ApexL8

Karim,
I've been to a lot of DEs, both driving and working, and I have NEVER seen someone that is truly fast in their very first event. But over the course of a day or two is when you you will have your biggest amount of improvement. As you get more experience and go faster the improvements come in much smaller increments, so this upcoming (first) event will be one of the most satisfying you will ever have. Just enjoy what you and the car can do together, don't put any emphasis on who is faster or what lap times you are getting. Don't look at the speedo, you will be able to FEEL you are improving even by the end of one day.

You'll see "smoothness" mentioned a lot in these posts, take it to heart. You can actually get a lot more out of a car if you ask it to do things in a controlled manner, not slamming on the brakes, instantly mashing the gas to the floor, or throwing the steering wheel around. All your inputs should have measured, gradual application, smooth transitions between braking, turning, and accelerating. Same thing goes for the clutch and shifter too.

Smoothness and learning the proper line are the keys to a fun weekend.

Just as a novice note, try to get all your braking done in a straight line, then ease back off the brakes before you make your turn in. I know that there are benefits to "trail braking" but you shouldn't need them at your first event. You will be much better off with just one task at a time to concentrate on, not braking and turning at the same time.

Derrick B., great stuff in your post, I'm still using a couple of those tricks.

HAVE FUN !!!!!!

Mark in Baltimore

Funny stuff, Derrick!

OldGuy

Polo??!! The dang horses never leave the ground. Try crossing
someones line in Motocross, on a jump. You'll have someone
and their bike ontop of your helmet. NOW THAT hurts!!
Ouch!

ruffy

The less i know... the faster i think i am.
The more experience i have... the faster i actually am.
The more i learn ... The worser a driver i know i am... lol

tracking can be a truly humbling experience...IMHO if you walk away from the track event feeling like you don't know the first thing about driving... then you're on the right path to becoming a quicker driver
Live to race another day!
(based on my personal experience at least)

ksjcorpus

first i want to thank you for the advice you all gave me ........... it helped immeasurably. over and over in my mind i kept playing some of what you all said: forget your ego, smoothness matters, memorize the track, get your breaking done in a straightline and on and on. i wasn't able to get an instructor but that im definitely going to do the next time. anyway the day was fun and the entire morning was me just trying to find some sure footing with the car and getting used to the very basics. of course i was passed by one car after another. on the track were 5 suped up vipers -- god i think they're ugly and why would anyone spend that much money on something that garrish -- 2 996 GT2's, 2 brand new M3's and a ferrari 360 and then me in my 8 yr old 993. i didn't care .............. it was fun. i did however have a mishap in the afternoon. just when i was feeling great and thinking how much fun, yet how much mental energy, it was requiring for me to go 80 miles an hour (when everyone was doing 120), i ran over a small rock and heard a pop and blew my rear tire and immediately lost control in a turn i was negotiating. the tire lost the outside seal and the lip of my polished alluminum rims got scratched up a fair bit. i drove the car onto a flat bed and was taken off the track. anyway that was my day ...... well half my day. so here's some final thoughts:

1. mishaps happen and plan for them; bring your tools and your tow hook.
2. drive your drive and don't worry about anyone else
3. each turn learn -- feel your front end and feel your back end and look at your lines and your speed and control inputs
4.it's as much fun going 80 as 120 (i sat in a friends GT2 and it was a totally different experience but i can't say it was any more fun)

enough for now ........... thanks again guys. ok i think i need some mods.

ApexL8

Karim,
I'm sorry to hear about your blowout, and your scratched rim. Even though that ended your track day early it sounds like you had fun and got some good experience.

You brought up the mental concentration it takes to drive well on a track, I know I didn't bring that up in my post, it is something most people forget about until the next time they are on track. You can even just be going 35 mph on a track, trying to nail a turn perfectly, and use more mental energy than it takes to cruise for an hour on the interstate, even though your speed is doubled. The focus required to drive well really appeals to me, all your other thoughts disappear, no mortgage, no dentist appointments, just you (maybe an instructor), the car, and the task at hand.

RE: Mods
Do suspension and tires before you touch the engine. The lure of more horsepower/torque is hard to resist, but you really get more bang for the buck on the track getting your car to handle well.

Cheers, Welcome to the DE club!

Derrick B.

Karim,
Sorry to hear that your car was damaged. Glad there weren't more serious repercussions from the incident.

Also glad you had fun.

ksjcorpus

alex when yous say suspension and tires ......... do you mean pretty much what i've been reading on the board pss9's and r compound tires? besides the pss9's should i do any other initial modification on the suspension (where's the bang for the buck on the suspension? (i've priced pss9's on the net for $1800) -- should i try to get row mo30's or sway bars? as for r compound, would i be happy with the 17 inch wheels or should i try to get 18 inch's with the modification to strenghten the steering collumn? i know i know basic questions for you guys. karim

ksjcorpus

sorry i said alex, i meant chuck ...........

Jeff 993TT

Karim...

I'd do it in the following order:

a) driving lessons ( either skip barber, etc, OR more seat time at DE's with an instructor )

b) suspension ( pss-9's ) with at least an upgraded RS rear bar ( or a euro m030 TT rear bar )

c) harness bar/roll bar with 5 point belts

d) r compound tires

e) engine mods

STLPCA

Karim
Others may differ, but IMO do not get R tires until you've developed your driving skills to the point that you are consistently working your street tires well. My reasoning is:
- most of your driving is off-track on street tires so its best to learn how they handle before moving on.
- Rs have higher limits. You'll initially learn as much (or more) at lower speeds w/less risk.
- Rs are generally less forgiving at the limit & will not give as much audible and tactile breakaway warnings as street tires so your chances of losing it are greater.
- You won't need another set of wheels.
No need to go to 18s, the 17s are just fine for your DE use. Several threads on this point in the archives to search if interested.

ApexL8

Karim,
I completely agree with the two posts above by Jeff and Dan.

I just know a lot of people get the itch to start doing mods after their first or second DE, so I wanted to steer you away from looking for more horsepower instead of better handling. For the 993, especially the early ones with Monroe shocks, I feel money spent on suspension and tires will give you more pleasure and performance on the track than adding more power.

I'd say your best bet is to do one or two full DE weekends without changing the car at all, then start planning out your modification strategy.

There's a pretty good debate over 17" vs. 18" wheels/tires, like Dan said search the archives. I'm using 18" wheels, but mostly because I got a good deal on them (I got the parts installed to reinforce the rack). A lightweight 17" wheel will probably make the car feel nimbler than an 18".