PCA DE events?
 

So what is a PCA DE event like? I just joined PCA and am new to "racing" with no training or classes other than a little go-karting. It seems like a great way to have some fun in your 928, learn its limits on the track & learn some better driving skills. There are a couple DE events at thunderhill coming up later this summer that look very tempting to attend! What are the requirements....cost, helmet, fire extingusher etc?
Thanks
Brian

FUN !!

Do it! They are a great place to learn... I see tons of idiots thinking they know what they are doing but have never had an instructor... it comes back to bite them. I was at an open track event that had novices without instructors cutting up, and lo and behold, a guy in a new viper was over-confident and nailed the wall at Road Atlanta. Cost is anywhere from $200-$400 I would think. Thunderhill is probably on the cheaper side, and pro tracks are usually a bit higher.

Helmet is usually an SA95 or better. G-Force SA2000 helmets are good and inexpensive. Fire extinguishers are usually not required, but recommended. You will need to have your car inspected for safety.

I learned a ton in my first two DE's. The learning curve is slow at first, but once it clicks, you are hooked!

Check the specific website for your region. DE regs vary a bit from region to region. For instance in the NER region you do not need an FE for your first DE.

As far as things not on the website - i.e. specific to a 928....

At a minimum you need to flush your brakes with a hi-temp brake fluid like ATE Super Blue. Optional, but recommended, is a new set of mixed street/race brake pads. The 928 is a heavy car and puts a lot of stress on the brakes.

DE = THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON!! :rockon:

DE's are also the only place where you can drive your car by stairing out the side windows without worrying about losing time or what you'll hit...if there aren't any immediate objects around.

That would be racing with DE a close second :burnout:

From what I've seen, PCA does a good job keeping people aware of the fact that a DE is not racing. They do not encourage timing laps, but some folks cannot help themselves. I am not aware of anyone ever being told "hey there can you slow it down a bit, son!" They will definitely chat with you if you have problems controlling your car or have safety issues. At a DE you can drive the heck out of your car.

Sequence of events:

1) Register and grid tech (night before or first thing in AM)
2) Driver Meeting then meet instructor
3) Sit in classroom and receive safety instruction
4) Stand around and wait for run group. Chat with a few people.
5) Run group: stage, go, listen to instructor but not much talking back (not much time cause there is a lot to do as you are driving and talking back will impact concentration). Learn the lines, go faster, learn the braking points, go faster, learn the lines miss the line, learn from it.... Emphasis is on smoothness in handling the steering wheel and braking. No race-jerking the wheel.
6) Smile still on face. Stand around and wait. Chat with a few people.
Repeat 3 - 5 with a lunch break somewhere in between.

Sometime during the DE event weekend, things will click and it becomes extremely apparent why they have you focus on smooth steering. I mention this because enlightenment is major part of the overall DE experience for newbies like me.

I think 4 maybe 5 run sessions a day is normal. Run sessions tend to be between 20 and 30 minutes. Due to the intensity while out there and the conscious wear on the driver as well as tires etc, people are usually quite satisfied with cumulative track time at the end of the day. Pretty tiring, actually.

I have only attended a couple but the last one is still fresh in my mind. Since no one else provided a detailed answer to your first question.

Jim's short answer was spot on: DE's are fun.

And don't forget to bring patience and perspective with you.

James nicely stated..... the most important thing any novice should learn is how much they have to learn! The second most important is how great the 928 really handles and how it is capable of so much more than most believe. Thirdly prepare to be humbled , most people think they know how to drive :) So once the Ego recovers and you learn to keep breathing as you drive it does become great fun ! The emphasis is on SAFETY and learning car control if you spin off 2-3 times you often are invited to go home.

Hi Brian -

James-man did a great job summarizing a typical DE day. I can give more specific info about DE's in NorCal.

We're lucky to have Thunderhill, which is a great track to start learning. Plenty of runoff room and few intimidating walls. I've been there maybe 40 times and I still learn something new each time. PCA is a good group, particularly if you're starting out. They're organized and rigorous about car and student preparation.

There are also several other good DE groups that run at Thunderhill that are not marque-specific. Off the top of my head, I can recommend:

Norcal Racing Club
Trackmasters
Tracquest
Unlimited Laps

All of the above mentioned have classroom instruction and will assign you instructors.

Costs are similar at around $240 - $280/day which is slightly more than PCA but you do get more track time than PCA. Helmets are usually required to be Snell SA95 or later, though some groups allow M95 (motorcycle) helmets. Fire extinguishers are recommended but not required. Long sleeve cotton shirts are usually the only clothing requirement.

If you want to run in the PCA time trial series (differs from DE only in that the lap is timed), then the requirements for rollbar, harnesses, nomex suit come into play.

Are you going to Sharks in the Park this Saturday? I'll be there if you have any questions. You can also click on the link in my sig to check out some of my reports and videos from DE's I've done over the last couple years.

You will really enjoy and learn a lot from DE or AutoX events. Both teach you about the car and show you so much more about their abilities then you could ever imagine.

NNJR had a Car control clinic this past Sunday. It comprised of a clockwise and counter clockwise skid pad a slolom course and a high speed breaking exercise. What a blast and you can safely push the 928 to and beyond its limits without any concern of hitting anything (other than cones).

The DE's allow you to really feel what the car is about safely on a real track. The instructors show you the line and never push you to drive any faster than you feel comfortable.

I have been getting my wife involved recently and she was so surprised to see how much fun it was and how capable these cars really are.

Try it you'll like it!!

I was a bit intimidated the first time I went. Didn't know anyone and I was the lone 928. Long story short, I loved it, the people were great and I learned sooooo much while having a great time. I keep going back for more. Try it and you will be hooked. Gives you a chance to see just how capable these cars are.

1. Flush/replace with high-perf brake fluid; I use Motul 600.
2. Get brake pads! Pagid Orange work great with the heavy S4.
3. Get an alignment! An aggressive street setting will suffice for now.

That is really all you need for a first-time DE, hardware-wise.

Afterwards, you can consider whether you want to spend the money on a set of dedicated track-rims and tires. If you do get the track-bug, you will be burning up rubber no matter what, so you might as well save your street-tires, and burn up track-tires instead. Get to the track and pop in your track-pads, and pop on your track-tires!

My second time out at Road America, I turned a 2:45 in a stock Z06 with only the 'mods' listed above, except I used CarboTech 9 brake pads.

Dish wheels are bad at the track. Not enough cross ventilation to cool the rotors. Not a problem if you are only driving kinda hard. When you start driving really hard, boiled brake fluid and brake fade may be on the horizon.

Swapping out race pads and street pads sounds like a good idea. Is it really that easy to do?

Oh man, it's essential!

Consider for example, you're going 150 mph on the back-straight coming into Turn 5 at Road America (..a 90 degree left). The last thing you need is brake-fade from an inappropriate brake-pad; spend the $220 (..fronts only!) for the Pagid's to preserve you and your car.

Again, you're going to cook-off a set of brakes during the weekend, so it might as well be track-pads. Pop in the 'fresh' street-pads for the drive home.

It's very easy. Most of the work is from jacking the car and removing/re-torquing the wheel.