My first experience at the 2008 Silver State Classic Challenge
09-23-2008, 02:13 PM
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My first experience at the 2008 Silver State Classic Challenge
I've been eager to participate in the Silver State Classic Challenge (SSCC) for many years since talking with Bill Ball about it at a Sharktoberfest event several years back and following the posts of other participants, especially Tim and Cheryl Dey. This year, with a fellow 928 owner, Jim Dawson from Costa Mesa, I had my chance as a navigator to experience the thrill of this extraordinary event. Jim and I met at the 2006 Toys For Tots/Motor4Toys charity car show event and discussed a possible team-up, since he had previous experience.
The SSCC is an "Open Road Race" that traverses 90 miles of the two lane Highway 318, which is blocked off and sanctioned in coordination with the Nevada Department of Transportation. The course is between the towns of Lund and Hiko in East Central Nevada, about 2 hours north of Las Vegas. At the starting line, cars are staggered one minute apart. The course has stretches of straights, various types of turns, and a 3-mile "narrows" twisty section 70 miles into the race. There are different "Target" speed classes with a top "Tech" speed, which you can not go over, or face disqualification. The speed classes range from 95 through 150 MPH in 5 MPH increments. In addition, there are 160, 170, 180, and UNLIMITED MPH speed classes. The goal is to cross the finish line at your "Target" speed and at a specific time. In the UNLIMITED speed class, several cars go over 200 MPH. There are between 100 and 130 competitors.
Jim and I rented a U-Haul to trailer his Guards Red 1989 S4 to the event. We left Thursday and arrived at State Line before continuing up to Ely on Friday. After settling into our hotel and de-trailering the car, we proceeded to registration, signing our lives away, getting our event t-shirts, instructions, and sponsor stickers. Once the car was washed and stickers in place, we proceeded to gather for the traditional parade through town where we had two local Boy Scouts ride with us while tossing candy to the on-lookers lining the streets. After the parade, a dinner was held for all the participants, where stories abound and the evening is friendly.
Saturday morning was spent prepping for "Tech Inspection", where everything that will be in the car must be tightly tied down (GPS, cameras, water, etc.), the required gear for our class ready (gloves, helmets, 5-point seat belts, racing suit, fireproof socks, fire extinguisher, etc.), and proper tires. The rest of the day was spent gawking at the other vehicles and talking with the participants and organizers, attending mandatory navigator and driver meetings, and then going over our course and timing notes. Jim had driven this event five times before with his best time being 4 seconds off, but still coming in third place with that in 2004. We gathered course notes from his previous drives and those offered from wise 928 veterans (THANK YOU!) and spent Saturday night refining our original strategy and calculations before getting minimal sleep for the big day.
We left Ely Sunday morning around 6am to the pre-grid gathering at a truck-stop in Lund. Then, one-by-one, we were sent to the grid area just before the start line. Cars are guided to the starting gate with a stop for officials tightening down the harnesses, checking the arm restraints, and making sure there are no loose items in the vehicle. Then one last look for screws or nails by four gentleman with knee-pads who request a very slow roll to inspect the tires. This year, one car was turned away because of a found foreign object.
Finally at the start line, adrenaline pumping and heavy breathing steaming up the sun-glasses, I hit the stop watches and Jim punched the accelerator. Our specific goal was to do the 90-mile run in 43 minutes and 12 seconds, averaging 125 miles per hour. This was the first time that I experienced sustained triple-digit speed in a motor vehicle on a public road. All my anxiety and reservations were quickly shattered as I realized the 928 was built for this and handled it beautifully! I didn't get a chance to view the road or surroundings much because I was focused on verifying and relaying the statistics to the driver for most of the race. All our calculations with time, distance, acceleration to speed, banked time, reduced speed through the narrows, and final checks to the finish paid off. We were pretty much “on the money” the whole race, except for a surplus time of five seconds coming out of the narrows (my fault because I told Jim that he could be more aggressive). We made our adjustments to scrub off time for the last 18-mile stretch to the finish. I stopped our watches at 43:12.58 (main) and 43:12.54 (backup), 1/2 second off. Was this good enough to win?
At the finish, your official performance times are not immediately revealed. After the race, you have the option to attend either the banquet held at Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas or the dinner at Hotel Nevada in Ely later that evening. Finally, after hours of anticipation, the fastest times and awards were announced by speed class. Our official time was 43:13.0390, off (slow) by 1.0390 seconds. Our average speed was 124.9499 MPH, a speed variance of .0501. We reached a top speed of 137 MPH (according to our GPS), but sustained 135 MPH during two periods throughout the race. We came in third out of nine entries in the 125 MPH class, securing trophies for our efforts.
I have to congratulate Jim Dawson for driving such an outstanding race. He was calm and cool and I think we worked well as a team for the first time. I’d like to thank fellow 928ers Tim and Cheryl Dey, Bill Ball, and Matt Edson (among many other SSCC veterans at the event) for supporting our efforts.
Jim has offered to by my navigator if I decide to run the Nevada Open Road Challenge (NORC) in May (the same event with a different name). I'd have to enter as a rookie in the 110 MPH class with a tech (top) speed of 124 MPH. I’m psyched!!!
Here is the link to the official results:
http://www.sscc.us/event_results/results-08a-sscc.html
Here is the link to my pictures of the event:
http://web.me.com/jpriv/Cars/Silver_State_Classic_Challenge_2008.html
Here is a link to information about the Silver State Classic Challenge/Nevada Open Road Challenge:
http://sscc.us/
Here is a link to our first place finish in the 125 MPH class at the 2012 Nevada Open Road Challenge:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...challenge.html
The SSCC is an "Open Road Race" that traverses 90 miles of the two lane Highway 318, which is blocked off and sanctioned in coordination with the Nevada Department of Transportation. The course is between the towns of Lund and Hiko in East Central Nevada, about 2 hours north of Las Vegas. At the starting line, cars are staggered one minute apart. The course has stretches of straights, various types of turns, and a 3-mile "narrows" twisty section 70 miles into the race. There are different "Target" speed classes with a top "Tech" speed, which you can not go over, or face disqualification. The speed classes range from 95 through 150 MPH in 5 MPH increments. In addition, there are 160, 170, 180, and UNLIMITED MPH speed classes. The goal is to cross the finish line at your "Target" speed and at a specific time. In the UNLIMITED speed class, several cars go over 200 MPH. There are between 100 and 130 competitors.
Jim and I rented a U-Haul to trailer his Guards Red 1989 S4 to the event. We left Thursday and arrived at State Line before continuing up to Ely on Friday. After settling into our hotel and de-trailering the car, we proceeded to registration, signing our lives away, getting our event t-shirts, instructions, and sponsor stickers. Once the car was washed and stickers in place, we proceeded to gather for the traditional parade through town where we had two local Boy Scouts ride with us while tossing candy to the on-lookers lining the streets. After the parade, a dinner was held for all the participants, where stories abound and the evening is friendly.
Saturday morning was spent prepping for "Tech Inspection", where everything that will be in the car must be tightly tied down (GPS, cameras, water, etc.), the required gear for our class ready (gloves, helmets, 5-point seat belts, racing suit, fireproof socks, fire extinguisher, etc.), and proper tires. The rest of the day was spent gawking at the other vehicles and talking with the participants and organizers, attending mandatory navigator and driver meetings, and then going over our course and timing notes. Jim had driven this event five times before with his best time being 4 seconds off, but still coming in third place with that in 2004. We gathered course notes from his previous drives and those offered from wise 928 veterans (THANK YOU!) and spent Saturday night refining our original strategy and calculations before getting minimal sleep for the big day.
We left Ely Sunday morning around 6am to the pre-grid gathering at a truck-stop in Lund. Then, one-by-one, we were sent to the grid area just before the start line. Cars are guided to the starting gate with a stop for officials tightening down the harnesses, checking the arm restraints, and making sure there are no loose items in the vehicle. Then one last look for screws or nails by four gentleman with knee-pads who request a very slow roll to inspect the tires. This year, one car was turned away because of a found foreign object.
Finally at the start line, adrenaline pumping and heavy breathing steaming up the sun-glasses, I hit the stop watches and Jim punched the accelerator. Our specific goal was to do the 90-mile run in 43 minutes and 12 seconds, averaging 125 miles per hour. This was the first time that I experienced sustained triple-digit speed in a motor vehicle on a public road. All my anxiety and reservations were quickly shattered as I realized the 928 was built for this and handled it beautifully! I didn't get a chance to view the road or surroundings much because I was focused on verifying and relaying the statistics to the driver for most of the race. All our calculations with time, distance, acceleration to speed, banked time, reduced speed through the narrows, and final checks to the finish paid off. We were pretty much “on the money” the whole race, except for a surplus time of five seconds coming out of the narrows (my fault because I told Jim that he could be more aggressive). We made our adjustments to scrub off time for the last 18-mile stretch to the finish. I stopped our watches at 43:12.58 (main) and 43:12.54 (backup), 1/2 second off. Was this good enough to win?
At the finish, your official performance times are not immediately revealed. After the race, you have the option to attend either the banquet held at Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas or the dinner at Hotel Nevada in Ely later that evening. Finally, after hours of anticipation, the fastest times and awards were announced by speed class. Our official time was 43:13.0390, off (slow) by 1.0390 seconds. Our average speed was 124.9499 MPH, a speed variance of .0501. We reached a top speed of 137 MPH (according to our GPS), but sustained 135 MPH during two periods throughout the race. We came in third out of nine entries in the 125 MPH class, securing trophies for our efforts.
I have to congratulate Jim Dawson for driving such an outstanding race. He was calm and cool and I think we worked well as a team for the first time. I’d like to thank fellow 928ers Tim and Cheryl Dey, Bill Ball, and Matt Edson (among many other SSCC veterans at the event) for supporting our efforts.
Jim has offered to by my navigator if I decide to run the Nevada Open Road Challenge (NORC) in May (the same event with a different name). I'd have to enter as a rookie in the 110 MPH class with a tech (top) speed of 124 MPH. I’m psyched!!!
Here is the link to the official results:
http://www.sscc.us/event_results/results-08a-sscc.html
Here is the link to my pictures of the event:
http://web.me.com/jpriv/Cars/Silver_State_Classic_Challenge_2008.html
Here is a link to information about the Silver State Classic Challenge/Nevada Open Road Challenge:
http://sscc.us/
Here is a link to our first place finish in the 125 MPH class at the 2012 Nevada Open Road Challenge:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...challenge.html
Last edited by jpriv928; 05-29-2012 at 07:16 AM. Reason: Updated Links and Corrections...
09-23-2008, 02:46 PM
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Hey Joe glad to see your on the board, I hope that you will post more, goodluck on your future driving events, Stan
09-23-2008, 08:37 PM
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Interesting how the human mind adapts to traveling 200 feet per second ( 135 mph or so ) and sees that as perfectly normal.... at 200 MPH it is 293 feet per second !!
09-23-2008, 09:05 PM
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And trying to go faster, perhaps a shrink for me! 
09-23-2008, 09:10 PM
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Joe:
Great write up. These events are really special and addicting !
I really encourage you to follow your plans and move up in the speed classes, at least just a tad... IMHO, the 135 and above categories make the role of the navigator a bit more challenging between the speed related timing challenges and handling the speed differential of the curvy section(s) of the course.
Somehow, someday I hope to return to the ORR scene.
$0.02.
Great write up. These events are really special and addicting !
I really encourage you to follow your plans and move up in the speed classes, at least just a tad... IMHO, the 135 and above categories make the role of the navigator a bit more challenging between the speed related timing challenges and handling the speed differential of the curvy section(s) of the course.
Somehow, someday I hope to return to the ORR scene.
$0.02.
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09-23-2008, 09:35 PM
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Lifted from a article by a Marc Green on stopping distances ...." Reaction times are greatly affected by whether the driver is alert to the need to brake. I've found it useful to divide alertness into three classes:
Expected: the driver is alert and aware of the good possibility that braking will be necessary. This is the absolute best reaction time possible. The best estimate is 0.7 second. Of this, 0.5 is perception and 0.2 is movement, the time required to release the accelerator and to depress the brake pedal.
Unexpected: the driver detects a common road signal such as a brake from the car ahead or from a traffic signal. Reaction time is somewhat slower, about 1.25 seconds. This is due to the increase in perception time to over a second with movement time still about 0.2 second.
Surprise: the drive encounters a very unusual circumstance, such as a pedestrian or another car crossing the road in the near distance. There is extra time needed to interpret the event and to decide upon response. Reaction time depends to some extent on the distance to the obstacle and whether it is approaching from the side and is first seen in peripheral vision. The best estimate is 1.5 seconds for side incursions and perhaps a few tenths of a second faster for straight-ahead obstacles. Perception time is 1.2 seconds while movement time lengthens to 0.3 second.
The increased reaction time is due to several factors, including the need to interpret the novel situation and possibly to decide whether there is time to brake or whether steering is better response. Moreover, drivers encountering another vehicle or pedestrian that violates traffic regulations tend to hesitate, expecting the vehicle/pedestrian to eventually halt. Lastly, there can be response conflict that lengthens reaction time. For example, if a driver's only possible response requires steering into an oncoming traffic lane (to the left) there may be a hesitation. ..... " Point being that if the above times are accurate in a surprise situation it may take 1.5 seconds to react and move the foot to the brake..... assuming that is the correct response. That is nearly 450 feet , at 200 mph , before the car can even begin to slow down.
Expected: the driver is alert and aware of the good possibility that braking will be necessary. This is the absolute best reaction time possible. The best estimate is 0.7 second. Of this, 0.5 is perception and 0.2 is movement, the time required to release the accelerator and to depress the brake pedal.
Unexpected: the driver detects a common road signal such as a brake from the car ahead or from a traffic signal. Reaction time is somewhat slower, about 1.25 seconds. This is due to the increase in perception time to over a second with movement time still about 0.2 second.
Surprise: the drive encounters a very unusual circumstance, such as a pedestrian or another car crossing the road in the near distance. There is extra time needed to interpret the event and to decide upon response. Reaction time depends to some extent on the distance to the obstacle and whether it is approaching from the side and is first seen in peripheral vision. The best estimate is 1.5 seconds for side incursions and perhaps a few tenths of a second faster for straight-ahead obstacles. Perception time is 1.2 seconds while movement time lengthens to 0.3 second.
The increased reaction time is due to several factors, including the need to interpret the novel situation and possibly to decide whether there is time to brake or whether steering is better response. Moreover, drivers encountering another vehicle or pedestrian that violates traffic regulations tend to hesitate, expecting the vehicle/pedestrian to eventually halt. Lastly, there can be response conflict that lengthens reaction time. For example, if a driver's only possible response requires steering into an oncoming traffic lane (to the left) there may be a hesitation. ..... " Point being that if the above times are accurate in a surprise situation it may take 1.5 seconds to react and move the foot to the brake..... assuming that is the correct response. That is nearly 450 feet , at 200 mph , before the car can even begin to slow down.
09-23-2008, 09:36 PM
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Nice work Joe, any day a 928 brings home the hardware in an event is a great day.
Sliding one seat over to the left should be an awesome experience. Any prep work to do to your ride when the day comes?
Sliding one seat over to the left should be an awesome experience. Any prep work to do to your ride when the day comes?
09-23-2008, 09:40 PM
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Great write up! Wish we had something like that out here, sounds like fun!
09-23-2008, 09:55 PM
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Well done Joe and I read the excitement in your narrative.
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Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
George Layton March 2014
928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
George Layton March 2014928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
09-24-2008, 12:58 AM
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We founded "The Royal Order of the Squirrel" a few years ago follwoing a romp through central Cali at speed. I was the slow guy, but earned two squirrel images to put on the fusilage. At 100+, there's no need to try to second-guess what the squirrel is going to do. By the time you see it but before you bother reacting, the squirrel is three inches tall and doesn't really want to run out in the road anymore. Natural selection at its best. Meanwhile, the focus is on the road ahead. Damn the squirrels, full speed ahead!!!
09-24-2008, 01:09 AM
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We founded "The Royal Order of the Squirrel" a few years ago follwoing a romp through central Cali at speed. I was the slow guy, but earned two squirrel images to put on the fusilage. At 100+, there's no need to try to second-guess what the squirrel is going to do. By the time you see it but before you bother reacting, the squirrel is three inches tall and doesn't really want to run out in the road anymore. Natural selection at its best. Meanwhile, the focus is on the road ahead. Damn the squirrels, full speed ahead!!!
Joe, it looks like you got why I'm hooked on ORR.
09-24-2008, 01:27 AM
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Got Squirrel ???
I recall an Ely event where a Volvo wagon came back into town missing a big piece of front bumper cover from a practice session. Turns out it was a ground squirrel at 150+. Yikes...
I also recall getting home from my first Pony Express and cleaning what had to be squirrel from the A/C condensor and intercooler. Made me think of using some metal mesh at the next run... yuck !
May sound gross, but what great life memories !
Like I said in the post above... gotta find a way to get back to it
I recall an Ely event where a Volvo wagon came back into town missing a big piece of front bumper cover from a practice session. Turns out it was a ground squirrel at 150+. Yikes...
I also recall getting home from my first Pony Express and cleaning what had to be squirrel from the A/C condensor and intercooler. Made me think of using some metal mesh at the next run... yuck !
May sound gross, but what great life memories !
Like I said in the post above... gotta find a way to get back to it