964X33

Re BB, I need to bust my cherry on the Nov date. I RTNZ on 18/10 so will miss that.

Not sure there is any point in getting better tyres for BB is there? That'll just put more pressure on everything else and off we go on the slippery slope. Mind you, as a to date silent partner I can't really comment.

John McM

Jason, it will be good to see you post a time. The thought around tyres had a couple of angles. Firstly, the cost to replace them with the same type is not overly cheaper than good tyres. Secondly, it gives options for those 8 owners that may want to race BB but aren't interested in the racing group investment. Lastly, it's fun squealing like a pig for the first few sessions but it becomes tiresome after that. Track tyres are far more civilized. We don't sound like a bogan Friday night with the Dunlops.

Anyway, get out there on 8/11 and see what you think.

nzskater

A fine line between bravery and madness, in actual fact, I am sure they compliment each other. No question that he is a competent driver.

Enjoyed watching that video, especially the thumbs up in the midst of a challenging corner (based on the number of times I've been thrown out of it in the multitude of video games I've played that include The 'ring :P).

mjg

I'd rather leave them the way they are, too.

gt38088

even sitting in the chair watching on the vid it feels fast and not without risk! you would want a few hundred laps under your belt wouldn't you (or may thousand) in order to charge around like that.

Mind you it always feels under control if you are the one doing the driving - until the moment its not....

John McM

Playday calendar out. Looks like 13 December is the last chance to take BB out this year, apart from Twilight sessions. We will likely take the race cars out as we have our first full 2k cup races on 14 December.

Macca

You are not wrong Graeme. The interesting thing is Im pretty sure Manu has no more than 150 laps at the 'Ring. Hes only just "discovered" it! His home tracks are places like Imola, Monza etc mostly in Italy. Hes never raced a car before all he does is casual track days. But like much of the Playstation Generation hes probably driving these tracks virtually many times before he jumps behind the wheel.

I watched lots of pros put in fast laps at the 'Ring (but none interestingly any quicker than Manu in his first time rented 991 GT3 or his newly delivered Speciale!). The thing thats mind bending about him is hes usually driving two up (some other made un protected soul is along for the roller coaster ride of their life!) and he seems so relaxed at the wheel often waving at spectators, signalling other cars or at the end of the above video he even deliberately drifts the Speciale around the last sweeper coming into that at 250kmp (on the straight before that hes topping 300+!).

Driving quickly IMO is 50% confidence, 50% skill wrapped in a shroud of 0-100% luck (depending on the fore-mention ability and confidence). You can build your confidence and improve your ability but you can never relegate lady luck to the sidelines. At the pace Manu if carrying in an otherwise total stock road car a tyre blow out or a brake failure would be catastrophic.

I have a friend in Italy with a Speciale (previously 997.2 GT3RS owner) who knows Manu. He agrees there is much risk here (in the 7.29 video he is not wearing a helmet). Manu wont drive anything older than 4-5 years at this pace however, not because of it being old skool, manual or anything (theres penty of footage out there where hes driving older cars at the track) but probably due to the reliability issue. Reducing risk on worn components...

Macca

Jake. We are considering a half day at HD on Tues 13 Jan as a tuition, testing, set up & practice day. Its detailed on RSG board. You may find that is a good time for you to pop your track cherry with the 997TT. It would be a day where you can enter and exit the track at will and do as many or as few laps as you wish. Guys like Paul Miller and others would likely jump in the passenger seat and provide some useful advice as they did for me on my first outing out last year. Just something to consider thats all....

John McM

Or invest $200 in BB and go home with your TT in the condition you left it!

Macca

You are a turn coat John! We didn't create this/RSG forum to drive Hondas LOL! Im sure Jake will be just fine and will take much pride in learning to be a quicker, safer driver in his DD 997 turbo :-)

John McM

8) It's all about getting people with a common passion out as a group. We all own and have a passion for Porsches but not all of us evidently want to risk them on the track, a fact that is becoming more obvious each RSG track day e.g. it was a great turnout last Sunday but overwhelmingly water cooled and many circulating at warp speed. A marked evolution from the early RSG days. Nothing wrong with that but some of us are choosing to find our track time in other ways. I suspect the Integra is providing an outlet for some. It's certainly a means to progress for me. I can only go around HD so many times with an AIM solo. Now it's time to learn some race craft and mix it up out there in a class that my car is competitive in.

Macca

John. I understand that as Im sure we all do.

I am trying to recruit interest for a HD afternoon, with a a format a little different from they typical RSG playday. Each participant can drive what ever car they wish. The track is open 4 continuous hours to go on and off at leisure. There will be a mechanic and tutor there and folk can go out and spend 40 straight minutes practising lines at 80%, or play with sway bar and shock settings to see how those affect the handling of their car etc. The idea is its laid back buffet style and a great chance to learn your car without the usual 15 minute per hour window you talk about where everyone is trying to hit their personal best. A Porsche is not a requirement but obviously most of us would like to learn how to be faster at HD in one. Im guessing the folk who will be interested in such a half day close circuit private event would be those who wish to improve or those who have always been curious how changing some aspects of their cars may affect the handling or performance around the track. 15 heads and ideally Prestigio cover.

It wont suit all tastes naturally. However there seems to be interest from those setting up cars and those wishing to simply get out there during what is typically a dry 6-8 week period for full day weekend Playdays due to NZ Festival of Speed and various race season events....infact I suspect its entirely the antithesis of how you describe last Sunday (which is however also the natural evolution of the group as its core members get increasingly quicker and more confident/competent at their home track after 18 months of circulating it).

I think its great what you have created with the Integra and 2K cup entries and it clearly addresses a need. However I want to drive my 911s at HD for half a day and learn to be a quicker driver and understand setting up my car at a pace that suits me and the proposed Jan date was an opportunity for like-minded people to do the same.

gt38088

think I might have to get the old playstation/Grand Tourismo out if I can find where it is, and have a go at the 'ring. Mind you its a very old version as its many years since my son left home to go to uni and no 'investment' in video games since.

Macca

Graeme. We went to a friends house for dinner on Friday evening. Their kids wanted me to play a new arcade game they had that features a 991 GT3 just like mine. In the lounge is a 62" Sony smart panel with Playstation 4 and the game loaded and ready to play through surround sound. The resolution and response was quite mind bending for a guy who's last PlayStation was Numo Uno and whos only driving sim at the time was the original GT. Suffice to say I was utterly crap and the cops busted me and put me in jail shortly after I hit 180 mph down a freeway taking out a dozen cars along the way and creating untold carnage.....but you can see how hours at the 'Ring on the latest console and GranTurismo could be a useful training ground for learning the track.

Personally I wont buy a Playstation game and console until it features NZ tracks. "RSG the Ultimate Track Battle Downunder". Could be a wee while to wait...

nzskater

Think I mentioned it before; to anyone interested, I will soon have a TPC DSC module installed in my 997TT. There are a few threads on here detailing what it does. I got caught up in the hype and ordered one, and am happy to loan it to anyone else interested in trying it out. Only a few minutes to swap out with the stock controller. It will be compatible with 07-08 997tt, 08 GT2, 10-12 GT3/RS, 10-12 997tt, and 09-12 997.

Interesting point. Expanding on that; my interest in cars/driving comes from playing Gran Turismo in my younger days more than anything else. No influences in my youth had a more profound effect than GT, and subsequent stand outs such as Forza. I think I would feel more comfortable doing a lap of The 'ring than HD, thanks to having virtually lapped it so many times! As I think I've mentioned before, I have relatively little real life driving history, having only owned two cars in as many years. I consider the 911 as making up for lost time.

Thanks, hadn't seen that. Sounds like exactly what I'm after (pending validation of cover from Prestigio).

Thanks for the offer John. Whilst it may seem a bit backwards, I'm keen to get a better understanding of my car before exploring race craft in more general terms. BB does appeal, but time constraints would hinder my ability to take full advantage, and I'm still in the honeymoon period with my car so keen to get it out there first (and I'd probably buzz the gearbox due to not having driven a MT for many, many years!).