What was your most memorable pass?
 

Sometimes the best way to learn is by example. Especially in racecraft.

RacerUniversity recently put up a course with reminiscences of our faculty on their most memorable pass. It’s fascinating reading and has been very favorably received.

There are also a number of experienced and accomplished racers here on Rennlist and on the other racer websites we sponsor. We thought it would also be interesting and enlightening to build a collection of memorable passes supplied by drivers from these sites.

Not only will it build a good knowledge base here, we’ll also compile them from all the sites in the free-access area of RacerUniversity.com.

So if you don’t mind taking a moment, please tell us about the pass that you are most proud of… or that was your shining moment… or when you amazed yourself… or how you outfoxed a tough competitor… or secured yourself a win… whatever made it special for you.

Please include what you were driving, the track and event, and how much race experience you had at the time, and any other interesting details.

Just post it in this thread, and we’ll also add it to the compilation on RacerU.

At Sebring, and some other tracks I have been to, when you are gridded below the top quarter of the field, you are not in a position to see the green flag at the start of the race. A pit crew and radio communications can overcome this disadvantage; otherwise you are left to educated guessing. Since racing starts and you can pass anywhere you are when the green flag drops, the accuracy of your guess can be critical to your race results. If you pass someone before the green drops you get a one lap penalty. You can follow someone with a radio’s lead or listen for the sounds of full throttle, but both of these techniques are reactive and provide no advantage. Earlier in the weekend, I had calculated the number of seconds after the leader passed start finish that it took for the middle of the pack to reach start finish. I used that information to pick a spot on the track that I would start my race, rather than react to the cars around me.

The start/finish line at Sebring is on the long pit straight, so even a minor speed differential exiting turn seventeen onto the pit straight translates into a big difference by the time you reach turn one. Turn seventeen is a high speed right hander, and wide enough that many cars can fit side by side. By my calculations, the green flag would drop when I was in the braking zone for seventeen, so that was where I planned to begin racing. All weekend, the guys around did not seem to be racing until the exit for seventeen, so at the start of the enduro I had already passed a number of cars at that point. By turn one I was by at least ten cars, passed a few more at turns 2, 3 and 4, a few more entering and exiting the hairpin- almost twenty cars in less than a half lap, including all of the D cars except Dwayne Moses, who I could see just ahead of me, a sighting as rare (for me) as a Florida whooping crane in Maryland.

See the full Sebring race story in the current PCA Club Racing News.

Not necessarily my best of all time, but at least I've got this one on film. And it was one of my very first races in 944SuperCup. Watkins Glen, May,2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKL5aEtXDXQ

Here is one from a race 3 weeks ago. Start at the 18min mark. I get passed for the lead (it was a good suprising one), then the white flag comes out......all in a light rain.
My darn tires take 4 laps to get heat in them, thats the only frustrating part.

http://vimeo.com/24739235

Cool vid, Plav. Nothing to hit out there at Buttonwillow, is there?

Thanks.
Nothing to hit except weeds and dirt. Some guys do hit the wall on the front straight after the last turn when they get sideways. I would not be driving in the light rain like that if there were walls. :p

Starting DFL in a 45 car spec miata field was about as much fun as I've had in a sprint race. Made it up to the top 10 by the end of the race and must have passed 15 or so cars in the first lap. Not a single mark on the car mind you. Calculated and controlled agression, being mindful to keep exit speed up at the right places.

I also had good friend Bob Dimarco put two wheels in the grass to pass me going into the Hotel hairpin @ Sebring in 964 cup cars. Wasn't MY best pass, but I know it his high on his list. Definitely a high risk pass, but I knew he was there.

Passing Ryan Dunn at Thunderbolt in a spec miata (he was in M3 or 330 BMW) multiple times in the 12 hour thie past two years now has more meaning too.

I can remember a nasa VIR race in 2009, where I botched the start and another vette got the jump on me. He was a skilled racer and about the only place I could find a place to pass was south bend, after the climbing esses. I'd always heard stories about what happens if you go two wide there and it didnt seem like a good thing. However, The leader was getting away, and I figured I could chase him down. So Lat 3 comes around and as soon as we get to the top of the esses I go straight, and he gets back on line (comes back to the right). He notices what I'm doing and starts to move over under braking. We both turn in, I go up over the curb, and get back on the gas. Both cars are wiggling and we are flying the southbend 2 wide. Never EVER did I expect that pass to happen, but where there is a will, there is a way!! Because I got back on the gas before he did, I had just eeked out in front of him for oak tree.

When we got back to the pits he commented about me being crazing, and about that being one of the best pass's hes been involved in :)

NJMP
 

Likely my best start of my short career on the inside of front straight NJMP!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS3RH-MndCI

Very Nice!! :rockon:

Mine is very similar to Franks move splitting two cars. Go to the 2:15 mark at http://www.vimeo.com/4942882 where I manage to split two cars in my class after having to start dead last on a restart.

The same race contains my second favorite. Start watching at 7:00. My little 4-banger had hounded 3 V8's for two laps at Barber but I just could not get around. The three come up on a slower 944 in T1 and I managed to get past all of them as we hit T4.

My current most memorable pass was earlier this year (must be the pull of the recent). VIR CCPS race in March

I had a clutch slave go south just before qualifying and missed it. Started 71st DFL in a 45 minute 'enduro'.

Last time this had happened to me I was stuck behind a wall of Miatas for a couple of laps until they thinned out and I could make some passes. This time people dropped into single file very quickly so the first couple laps I had a LOT of passes on large groups of cars often on the outside on the dirt and rubber, etc. I had passed a couple of guys on the outside of one each of the first few laps and was feeling pretty good about my offline driving. Midway through lap 2 I'm coming out of the 5A and see the line of Miatas I was dreading. 9 miatas in a row all having a good fight.

I didn't want to mess up there race but I didn't want to get hung up behind them. How do you pass 9 miatas all at once wihtout screwing up there race when you can't just motor by them. I figured that into and out of Oak Tree would be a good chance to pick off a bunch of 3-4 at once. Had to time South Bend as I carried about 10mph more through the turn than these guys did. Nailed it thinking I'd run up the inside. Think again. They all look like they are protecting the inside so I make my way back across to track left. All of a sudden (not sure why) it looks like the front guy checks up a little big in 11. Everyone stays in a nice neat line and check up. I take 5 of them before turnin to Oak Tree on the outside. Slippery as hell but it's working, let's keep it up.

Now for some reason noone is drifting to the outside to setup for Oak Tree. Okay, I'll keep running this outside and see what happens. The car is definitely slipping around a bit, but now 2 more cars are gone and I'm at the 'apex' of the outside line in Oak Tree. Surely somone won't see me and run wide. Nope, they all saw me or screwed up the turn. Took the last two before the end of the rumbles at Oak Tree's exit.

Why was this so memorable? Many reasons. One I finally had broken through a mental barrier about making these hard outside passes. Now I knew I could do it, push that pass a LOT harder than I had before. The other main reason was that EVERYONE in that group had been great to race around. Very aware and in a mixed class setting when I'm in an SRF that's all I could ever wish for.

Sure I've had harder passes but this one sticks out because everything came together and the racecraft really benefitted from the reality of it.

Dont know about best but one of the most fun: Mosport several years ago with PCA in the old "I" class (mostly 944's). A good friend and I were swapping places back and forth the whole race. I got a good run on him up the back straight. He took an inside, defensive line into T8 so I took the outside and we went door to door, at 100+ through the corner. You might have been able to put a piece of paper between us:) I then had inside position for T9 and he had to back off. I would not have done it if I did not know the other driver well. What a hoot!

I dunno about the lengthy descriptions, guys, with all due candor, but I think to keep this potentially excellent thread alive we need videos. I know that I, for one, would much prefer it.
That, and a charge from the back is always exciting.

Good stuff right there!!!