Jared Rodeheaver

Great cars but you'll find out soon enough that the driver is the biggest key. All of these driven poorly(happens more than you'd think) will get passed and dropped by 300hp and lower cars driven well so don't let the car list worry you. However, be prepared to be frustrated as you ride their bumper in the turns only for them to hit the gas pedal on the straights :0

Slakker

Lots of great information in this thread. I was working on 1, 2 and 3 myself last Sunday. Between rain and the SB, there were only 3 of us that showed up at Eagles Canyon and so they cancelled the run groups and made it open track. It was a great opportunity for me to slow down and work on my fundamentals while getting great feedback from the wet track.

1. Vision - The two things I focus on for vision are to have my eyes at least one step ahead of where I'm at (sometimes two) and identifying/using an "eyes up" marker for track out. So if brake marker 3 is where I want to start braking, once I look at it, I have to be able to rely on my body to begin braking when I get to that point while I move my eyes ahead to spot my turn in. Once it begins braking, I move my eyes to the apex and rely on my body to turn in at the spot I already identified. For track out, I'll find anything in the distance beyond the track that I can drive to. A tree, radio tower, billboard, club house, 3rd martin house (T9 Hallet) and focus on it. In reality, my eyes are constantly scanning but my primary focus point needs to be on what's next, not where I'm at.
2. Weight Transfer - It sounds a little silly, but I mentally focus on the sides of my butt cheeks and picture them connected to my four contact patches. In camshaft design, we learn that starting the ramp slower, allows us to accelerate it much faster without upsetting the valve springs. The same is true of the springs on your shocks. So if I start a turn in a little bit earlier with a slow turn of the wheel and then increase the speed the at which I turn it, not only will I have more grip, but it allows me to feel the weight transfer better. The same is true for the brake and throttle.
3. Trailbraking - Many consider mounting an engine out behind the rear axle bad engineering, but Porsche has perfected it. My favorite feeling on track is using my brake pedal to rotate the rear end of my 996 in a slower corner, and just as it's about to go from slip to slide, squeeze the throttle to catch it, transitioning weight to the rear and feeling it grip and rocket out of the hole. It's what makes a 911 so unique and special in my opinion. An isolation exercise I will often do for two or three laps to warm up my tires, mind, and body is a single closing and opening of the steering wheel per corner with my right foot linked to it. Let me try to explain. As I close the wheel to turn in, I begin releasing pressure on the brake in relation to how much I close off the wheel, all the way to the apex. As I begin opening the wheel back up, I transition my foot to throttle and the more I open the wheel, the more I squeeze the throttle until I'm at WOT with the wheel nearly straight. Then I repeat this at the next corner. The more wheel I apply, the less I brake, the more wheel I open, the more I add throttle. If you think of the traction circle, I want to stay out of the inner circle (no coasting) and instead trace around it. This is only an isolation exercise and does NOT improve my lap times while I am doing it. But it's also an exercise that can be done safely on track and the fundamentals that I practice and develop from it improve my lap times significantly.

And while I worked on all three of these on Sunday, my body learns best from isolation and repetition, so I never worked on more than one at a time.

steveP911

I don't worry about "faster cars" although I am mindful of their owners. As I have progressed in driving ability, I have passed a few GT3's, GT4's, and even a GT3RS. I am patient with the type you refer to and try to use those situations as opportunities to focus more on what I am doing. They usually get the message and if not, I run through the hot pit.

Cheers.

steveP911

Excellent advice, Brandon! Thank you very much for taking the time to put it into clear words.

Interesting and apt butt cheek analogy.

roadie13

Back to the black group question: one aspect that marks a good black group driver over someone not quite there yet is that they can still drive at 95% of their performance and safety level when the track is busy, other folks are doing odd things, there is wildlife on the track etc; in other words they should be very comfortable being uncomfortable, and safe at all times.

That's the ideal picture of course; you also get a bunch of folks in black who have been there a long time and decided that their fast lap attempt is the only thing that matters.....

steveP911

That was an excellent response. Much appreciated.

So they don't remove your ego enzyme when you get promoted to Black?

ProCoach

Don’t even think about what happens in Red!

LuigiVampa

Red with a Cup car is the highest and best form of driver.

DC991

For PCA Potomac Black - when you feel you are ready, you have to request a checkout ride from one of the DE Chief Instructors, there is usually a small list so it might not happen at the current event. You have to take the initiative, it won't happen otherwise. Situational awareness is a critical thing they will be observing you on - can you run with that group and not slow anyone up, miss flags etc. Don't fear the passing in the corners, think of it as a driving offline exercise, yes you will be slow at first but you can practice that in white right now.. There are plenty of well driven slow cars in black but they almost always give the point by without the faster car having to lift off the throttle. For me that felt like the biggest difference between driving in white and then moving to black. You made it to solo, you still ride with an instructor from time to time so you may be ready now. Get a ride along in black and if you are comfortable then go request that checkout ride. Worst thing that will happen is they will give you a couple of things to work on and you can try again latter. Good Luck!

dgrobs

I run in red with Potomac, and I am probably in the bottom 10-20% in terms of pace in that run group (lots of Cup cars, Jays car, etc.) and I always take my 981S Cayman to SPM. It’s not about pace with Potomac. It’s all about awareness, and that’s exactly how it should be. I remember when Brian gave me my check out into red some years back, and while he told me I was off the pace for that run group, my awareness was fine and into red I went. I like Potomacs red run group a lot. It’s a true red run group. No lifts are ever necessary, and that’s why it’s about awareness and not pace with Potomac.
I assume the same in black with them as I run in that group as well sometimes. Awareness is better in red for sure, it has to be with those monster cars, but in my experience, Potomac puts awareness ahead of anything else in those upper run groups, and that’s why those upper run groups (esp red), are as good as they are. While I will never be able to hold off a Cup car, I’ll never make them lift either and they always get by me without giving up any of their pace.
All about that pesky 360 degree thing with Potomac. It’s why those are some of the best upper run groups in the business.
YMMV (but I don’t think it will)….

Manifold

Honestly, Black in Potomac is not that big a deal. Here's what's needed:

- At least a few dozen track days of experience at various tracks, preferably including experience driving on wet tracks

- Pace is decent for the car/tires (say at least 7/10ths) and good car control

- Good SA, always seeing other cars, always seeing the flags, aware of when things are 'not normal' with your car, your self, the track surface, behavior of other drivers

- Comfortable with passing and being passed anywhere on the track, and therefore comfortable with being off line, and courteous in interacting with other drivers

You need to ask for a Black checkout, otherwise you'll remain in White much longer than you should.