? I got a ride from an instructor for a lap in the turbo at the roadshow event and it was amazing how much grip they have.

ntravaglino

Fantastic write-up! Makes me want to get out to the track NOW!

eg991

Great write-up. Sounds like a really neat experience, and a great thing to do to really appreciate our cars.

Cheekymonkeyman

Thanks for fantastic write up... Enjoyed every bit.. Although probably not as much as you did

paradocs98

Great writeup, Jeff! A fun and informative read. This should really be made a sticky for all the 991 owners who haven't tracked their cars, but are curious to try.

Like Chuck said, it brought back memories of my first track experience four years ago. Glad you arranged to go with Bill Rudtner--that's a great way to get an intro to this and get acclimated, by being a guest of the Boss! I just met Bill this year through Metro NY PCA events. In previous years, with my E90 M3, I primarily ran events with SCDA, NASA and Schattenbaum PCA (for NJMP). With my new 991 this year, I figured I should check out my home region PCA, and I'm glad I did. Metro NY and Bill run things very well.

It is overwhelming at first--learning the line for the first time, learning not to coast, learning the flags and track etiquette, learning to be smooth. It sounds like you were right on target with things and doing everything well. It's all about smoothness, especially at the beginning. Speed comes with time. Now is the time to lay that foundation of being smooth on all the controls and learning to feel the car, rather than hamfist it. The learning curve is almost vertical at this point--after several events, you'll be amazed at your progress.

Our 991s are amazing. Probably as fast or faster than some race cars from 20-30 years ago. You were seeing 110-120 on the straights at the Glen. With time, you'll be able to see 145+ on the back straight right before the bus stop. That will be because you'll learn, gradually, to carry a lot of speed up the esses, reaching 110+ at the transition from the esses to the start of the back straight.

Like you, I went out as a passenger in my instructor's car the first time I did a DE event. My car at the time was an E60 M5, that heavy beast with the epic 500hp V10. My instructor had an E46 M3 with some track mods. I figured, "My instructor is most likely a very good, accomplished driver, but his M3 will probably be a bit of a letdown." Holy crap was I wrong! He was indeed an excellent driver, but his M3 was anything but a letdown. He had partially stripped the interior, done coilovers and corner balancing, brake upgrades, and an exhaust/tune. He flew that thing around Monticello like nobody's business. I held on for dear life and had the time of my life! That told me right then that the track thing was for me, and that the M5 had to go at end of lease. I needed something lighter and more agile. That lighter car came in the form of my '11 M3, and now my 991.

Don't worry about feeling lousy while riding shotgun with your instructor. Like Bill said, it's much easier on your stomach/equilibrium to be the driver instead of the passenger--just like on the highway, but magnified 10 times. I've ridden in the passenger seat of a friend's C6 Z06 while he flew around the track in the Advanced group, and I got pretty nauseated. And I have made an instructor nauseated at the Glen in my M3 with the power of its StopTech BBK--probably means I could be a bit smoother!

NJMP is a great facility for you to do next. Modern, safe, with a good amount of runoff room. After 12+ times there, though, I still don't know the best way to get there from Long Island. Belt Parkway to Verazzano Bridge to Goethals or Outer Bridge Crossing, then Jersey Pike, or LIE to Midtown Tunnel, across Manhattan to Lincoln Tunnel to Jersey Pike. I always seem to pick the slow route that particular day. In any case, less than 3hrs.

Glad your experience was a positive one. Don't hesitate to post questions or PM me if you need any advice.

DMoore

jlanka:

Great writeup. I'm sure it brought back memories for everyone who read it.

I have a quick suggestion regarding your steering wheel issue. I've always been a "9 and 3" driver, hooking my thumbs over the spokes of the wheel. When I went to the Porsche School in the Spring of '09, I noticed that the instructors there were driving with their thumbs upright along the rim of the wheel, instead of hooking them over the center. It all made sense to me later in the school when I got to drive a PDK with the shift buttons. Hook your thumbs and you'll end up with unintended upshifts when the heel of your hand hits the button in mid turn. Which is a good was to slow down suddenly! The instructors also mentioned that in a spin you don't want your thumb hooked over the wheel. Bad things happen.

Instead, driving with the thumbs extended on the rim keeps everything away from the buttons and the unintended shifts go away. Try it. It's safer as well.

DMoore
'13 991S
'13 970 GTS

jlanka

That's a good suggestion and I will try it out when I get my car back from the opti coat detailer.

As a follow up, what about my fingers around the back? That's more of the area I was concerned with accidentally pulling on the buttons

RickBetterley

Congrats on your first de- and on an excellent and thorough write up.
That permanent-grin? It doesn't go away (hence perma) - Bill had that grin when he won his club race at Mosport. A great guy.

DMoore

"As a follow up, what about my fingers around the back? That's more of the area I was concerned with accidentally pulling on the buttons."

I've never heard of that happening. The issue is the sudden upshift. If you're keeping the revs up (driving in sport plus) you'll probably be close enough to redline that the car won't downshift anyway. But inadvertently push that button with your thumb and you'll upshift right out of the power band.

DMoore
'13 991S
'13 970 GTS

John's 991

Jeff,
This will be a great reference for other folks considering track days. I would certainly encourage everybody to give it a try.

One thing I always suggest to new students is to spend as much time as possible learning the track by studying maps and track guides then watching videos (mine and from the Internet), ideally of experienced drivers. I have been doing this for close to 20 years, and I still read my track notes from previous visits, track guides and look at videos before I go to the track. If I have not been to that track for more than a year or two, I will watch an hour or two of videos before going to be as absolutely familiar with it as possible.

As you experienced, your in car time is akin to the proverbial "drinking from a fire hose." Knowing how to get on and off the track, all the corner numbers, where the corner workers are, what the different flags mean and a general idea of the corners, elevation changes and line allows you to focus on the more advanced things as well as your instructors input. It does require a bit of extra commitment, but I find that I get much more value from my track time by taking care of everything possible before I get in the car.

Also, I find that taking notes at the end of the session or day is also helpful. I remember things better if I write them down, and I have notes to go back to before my next day there. Using Google Maps, I print out each corner on one page and will draw reference points and notes right on the pictures. This might be a bit over the top, but again, all these things allow me to get more from my track time. The notes and marked up pictures go into a binder for each track for future study.

Clearly, you don't have to do any of these things to learn and have a good time, but perhaps are something to consider for next time.

Lastly, I don't want to criticize your instructor, as it sounds like the two of you hit it off and you learned a lot from him, but it sounds like he may have gone too hard too early. I am a big believer in in-car instruction for a couple of sessions then giving the student a ride to demonstrate some of the things being worked on, be it line, smoothness, reference points, etc. I think taking students out in a group or perhaps two higher than their current level as it can be instructive and inspirational, without scaring them or making them feel poorly. It is a shame you were not able to practice what you saw, and missed a couple of sessions, but I applaud you for not driving when you were not feeling up to it. It is much better to go home happy with fond memories and a clean car that try to get that last run in.

jlanka

Totally agree John, and I forgot to add the track walk Bill did at around 6:30 PM on Saturday. There was a convoy of about 15 vehicles (pick ups/sedans etc.) that he took out and we stopped about 15 times for him to explain contours/elevation changes etc. Great stuff. There was a guy (Oleg) who was sort of out on his own and he was taking notes. At one point I saw him with his ear to the ground, I guess looking at something.

AFA my instructor taking me out and driving hard, I hear ya on that and you could look at it both ways - I think he's totally used to the way he drives so for himself it was a walk in the park. He did ask me at one point if I was OK because I was silent and I said yes I'm fine. The reason I was silent was because I felt at the time that words wouldn't add anything to the experience. I sort of figured I might get a little queasy when he took me out, since when Jackie went out with Scott he was telling her there would be a possibility she could get sick. So I was OK with it in advance.

I'm already looking at Lightning maps, hoping I can get there at least on Friday since on Columbus day weekend we usually go up to our place in Killington and I don't want to step on my wifes plans (the real ski fanatic) since I need her to go along with my desires to try some more DE.

In the end, it's all good. And thanks for the kind words.

Jeff

John's 991

You are very welcome, and smart move to make sure you take good care of your wife. You will be asking for time away, new tires, new brake pads and gas money on a pretty regular basis.

Glad to hear that the ride along was worth it. They are a great way to get a sense of what is possible. Especially if the car is similar to yours. Regarding the track walk, we don't seem to do that much on the west coast, unfortunately. I would love to walk or ride my bike around the track and get a closer, slower look at things. Glad you were able to do that.

I am going to the track on Friday, but taking the Mustang Chump car, not the 911. However, I have already read my last track notes and looked at some videos, both mine and others as well as having a short list of specific things I am going to work on while I am having fun. Never to experienced to learn more!