Panzer9

I blew off this Friday to attend my very first track event @ Summit Point Racetrack- WOW , what a BLAST!

This was an open event- not a PCA sanctioned, so needless to say , I was in good company. Everything from a Ferrari 360, Lotus Exige, Mc Laren/ Benz, BMW M5, 997 TT, C6 Vettes, Viper, AC Cobra, and the usual suspects: 993, 996, 951, etc.

My "Panzer" was the one & only Shark in attendance, and it garnered quite a bit of favorable attention. I was approached by three different instructors, all showing interest in riding shotgun. I Chose a VERY qualified gentleman named Harry, who is a veteran PCA club, & 12- Hour Enduro racer who campaignes a 951, & a 993T. He just gave me amazing information, & insights pertaining to this particular track. Aside from being my instructor, He also honored me by asking me to ride along in his 993T during the Instructors only Group-30 min run. As far as I could tell ,I was the only passenger in the field. Bombing down the straight @ 130 MPH, 8 feet off a Ferrari's ***, and going sooooooooo deep into the corners, you feel the neg G's pulling on your guts,is something I won't soon forget!

Some highlights of my runs:

Coming out of turn 10, carrying good exit speed, I have it floored in third, approaching redline, My instructor notifies me that " you've got a 996 0n your six- do you want to let him pass?" I replied " No , I don't think so", and eased it into fourth. He chased me very closely down the straight as we both hit 120 before hard on the brakes. I hit my apexes nicely through the next series of turns, and my instructor says-' Hey that 996 is long gone- you took him in the corners! As I looked in my rear view I saw that he was right- however , he had been replaced by the black Lotus closing on me fast...

The last run was in the rain... Not a pretty sight, as I saw both the Ferrari, & the Lotus, as well as a Cobra, all make Off road detours! Coming out of the Carousel- I was pretty much in a full throttle- steer drift as I felt the ***- end start to come around. I eased off a bit and managed to save it with some quick countersteer measures. My instructor said he was sure I was gonna lose it, but fortunately I was able to recover.

All tolled- it was a great day as I received my "Report card"- I got all 4's across the board (out of possible 5's), with an encouraging comment @ the bottom- " Progressed very well"

Can't wait for the next one!!!

Mike Frye

NICE!

Sounds like a blast. I can't wait to get mine on a track. These stories really keep me going.

Charley B

Nice job relaying the fun Panzer, I enjoyed the read.

Dennis K

Congrats. It sounds like you had your first hit off the go-fast crack pipe. I remember my first track day quite clearly and now that I'm an instructor, it's fun to see the look in the eyes of the first-timers.

IcemanG17

928's are a blast on the track......having someone like Dennis as an instructor helps a bit too...then you get to go for a ride in his 928!!

Its fun riding with other instructors who think of the 928 as the touring car...they are often surprised at how well they do on the track.....the other two instructors I had said nothing but praises of the 928..... I can't imagine what a race 928 drives like with twice the HP and 900+ less lbs with HUGE tires and brakes.......

928S4/968CAB

I had a blast on my first and only track day as well...

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ew928

I can almost smell the hot brakes.

Liked how the 928 chassis informs the pilot how much trouble he's in.
And that great dumbell effect of hung out motor and tranny really helps in
recovering the car before one goes lawn-mowing. Extrapolating from street driving
experience.

Grayson. The last pic of the 928 side by side with an 'E' class really shows how W I D E the 928 is.

killingmoon65

Nice work Panzer! I have yet to take my shark to the track. My only track experiences are with vintage motorcycles racing at Willow Springs.
Sounds as if maybe you missed your calling! Good stuff ! and a great read! Thx

LaughaC

Dave (Panzer9), thanks for describing the day so viviidly! Wish I could have been there.

You represented well!

Does anybody rent in-car video camera equipment to capture these experiences?

Marine Blue

very sweet.

So now that you've driven on the track do you drive any different on the street?

V2Rocket

I wanna play


NJSharkfan, your avatar makes your shark look like a Geo Metro.

Panzer9

Funny you'd mention that- Yes... I'm much more conscience of my hand positions & softer touch on the wheel. Also, something I've been practicing on the street for awhile- which really came into play @ the track. That is picking up your apex point (visually) and immediately looking down track/road for your next reference point , and driving towards it with your head( not just your eyes) pointed towards it. You'll find that every move depends on the previous one to set it up, and you've got to anticipate several maneuvers in advance- much like in Chess, or Billiards. Also foot position & pedal modulation is something you'll focus on too. First time out was very much a "sensory- overload" but you just take it in and try to improve upon your mistakes.

LaughaC

Panzer9 is definitely a good driver now. We hit the backroads most weekends with both of our P cars. This past weekend my car started missing so I rode with him a bit while I thought through the problem.

He may have been showing off a bit, but it was the first time I've been in the car to see him take all 4 tires close to their traction limit. He picked a smooth radius line through each apex. One big clue to his balancing act was that all the tires started to squall at about the same time, then the inside rear tire got a little bit louder than the fronts as the weight transfered to a bit of understeer and the passive rear-wheel steering started to kick in.

Riding, and especially driving, at speed in a 928 is an experience that I can only compare with 6 figure super-touring cars. My 911 feels like a go-cart by comparison as the light frame flexes like a skateboard. Don't get me wrong, I'll always have a 911, but I want another 928 again too. My C4 vette is crap by comparison (except for it's drifting ability).

Jim bailey - 928 International

Oh Yes ! ....."First time out was very much a "sensory- overload" but you just take it in and try to improve upon your mistakes." But sooo much FUN !!! Everyone really should try to get on a track at least once in their life because THEN you understand and appreciate how truely skilled a race driver must be !

Namvet

Great thread!!!

These 928's can play with all of them. If I had to choose one word to describe my 928 at speed in a long, decreasing radius corner, it would be BALANCE!

Great ride!

namvet