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09-01-2007, 05:34 PM
In another thread we were discussing BMW DE events and the relative skill differences by level between our club and other clubs in similar run groups.
I race with NASA and sometimes have my 996 out in NASA DE groups. This past event a couple weeks ago, I was in the instructor group at NASA and was suprised at the slowness of the general speed.
Also, a couple of years ago I did my first DE with the local BMW club. They made me (as they do everyone) do a check-out run at Pocono to make sure I was safe to drive solo. On the recommendation of friends to drive "very conservatively and exactly on-line" I did so, 5/10ths or less. After a couple of laps the instructor told me to pit in and said exactly "You are driving a little too agressively, just take it easy and I'll sign you off."
That same event, in the rain, I remember coming off the bowl and a flagger was pointing a furled yellow flag at me (I assumed to tell me to slow down). That one cracked me up, thats not even a flag. Of course I had PSM ON! and I was well within my safety limit.
Anyway, why is it that we seem to have better skills at each level than other clubs?
Is it the lack of promotions or the instruction? I'll argue the instruction, and the reason is that we have more instructors that really understand how to drive and can explain the nuances of each track vs teaching just the ideal line.
At the recently past NASA event at Summit Point, right after the RTR event, I did another track walk -- I've probably walked that track a dozen times. I wasn't expecting much but I ran into the head instructor for the weekend, Mary, who is a BSR (owns Summit Point) instructor. Mary really suprised me in her extensive knowledge of the track (down to the type of material used for patching the surface) and driving in general. I was following her around like a green run-group driver at the track for the first time.
In two distinct places, turn 3 and turn 4, she was saying that the fast line is actually the safe line, which in some ways is contradictory to how many of us think of it (I know me!). My tie-in here is that I don't think RTR is faster for reasons that relate to safety, but for reasons that relate to understanding.
I race with NASA and sometimes have my 996 out in NASA DE groups. This past event a couple weeks ago, I was in the instructor group at NASA and was suprised at the slowness of the general speed.
Also, a couple of years ago I did my first DE with the local BMW club. They made me (as they do everyone) do a check-out run at Pocono to make sure I was safe to drive solo. On the recommendation of friends to drive "very conservatively and exactly on-line" I did so, 5/10ths or less. After a couple of laps the instructor told me to pit in and said exactly "You are driving a little too agressively, just take it easy and I'll sign you off."
That same event, in the rain, I remember coming off the bowl and a flagger was pointing a furled yellow flag at me (I assumed to tell me to slow down). That one cracked me up, thats not even a flag. Of course I had PSM ON! and I was well within my safety limit.
Anyway, why is it that we seem to have better skills at each level than other clubs?
Is it the lack of promotions or the instruction? I'll argue the instruction, and the reason is that we have more instructors that really understand how to drive and can explain the nuances of each track vs teaching just the ideal line.
At the recently past NASA event at Summit Point, right after the RTR event, I did another track walk -- I've probably walked that track a dozen times. I wasn't expecting much but I ran into the head instructor for the weekend, Mary, who is a BSR (owns Summit Point) instructor. Mary really suprised me in her extensive knowledge of the track (down to the type of material used for patching the surface) and driving in general. I was following her around like a green run-group driver at the track for the first time.
In two distinct places, turn 3 and turn 4, she was saying that the fast line is actually the safe line, which in some ways is contradictory to how many of us think of it (I know me!). My tie-in here is that I don't think RTR is faster for reasons that relate to safety, but for reasons that relate to understanding.
![[Image: yim_rolling_on_the_floor.gif]](http://forums.intpcentral.com/images/smilies/yim_rolling_on_the_floor.gif)
