I'm Not Always This Slow...

And in the future I promise I will keep to a better blogging schedule. Good thing no one is reading this!

The PCA event at Summit Point's Shenandoah track was my first time on track in the new car. It was a completely different experience from the Ferrari. With the F-car, I'll admit that I was scared. Not of getting hurt, but of breaking something expensive. My last time out, at Watkins Glen, I spun out and glanced off a tire barrier. I was paralyzed at the thought of having crunched the car. (When I called my wife to tell her about the shunt, her first question was whether it would cost a lot to fix. True story.) It turned out to be a minor scrape; everyone at the track said it would buff out and it did.

Also, driving a car as powerful as the Ferrari not a good way for a novice (that's me) to learn. Race cars are generally considered either "power" cars or "momentum" cars. The difference is how they are driven through the corners. A power car can enter a turn relatively slowly, then blast through the apex and exit. High speed on the straights can make up for the slower entry. In fact, power cars can make up for a lot of things, including mistakes, which is one reason rookies shouldn't learn on them.

Momentum cars are the opposite. Low in both torque and horsepower, they can be fast only by carrying speed into and through the corners. Smoothness is of paramount importance, because every deviation from the optimum line through the corner slows the car. Since the car lacks the power to catch up on the straights, any loss of momentum can be costly. This, of course, is what makes momentum cars perfect for novices: mistakes are obvious, and immediately punished by the gods of physics. Also, since the cars are slower, and in my case cheaper, there is much less risk of getting injured or impoverished.

Now, one might think that, despite the advantages of a momentum ride as a rolling classroom, a more powerful car provides a proportionately greater rush. Not so. There is no denying that pulling 150 or so down the back straight at Watkins Glen and then pounding through the "Bus Stop" chicane turns the adrenaline up to 11. Problem is, there are 9 other corners at the Glen, not all of which are as much fun as the Bus Stop when you alternately overbrake and overpower them. So I am perfectly happy with my 147hp Porsche, a car I drove flat for a good portion of the Shenandoah course.

Also, I soloed after the first run on Sunday (Yay!!) It was going to take a loooong time to get signed off in the Ferrari, simply because the car was so damned difficult to drive, but I really felt like I had a handle on what I was doing in the 944. My instructor obviously agreed. By the way, he did something that I think was very smart and should be standard for instructors: He had me do a run solo, then got back in the car for a session just to make sure I hadn't let the red mist of soloing affect my driving. After that run he signed me off officially.

My Builder had urged me to do this event because he wanted me to experience the car in street trim. I think this was worthwhile for me, and great salesmanship for him. Bone stock, on (new) street tires, the car had plenty of grip but not nearly enough. Point taken: R-compound tires it is. The car is wonderfully balanced, but still leaned more than it should in the corners. Point taken as well: major suspension surgery should take place next month.

The whole race prep exercise has opened my eyes to some interesting differences among Porsche drivers. Guys who are into speed on the street (not a good thing) seem to focus on engine modifications and body work (including wheels). Racers focus more on the suspension and, to some extent, brakes. One reason is that the racing class rules are intended (in most classes) to avoid an arms race between builders and focus instead on the relative skills of the drivers. That isn't to say that turning a street car into a class racer is inexpensive, but most engine and body mods, which can get very expensive, are prohibited.

Interestingly, most Ferrari owners don't modify their cars at all. Partly it's the expense, and partly it's that class rules for Ferraris are very strict (basically, if you want to race, you buy a race car), but mostly, I think, Ferraristi think it's just wrong. As arrogant as F-car owners can be, most don't think they are better engineers or designers than the ones who work in Modena.

Next time, a couple of stories from Shenandoah and, I hope, news of the budget for the suspension.

Blogging My First Porsche DE Event

This weekend I will be participating in a "Driver Education" event at Summit Point's Shenandoah course in West Virginia. A DE event differs from a race in that there is no timing, no order of finish and no regard for race car classification. On the other hand, there is a lot of testosterone around when you put 60 or so Porsche drivers on the same track. So there will be plenty of competition, unofficial as it may be.

This is my first event since buying the Porsche. I had previously done a couple of events with the Ferrari, but a big GT is not a good car to learn on, and the thought of repairing it gives me the shakes. I've done some karting, too, but as safe as it is you are a little ... exposed. I took The Prince, my 11-year-old son, and after some initial jitters he loved it. Me, too. We're going to go again, but we have to make sure the The Boss, my wife, doesn't come to the track. The Boss has a truly wonderful outlook on tracking: stay safe, have fun, and don't break anything expensive. She was all for the idea of buying an inexpensive track toy; anything is better than putting all that Italian sheet metal and carbon fiber (gulp!) at risk. After due research, I settled on a Porsche 944 - low powered but great handling, with plenty of (relatively) inexpensive go-fast goodies available to will make it a competitive racer in the right hands.

A local guy who sells high-end Porsches turned me on to The Man, a highly-regarded preparer and driver of 944s. We talked, and he made some suggestions about what to look for and what to avoid. Before long he found me a car - a gold over brown leather '86 with about 130k on the clock. The mileage is not a problem, by the way, because (a) the weak parts have already been replaced, (b) the other parts are bulletproof, and (c) all of the mileage-limited parts that matter are going to be replaced when the car gets worked on (pity about the interior - it's in unbelievable shape for a 20-year-old car).

Anyway, The Man instructed me to run at least one DE event with the car bone stock so I can establish a personal baseline against which to compare the upgrades. The rotors and pads are new, as are the street tires (the old ones were too old to be tracked). I think the baseline idea makes a lot of sense from a prep standpoint, and it's flattering to be told that I will be able to tell the difference, but really - was anyone going to keep me off the track this fall?

So here I am in tobacco country, ready to drive my first club event. My other track events were with a group that was unaffiliated with any particular marque, and there was everything from VWs to (ahem) Ferraris on the track. This event is through my local region of the Porsche Club of America, and it does indeed appear to be more ... clubby. That said, everyone has been nice to the newbie, and very helpful. These guys certainly are committed to knowing their cars: at the tech inspection two senior members debated, intensely but without rancor, whether my car is supposed to have one heat shield (a 6" by 12" sheet of aluminum) or two. The consensus finally was two - which The Man says is incorrect.

My intention is to blog after tomorrow's session and, after I get home, Sunday's as well.