Raymond Lum

Come out and enjoy the last few lapping days at Mosport on Wednesday Oct. 8 before your car is put away for the season.

This is Marco & Rob's 6thgear.ca last event of the year that should not be missed. Limited to 35 cars of any type and open lapping all day.

Its not just driving, its also about the food. Continental breakfast, hot lunch (bbq chicken, sausages, steaks, pasta) and end of event beer & lamb kabobs. To keep you going they have all day expresso and cold drinks. Its all included in your fee.

I will be available for those Rennlist members that may want some guidance around the track.

Its a lot of fun..................................

To keep you on track, Bestline Auto Tech will be there to provide track support.

Mosport weather for this wednesday is 17 degrees celius with sunshine and some clouds.

Christien

Wouldn't miss it for the world (unless we get early snow )

Logan964C2

Re: "I will be available for those Rennlist members that may want some guidance around the track."

Are you suggesting that this event would be suitable for beginners who are wanting to get out on the track but currently have minimal experience? (I have a 964 C2 Cab which I think would be great on the track but I have no experience)

mdex

I always suggest that it is important that you go out for the first (few) times at least on track with a good instruction program. There have been a lot of cars in the wall this year at Mosport (at all different groups events) so it behooves you to be sure that you make sure that you get the basics down properly when you first go out to the track.

I am not recommending or putting any group down, but everyone who wants to start driving at the track should be sure that they are out with qualified instruction in the beginning.

Christien

I couldn't agree more. 6th Gear events are really well run, but I don't think it's appropriate for a first-timer. Once you've done a few days at Mosport, it's fine (though I'd still recommend an instructor for at least your first year) but I think an open track with all different skill levels is just too much for a first timer.

Logan964C2

Thanks guys. Any recommendations on how/where to get started and where to find proper instruction that isn't going to cost a fortune? I would like to get more involved but need a starting point.

Mark Lue

I'm not sure if this event is suitable for beginers but I know Raymond Lum is a pretty qualified Instructor, he is an instructor for the Porsche, BMW and Ferrari clubs.

Join the Porsche Club, Upper Canada Region like alot of us have.

pongobaz

start with the PCA UCR Introductory driving school in the spring. You'll get a full day of instruction on the skid pad, on a cone course for some car control drills and on the smaller driver development track at Mosport. Then book a Weekend DE with the PCA where you'll be automatically enrolled in the green (instructed) group on the big track at Mosport.

Jake Ok

I have done a 3 day track course down in road Atlanta but not in a Porsche. I believe they drive and handle quite different on the track with all the weight on the back end. What do you guys recommend I do before heading out to Mosport?

Raymond Lum

Mosport is one of the most challenging tracks in North America. If you can drive well at Mosport, you can pretty much drive anywhere.

For newcomers, its recommended to join a club eg. BMW, Porsche to gain some experience before driving on your own. The clubs have structure, instruction and a grading system in place to ensure you have a good understanding of car dynamics.

Some private events do offer a program with full time instruction. Other private events offer part time instruction, meaning you drive on your own part of the time and have an instructor sit with you for a few laps.

Before coming out to any event, you should have your car checked over by your mechanic. Proper fitting helmet with up to date safety standards is highly recommended.

webbie

Logan964C2, you can come to Dunnville this Sunday for an hour or so, just to watch, chat with us and get a feel of what this is all about.

All those things they recommended above are done for this year, you have to wait till next April.

Christien

I agree that the Porsche Club DEs are the best way to start track driving. The first thing you do is classroom, which is the best place to start. I was lucky enough to have my first track experience with UCR at Shannonville. I think Mosport would be an awfully intimidating track to start at. In fact, after my first few sessions at Mosport, I dearly wanted to go back to Shannonville, because I was terrified. Once I gained a better footing, that fear disappeared, but I think that initial apprehension was a good thing, in my case.

As Marc said above, the concrete at Mosport has claimed a lot of victims this year. It's easy to forget that this sport is different than many others, in that mistakes are VERY expensive. Luckily the lapping days I've been to haven't caused any injuries, but I've personally witnessed probably close to a quarter million dollars worth of damage this year.

mdex

I am of course biased.... but I think training with pro's is even better then a club program. Not that there aren't great instructors at the clubs... but there are also some not very good ones and its best to learn the right way from day one at the track.

Look into a formula school (I like Russel at Tremblant more then Bridgestone at the Mosport DDT) or some other event where you will be with professional instructors to start. That way when you get a bad instructor some day at the club events you will know when to ignore them!

Don't let these cautions put you off going to the track, its a blast, and done properly probably safer then a trip on the 401 some days.

Turbodan

for a first time track driver ucr program should be fine. you will need to sign up early (I think January) to get into the skid pad program that is required as prerequisit to going on track. they will not have you going very fast and they do a classroom session each day. it is also much cheaper than the other programs. In the meantime you can try carting to prepare and also reading if you are into it. Mosport is one of the most daunting tracks in the world so approach it at speeds you are comfortable with. oh and get a good helmet snell 05 or later and a set of gloves. you may also want to evaluate your tires (the only part of your car that should touch the pavement). good luck. you may also want to get a video game to learn the track, as that is a large part of being a beginner.

Christien

Good point. Dexter days start with "follow the leader" for the new guys - probably the best way to learn the line. You start out at about 40 km/h, maybe 10 cars in a train, then one by one the first behind the leader drops to the back of the pack, so everyone gets a chance behind the leader. Over an hour you progress up to maybe 60% of full driving speed, which is fast enough that you have to really pay attention, but not fast enough that you're ever close to the edge.

Thought it's still open track after that, which I don't think is a good idea for beginners.

FWIW, I did suggest to one of the higher-ups at UCR that they use this format for the newbies, even opening the track an hour earlier. They said no, because it would take time away from the upper level drivers.