Racetrack Stuff

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32wildbilly
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:40 am

DTMiller wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:37 am New addition to the signature block which I'm pretty happy about.
Guards Red!!! Say it ain't so! Does the Frunk know about this?

Pics or it didn't happen.
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DTMiller
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by DTMiller » Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:54 am

32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:40 am
DTMiller wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:37 am New addition to the signature block which I'm pretty happy about.
Guards Red!!! Say it ain't so! Does the Frunk know about this?

Pics or it didn't happen.
That's not new.
2002 Guards Red Targa, Fister exhaust, H&R Sport Springs, semisolid motor mounts
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time

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32wildbilly
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:04 am

DTMiller wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:54 am
32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:40 am

Guards Red!!! Say it ain't so! Does the Frunk know about this?

Pics or it didn't happen.
That's not new.
My bad. A pic would be nice regardless.
Never gonna make you cry...

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32wildbilly
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:05 am

Which certification was added. I'm old and forgot! SCCA?
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DTMiller
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by DTMiller » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:50 am

32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:05 am Which certification was added. I'm old and forgot! SCCA?
Yeah, I have instructed with them for a while but I'm now the Novice Classroom Instructor, which has proven to be very fun and rewarding.
2002 Guards Red Targa, Fister exhaust, H&R Sport Springs, semisolid motor mounts
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time

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32wildbilly
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:12 am

DTMiller wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:50 am
32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:05 am Which certification was added. I'm old and forgot! SCCA?
Yeah, I have instructed with them for a while but I'm now the Novice Classroom Instructor, which has proven to be very fun and rewarding.
That is very cool. SCCA is the real deal. Congratulations!
Never gonna make you cry...

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Cuda911
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by Cuda911 » Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:38 pm

32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:12 am
DTMiller wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:50 am

Yeah, I have instructed with them for a while but I'm now the Novice Classroom Instructor, which has proven to be very fun and rewarding.
That is very cool. SCCA is the real deal. Congratulations!
Indeed.... congrats! Amazing to have watched this all progress over the years... from the beginning: "my wife bought me this 996, and my first track day is next week" (we all recall how that went) to now. Excellent accomplishment!
Mike

'68 Ford Custom 500; '70 Plymouth Cuda; '71 Ford Econoline; 73 Porsche 914 1.7, '74 Porsche 914 1.8; '74 Suzuki TC185; '86 Suzuki GS450L; '88 Subaru GL104WD Turbo Ltd Edn;; '88 Subaru XT; '91 Lexus ES250; '93 Jeep Wrangler, '99 Porsche Boxster, '03 Turbo VW Beetle; '03 Porsche Boxster; '03 Porsche Carrera C2; '07 Porsche Cayman, '11 BMW 328i, '12 Porsche 991 S, '14 Porsche Cayman, & a mishmash of other vehicles.

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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by Cuda911 » Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:43 pm

DTMiller wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 10:06 am Difficult day instructing yesterday. Email I sent a few buddies sums it up the best I can:

It is not far fetched to say that it is shocking that this guy managed to get the car to the paddock from his house.

50+ year old 0/0 day guy in a GTI. Will not listen to literally anything I say during the first session. It was like he had assigned all possible vehicle inputs to a number and was doing whatever the random number generator told him to do.

Sample:
Me: I need you to bring the car back to the right side of the track.

Him: Brakes.

Me: No, no not brakes. Gas here, and car needs to be on the right. The right. Move to the right. The right. Ok, now lift and brake.

Him: Gas.

Me: Brake brake brake BRAKE

I asked him to do a point by and he said "WHAT?? NO! I CANT DO THAT" So I'm doing all of the point bys out the right window, which is literally 3-4 cars per passing zone. A miata in group 1 passed us multiple times a session.

He at one point crossed s/f at 47 mph.

He keeps saying things like he's worried the brakes are going to get too hot. Announcer: THEY WERE NOT.

After session one I invited him to sit with me and make a plan. I start talking to him about what we are trying to do and some basic concepts. He keeps interrupting me and isn't really listening. I'm getting frustrated and I start explaining how we should be using the brakes and he interrupts to tell me that he was getting pretty good by the end of the session. I then half (fully?) snapped and said you know, maybe you should go out with Brian next session, I'm not sure we're connecting.

I then tried the "what do you do for a living, you're an expert at that, right? You'd be skeptical if I just showed up and tried to do what you do, right? Brian and I are experts at this, if you listen we can help you." To which he responds "but you might know some stuff about what I do" which is code for "I'm doing good out there, you're wrong"

Brian takes him in session 2 and it's a shit show.

I take him in session 3, repeat of session 1. He doesn't remember the first thing about where to put the car. Every lap, every sequence I'm telling him where to put the car, he's not doing it. Every corner entrance is too fast somehow despite crawling around the track. We're the first car to ever run a 2:20 lap that is in near constant imminent danger of hitting a tire wall.

At one point I decide to see what happens if I shut up to see if that would help. What resulted was the most heinous lap I've ever seen. Picture where a car should be at any point in a lap. His car was never in that place except during those brief moments when the car passed through the proper place on it's way to the wrong place from the wrong place.

I'm still doing all the point bys. The miata passes us 3 times in 25 minutes.

In session four with Brian managing him I timed him. 2:17 lap. During session 4.

I have no idea if he had fun. Brian and I tried to make it fun, Brian did a better job than me, I think.
That's one CRAZY story! I have had many poor students, but all were pro nascar compared to this guy. Wow.
Mike

'68 Ford Custom 500; '70 Plymouth Cuda; '71 Ford Econoline; 73 Porsche 914 1.7, '74 Porsche 914 1.8; '74 Suzuki TC185; '86 Suzuki GS450L; '88 Subaru GL104WD Turbo Ltd Edn;; '88 Subaru XT; '91 Lexus ES250; '93 Jeep Wrangler, '99 Porsche Boxster, '03 Turbo VW Beetle; '03 Porsche Boxster; '03 Porsche Carrera C2; '07 Porsche Cayman, '11 BMW 328i, '12 Porsche 991 S, '14 Porsche Cayman, & a mishmash of other vehicles.

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Cuda911
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by Cuda911 » Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:02 am

OK, here's a story from my first-ever day at the track. Never had any track experience, other than a few autocrosses. My instructor was an older gentleman. Nice guy, but in retrospect was an awful instructor. He mumbled his words, and used vague hand gestures.

Then, he accidentally got us out on the track in the red group. Open passing anywhere. Mostly full-on track cars. Look at my avatar pic. It is from that day and that session. Look carefully... see the green X on the rear window? That is required of noobs. See the blue car behind me? 800 hp. Note the body roll in my car, none in his.

With my useless instructor, I am on my own. I have clear visions of the aftermath of DT's recent incident, a week or so before, in my mind. So I'm flying down the back straight, about 120 mph, and a sharp left decreasing radius turn us coming up. I have zero idea at all: 1) where do I need to start braking? 2) at what speed can I take this turn? 3) where should I be positioned on the track?

I also clearly remember thinking of my instructor "this guy is nuts, to be willing to ride as a passenger, stock seats and belts, with a brand new novice driver."

So, my kudos to all instructors.
Mike

'68 Ford Custom 500; '70 Plymouth Cuda; '71 Ford Econoline; 73 Porsche 914 1.7, '74 Porsche 914 1.8; '74 Suzuki TC185; '86 Suzuki GS450L; '88 Subaru GL104WD Turbo Ltd Edn;; '88 Subaru XT; '91 Lexus ES250; '93 Jeep Wrangler, '99 Porsche Boxster, '03 Turbo VW Beetle; '03 Porsche Boxster; '03 Porsche Carrera C2; '07 Porsche Cayman, '11 BMW 328i, '12 Porsche 991 S, '14 Porsche Cayman, & a mishmash of other vehicles.

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32wildbilly
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Re: Racetrack Stuff

Post by 32wildbilly » Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:24 am

Cuda911 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:38 pm
32wildbilly wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:12 am

That is very cool. SCCA is the real deal. Congratulations!
Indeed.... congrats! Amazing to have watched this all progress over the years... from the beginning: "my wife bought me this 996, and my first track day is next week" (we all recall how that went) to now. Excellent accomplishment!
I came late to the game and for the longest time thought that was all just an urban legend.
Never gonna make you cry...

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