Almost Ready to Go

[pdub]

Finally got the video to upload, I think.

It's the second run of the day, boring as could be, 26 rookies trying to find our way around the track. I'd been there before, but that didn't seem to matter a whole lot.

Just hit the highlights: At 9:01, the instructor told me to get up on the guy in the white Camaro in Turn 6 and I did. See what happens.

At 17:07 I turned too soon going into Turn 1. At that point, the instructor was laughing his ass off. "You ran off the track twice and missed the cones and the TO markers both times! That's GOOD!" And then I had to laugh at THAT, what's good about running off of the track to start with? And yes, I did miss the stuff over there out of bounds both times on purpose. While I'm at it, at least don't mess up the markers.

The sound on this video is messed up somehow. You can't hear what the instructor and I were saying to each other constantly. That's not there. So let's see if this video plays at all:

[Bob Holmes]

Peewee, don't let an instructor push you into something that makes you uncomfortable. With seat time, you'll become comfortable with "getting up on 'em."

As they say in the downloads out here "you're not going to do anything today that increases the value of your car." You are correct to consider the consequences of trashing your car. Drive within yourself, and you'll continue to enjoy the track.

[pdub]

Peewee, don't let an instructor push you into something that makes you uncomfortable. With seat time, you'll become comfortable with "getting up on 'em."

As they say in the downloads out here "you're not going to do anything today that increases the value of your car." You are correct to consider the consequences of trashing your car. Drive within yourself, and you'll continue to enjoy the track.

You've been a big influence and a resource in finding out how much fun that particular activity is. Thank you Sir.

[pdub]

This is the next to last run of the day. My camera battery died after this one, the last one was better, faster - knew and felt like I was getting something done on the track.

I think if I could spend all day every day all week on this one track, I could eventually solo. That's what it would take. But this run, I finally got that dadblame white Camaro. Last lap under green, I got him. It took all day, after I ran off the track staring at his tail lights.

Big Dad, Steve, whoever is moderating: Please just lock this thread. Because if left alone I'll add more to it and I don't think anybody else is all that interested in curve "racing" on a day off. Dadgum this is fun, if you're doing it. Boring as crap to watch, though.

[Deaf Bob]

Nope, don't lock it.. Fun hearingyou gush like a school girl on her first date..

We all have things that are fun.. But appear boring to others.. I know every car my kds drive.. To you they are carbon copies..

[pdub]

Nope, don't lock it.. Fun hearingyou gush like a school girl on her first date..

.

Well DB, if you don't want to lock it, I'll keep going. It's now your fault, you know. You asked for it.

That was a fun day. But I said that already a time or two.

And part of the track driving thing is to stay hydrated. It wasn't all that hot but they had an endless cooler full of bottled water on the porch at headquarters. And I brought six bottles of water in my cooler.

Rules and principles - I comply. I drank all the water I had and four bottles of theirs.

A two hour drive home. Racing Red through the curvy mountain road, GPS said 12 miles to the next town. And boy did I ever have to pee. No shoulder on the road, can't possibly stop and I got behind a tractor trailer truck going 20 mph.

Another tenth of a mile. I'm squirming. No, I can't wait....GPS says 10 miles to town. I'm about to pee in my pants, something's gotta give, good or bad.

Finally there was a spot beside the road and I pulled off and I let it go right there beside the car. I don't care if I get arrested or not. Whizzing and looking left and right the whole time like I was stealing something. Listening for a car coming....yes, I peed right there on the side of the road.

I've got lots more stories to tell about yesterday if y'all wanna hear 'em.

[pdub]

Here's a roof-cam from Superman's Corvette. The run starts at about 3:00:

[bnjny]

I don't think so!

On a dissimilar note, I was dragging through the local SCCA Autocross website one day. Autocross. That's fun in a fishbowl, and I've proven that I'm not any good at that either.

On their web forum, one of my favorite threads was them carrying on about a guy who showed up with a Ferrari on a trailer. He had Gucci gear and leather driving gloves and a couple of "attendants" with him who basically made sure his hair looked good.

After of the first run of the day, the Ferrari guy had already been smoked by a woman in a Miata who beat his time by 9 seconds. On a 50-second course.

The Ferrari team was so pissed off they loaded up and left right then.

That's called taking it too seriously, in my book. If it ain't fun don't do it. And realize it doesn't matter. At all.

This is why I love Autocross... It doesn't always matter what you drive, just how you drive it... Many a Road Racer has had a great start with Autocross... Randy Pobst comes to mind... Glad you are having fun...

[pdub]

This is why I love Autocross... It doesn't always matter what you drive, just how you drive it... Many a Road Racer has had a great start with Autocross... Randy Pobst comes to mind... Glad you are having fun...

Heck yeah it's all fun. I'dda never thunk a red car for sale underneath a tree would lead to so much fun.

RE autocross, the instructor Friday tore my ass up several times for trying to bring autocross to the big track. He'd say stuff like, "You're slinging the car into the curve - this is not autocross."

One time I said, "Yeah, the best autocross photos show the inside real wheel of the car off the ground."

His answer was, "That means you're going through the turn too slow."

I haven't figured that answer out yet.

[Bob Holmes]

In your car, you would never want the inside rear wheel off the ground.

[BigAL]

In your car, you would never want the inside rear wheel off the ground.

I had a VW Rabbit back in the day that I did the suspension all up on, on a few occasions my friends behind me would say I would pickup the inside tire when making right turns, Craziest one I did was just whipping it at like 60mph in front of a garbage truck, didn't even hit the brakes just whipped it, car was on three wheels or as I was told...

Hell this could have been my car, same color.

[Bob Holmes]

If he owned a Rabbit, I wouldn't have made the statement.

[Barry Donovan]

great vid, it is just big enough for the 8 to almost get big like it can and the place is small enough for... rabbits and subes. I wish my locale would do something like that. All kinds of room. .. damn money money money.

[Dan Barlow]

Pee Wee I waited for the third page to get involved. It's such fun to listen to you go on when the adrenaline is going. Glad you had a ball.

[pdub]

In your car, you would never want the inside rear wheel off the ground.

Bob I'm way wet behind the ears but I think I know where you're going with that. Red's so portly and heavy, if I ever got his inside rear wheel off the ground in a curve, I'll bet the other three wheels would go with it. And Red's sort of round shaped on top so that would not be a good day.

Kinda like what the director said at the opening meeting - windows down in case you hit something sideways, all the glass stays inside the door. And sunroofs closed and locked, because that's where you usually get ejected.