Hammer911

Had a wonderful experience participating in my first Rocky Mountain Region PCA Driver education event last Saturday at High Plains Raceway east of Denver.

At Chuck911's urging (more later on whether I should thank him or curse him) I figured I should learn more about my car, and myself, and signed myself up for the novice run group (yellow in this case) and began my preparations.

Preparation
RMR PCA has plenty of online information regarding all their various events, and I found the DE materials very helpful in helping me understand what the event is all about, how to prepare, and in setting my expectations. I reviewed the list of items to bring along, how to prepare the car, how the event operates, what the flags mean, and reviewed the map of the track to at least become a little familiar with it. I also looked up the track on youtube and found some videos people had posted of their laps on the track. Certainly no substitute for seeing it for yourself but useful nonetheless.

I didn't really need to purchase much in preparation - most of the recommended list of items to bring was readily available at home. I already had a torque wrench (although I would like a better one) but I did have to buy a helmet. Ended up with a Bell Sport full face helmet for between $250 and $300. From my cycling days I recalled that various manufacturers shape their helmets differently. No matter how visually appealing a certain helmet might be, in my experience certain brands (shapes) will fit, others just plain won't. Fit is most important, and you can't see it when it's on your own head. Bell fit me best.

RMR PCA offered free Tech Inspections at a couple designated times/places. The inspection is required to participate in the event. I just took my car to my dealer (Stevinson Imports) who did the inspection for me and signed off on the form. The only work I had done on my 2013 991 C4S with 9000 miles was to have the brake fluid changed. The form required brake fluid be less than 1 year old, and I was a few months past that. I had the inspection done ten days before the event and put the form in my glove box so I would not forget it. Ended up wasting a few minutes at registration on the day of the event because I had not completed in advance my information on the form.

The night before the event I washed my car and got it ready for the day by emptying the entire contents of the car - glove box, frunk, center console, rear seat areas, took out floor mats, door bins, everything. While I understood the need for doing so, I proved it out the next day...

Next I proceeded to set out everything I would be taking to the event per the RMR PCA list. I fit everything into fairly small duffle bag, checked it twice and put it in the back seat of the car, along with a folding chair. I set out a plastic cooler to fill with drinks and food to get me through the day in case nothing was available at the track. (Turns out lots was available - check ahead before you go.) I figured I would wait until I was fairly close to the track to fill the tank, since the track is 83 miles from my house. It took just a few minutes to put my assigned number on each door with blue masking tape. One thing I made a careful effort to leave at home was the Ego. While it's not overly large, I didn't want it getting in the way so I could focus on the education I was about to receive.

D(E) Day
Registration/sign in for the event began at 7am. I left the house at 5:30 am so I could grab coffee, pack my cooler and get to the track with a comfortable amount of time before things got going. It was helpful for me to arrive on the earlier side to get the lay of the land, figure out where to park, and set up for the day. It was a pretty nice day with high overcast, temperatures expected in the 70's, and 15mph breeze.

The event was very well organized and well attended. I think around 140 cars for five run groups. The facility is nice as well, seems pretty well laid out to my untrained eye...a covered pavilion area for the driver's meeting, a classroom for our novice education sessions, snackshack, nice restroom facilities, and marked spots for vehicles. Some people show up with amazing rigs to haul their vehicles in, work on them, stay overnight...very cool. Then there's people like me exercising Dr. Porsche's dream of a car that one can drive all week, then drive to the track and race on the weekend, and drive back home. Boy, did he nail it!!

I must say, everyone at the track that day was very nice, extremely helpful and supportive - whether they were part of the track staff, organizing group, or participants of all experience levels.

Before the Driver's meeting, I took a few minutes to find my instructor for the day, introduce myself, and figure out logistics about when and where to meet him for our driving session. I won't name him here because I didn't ask permission to share his name, but I will say he did an awesome job for me throughout the day. Considerably younger than I, he races extensively and is in the high performance tuning and repair business. (also has a reputation for pushing students further toward their limits, more on that later.) We spent some time getting acquainted and talking about what would happen over the course of the day.

The Driver's meeting began at 8am and took about thirty minutes. Introductions, "housekeeping" items, a track overview, and safety information followed by safety information, and a few final words about safety. While the first (fastest) run group headed to the track, the novice group headed to the classroom for the first of two sessions with the second to follow our first run on the track.

As you might have guessed, the focus of the classroom session was safety. Also covered were some basics of turn entry/apex/exit, understanding the flags (including the black flag...more on that later, see instructor introduction above.)

After class I wandered a bit, talking to people and taking in the free car show that automatically comes with attending such an event. Mostly Porsche cars with a few corvettes and one bmw mixed in. Cayman, Boxster, 911 of various vintages and models including a few GT3RS and a couple Cup cars, some 944, and I'm sure a few others I missed. My group consisted of my C4S, several Turbos, some 996, several Cayman...I would guess 20 cars, maybe a few more.

Track Session One
When the time came, I put on my hard hat and did the 5mph drive up to the paddock area to stage for my first run. I went up early, and was the fourth or fifth car in queue. They checked my helmet for an RMR PCA sticker on the outside confirming someone had checked the certification sticker on the inside. They also checked the car for loose items including the frunk and engine deck lid. My instructor arrived and we chatted about what was to happen next...he would drive a couple laps to warm up the car/tires and familiarize me with the circuit, where the corner workers are, how the corners are marked with braking markers, turn in/apex/exit cones, etc. At the end of the second lap we would roll into the hot pits and trade places and my journey into the unknown would begin.

We set my car to Sport Plus, extended the rear spoiler, and left the PDK to do what it does best. For this first run we left the tires at street pressure and would bleed off air afterward. We received time warnings from the marshals at 15, 10, 5,2, and 1 minutes to go. Each car in order received a thumbs up from the marshal and upon returning the thumbs up was waved onto the entrance ramp for the track. We let the cars ahead of us open up a little room on the ramp and my instructor then jumped on the gas a bit followed by a hard brake to test the brakes. He instructed me to do this every time before entering the actual track. I did not see anyone in front of us doing this in any of my sessions.

The first lap was tame by the standards set by the rest of the day but by no means a stroll around the track. My instructor did a good job of talking me through things as we went, and I developed a taste for how much more aggressively I would be driving my car than I had done before. Butterflies accumulated at an increasing pace when we headed for the hot pits to trade places. We took our time and settled into our spots, confirmed the mirrors and seat position were set, seat belt latched, and it was time to go.

The track was clear and we picked up speed as we rolled onto the track. At that point, the garden hose stream of information I had been trying to drink from all morning turned into a fire hose in the face. I was pretty quickly overtaken by a Turbo as I started to learn my brakes, find entry points, turn in when told, apply gas as instructed, let the car track out of the corners and increase pressure on the gas. The track was a blur in my mind - not due to speed - but the clear image I had studied of the 15 corners of the circuit blended into a very stylized, relatively undefined image of three lobes comprising the three distinct sections of the track. The elevation changes were more severe than I remembered from the two laps I had made as a passenger. Curves at the top of the hill became utterly blind. Finding the right balance of watching the track, keeping eyes up, looking for markers, gauging speed against other traffic, unsuccessfully trying to remember to check mirrors (thank you instructor!), the pace was relentless. I remembered when I raced bicycles on the track in close proximity to other riders and my coach taught me to "focus on everything and nothing." The constant narrative from my instructor about things both technical and not kept me composed and in the moment. During the run I settled down a bit, passed a few people, and had some good affirmations from my coach. Lap times around 2:40 I'm told.

In our daily lives, so few things really require our utmost concentration for extended periods of time. I found the 30 minute run group took me to the limit of my focus, and was quite ready to exit the track when the checkered flag came out signifying the end of this session. We chatted a bit, discussed what I should do about tire pressures, and I dropped my instructor near his rig while I ambled back to my spot to gather my thoughts about the recent experience. It felt good to get out of the car (which I left running for a few minutes with the rear deck open to cool off.) I checked my tires, and the pressures had increased 8 to 10 pounds all the way around. I bled them down, turned off the car, sat down and had something to eat and drink. As best I could, I tried to organize my thoughts around what I had just experienced and sort out what I had learned, what I felt my mistakes were, and what to focus on for the next session. I wanted to have some educated guesses to present to my instructor for confirmation or correction.

The second classroom session took place after the first drive. In addition to Safety, the discussion topics centered more on the proper line around the track, entry/apex/exit, and some of the physics involved.

Track Session Two
Apprehension increased as the second track session approached. It seemed as though I was going into this run knowing even less than the first time. Too many things to remember, nothing seemed comfortable. Lots of data points, but very fragmented and disjointed. I'll admit I had the brief moments of "what am I doing here?" I climbed into the car, drove to the paddock and waited for my instructor. I recall telling him I had too much swimming in my head, and I think we talked about settling down, sticking to the fundamentals of smoothing things out and not fighting the car. As we headed onto the track, I did settle down a bit and tried to concentrate on what my instructor had to say and told me to do. I was far from smooth, on the brakes too soon, not letting the car track out of the corners, not smooth not the accelerator. Everything felt blocky, hesitant and poorly timed - too soon or too late, fighting the car out through the corners, not using enough track, never really understanding or feeling the notion of "rotating the car."

The next lap was a watershed event. As we proceeded down the shorter straight by the hot pit, my instructor said "ok, here's what we are going to do..." There were no cars in sight in front of us nor behind. He said I needed to understand the braking capability of the car and we would proceed onto the main straight, I would floor the accelerator and when told to do so I would "lock this "$*%#@* up." I think we were about 115mph when I got the word and thrust my foot into the brake pedal. I was stunned and amazed at how hard and fast the car stopped, tracking dead even - it was an awesome demonstration of the beast inside my daily driver. From that moment, I was instructed to find that feeling into every corner that merited it - staying in the accelerator longer, smoothly moving to the brake and scrubbing speed hard into the corners, then moving smoothly back to the gas. I did better on my next corner, and better on the next, even better on the third, earning praise from the captain. I sped up the next hill to the blind left hairpin at the top ( I remember that now!) there were cars in the turn as I came up on them rapidly. I listened to my coach dissecting the previous corners and explaining how it all worked. At that moment, coming hot into the turn I realized I had lost focus and was too late into the brakes. The cars had cleared, as they had negotiated the turn, but it was rapidly becoming obvious to me I was too hot, and even though I was heavy into the brakes there was no way the front end was going to be able to turn in. I made the decision to stay in the brakes, straighten the wheel and take it straight off the pavement into the dirt. HPR is a great track in that regard - no trees, concrete walls in areas that have them are well away from the pavement, and the dirt is smooth with no drop-offs at track edge. We came to a pretty quick controlled stop and a cloud of dust swirled and slowly settled around and in the car, with a few blades of grass mixed in for emphasis.

The good news is I was told I handled the situation well, did everything right and received confirmation that indeed we were committed to a track exit and trying to save it would not have worked and could have made the situation worse. Gee, that all made me feel better! All kidding aside though, it was a great learning experience and I suspect it is inevitable as you push and find limits. Does the skier who never falls down really improve? As we were cleared to re-enter the track the nearby corner worker showed me the black flag, sending me to the hot pits for a chat with the event safety director. We arrived without incident, and a worker inspected my car to make sure there was no damage. None, by the way. Not even the Ego since, as I described earlier, I had left it at home for the day.

I was able to give a satisfactory explanation of my understanding as to what happened and why. The safety director mentioned to me that my instructor makes a daily visit during these events, and I was cleared to continue. Two spins or twice 4 wheels off track and you go home. We finished the next three or so laps of the session without incident, but my confidence was certainly shaken. I had a few more of those "what am I doing here" moments mixed with "you know, that was actually cool to get into a bit of trouble and know I could get out of it unscathed." I didn't get into trouble blindly trying to do too much. I was in the process of pushing farther, learning and assimilating, and lost my focus for a moment. At the same time, I reacted smartly and calmly, and accordingly came out the better for it. That said, at the time, at the end of the session, it felt like a disaster and I would have a lot running through my head between now and the final run group of the day.

Track Session Three
During the downtime prior to the next run I worked on reconciling all the information from the previous runs, classroom work, and time with my instructor. By the time my final run came I had mixed a fair amount of anticipation back into the trepidation I carried from the earlier incident. I realized I had a better understanding of the capabilities of my car and perhaps more confidence in my abilities and understanding of how to drive it. ...and I studied the track map.

I won't spend a lot of time on the last run session, but it felt good! Far from perfect of course, but I was smoother on the pedals and transitions. We worked on getting a little deeper into each corner each time, smoother on the transition and smoother on tracking out the car. Fluid would be a generous description but it certainly felt more that way...the braking/turn in/apex/track out were more one process rather than a series of separate events. I still had a tendency to fight the front end through the corners rather than using the gas to rotate the car, but in the last few laps when I found that edge of adhesion of the rear end and applied steady pressure to the gas to take me through and out of the curve, using the throttle to "rotate" the car (so that's what they are talking about!!) I got the "Yes, yes, yes" and the fist pumps from my instructor. On the last session of the day I ended up passing every car I saw, and had cut almost 30 seconds off my lap times from the morning.

Epilogue
The day at the track ended with cooling down the car, getting air back into the tires, a chance to say thank you to people I met who organized or otherwise helped at the event, and other drivers who were generous with their time and information. I was mentally and physically exhausted. The drive home was pleasant - a stop for gas (used about 1/4 tank in each 30 minute session)- and then a leisurely commute. Interestingly I found myself often driving about 5mph UNDER the speed limit.

Whew...sorry for writing a book..hopefully it will be useful reading for anyone considering a DE or other training event but has not done so yet. I plan to get into another one or two this summer, perhaps some open track time. Thanks to previous posters who gave some insight into what the track is all about, and to Chuck911 who provided some gentle and not so gentle nudges and a lot of information. So, do I thank him for urging me into what was such a great experience, or curse him for what might lead to an expensive habit?

Word for the day: "Ausgezeichnet"

..and yes, I am a fan of the Oxford Comma.

TheDatanator

Wow!! Thanks for sharing! I too have been getting pressure from fellow enthusiasts and I suppose it's a matter of time !!!

jlanka

I tagged this to read later. Too busy now but can't wait to take it all in. Thanks Hammer.

Money2536

Wow, your explanation of your first event is almost exactly like mine that I had about a year and a half ago in my E92 M3. I didn't go off the track but watched a brand new GTR do a 540 into the wall about three hundred yards ahead of me. It was my last run of the day. Afterwards I felt like I was in a fight to the death. I was beaten down. I found myself wanting to leave much more than I wanted to be there. I haven't been back. Every time I think about going back, I remind myself of the angst I felt the entire day. I understand that will get better over time, but I'm out. On the bright side, that leaves more track time available for others.

stealthboy

What a great write-up; thank you for sharing. Sounds a lot like my experience just a few weeks ago with my first DE in my old 911. So much flooding through my mind - it's quite overwhelming, but by the end of the second day I was actually having fun. My instructor was a lot like yours it sounds like - he was definitely pushing me! He also had me do that initial brake check, and I didn't see anyone else doing that either.

Edit: We had two "incidents" that weekend that certainly make you reset as you realize there are definitely risks. They were in different run groups than me. One was a 996 turbo that rolled a few times after a rear tire blew at 120mph. Yikes. Driver was OK.

jlanka

Very nice. I feel like I was there. I didn't imagine it could be so overwhelming but now I have fair warning. I hope to get on the track soon

Jeff

Ma991

Awesome write up, I had pretty much the same feelings with my first DE. I'm not sure if I felt more nervous when I was driving or when my 21 year old was. Either way, I'm hooked. We just signed up for our second DE day.

Congrats and do it again.

Macduff

Thanks for sharing and great write-up! This really provides a good view for others as to what a first DE experience is like. I had a similar experience with my first DE last summer. I would just add that it gets much easier each time you go out, your confidence will go up and you'll find that the stream of information gets easier to process. I participated in my second DE last October and even with some wet weather the second morning I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, met some good people, and continued to gain confidence. I've now signed up for my third DE and at a new track this time, I can't wait! I'm also bringing a friend out for his first DE experience, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him (remembering what it's like your first event). Thanks again.

ipse dixit

Epic write-up. Thank you for taking the time and effort.

I feel like I need a cigarette ...

chuck911

Terrific write-up Bob! I really enjoyed reading it! (Once I got past the initial trepidation!) The demands of performance driving really are so universal that people reading this anywhere in the country (world, really) will have a good idea what to expect, and so you have done a real service here for all those thinking of taking their 991 to the track. Which of course should mean EVERYONE!

As you know from PM's my first track day was very much like what you (and Money, and a lot of others) had- an incredibly mentally demanding and physically and emotionally draining experience that was pretty much equal parts enticing, challenging and threatening. As you learned there really is no time or place where you can afford to lose focus. Someone posted a video here a few weeks ago where they lost focus for a second- in this case failing to heed the warning of a track shiny with oil- and went into a wall. So you learned a valuable lesson. But I have an even more valuable lesson for everyone: no matter how many track days you do your number one accomplishment will always be driving the car home at the end of the day.

In that regard, the trick I discovered was to never try and go fast. Focused on perfectly executing the basic skills of threshold braking, precise late-apex line, and throttle control just naturally resulted in going fast- very fast, indeed! Trying to drive fast however, well watch the video posted today of the guy who did one track day and already thinks he needs to upgrade brakes and tires. Watch where he almost loses it- trying to go fast. In his case trying to pass a GT3. Big mistake. Hope he learned from it.

Glad to hear you're planning on doing more of these. Try and avoid that same instructor. Its good he got you to use your brakes (for the first time since you've had the car!) but overall he was doing you a disservice. (The Safety Director telling you your Instructor makes a daily visit, big hint there.) In fact it is not- repeat NOT- inevitable that you go off the track at a DE event. I've never done it, not even with a student, and I know lots of guys who've done scores of DE's driving at a very high level who have yet to put a wheel off. Not trying to make you feel bad. You did nothing wrong and in fact it sounds like you performed admirably in a fix. I just don't want you or anyone else thinking this is at all normal. In fact as you found pretty much everything that happens and everyone you meet at the track (except, apparently, your instructor) is dedicated to making sure you do NOT have anything like that happen.

So anyway in spite of his best efforts you survived! The good news is you do a few more of these and all the stuff that was so mentally demanding eventually becomes second nature. Your appreciation for your Porsches, already high, will be stratospheric. In traffic, you will be as the Star Child in 2001 gazing at the hominids on their riding lawnmowers. And then you can thank me!

LexVan

They gave you a very easy number to tape on.

Hammer911

Thanks to all for your kind comments, I am glad people are finding the writeup interesting and perhaps useful.

Regarding my instructor, I did not mean to give the impression he was reckless or encouraged me to be so. After all, it was I who lost focus for the moment. Neither did I mean to leave any impression that going off course was to be expected at a first (or any other) DE. I do suspect it eventually happens to anyone who spends much time on the track trying to get better. The point for me is I think I learned from it, no harm was done to any man or machine, and I feel more confident about my understanding of what I am trying to achieve going forward...I can see much more clearly now how the gradual improvement of coordinated techniques, smoother transitions, all that good stuff, will lead to better driving.

Hammer911

Had it been 286 I would not have gone.

Noah Fect

Great post, the sort that makes you want to click on the user's name to see what else they've written!

JamesKen

Good thing you did not show up for Sunday. We did one session in 50 mph winds and full on rain. They kindly cancelled the rest of the day so the corner workers did not freeze to death. On the way out to the track there was a one mile section of I-70 with over an inch of hail on it. I found out very quickly how P- Zeros on a 2S handle 38 degree sleet.

I will have to look for you next time. I drive the black cab number 80.

I am curious if you will wash your car before the DE next time? I just spent 2 hours cleaning mine. I am also new and this was my third weekend. I get a bit mentally fatigued at around 20 minutes on that track. One thing that might help you for next time is to memorize the track so you know what curves are coming. If you google High Plains Raceway under videos you will get all sorts of videos of people driving on that track. If you watch the good ones a few times before your next event you will find it much easier.

I am with chuck in not going off the track. That is not an option for me. You can push the crap out of these cars and if you leave the traction control on you can make quite a few mistakes and keep the car safely on the track. The problem is when you add one mistake on top of another. Or in other words if you start to lose control and then do something stupid on top of it you are probably going to go off. The one big plus about High Plains is if you do go off you will probably be fine with some minor rock damage at worst.