RJP 951

I finally got out on my first DE this weekend, at Nelson Ledges road coarse in Ohio. The school was put on by the PCA Allegheny Region, and they did a great job with both the classroom sessions and on-track instruction.

Just wanted to post and say what a great experience this was, for the benefit of anyone who's been thinking about a DE but hesitant. You will learn more in a day or two than you could ever imagine.

If any of you have been to Nelson Ledges lately you know that the track is way past its prime. Still, it's a great place to go fast, and it was nice to run at a track that has a place in the 944 Turbo's history.

For the record, I ran a best lap time today of 1:30 on the 2-mile track (13 turns). Some of the instructors ran in the low 1:20's, but right now I can't imagine going faster than I was. I went out as a passenger in my instructor's car (also a 951) and thought I was going to lose my lunch...

I made it through two days with no spins, and no damage to the car or ego. The car ran as solid as I could hope for (really solid). I think I split an intake hose or something because I lost full boost on the last session, and could hear air gushing when I got on the throttle on the drive home. In any case, I attribute the overall success of this experience to good preparation, and an awful lot of both direct and indirect help from many of you here on Rennlist. For that I'd like to say thanks! I hope in time I can make the same kind of difference for others who come along in the future.

Ron

Mike B

Sounds like a pile of fun!

Were you happy with the way your car handled or are you planning some $u$pen$ion improvements?

89magic98

Ron,

Can you elaborate on the 944 turbo's history with respect to this track?

Just curious.

Thanks!

Kevin

RJP 951

Sure. The 944 Turbo was unveiled in a pre-production version at Nelson Ledges in the 1984 Nelson Ledges 24-hour race. It basically blew away every other car on the track. Here's an excerpt from "Porsche 924, 944 & 968" by Michael Cotton (good book by the way):

"The SCCA had been organizing 'the longest day' for five years and the '84 event attracted no fewer than 55 production car entries, all prepared in showroom condition complete with emission-free exhaust systems, showroom tires, brakes, seats and even lights. Porsche, though, took advantage of a new category for genuine pre-production cars, not 'prototypes' as defined by FISA but faithful in every respect to cars due for production within 12 months. BFGoodrich provided the tires and picked up the tab, and the 944 Turbo was duly entered by Jim Busby, Rick Knoop and Porsche dealer Freddy Baker. The car started from pole position ahead of Chevrolet Corvettes, Camaros, Mitsubishi, Nissan, even Saab Turbo and Maserati Biturbo models and proceeded to trounce the field, ending the race with a 42-lap advantage over the 'normal' 944 driven by Rick and Jamie Hurst and BFG engineer Bob Strange. Two more stock 944s occupied the fourth and fifth positions, just behind a Mazda RX-7 driven by John and Jeff Adretti. So far as the Americans were concerned there were no secrets about Porsche's 944 Turbo model, officially released in February 1985."

Interestingly, one of the classroom instructors at my DE drove in several of the 24-hour races in 924's, 944's, and 944 Turbos. I'm not sure what happened, but Nelson Ledges seems to have fallen off the map somewhere along the way. The track has really declined and is in only fair condition now (but improving as I understand). However, having some history made up for what it lacks in other respects, as far as I'm concerned.

Ron

CanyonBlaster

Cool. I'm really looking forward to a DE in my 951 (owned for 1 month), and now even more so. Thanks.

Hey, how do you like the upgraded swaybars? Do you get easier and more fluid over/throttle steer?

RJP 951

Mike, I could not be happier with the way the car handled.

I installed the 968 M030 sway bars earlier in the year, but I don't have track experience prior to this to use as a baseline. I ran on street tires at 36psi, and had the rear sway bar adjusted to the middle setting. The car handled superbly. It felt very neutral and just went where I willed it to go. I ran out of guts far below the car's capability.

I noticed several guys in the advanced classes were running strut tower braces and they swear it made a difference. I've read much debate here on this topic and have so far not been convinced one way or the other. However, one guy at the track said he discovered his throttle cam was rubbing against the turbo water pump under high cornering loads, and installing the strut brace eliminated the problem. That's got me thinking again.

Ron

CanyonBlaster

I wish I was driving that fresh 951, that fateful day in '84, at Nelson Ledges. A man can dream........

I had an 85.5 944 na from '87-'90, and ALWAYS wanted it to be a 951. I still remeber how drippy cool they looked "back in in the day." I am lovin mine now.

(hey, sorry if my posts are ho-key, I'm trying to get to 40 posts so I can have an avatar)

944Fest (aka Dan P)

Congrats on your first DE, welcome to the club. Where in NE Ohio are you?

You folks out there in Rennlist land have never heard me mention it, but I've got to now. My older brother was on the pit crew for fast Freddie when he ran that first 944T at Nelsons. He's got pics of it and plenty of stories and knowledge. He's a factory master porsche tech and attended the 1st 944fest and did most of the work on my car. Unfortunately, we no longer are on good terms for reasons I won't bother you with. Spare me the "he's your blood brother" speeches for I've tried and he continues to give me the cold shoulder. He lives 5 miles away and is yet to meet his Niece, he wouldn't walk outside the house to see her. He's the only sliver of my life that is not "ideal", and I guess I can live with that. You don't want to know what he thinks of rennlister know-it-alls.. Sorry for the OT rant, but in a small way all you 'listers, especially the 'Fest attendees and Cuz, have gone a long way to replace the disfunctional relationship I have with my only sibling. (Man, I almost deleted this post 5 times, but I want to release it) Someday, over a beer, ask me to tell you about it.. it is quite a tale.

::sigh::

RJP 951

Dan, I'm in Geauga County, about 35 miles east of Cleveland.

It's neat to hear you have a linkage to that historic race, despite the current situation you noted with your brother. I know there are two sides to every story, but if you've done your part to make things work then that's all you can reasonably do.

Ron

Russ Murphy

"First DE this weekend... Holy @$#!"

EZRider

For a moment I was going to pass this thead in silence. Dan, be aware that the sibling stuff is far more common than you suspect. My only sibling will never get to see my newly born son. Life's too short to dwell on the past. So hurry up with the beer and live to the fullest!

944Fest (aka Dan P)

AMEN, Brother! Thanks!! It's not holding me back..

Skip Wolfe

Hey Dan. Isn't that the car Rhen is now driving? I know he bought it from Freddy and that it was a pre-production car.

Skip Wolfe

RJP,

Welcome to the addicting my brother. It is a long downward spiral from here. Nelson is actually a pretty fun track even though it feels like you are on an abanded road to nowhere sometimes. Its also pretty good for first-timers since its not to technical and pretty easy to learn. And if you think Nelson is fun wait til you get to Mid-Ohio.

Nelson also has open-days from time to time where its basically $100 for all the track time you want between 10 am and 4 pm. I think there is a group of us going Saturday the 20th if you interested.

Where about are you in Geauga Co. I grew up in Munson and currently work in Newbury.

944Fest (aka Dan P)

Heya Skip.. No, That isn't Rhens.. Freddie drove Rhens but it isn't THE one. (Don't you think if it was the first Rhen would have sold it to a museum somewhere?) I'm not positive but one of the pics of a very early race car didn't have the Turbo nose. Are you doing any more events this year?