Geo

Hey y'all.... Hold my beer and watch this.

M758

I get it...

Geo is playing Jeopardy.... Ding I know the question... "What were the redneck's last words?"

Professor Helmüt Tester

I've never heard it said that way, but you painted a picture with words. Some readers might say "yeah.....riiiiiiiiight....", but this is harder than it sounds.

sjanes

I've only really scared myself once. I have my moments of concern (like every time I go through T2 at Mosport), but I wouldn't call it fear, just healthy respect for where I am and what I'm doing. No, the only time I really scared myself was a few years ago at The Glen when I first tried to take the fast left (T10?) flat out . I missed the apex by over a foot and when I realized that I was starting to head off the outside of the track (ya know, where all those walls are), the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I suddenly felt cold. That, "I'm gonna crash, and it's going to be big" kinda fear.

But, instead of a big off, I just instinctively did a very slight lift to bring the nose back in and headed off to T11 like nothing happened. I didn't think about what I should do, it just happened. That was the day that I knew that I'm not going to panic when I get scared. Although I've never tired to take that corner flat since.

Rich Sandor

Makes PERFECT sense to me.

Larry Herman

Kind of sounds Seinfeld-esk. The better you can do nothing, the faster you can go!

Z-man

Hands down, that has got to be the best quote of this thread!

Sounds almost like:

38D

I used to take that turn flat out in my old 914. I once took a rather large student out with me, and proceeded to go flat thru the turn as normal. We make it, but I had the exact same feeling you described.

DJ

For me, that's every corner of every fast lap*.



*except for the ones where I actually crash.

smokey

Doing nothing is important. Never think. I had two crashes at Mosport last year. In the first one, I came over the top of T2, and there was a car sideways in front of me. Time slows down, everything is suddenly slow motion, and I started thinking. "Most cars that lose it in T2 hook up and hit the wall on the left. If I touch the brake, I spin. Let's wait to see if he goes left or right. OK, he's locked up, heading right, I'll go left." Too late, needed another foot. Bang. Monday morning quarterback: I should have just held my line.
The second crash, I wrote off my car. Lesson on that one: if you change your suspension, check it out on a skid pad before you get sideways at Mosport. Spherical bearings are very responsive, and lead to a tendency to over-correct. In both cases, my FARK was after the incident, along with a vow to take up golf. However, my new 951 is coming along nicely.

Dave E

I usually have fear entering corners which have no runoff, like the uphill at lime rock, turn 3 at nhis, the bowl at nhis, and turn 5 at road america, etc. Usually this is due to the realization that despite any skill I may have, I could still have a mechanical failure of some kind, despite regular inspections. The other kind of fear is necessary to keep us respectful of what we are doing, and courage is all about feeling fear and doing what is necessary anyway...

Larry Herman

I had a very wise instructor those many years ago when I started. He said that everyone needs to be "humbled", and there are only two kinds of drivers, those who have been, and those who are going to be.

I was humbled down the chute at Summit Point in my 914. Decided that because everyone else went flat out down the chute, so could I! This was my 5th or 6th event. Well, I didn't lift, apexed too early, ran out of road & did the BIG LIFT! Caught the car when the tail stepped out to the left, and then it snap spun to the right and I hit the guardrail. Turns out that I was entering the chute a good 250 rpm faster than every other 914 & there was no way I could take it flat. I actually got the car back together, and won my class in the time trial, lifting for the chute!

The lesson here, and it was a big one, was that I should never go any faster than my comfort level. If that makes me quick, well , and if make me slow, so be it.

Professor Helmüt Tester

It usually takes me two full qualifying sessions to work up to taking the Summit Point T4/T5 'chute' flat. My skirt blows up in my eyes the first 10-15 times thru.

Seen the bottoms of a lot of cars there.

mitch236

it's like that with turn 14 at Sebring. The first time I went flat out there I was instructing a green student in his dad's 996 with cold tires. After I brought him into the pits he told me that he was told by the folks at Skip Barber that turn 14 should be taken flat out. Now that scared the **** out of me!

RedlineMan

Hey All;

Great Stuff! Color - I about spewed my Bass Ale reading your offering. You may trust that we've been scared on your behalf.

Doing nothing is indeed a hard skill to master. Or at the least doing just enough, and not too much. Great Quote, Bruce. Been there MANY times. Love that turn. T-shirts aplenty!

Ray - What I meant was that I am smart enough to know that go fast goodies are not what is needed. Many people alternately end up with mass-cash-flow sensors, cone air filters, 5" exhausts, etc. Going faster is what is needed. One more twist of the shorts, as it were.

I know full well I am a chicken $hit for driving a pokey old car. I also know that asside from the extra speed, the task is the same. I derive great pleasure from doing more with less, and thus proving less is more. I've got about 5 seconds to go to get pole for the WGI Club Race. I know where I stand. To reiterate: it is down to me.

Pucker turns? For me they are West Bend at Lime Rock and Turn 1 at Mosport. Yes, many of you will be scratching heads at those picks. Not much runoff in either - about a car width at LRP - bumpy, sketchy, flat or off camber. FAST. Zoiks! I'm chicken in West Bend, merely spooked in T1 Mosport. Going "slow" all the while, mind you.

- Reporting live From Huntsville, AL. - Eventually to Sebring -