Ritter v4.0

Did a DE at Talladega Grand Prix this past w/e. Porsche/Barber school aside this was my first.

Though I have no real reference point Smokey Mountain PCA- and Jonathan Foulds in particular- deserve full praise and credit for a well run event. Nice folks 'n good BBQ.
The track is good for newbs like me; flat, good traction and not especially fast. It also has loads of run-off (which I did not avail myself of).

I had a great instructor who showed me the track then pretty much offered an occasional comment and let me drive. I must have done something right as I routinely lapped my group and so got bumped up to the next grouping with solo status. The car will benefit from the circa. 250 lbs co-driver weight reduction!

In absolute terms my lap times were quite consistent and were right there with that of other more experienced drivers but 5 secs off the pace setting 'Vette that was there (pretty full on track prepped). Always someone faster (and slower- hopefully). But I'm under no illusion- I've got a lot to learn.

The car ran like a champ- the JIC's seemed well set up and the Hawk Blues worked great. I'm not the most experienced driver obviously, but it seemed quite well balanced. No huge under/oversteer. But my next car is going to be even more track emphasized- this is the slippery slope on the verge of total freefall.

Here are a couple of snaps and v.short mpeg. That blk 911 of David Elias' was well sorted and fast AND loud):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXaR9nnDXKo

chancecasey

Amazing how painless that needle going into your vein is, huh?

Ritter v4.0

It was all fun, except dose of reality when a friend ran hot into a hairpin and went off. He was fine but the car hit a little gully and it pushed his fan into the radiator (BMW w/turbo) and tore an I/C oil line.
He tried to fix it but only made it half way home and ended up flatbedding the rest of the way Sat night.
I felt very badly for him.

It could have easily been me (except I don't have a rad or IC- but you know what I mean) and will be one day I expect. Guess its all part and parcel.

Chris M.

Glad you had a good time David. Welcome to the addiction...your wallet will never be the same!

Seaflat

I have been lurking around checking out the DEs in my area and have yet to pull the trigger. I want to practice much more on the heal toe. I am also a bit wary of car damage, not to mention I think I will like it waaay too much. Glad you had a good time. It puts me one step closer.
I have read you should start with Autocross first. Did you do that first or was this your first experience?

Ritter v4.0

I only did the Porsche/Barber school prior which is track, skidpath and auto-x over 2 days. Its a crash course (no pun) and as good as a 2 day course can be with lotsa time behind the wheel.Still just 48 hrs.

Get on it- but only if your chequing account locked and loaded.

joey bagadonuts

Congrats, David!

Seaflat, It's not neccessary to perfect your heel & toe technique before giving it a try. Besides, there are more important concepts to focus on IMHO as you get started, e.g. safety, car prep, learning the track, driving the line, shifting, braking (not as easy as it sounds), accelerating, smoothness, car control, driving/hand position, arm signals, corner flags, passing, being passed, brake/tire management, situational awareness and anticipation. Heel & toe, along with lap times, are probably things to work on only after you're comfortable with some of these fundamental concepts.

I'd also recommend that you get plenty of instruction and feedback as a track newbie and secure rides with instructors to improve your understanding of high speed driving techniques. The Speed Secrets series of books by Ross Bentley is highly recommended and will provide a deeper understanding of some of the concepts you are trying to master. With proper instruction and preparation, you'll begin to pick up speed before you know it but, as I hope I've demonstrated, there's certainly a lot to learn.

There are few hobbies that come close to the thrill of driving your Porsche at speed on a road course. But never forget that the only trophy we're all shooting for is driving our babies home in one piece. Be safe and have fun!

ltc

Another lemming runs towards the cliff that IS DE.
Welcome

Chris M.

Autocross is a tossup; some will say it's great, others not. Personally I don't like spending an entire day out there for about 2.5 minutes of seat time. I'd rather spend the whole weekend getting several hours of it.

Ritter v4.0

I'm looking to go another event before the end of the year; theres Roebling and VIR but what about TurnOneEvents in S.C.- anyone know the track? Looks pretty good and not too far from Atl. Also kind of "off-Broadway" if you now what I mean (possibly not as popular as other events).

Chris M.

CMP is a fun track. There's lots of runoff room, some technical spots, and some high speed too. Well worth the trip IMO.

Seaflat

Well maybe the next day at VIR I will give it a shot. I am currently reading a pretty good book "Secrets of Solo Racing" and it's really wetting my appetite. I was flipping back and forth on the autocross but to me it looks harder on the car.

Ritter v4.0

Try one, then the other and see which you like.
For many (not all) auto-x is the methadone to the track day's heroin, following chancecasey's metaphorical analogy above.

Put another way: auto-x = McDonald's cheesburger while trackdays = Fuddrucker's 1 lb. burger.

Gary R.

Welcome to the DE addiction David. I have to wonder about a region that signs off a student at his first DE though.. You don't even know what you don't know yet! Do yourself a favor - find a good instructor (one not there just for the instructor discount) and keep him in the car.

TR6

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I read this thread. I thought maybe we had another Boston Dentist on our hands. Then I noted in a later post that Ritter did the two day Barber course. Maybe that accelerated things a little. But, even so, solo at first DE event would raise some eyebrows in our region. New DE'ers should NOT expect to solo at their first or even second event. Usually, it takes a few DE's and the more hurry you are in, the longer it may take, if you know what I mean...

Seaflat, here is a thread that references a magazine called "High Performance Driving" that is ideal for new track addicts. Includes an article on your first DE. I bought it ($10) and even though I've got about 14 track days under my belt, I still found it a good read. Wish I'd found it before my first track day.