| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1265.1 | | FORTY2::BETTS | | Tue Oct 23 1990 13:00 | 7 |
|
Derek,
Stop phaffing around - join Club 89 or Club 96; also recommend you get
another mortgage, circuit events aren't cheap.
Bill.
|
| 1265.3 | Giving or receiving? | OVAL::KERRELLD | | Tue Oct 23 1990 14:38 | 1 |
| > Any Experience of Racing instruction?
|
| 1265.5 | Brands Hatch | CHEFS::COLEMANM | | Wed Oct 24 1990 14:24 | 19 |
| I did several lessons at Brands Hatch Racing, both at Brands and at
their school at Snetterton.
Very professional, well run and as safe as it can be. I managed to spin
in a Formula First on one lesson in a downpour ----- not fun ....
Initially, you get a one on one with an instructor in an XR3i to check
out your loony-level (madness is NOT encouraged) then a demonstration
lap, which makes you wonder why you EVER thought you could drive
quickly in the first place.
Then several laps in your choice of F First or XR3i. Subsequent
sessions have you going for a faster and faster target lap time.
Great fun, VERY addictive, but perhaps a little serious. I'm thinking
about giving Peter Gethin's school at Goodwood a try - that should be
quite laid back !!
Regards - Mark
|
| 1265.6 | tires near road,shiny side up! | NYTP05::JANKOWITZ | Stock transfer program DECline | Wed Oct 24 1990 14:37 | 34 |
| From my experience driving and crewing it seems to me that the most
important thing you can do is get TIC (time in car). A lot of people
started with autocrosses (timed events in parking lots around pylons).
Several car clubs in the US rent out tracks for members. The Porsche
Club of America (PCA) calls the events drivers education. You get to
go out and get some track time though it's not racing. In the PCA they
tell you where you're allowed to pass (never in turns). They group
drivers by experience so the more experienced drivers don't get stuck
out with toooo many slow drivers. The best part is that you can get
some quality track time. We would get 2-3 hours of track time per
weekend in 20-30 minute sessions. The PCA events now cost close to
what a race weekend cost. Other clubs do the same types of events over
here. The BMW, Datsun and Ferrari (you may not get in this one) clubs
are among them.
If you can find something similar over there it may help.
There are also other classes of racing which get some real seat time.
Over here there's IMSA. The costs are higher but the races are usually
1.5+ hours. Usually you co-drive with someone else. We also have
some long Showroom Stock races, up to 24 hours.
There are also open test days at tracks. These can be a bit hectic
depending on the number of cars that show up.
I'd look into the clubs first. Someone must be using all of those
tracks when there are no races.
As you spend more time in the car you get more comfortable and can
work your way up to the limit more gradually. Racing weekends nothing
seems to happen gradually.
It sounds like you're doing pretty well for just starting though.
|
| 1265.8 | | NCEIS1::CHEVAUX | Patrick Chevaux, Nice, 828-6995 | Wed Oct 24 1990 17:32 | 24 |
| I've done (some time ago ...) the Winfield racing school at Paul
Ricard. They have a 3 day course to teach the basics ie
- brake and downshift
- slow corners
- medium corners
- fast corners
- laps at 4500 rpm, 5000rpm, 5500rpm and 6000rpm (flat out)
All this in a Formula Renault car (400kg, 140bhp).
I found the course excellent. I keep driving single seaters at Winfield
at Paul Ricard from time to time, just to keep a good feeling.
On series of entire laps at 5500rpm (almost flat out) and at 6000rpm
I compared my own times with those of the other Winfield students and I
still feel confident ... Other students include Prost, Tambay, Beranrd,
Alesi, ...
I've also been invited to the Paul Ricard Marlboro racing school where
they do just the opposite ie show you the circuit in a Ford XR3i and
then let you drive. I dont think this is an effective way of teaching
1 because the XR3i is far from being a race car
2 nothing replaces a single seater
|
| 1265.9 | Some less expensive long distance racing too | NYTP05::JANKOWITZ | Stock transfer program DECline | Wed Oct 24 1990 22:27 | 7 |
| Besides the GTP and Lights cars (C1 and C2 types/ big bucks) IMSA also runs
GTO and GTU which are production based race cars from Toyota Celicas
to Mazda RX7s to Corvettes. My brother raced in GTU for a couple of
years while I played crew chief.
I think IMSA is also the owner of the Firestone Firehawk series
which is another type of showroom stock racing.
|