You will do fine Bill ! Remember to chant at the kink....

" NEVER LIFT" !!!

GOOD LUCK !!!

 

LOL and I agree. Regardless of the training, you are not really 100% prepared for the first real race start.

Now SCCA has 'calmer' Regional racing that you must start with, then the more intense 'National' level (of course some Regionals are pretty intense, especially in the Regional only classes). Does PCA have such a graduated program?

 

Can't think of anything like it. Only hope for a gradual intro to racin' in PCA is to qualify in the back half, put a BIG 'X' on the back of your car, and keep your nose clean.

OTOH, my **very minimal** experience in PCA racing makes me think that the 13/13 rule leads to a more delicate environment than SCCA. All I had to do to pass people in a lot of cases was stick a nose inside approaching a turn, and the person in front would almost leap out of the way & let me through, rather than challenge me & protect their position. I remember one car defending against me, and thinking, 'All right! Now I get to do some racing!'

 

I'm looking forward to it !! Really the PCA seems like a good safe place to start. I just got back from VIR where I watched the PCA and BMW club races, followed by Grand Am Cup and Rolex series. Wow, the level of intensity out there in Grand Am made PCA look like a DE. 2 of our fellow rennlisters Cory and Leh took 3rd place today in a very strong field of SGS contenders in the Rolex race. Those guys can drive !! and they started in PCA. You should have seen them up there on the podium with Levitas and Pobst throwing champagne around. It was very cool.

 

If you are referring to the SCCA Double School at Roebling Road (Savannah, GA); Yes, a logbooked formula car is perfectly acceptable and no, there is zero requirement for any passenger.

(from personal experience) Instructors will camp out in the various corner stations and debreif you after each session. We pooled our students across three of us and so we're all watching our own guys in particular but the other guys' students as well - that way we can cover a fair amount of track at the same time. Not sure if all instructors do this, just my experience as someone new to it and taking the older and wiser guys' leads in a heartbeat .

I am thinking the cost for the double school entry fee is less than your typical drivers ed. Lodging and other costs are a bit more of-course as you are there from Thurs-Sun.

Overall, the Roebling School is really quite good from my perspective (gone three years now) and I like the sink-or-swim environment. However, I am not sure if having it all back to back to back is good, it might be better to have time to sleep on it but that's up for debate (and I am not convinced I am right on this). Also, it would be unfair for me not to mention that out of the 225-250 students per year, there is typically one or two that roll, a handful that do significant damage, and there is always some weather challenges there at least one day. Overall its a very good program for getting you up to speed. But you will leave with the "driving skills" you arrived with - no one there is really there to teach you to drive, rather how to race and how to do so around them. Its in each instructors personal interest to keep a watchful eye on you as they are determining if they want to race with you.

FWIW, I do not subscribe to the notion that HPDEs are good prepatory schools for racing. Best of luck to you and find some autocrosses in your area if you can - the Atlanta region has a lot of SCCA club racers that autocross very often in that region (if you are close to their events).

 

Just a quick confirmation on almost all of the above advice, having gone through a SCCA Double School this spring (NER/Nelson's Ledges) followed by five Regional races in IT.
- Having done 4+ years of PCA D.E. (20+ days), I can't say whether it helped or hindered, since I'm slower than snot anyway. I least I knew what to expect.
- Some PCAers like to disregard the SCCA school structure - I actually prefer it to the PCA version of two practice starts for rookies and then throwing them into their first race- all in their first weekend. Think about it- the first time some of the PCA rookies go wheel-to-wheel is in their first practice sessions- with everyone out there!
- And at least from my experience it's true- to learn to race, you have to race. Just get out there and do it.