The Fat Kid

I did the "Arrive 'N Drive" this past Friday at Palmer Motorsports Park. It was my first time on a race track, and this write up is geared toward other newbies who might be on the fence.

I thought about taking my 911, but a full-day session would have been $499 combined with wear and tear, track insurance, gas, etc. would have been close to the full-day Miata rental for $999. The other main deciding factor for me was my lack of track experience; I wanted to just have fun, learn how to actually drive on a race track, and not worry about sending the 911 **** first into a wall.

I arrived just before 8AM and everything was pretty well organized. The first classroom session went over flags, safety, basic lines, etc. There were more students than normal, so students were mixed in with the open-lapping sessions.

All the instructors were nice. I got lucky because it turned out that my instructor, Toy, races a Miata, so he was awesome with getting me around the track. I met Stan, from the PCA - Northeast, so it was fun to pick his brain about PCA events.

The Miatas were beaten up, but seemed well maintained and the mechanics were checking them out between sessions.

I drove a manual for 11 years and could heel and toe pretty well, but have not really rowed for a couple years. I was a bit worried that not being able to heel and toe would be a problem, but it was not an issue at my level.

It took me a couple laps just to get used to the noise. My 991.1 C2S has PSE, so I am used to a loud street car, but the gutted Miata was on an entirely different level; I think I was shifting at 4k RPM on the first lap.

I have read about horror students, so I set out to not be "that" guy. I told the instructor that my priorities were to: 1. Be safe. 2. Have fun. 3. Improve my driving.

My instructor was great and I was getting more comfortable with each session. During the third session he told me he wanted to take me out in his car during the break to show me a couple lines, and then I would go out solo during the last session and follow him. I am probably one of the guys to respond with, "Are you sure that is a good idea? This is my first time on a track..." He seemed sure of it, so I was not going to argue!

I picked up my car for the fourth session and drove down to meet him. Bad news: He broke a wheel stud, so I am going completely solo! I was still comfortable with it, but figured I would just take it easy; that lasted about three turns! Going with him in his car helped tremendously with a couple lines I was not doing well.

The best part of the solo session: I stuck to a tuned BMW 1-Series (350HP & an instructor) for a full lap!

Feel free to ask any questions, even if it is via PM.

P.S. Now I am thinking about selling my 911 and earmarking the funds for a tow vehicle and track car

linzman

Great story. Hope it inspires some Newbies. IMO doing your first track day in the Miata was a great choice. It's easier to know when you're doing it right in a low HP car to start. Welcome to the addiction.

morsini

And they say crack in bad...

Deansdream

As addictive as crack and just as expensive..........

johneecatt

Fun stuff, huh?!?!?!

Sent you a PM

The Fat Kid

Thanks! I could definitely feel the difference coming out of corners with a lot of speed, or no speed, in the Miata.

Definitely! I was actually hesitant to get started because I knew I would love it...

PM returned.

ProCoach

Great post! Congrats!

dgrobs

Sounds like you had a great day at a great track. Welcome to the mayhem.
Stan is a great guy. I had him in my car for a few laps at PMP last season and see him fairly regularly at NER events as well as PMP member days. He is very knowledgable when it comes to track driving and PCA events in general. He's at PMP all the time.
If you really start getting into it (which it sounds like you might), the PCA DE's are a great way to improve. Also a great way to drive on many different tracks with many different coaches/instructors.
Glad you had fun and stayed safe. Palmers is a wonderful track that gets better every season.
Thanks for the report.

cweed

It's a slippery slope.........but a lot of fun

white924s

Sounds like a fun day! I think learning to drive in a low (or no) hp car is the right way to go - you can see right away if your line is off or you're not smooth, and you can't cover that up with power to rocket down the straight. Palmer is a very technical track too with lots of camber to work with in the corners.

The Fat Kid

I quickly realized that Stan probably hangs out there often!

Do the PCA events usually pair instructors with students driving similar cars? Learning on a Miata with an instructor who races a Miata was definitely helpful.

Yup! I loved the track. The only area that I could not get comfortable with was heading into turn two; it felt like I was going to slide off the track.

I finally joked with the instructor and said,"You keep telling me to turn in at the skid marks, so I am not crazy to think I am going to slide off here!"

dgrobs

Ah yes, the 30 foot wall of Granite at 2. You're not alone. It still intimidates me, and I've driven there quite a bit the last few years. It intimidates a lot of folks. You are not alone. Surely not a good place to make a mistake. Not much room to correct. More seat time at PMP will help with that, but yes, it can be very intimidating. Normal. Not being fully comfortable there is probably a good thing. You didn't go off, right? Your gut kept you safe.

At T2, I use the telephone wires over the track (and telephone poles) as a guide for turning in. I am usually all the way track right at turn in.I have been told I don't have to be there, but that's my comfort zone. Very smooth throttle and steering input to Apex and you should be at the track out cone carrying a lot of speed into T3, which is a fairly simple left hand sweeper. T2 and T3 are great for knocking time off your laps.

Totally agree with the intimidation factor at T2. You can't help but look at the towering Granite. I still do. I need to figure out a way to not look at it, but you kind of have to.

As mentioned above, it is a very technical track. There is helpful camber all over that track. Seat time is the key. The more days you do there, the more at ease you will feel at T2 (and the rest of the track).

The not straight front straight is another part of that track that can be intimidating. If you correctly apex 12, 13, and 14, you can carry a lot of speed out of 14 into the front. Problem is, it's NOT straight, so you can't treat it like a true full throttle straight all the way to the brake zone before T1. Again, very technical.

I'm really glad you enjoyed your day there. I enjoy every day there more than the previous one. I learn new things about the track every time I drive there.

I always hear negative talk about safety there, and I disagree with that. Drive within your limits and the speed will come. PMP is not the kind of track that a fairly new track driver should "push it" at. That's for sure. It's a track that cannot be learned in one day. I learn the little innuendos every day I spend there. There are lots of them. Again, more seat time is key.

So glad you enjoyed the day there. This is only the beginning. Keep on trackin'.

To your 2nd question, as far as I know, PCA pairs instructors with their relative run groups, not the type of car they (or you) are driving. If you start in Green (which you will), you will be in a group with other "green" drivers. The instructors cars really have nothing to do with the students cars. Most PCA instructors are familiar with whatever Porsche you are driving, so I really wouldn't be too concerned with that. Their most important job is to keep you safe. Their 2nd most important job is to make sure you have fun. At least that's what I've been told as I moved up the ranks of the PCA color chart (which can vary from region to region btw).

I'm very glad you had fun at Palmers. I am also very glad you stayed safe. I would strongly recommend you join your local PCA region/chapter, and start doing their DE's. It's a wonderful learning tool. You will also make lots of friends in your region and you will see them regularly at their events. Some of my best friends are fellow PCA members from our region.

You can also do other regions DE's. I just finished 2 days at The Glen with CVR. That is not my region, but I had an itch for The Glen, so I registered with CVR and did the 2 days (just got home). It was my first event with CVR. Very enjoyable 2 days at a very enjoyable track. Met lots of nice folks as well. I'm sure I will be seeing them again.

You're only at the beginning of what seems like it might become a very long and enjoyable journey. The better you get, the better IT gets. More seat time is key.

Enjoy the ride. Be safe and have lots of fun. That's what PCA is all about.

Edit: I just looked back at your picture of the front "straight" above. Perfect shot of exactly what it is not. Straight.

kisik

We just had 3 great hot days in Palmer with NER. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact me directly and I can help you as much as I can. I live close to Boston College.

The Fat Kid

Sorry, I thought I responded to dgrobs and kisk...

Dgrobs - Thanks for the tips, and hopefully I will see you at Palmer in Sept

Kisk - I appreciate the offer and will send you a PM since I have some local questions regarding pre-HPDE inspections!


TL; DR = bold

I went back to Palmer a couple weeks ago for another "Arrive 'n Drive", so I wanted to do an update for anyone still on the fence!

Our toddler was sick, so I waited until the day before (figured I was safe at that point) to try to sign up since I did not want to miss it due to another daycare virus. I submitted my request via their website in the morning, waited a couple hours, and then remembered I had Fred's email address from my inquiry before my June visit. Still no response. My wife suggested I call, so I left a message.

Fred called back pretty quickly, and said he was traveling and had not checked his email. Good news: All the Miatas were rented, but he still had the 924/44 Porsche! Bad news: He could only guarantee an instructor for my first session. I was cleared to run solo on my first trip, but still wanted an instructor, especially in a different car... I decided to go, and worst-case scenario I would just take it easy during the last three sessions of the day.

Why did I write all the above? I noticed some online reviews complaining about Palmer's lack of communication, but I found the complete opposite to be the case, especially considering I tried to sign up the day before the event.

I got lucky on Friday because Chris ended up finding David (PCA instructor - drives a 914 with a giant wing) to come out with me! The Porsche felt a lot different than the Miata I drove in June; the clutch travel was really long and had a high emgahement point. The first session did not go as well as expected since everything felt just a little "off". I joked with the mechanics when we got back, saying "I am one of the few people who would take a Mazda over a Porsche."

Great news on the second session: As I walked up to the car, David and one of the mechanics asked if I wanted to try the BMW. I had no love connection with the 924, so figured I would try the BMW. It took about thirty seconds on the track to realize the BMW was the best car of the three; it felt as balanced as the Miata, but had so much more power!

Terrible news on the second session: The BMW quietly died in T4 on the last lap. Nothing dramatic happened, I just suddenly realized it was really difficult to turn the wheel. It started back up after ~30 seconds and I tried to get back to the pits, but it died again right in front of the flag station on T9 and we were towed back to the pits. The diagnosis: snapped timing chain...

Third session: David was supposed to come out again, but I could not find him, so I went out solo in the Porsche since I had been approved. All of a sudden a black 914 comes flying up behind me in T9; it turned out that David did not realize the student/lapping sessions had flipped in the afternoon haha! Driving solo was fun, and it let me just sort of zone out instead of thinking too much.

Fourth session: David was back in the passenger seat and I was feeling a lot more comfortable in the Porsche after the third session; T4 was the only corner I still did not like. Everything felt much more fluid, and I felt a lot more confident even in the stretch between T1 and T2 that sketched me out in June. I know this was not a race, but I passed a 991.1 C2S (same car I drive), a 991.2 C4S w/ RWS, a C5 Corvette, and comfortably held off an Audi S8 during the final session. The best part of the session/day was when we approached the same tuned BMW 1-Series from my day in June around T11 David said, "I know the instructor in the BMW and he was telling me how well his student drives. You are going to pass him." I was right behind him, went flat at the Apex of T13, and passed him once we got out onto the straightaway!

Doing the Arrive 'n Drive was a great way to get comfortable on a race track. I now love light, low-HP, high-grip cars and definitely buying a track car once we have room for it!

For anyone planning on doing Arrive 'n Drive and wondering about which car to rent. The Miata was fun, and a great starting point. The Porsche was probably a little better overall compared to the Miata, but I still liked the Miata a bit more. The BMW was definitely the best of the three, and hopefully back on the track soon.

I now feel more comfortable driving my 911 on a track, so my plan is to go to Club Motorsports with SCDA on Sept 7, and then Palmer again with the PCA on Sept 23rd. Please say "hi" if you see a Racing Yellow 991.1!

dgrobs

And the slope gets more slippery......
Don't forget track insurance if you're gonna take your own car.