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dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

The DE event in Topeka was a fast one! I was in group 2 with 4 Corvettes, 2 BMW's, 1 Pantera, 1 Camaro, 1 Mustang, SC Mini Cooper, 4 911's including Turbo's, and 3 951's and a few 944S's and these guys all had more track experience through SCCA and spec racing but were placed in my run group because the instructors had no knowledge of their driving skill level. I may as well been put in the ALMS GTS and GT class because that is what I was up against! But man do I drive slow compaired to these guys and the high HP's. Every time I get to the straight there was a convoy of horsepower waiting to blow my doors off!! I had the lowest horsepowered car in the entire event. Now I feel so inept at racing my little 924S that I think I may become the laughing stock of the PCA!!

But I did manage to keep all the body work intact and came home the same color I left with!! Learned a lot but had no cars of my horsepower to compare my skills to or make it more fun. Time to take up GO-PEDS

D

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

Hey I'm 6'1 and 220 I'll foot race you to get your confidence back up!

924RACR · Posted: Thu May 01, 2003 3:17 am Post subject:

Now you know how I feel when I hit the track - hopelessly outclassed!

Hey, look on the bright side. There's one very good side to starting out slow - it leaves you plenty of room for improvement!

Don't get discouraged; it will take time and perserverance to build your speed, but as long as you keep going back, you will guaranteed continue to go faster. I'm still getting faster, and I've been racing hard for 3 years! Learn your equipment and your lines.
_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

No, no, no. Learn your lines? Pishposh! What you need to do is put some iron in your front fender and push guys off the track. That is how you win races! I have won so many championships that way, I can't remember the series' name though!

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

Huge horsepower dispairity in racing is going to happen. No lack of confidence just blown away at the speeds these cars were going and I thought I was flying! Even got the inaugural "unsettling the car" out of the way.

Being among all that power makes one feel real inferior for sure. Hitting the lines come fairly easy for me it is the shifting and braking (timing) I suffer from now. It will all come to me with more windsheild time. Just embarrassing to be the slow guy on the track! But it was a riot just trying to keep up! And anyway it is all for FUN not trophies..D

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

OK then, do like Batman and spill a tub of oil on the track when they come up on you. Do it going into a turn! Ha!

jjadczak · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 346 Location: Accokeek, MD

I find that most of the time I've been with the faster big bore cars. If you ever run NASA 944 Cup, etc. you will most likely be grouped with the big bore cars. AT Summit Point last Fall I was playing in the Cup and we were out there with the fastest cars with fenders. There was even a Jag XJS220LM chassis #003. Chassis number 001 and 002 finished were campaigined and built by TWR and finished first and second at LeMans. This guy with the Jag just wanted to turn some hot laps with us as he was doing a favor for the owner who is like 90 years old. I'll never forget this - he blew by me at the end of the the 3000+ front straight at Summit Point at well over 180 mph. I thought a large jet plane was crash landing right next to me and I got a little more than scared. The point here? Playing with the faster cars has taught me to ALWAYS check my mirrors, not just on the straights but EVERYWHERE!!!.

Also don't let them force you off the line. Make them go around you. Why should you compromise a decent lap and improvement on your driving skills because they want to get by. If you start to do that then you might learn to do it that way. if that's the case then I want to race with you - at least I know that's one guys I'll be able to pass.

Jeremy

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

Jeremy, " Make them go around you" "stay on my line" I agree but the rules were to lift go right and point. So it automatically throws you off line in the short straights and on the long one you run out of room to get back up to speed and drive the faster line which is a uphill left handed sweeper 4th gear corner. I love my body and paint work too much to not look in the mirrors! But on a learning note it gives you an idea how nerve wracking it will get when the real racing starts!

I have to admit I love the rush it gives you!

Neil you must have "Death by Porsche" wish!

Dallas

jjadczak · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 346 Location: Accokeek, MD

Neil, I was scared sh*%@less when I first got in the car - I still am but I agreee with you, it's a rush and your gonna have a blast once you get there on a regular basis. I can't wait for my next turn in the race car!

John Brown · Joined: 07 Nov 2002 Posts: 903 Location: Leesburg VA

Make room in your schedule to run with some other Regions for DE. Sounds like you may have been with one of the several who have the slower car move off line for a pass. This is complete nonsense and makes the slower car unpredictable, thus creates confusion (not to mention you become a moving chicane) Not the same as slower cars HOLDING a different line racing to facilitate passes - though I think it's where the idea comes from. One region that I know of on the East Coast does the same. Basically, the old timers are usually the faster cars and they like to rule cause it give them a clear shot. Something they will never get in a race, but somehow they seem to thing it is an entitlement in DE.

Where the slower car holds line and the faster car pulls out for the pass things are much less hectic. Ever major DE program of which I am aware east of the Allegheny's (but not including Allegheny Region) the slow car holds the line.

Try Mid Ohio events. Good track, good eats, good rooms.

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

John, I agree! Passers should go offline. Some do most don't. Mid O I missed that chance but try again next season. Road America is one on the schedule along with Brainerd and MAM. Dallas

924RACR · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 10:22 pm Post subject:

RA is even better than Mid-O, by far, for awesome food! Gotta hit all those joints in Elkhart Lake... very fond memories of being there for Skippy (Skip Barber), and eating everything in sight... good old-fashioned German gut-filling food... leave the salads at home...

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

Heck with the good eats I will just have a good German Lager or 12! Oh yes and when in Wisconsin-" cheese curds!" D