Streak

If that region of PCA has enough members to fill it's events what else are they supposed to do? Not allow dues paying members in favor of some other guy who will pay for one event? Naturally they are going to service their members first.

We used to be P cars only until the economy went South but if the situation reverses itself I expect we'll go back to Porsches only.

mglobe

Nearly all of LSR's DE's sell out, even in the upper run groups. We allow non-members in for an additional $50 charge, but we give our membership a 1 week head start on registration. Our beginner groups sell out in minutes.

Marc Shaw

Local PCA says you have to be a PCA member but you can drive any of your cars at the event - Porsche or not.

Marc

kurt M

Potomac lets any make into DE. As said before things went bad Potomac DE events filled up and filled up fast. As Porsche club it was Porsches only in consideration of the club members. All students pay the same $ regardless of the car they drive. Considering that a PCA DE tends to be cheaper than other club or company hosted events the dues paid each year are simply a discount code.

mglobe

FWIW, we have many PCA members who own Porsches that for various reasons they choose to not take out on the track. I'm often at our events in my Spec Miata getting seat time in preparation for my next SM race. We have Porsche owners that track Miatas, Corvettes, Mustangs, BRZ's, M3's,...

Courtshark

I solo'd at my first event, on the last run of the second day (8th run of 8), at Watkins Glen with Niagara PCA.

I solo'd at my second event after 4 runs with Zone 2 PCA.

I think the decision whether to be allowed to solo depends on a large number of factors. Is my situation unusual? Sure. But did I display sufficient skills to my instructors to demonstrate that I could handle soloing? Apparently. Do I still want an instructor most of the time? Yep. But soloing is a great learning tool, too.

PS: This event included BMWs, Corvettes, RX7s, a Subaru STi, a Merdeces E63, a Camaro SS, and a few Mustangs. Registration was open to PCA members first for I think two weeks before it opened up to whoever.

My solo run at VIR this past weekend:

TXE36

You are making this far too complicated. Find a guy you know with a Porsche. Ask if they are in PCA, and if not, ask if you can use their VIN. No harm, no foul. At $50 or so a year it's cheap and includes a membership for your spouse. The $50 is recovered at the first DE. At least that's how it works in TX.

I have found the LSR PCA guys to be a great bunch to hang with and I would not be the driver I am today without their help. (And I'm out there in a 14 year old BMW E36).

Hat tip to Globe and VR and the other guys I've scared in the right seat and pestered with questions. It's always responded to by patience and good advice. Heck, even the crappiest instructor I've had taught me something and we didn't get along at all.

-Mike

Sterling Doc

DASAMS,

Got to this a bit late, but I wanted to clarify that poitn by's are required through HPDE 3. Open passing is only allowed in HPDE4. If you see that, or have video of it, please let an instructor or NASA official know. That should not be happening in HPDE 1-2. Trains, and skill disparity is invetible, but there are rules! HPDE 3 is a nice sweet spot once you have a few more track days - less skill disparity, and more exprience in passing. I hope you give it a try again.

Streak

There's a difference between solo and uninstructed. Students gets soloed at most events on the second day for a run session or two unless you are a total train wreck. Not all clubs or regions will do that but most I've run/instructed with do.

I think the issue here is he signed up for an uninstructed group for the entire weekend with out enough experience. I wasn't there so I can't speak to the OP's mad skillz.

sbelles

There's a big difference. Where there is a solo student, there is usually an instructor keeping an eye on him. With rare exceptions, I always ride along on the first and last runs of the day.

With mad skilz, a student might be consciously competent at driving the line after a couple of days but I think that they should be unconsciously competent before they go solo for good. If you are still thinking about your driving then you can't be thinking about what you are going to do if things go bad. Two days just isn't enough.

BostonDMD

With all due respect, by looking at your video, I think it would have been more beneficial for you to still have an instructor in the car.....

pontifex4

My goodness, man, how tall are you? Your knees are halfway up the steering wheel!

If you're not having any trouble reaching the pedals, I would suggest getting your seat farther back and possibly finding a spacer for your steering wheel to bring it closer to you, since it seems as though you're shuffle steering because your knees are in the way. I could be wrong, of course.

dasams

The instructors were very clear: Point by's not required in the mixed HPDE 1's and 2's. And yes, I have video but

LuigiVampa

Few thoughts:

1. Many of us with families, businesses, jobs, other responsibilities, etc., are lucky to get to the track 3-5 times a year. If you have to wait 4-5 years to solo there would be a HUGE beginner class. I started to solo in my second year after about 6-7 track days. Depending on where I am driving I don't need an instructor but still pull in the ones that I respect to give me pointers and tune-ups. You should never stop trying to learn. You can also learn by having an instructor follow you or by following an instructor. They don't have to be in your car.

2. My only gripe about some instructors is that they try to change your driving instead of working with your style. One instructor tells you to take an apex at a certain point and the next tells you that is wrong. Some things are fact and some are opinion and feel. There are also variations from how a car handles and the driver's style. A good instructor will recognize all of this and try to enhance and instruct, not change unless something is actually wrong.

3. One of the things I enjoy most about track days is the camaraderie. People think nothing about helping someone who is having a problem. There is a tremendous amount of trust. I've loaned equipment to people who I have never met before and gone out on the track knowing that it would be back at my trailer when I got back. If everyone acted like people at a track day the world would be a better place. Except those guys in Nissan Zs - they are tools both on the track and off.

In the spirit of McQueen (and Walenda) I truly feel most alive when I am in my car, at speed, and the time in between is just waiting.

911 Crazy

So true!!!