How do I get started?

[Darren]

Chris --

The biggest difficulty I had going from DE to club racing was increasing the level of aggression.  DE and racing are different basically only for that reason.  In DE if you pass me, go ahead and take the apex and lets get on.  In racing, its MY APEX! Go ahead and try to take it!

Part of the aggression is also being comfortable driving very close to other cars.  In some ways to me, and I've heard others describe it this way also, its almost a sixth-sense.  You just know a car is next to you even though you can't see it sometimes.  You see this in pro racing all the time, you see guys make moves where there is no way they could actually see the other car (not and drive at the same time!).

FWIW -- at the RTR Summit event there was a BMW racer running with us who was entirely too aggressive for DE.  I was mostly ok with it, but I don't realy want to be going that fast with someone 8" off my rear bumper for 6 laps at DE who I don't know, that is entirely missing the point of DE.  During a race, however, 8" is nothing unusual.

I mentioned in the Summit Point thread that I entered my 996 in the Time Trial event with NASA during last weekend.  I was already there with both cars and wanted some extra track time.  The Time Trial would be a great stepping stone for getting into racing, in my opinion.  During the timed sessions, it is open passing with no signals.  In general, signals are given anyway.  TT is a great way to get used to driving close to other cars at near-race speeds.  I think you could do that in your GT3 safely.

NASA Mid-Atlantic also allows passing in the turns in DE.  I don't like to give the signal for someone to do this unless I'm confortable with the driver/situation of course.  And you still need a signal, so it isn't dangerous.  I was doing a session in HPDE4 (instructor group) with NASA last weekend and someone gave me a point on the inside of T7. "Oh right, I can do that", so I took it of course.  That practice, if you've never passed in a turn, is invaluable to racing.

Before I started racing I remember learning a lot driving with Bob T at RTR events.  We were about the same speed, and we'd trade back and forth, passing late off-line as much as possible, often giving a re-pass signal at track-out.  This is a great way to learn, in my opinion, if you can find someone to run with.

Passing is difficult to learn because it's not something that is taught in DE.  I think I learned a lot about setting up passes (when people don't want to be passed) by going to the go-kart track.  Kam helped me a lot with that.

 

[Darren]

I'll add that I don't think its that important to be competing for a podium finish.  We're all racing for bragging rights not money, so it doesn't really matter if you win, it's more about having fun.  That said, winning would be fun!!!

As long as you have 1 car to race with you will have a blast.  I've had a lot of fun in races where I didn't run in qualifying for some reason, and started at the back of the pack.  Passing all of the slower cars (lots of them!) is tons of fun!  That, to me, is more fun that finishing in your qualifying position and never passing a car.

[Phokaioglaukos]

Last weekend I attended the SCCA's Washington DC Region race school. I wrote a bit about it in a couple of posts on Rennlist: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/sh...p?t=387948

Jack, as you noted, renting a car (a SSM Miata in this case) was the thing to do. My car was fine in the group and the support I had from RP Performance was first rate. I recommend Bret there highly, and their shop is at the SP track. Also, you are right that a spec class is the place for me. I want close racing where it's the driver, not the car, that's making the difference. SM/SSM might make sense because the fields are large at the SP races. With 40-some cars it's possible to find someone to race with at any event. I'll have to investigate 944 spec racing further, but 944s have never really appealed to me. You're also right that the cars in the paddock at a SCCA race are not the gorgeous cars you see at a RTR DE. (See my comments on contact--I was punted the )

Darren, the biggest change I faced from DE to club racing was, as you said, increasing my level of "aggression." I did not anticipate that, even though you told me, but you speak the truth. I just expected that I would get a pass from a slower car. Not true! I needed to take the corner away from the other car, and it took me longer to find that corner than I expected. Racecraft, I guess. With evenly matched cars I needed to drive better, but do so in the right places. I learned a LOT, and have much still to learn. Surprisingly, I liked the close proximity of the cars. I need better 360° vision, but it was fun to pass two cars going into T1 leaving just 6" from my door handle to theirs. Surprisingly it did not bother me to be a couple of inches off the bumper of another car, either in front or in back. Even the contact was no big deal, although I can understand how that is not always the case. Maybe it's that the speeds seemed so low? Compared to my GT3 everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I need to learn passing, and that will take effort. When I do it right, it's fun. When someone passes me because I left the door open, it's a learning experience.

Bob, I'll look for you at SP for some pointers.

[Sechsgang]

^^^^I found the proximity really nice as well...I dont know exactly why...


As for the speed...I though the same thing and I was in the TT...everything feels slower and its great..I have NO idea why this is as my times were DEFINITELY atleast a second or even two faster than when I was at the last summit de...even while racing..(ok, maybe only .5-1.5...but it felt WAY slower than the De still)