It was suggested I should make this a new thread.

Just another Sat - not.

My Sat Oct 23.
I'll do it backwards.
Went to bed about 10pm.
Prior to that watched the World Series, first time in 100 years I have been interested in baseball, watched most of the playoffs. Must be due to the enlighting pasture fodder on the other 149 channels.

About noon I started fixing two leaky faucets. Finished up about 4pm one still leaks, ordered some new hardparts.

Bored yet???????

Got up about 5am. Arrived at California Speedway just before 7am. One of the highlights of the day was after driving thru the tunnel we turned and entered the garage area. As we neared where the race cars were being prepped, my super quiet GP caused about 6 heads to turn to check out where that sound was coming from. Later one came over to check out the car.

Ok, I was there for Drivetech. A fathers day present.
It was fun.
The cars are rev limited to 138mph, but when the rev limiter kicks in as you pass the flagman on the front streight you know you are cooking, that and when the front windshield pops inward on the back streight.
I wish it wasn't so expensive. I know I was slowing way TOOOOOO soon coming into the turns, esp turn 3 and would like to follow a pro some time. One of the instructers went by me coming out of 2 and I thought I was parked, of course their rev limiters are set higher.
Since it still doesn't hook up my car is a E ticket ride but I could do drivetech every weekend. So much fun to more than double the speed limit and not have to worry about getting a ticket.

Oh hum, just another Sat. and a new best time of 138mph.

 

Actually, compared to Richard Petty and similar schools, DriveTech is cheap. I've been wanting to check it out for some time. I used to be on their mailing list.

A former co-worker of mine gave her husband a DriveTech session as a gift after I told her about it. He opted for the Willow Springs class and later told me that he wished he'd dropped the extra $$$ and gone for the 2-day session. It was waaaay too much fun.

He said the second day would have allowed him to adjust to the car more and really be able to drive the track harder.

 

The courses are very expensive for what little you get to do. If you have any experience at all with racing, you will be bored. I was first to sign up for the Everham/Hawley School at Irwindale back in early '99 when it first opened. It was a bait and switch signup I ended up with. The program was first for me to be able to drive by myself 60 laps total in trhee different session by myself on the course alone. Two months after I signed up and the day came, they had hired Clint Mears (Rick Mears kid) as a lead instructor to pace everyone three cars at a time+him. (I originally put up a $2500 retainer that if I crashed the car they would take the retainer- they changed that and restricted me.

Fortunately for me, I am acquintances with Clint Mears and he persueded his boss to step me aside until the end of the day when everyone else went home. I have it on video he and I running 20.3 sec laps on a semi-dry green track (It had rained that morning and no races had taken place yet ever on the track to lay down rubber for grip. We were doing 108mph on the 1/2 mile oval straights. What a blast it turned out to be, but if I did it again they would not let me get away with that. Not worth the money because of the restrictions, they only try and temp you to come back for the bigger $$$ courses by wetting your appetite.

 

Some memories are priceless though. How often do you get to run with a dynasty name driver. Entering turn1 at Irwidale April 1999. Two or three months later, one of the mechanics was out testing and hit the wall and died in the car I'm seen driving here.

 

20.3 at Irwindale on a green track....not bad!!! Were runing low 18's in the Super Late Model class....Any previous racing experience? I have always wanted to hop in a car and just follow my uncle around out there on that track to see if I could keep pace! Hell he offered once to take me out to Willow Springs to ride with him during one of his classes where he teaches rich guys how to drive there expensive sportscars, I SHOULD OF SAID YES!!! Willow would be an awsome experience....

I have been contemplating giving the gift of a driving school to my dad for his B-day, considering all the years he has spent crew chiefing on racecars, but never getting to drive himself....

Im thinking more about some Bonderant Hi-Perf classes than a circle track class...my uncle has driven them both and would still drop anything to go back to running road courses....

 

Thats as fast as they would let me go- I was climbing all over Clints *** and he kept begging them in the comlink to let us go a little faster. Like I stated, I have it all on video. Ps, I'm 6'4" and didn't even fit in the car properly either. I have all kinds of open track experience, just nothing professional.

Idea! We could have a 5 min video show and tell at the meetings even. I have a little footage at Calif Spwy of the Camaro out braking a BMW M3 into turn3 then chasing down a GT40 in the turn 5-6 sweeper (until he staightened up an walked away from me down the 1000' straight into the 7-8 chicane where I held ground again until after the turn12 1400' straight where he smoked me at about 150mph- I was lucky to push 100. Unlike him, I was on street tires- he wasn't a very good driver.