As much as it pains me.........

[jgiannone]

As much as it pains me, my car is going back up on the jack stands today. After a 5 month winter refresh, and being convinced that there was nothing left to do, I'm going to find something to do.

Depending upon how your DE car is set up, if its trailered and used exclusively for DE, now is a good time to look at how much weight you can take out. And you'd be amazed. Things that are not mission critical to a track environment all conspire to slow the car down. All the extra weight needs to be accelerated, cornered, and stopped. So look at things with a critical eye, and ask yourself, do I really need this _____? This is also the least expensive performance enhancement you can do. Basically zero cost.
A good rule of thumb, 100 pounds is roughly 1 second a lap, or anywhere from 7-10 car lengths per lap. Think about that the next time your friends go steaming by.

Track width plays a large role in limiting weight transfer ( a good thing). If you have two piece lower control arms, maybe consider some larger shims. Needless to say, any adjustment here will require a new alignment. And spacers, to the extent of safety, are a cheap and easy way to use the clearance your got under the fenders..

Have you looked at your tire wear over the last year or so, and if so, what do you see? Are there patterns of uneven wear that cause premature failure. Now would be a good time to investigate why, and what you'd have to do to make it stop. (Making it stop usually makes the car faster also).

And I've mentioned this before, but having enough brake pad to comfortably and safely make it through a weekend is smart. Changing pads at the track is fine, but not the same as in the comfort of a garage without time constraints. And if pads aren't lasting as long as you'd like, it amazing what you can do with a few dollars worth of silicone hose and zip ties, to route more clean air to the rotors and calipers.

All of these ideas are relatively inexpensive and easy to do in order to ensure a faster and safer outcome when we finally get back on track.

[Phokaioglaukos]

John, you are in inspiration to us all!

Post notes of your progress, please.

[jgiannone]

Thanks Chris. Its either work on my car, or start to clean the kitchen floor with a toothbrush. Something to kill the time.

In my case, I've managed to get what was originally a 3100 pound car down to 2615 pounds; almost 500 pounds of dead weight gone and thats only with one carbon fiber part; a hood. The rest was just sheer will, time, and a sharp Dremel blade. And for anyone who's looked closely, I have exactly a sheet of paper clearance between my tires and the wheel arches.

Always looking for some way to make things just a little bit better.

[jgiannone]

As a follow up, I was looking at my car the other day with a keen eye on safety. I was asking myself, what happens when it all goes to hell? In no particular order, when was the last time you made sure your seat was bolted firmly to the chassis, is there an appropriate seat back brace in required, does the seat brace rest firmly up against the back of the seat, what condition are the belts in, how about netting support for your arms in the event of an incident, and what about footwell protection up against any exposed hard surfaces (I know tow people who broke ankles recently). Are all the exposed roll bar/cage surfaces covered in padding, and what about a hard look at anything that may cause an injury. Lastly, when was the last time you practiced getting of of your car quickly? Does the window net retract easily, does the steering wheel come off, and if so, is it easy to do so, and do the belts unlatch easily? We're all taught to stay in the car in the event of an incident, unless its on fire. Every once and a while, I'll just sit in the car and go through the routine of how do I get out of this fast. Make it second nature, so there's no question should the need arise.

Like all of us, I'm bored to tears, and tired of painting bathrooms and closets. Any questions, just e-mail me at jgiannone@comcast.net

[Phokaioglaukos]

More excellent pointers from one of our most experienced and capable drivers, racers and instructors. Thanks, John!

The winter before last my son-in-law and I (well, mostly him) took a long look at the race car which had not been on track for a while. We added a right-side net and, in an abundance of caution, the newly-recommended left side net in addition to the existing window net. The new nets wrap around the rear and sides of the containment FIA seat and are intended to keep the driver's head from flopping outside the seat's containment. The new left side net should do a much better job at that than the window net which just keeps the driver in the car. Both new nets have big red buttons and the nets are under tension so pressing a button causes the net to drop away. Nevertheless, we practised quick exits from the car from a race position all suited up with radio, drinking water, cool shirt, and harnesses connected. I can assure you it takes practice to do quickly!

Our Porsches can be very safe on track, as long as they are properly cared for and updated as recommended and we practise for unwanted bur foreseeable events.

[jgiannone]

Very well said Chris. There's a lot that can go wrong, and we don't see it unfolding in front of us before its too late. A friend of mine got hit head-on one time! Its bad enough when our cars suffer damage, or are destroyed, but throughout the years, I've seen broken ankles, dislocated shoulders, and even a death (yes, a death). All of these, to a large extent, could have been prevented.

Maybe when the dusts settles, we could put together a safety clinic. (staying six feet apart of course).