We went to the class, run by Don Kitch of Pacific Rim ProFormance, and invovled about an hour in the classroom. After that talk, we went out to the cars to do some great exercises with the instructors in cones set up on the track.
We'd weave through cones at speed while trying to watch an instructor with a flag. If the flag was raised, we'd skip a set of cones. The idea was to prove that you can keep your head up and watch for things far down the road and react to them when it would do some good, rather than watching your hood ornament as most drivers do.
We also did some threshhold breaking exercises. We'd drive down a straight line and stand on the brakes when we found the first set of cones. The idea was to wind-up enough speed to lock the tires—or turn on ABS in cars so equipped. After a few runs for comfort, we'd swerve while ABS was enabled. What a thrill! And it's a great way to learn what ABS is really for: allowing the driver to have nearly the maximum amount of breaking while still holding control of the car. ABS doesn't help you stop so much faster, but it does allow you to continue driving the car.
Finally, we did an accident avoidance drill. As we approached a row of cones, one of two instructors would jump out ahead of us to block a lane formed by the cones. Though it seemed hopelessly late, we had to swerve the car over to the remaining lane and shut it down. It's really amazing how much control you have over the car if you don't quit driving.
After lunch, you go out with an instructor who drives for you for a couple of laps. You can observe his line, and learn the course. There's cones in all the corners to mark breaking points, turn-in points, and track-out lines. Then, it's up to you: you take the wheel with an instructor in the car and start lapping. The instructors are all semi-pro or fully professional drivers and have lots of experience and advice. They love the cars and are excited to drive and share that experience with you.
I'd never hesitate to recommend this course to anyone. Even if you're not interested in motorsports, you can learn skills that will save your life and make all of your passengers feel better.
Anyhow, I had taken this class before, back in 1996. But I wanted to do it again, this time using my new Porsche. I felt it would be a great way to develop confidence with the car, as well as a fun day to lap the track in a very sedate, sane environmnet. The instructors all consider safety first, and passing isn't allowed. You're encouraged not to encroach other cars, too. This is much different than the typical driving day that most car clubs sponsor.
Also, I invited my girlfriend to come along. She could borrow a Neon, so she wouldn't be afraid of hurting my BMW. But she'd still get quite an education. The Neons are underpowered, and really show your mistakes. They're great cars for learning, and incredibly safe since all the SCCA equipment is in there.
The Porsche was completely made for the track. My BMW M3 is really a sport-touring car. It has plenty of performance, but isn't quite as all-out as the Porsche is.
After some debate, I decided to keep my Pirellis on the car. The Continentals that equipped the car when I purchased it were notorious for failing at the track. And The Seattle International Raceway is old and rough—it's hell on tires. The car hooted through the corners and I only caused the stability management system to enage a couple of times, back on turns 3A and 3B. Those are vicious hairpins which aren't only tight, but also drop lots of altitude.
I had kept the stability system turned off for the morning exercises. That made me feel great; I had become convinced that driving the car without the system engaged would cause it to fly from the face of the earth. I still didn't manage enough balls to turn the system off during the lapping sessions, though.
The car handled beautifully. I couldn't believe how much more stable and stiff it was compared to the BMW, which is absolutely not a slouch at the track. I was exiting turn six, by the end of the day, at more than 70 miles per hour. I had my entry speed to turn one up to 115 miles per hour before I dropped anchor.
And if you're keeping score: Liz did great. I ate her up because the Porsche just plain out-powered the Neons. But she's already driving with much more stability in the turns and with smoothness on the throttle. I hope she can come back with me to do some lapping in the BMW and learn what the cars are really about. At the very least, she's safer. She had tons of fun, too, so she now knows why I'm so amped to
Last modified on 7 June, 1999.