HWFM at Pueblo Club Race
09-15-2003, 01:39 PM
#1
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
HWFM at Pueblo Club Race
I'm going to write up a longer report later, but for now here are some of my personal highlights:
- This was by far the most exciting thing I've ever done. It was as if everything had been turned up 3 or 4 notches above a DE. My best lap times were 4 seconds faster than I've ever done before, and I've never pushed the car that hard or knew that it could do so much.
- In the first race I started 13th and finished 16th out of 38. In the second race i started 18th and finished 12th. I was second of three in the GT-2S class in both races.
- I had a couple of "HWFM Moments" in the first race, with videos to come. My rear tires were 2-3 pounds higher than I've ever seen them, which made the rear end a bit loose. Adjusting the pressure made the car much stickier in the second race.
- I had no off-track excursions, spins, or other incidents. I did dip a wheel a few times and once dipped two, which results in a huge dust cloud at this track.
- I wore the HWFM Racing Team hat all weekend, the shirt on Saturday, and had the stickers on the car. Several folks asked about it, and a few had heard of the team, including honorary member Vicki Earnshaw.
Here are a couple of shots of me and some of the other 993s in my group:
More to come!
- This was by far the most exciting thing I've ever done. It was as if everything had been turned up 3 or 4 notches above a DE. My best lap times were 4 seconds faster than I've ever done before, and I've never pushed the car that hard or knew that it could do so much.
- In the first race I started 13th and finished 16th out of 38. In the second race i started 18th and finished 12th. I was second of three in the GT-2S class in both races.
- I had a couple of "HWFM Moments" in the first race, with videos to come. My rear tires were 2-3 pounds higher than I've ever seen them, which made the rear end a bit loose. Adjusting the pressure made the car much stickier in the second race.
- I had no off-track excursions, spins, or other incidents. I did dip a wheel a few times and once dipped two, which results in a huge dust cloud at this track.
- I wore the HWFM Racing Team hat all weekend, the shirt on Saturday, and had the stickers on the car. Several folks asked about it, and a few had heard of the team, including honorary member Vicki Earnshaw.
Here are a couple of shots of me and some of the other 993s in my group:
More to come!
09-15-2003, 02:23 PM
#2
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Welcome to the club Skip! Sounds like a great weekend and a good first race.
After you do 4 or 5 races you will be amazed at how much better of a driver you have become.
After you do 4 or 5 races you will be amazed at how much better of a driver you have become.
09-15-2003, 03:46 PM
#3
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Thanks for the report Skip Enjoyed it.
Congratulations on being a hard charger (the team will excuse that as rookie exuberance) in your second race.
Vickie actually has a shirt. I figure it's a good idea to have the chief steward on our side, especially since some of our teammates make frequent trips to the tower.
Congratulations on being a hard charger (the team will excuse that as rookie exuberance) in your second race.
Vickie actually has a shirt. I figure it's a good idea to have the chief steward on our side, especially since some of our teammates make frequent trips to the tower.
09-16-2003, 12:06 AM
#4
Three Wheelin'
Great job Skip!!
Looking forward to the full write up. The biggest thing I learned in my first season of racing was how to brake better, the test of wills with other drivers as you fight for that last few feet of turn in for the corner. It took 3 races to have it sink into my thick head that this was not DE rules anymore!
As Greg said, each race you will find something else to improve on. My hats off to you, jumping into club racing in one of the fastest classes PCA has,
Go get 'em!!
Looking forward to the full write up. The biggest thing I learned in my first season of racing was how to brake better, the test of wills with other drivers as you fight for that last few feet of turn in for the corner. It took 3 races to have it sink into my thick head that this was not DE rules anymore!
As Greg said, each race you will find something else to improve on. My hats off to you, jumping into club racing in one of the fastest classes PCA has,
Go get 'em!!
09-17-2003, 01:31 AM
#5
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Greg, Mike, and Eric, thanks for the compliments and comments! Here are some more thoughts and observations:
- I was really nervous about the tech inspection given the language of the rules, but it was really not bad. The only problem we had was a scrutineer who would have taken 1/2 hour on each car given his druthers. Someone finally stepped in to help speed things along, allowing us to get to the mandatory rookie meeting.
- The practice sesssions were a real hoot, and I was amazed at how aggressive the driving was given that it was not a race. We were lucky to only have a couple truly aggressive drivers, which I've heard is not always the case at Club Races. The number of incidents was quite low, especially compared to events like the recent one at Road America.
- You can instantly tell the more experienced racers from the rookies. They have faster lap times, more consistent lap times, and a much better idea of what their cars can do. I found that following them around, especially if they're in the same class and with a similar car, is a great learning tool.
- The starts are amazing, but I wasn't quite as awed by them as I might have been had I not been to a Skip Barber racing school. The major difference was that the cars in a PCA race aren't all equal, so some of them take off like rockets and others are way behind. Going two or three abreast in turn 1 at Pueblo is quite an experience.
- When in heavy traffic I found I typically wasn't going as fast as I would with more room. Spectators were commenting on how scary/crazy it looked a times, but it wasn't as bad as it may have appeared. As the steward told us, be aware of the "bubble" that is your car.
- I can tell from the videos that I really need to work on getting on the gas sooner coming out of corners. The car will accelerate like a bat out of hell, but the driver doesn't yet have it in him to push it like that.
- As a local I had the advantage of knowing the fast line on track, especially from corner 4 to 8. Several drivers who had not driven the track were all over the place in this section, and while they were fast, they could have been faster if they knew the line better. I was often thinking "why are they braking here" and "why aren't they going for it there". These drivers should have taken a local PCA instructor out with them at the DE as every instructor in Colorado knows the right lines, including the "trick" for 5, 6a, and 6b.
- My best times were 1/2 second off of two rookies in 2R cars, one a 964 RSR and the other a 993 RSR. I don't know if slicks would make that big a difference on this track as it's pretty rough and dusty, and I'm in no hurry to switch from the R3S03s.
- I couldn't believe how tired I was after the practice sessions on Saturday. At the dinner I was almost nodding off into my plate after one beer, and I could have laid down in the dirt and gone to sleep. After the races I was even more exhausted, and having to load up and drive the trailer back for 3 hours was rough. But it was so much fun that it was worth the effort.
- The people at the event were great, and I think that makes PCA Club Racing so attractive. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and made the rookies feel quite welcome. Whenever someone had a problem with their car a group would get together to try to help them get it going again.
- Our corner workers consisted of both PCA members and SCCA folks who help out each year. I was impressed with the flagging, with the caution and debris flags going out seemingly as the incidents happened. I made sure to wave after each session as I didn't want to find out if the "no wave, no save" claim was true.
- Speaking of the DE mentality, I think that I managed to get over that for the most part, although I'm still likely to slow and let someone pass rather than driving flat-out. I'm learning that they'll pass anyway.
- A friend of mine and fellow rookie let the DE mentality get the best of him in the group 2 race. He went 4 wheels off and went to the pits, thinking that he had to do so because that's our rules in the DEs. He lost is top-5 position as a result (I think he was 3rd), and with such a short race was never able to make it up.
- Finally, a personal high-point that I forgot to mention was getting the "Best Rookie" award, which includes a $500 off certificate for Forgeline wheels. I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve it, but it was most appreciated.
I can't wait for the next race!
- I was really nervous about the tech inspection given the language of the rules, but it was really not bad. The only problem we had was a scrutineer who would have taken 1/2 hour on each car given his druthers. Someone finally stepped in to help speed things along, allowing us to get to the mandatory rookie meeting.
- The practice sesssions were a real hoot, and I was amazed at how aggressive the driving was given that it was not a race. We were lucky to only have a couple truly aggressive drivers, which I've heard is not always the case at Club Races. The number of incidents was quite low, especially compared to events like the recent one at Road America.
- You can instantly tell the more experienced racers from the rookies. They have faster lap times, more consistent lap times, and a much better idea of what their cars can do. I found that following them around, especially if they're in the same class and with a similar car, is a great learning tool.
- The starts are amazing, but I wasn't quite as awed by them as I might have been had I not been to a Skip Barber racing school. The major difference was that the cars in a PCA race aren't all equal, so some of them take off like rockets and others are way behind. Going two or three abreast in turn 1 at Pueblo is quite an experience.
- When in heavy traffic I found I typically wasn't going as fast as I would with more room. Spectators were commenting on how scary/crazy it looked a times, but it wasn't as bad as it may have appeared. As the steward told us, be aware of the "bubble" that is your car.
- I can tell from the videos that I really need to work on getting on the gas sooner coming out of corners. The car will accelerate like a bat out of hell, but the driver doesn't yet have it in him to push it like that.
- As a local I had the advantage of knowing the fast line on track, especially from corner 4 to 8. Several drivers who had not driven the track were all over the place in this section, and while they were fast, they could have been faster if they knew the line better. I was often thinking "why are they braking here" and "why aren't they going for it there". These drivers should have taken a local PCA instructor out with them at the DE as every instructor in Colorado knows the right lines, including the "trick" for 5, 6a, and 6b.
- My best times were 1/2 second off of two rookies in 2R cars, one a 964 RSR and the other a 993 RSR. I don't know if slicks would make that big a difference on this track as it's pretty rough and dusty, and I'm in no hurry to switch from the R3S03s.
- I couldn't believe how tired I was after the practice sessions on Saturday. At the dinner I was almost nodding off into my plate after one beer, and I could have laid down in the dirt and gone to sleep. After the races I was even more exhausted, and having to load up and drive the trailer back for 3 hours was rough. But it was so much fun that it was worth the effort.
- The people at the event were great, and I think that makes PCA Club Racing so attractive. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and made the rookies feel quite welcome. Whenever someone had a problem with their car a group would get together to try to help them get it going again.
- Our corner workers consisted of both PCA members and SCCA folks who help out each year. I was impressed with the flagging, with the caution and debris flags going out seemingly as the incidents happened. I made sure to wave after each session as I didn't want to find out if the "no wave, no save" claim was true.
- Speaking of the DE mentality, I think that I managed to get over that for the most part, although I'm still likely to slow and let someone pass rather than driving flat-out. I'm learning that they'll pass anyway.
- A friend of mine and fellow rookie let the DE mentality get the best of him in the group 2 race. He went 4 wheels off and went to the pits, thinking that he had to do so because that's our rules in the DEs. He lost is top-5 position as a result (I think he was 3rd), and with such a short race was never able to make it up.
- Finally, a personal high-point that I forgot to mention was getting the "Best Rookie" award, which includes a $500 off certificate for Forgeline wheels. I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve it, but it was most appreciated.
I can't wait for the next race!
09-17-2003, 12:06 PM
#6
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Skip
Great videos. A lot of fun to watch, especially those moments that do the team proud.
It really whets my appetite for the CR this weekend at Putnam. Can't wait.
Thanks for posting them.
Great videos. A lot of fun to watch, especially those moments that do the team proud.
It really whets my appetite for the CR this weekend at Putnam. Can't wait.
Thanks for posting them.