Archive for category: For Enthusiasts

You are here: / / For Enthusiasts
,

Summer Snapshot: Calabogie 2022

NER’s Third DE of the Year – Calabogie in July

 

Hello folks. This installment of the DE Crier’s corner brings us over the border to a small town west of Ottawa Canada. That would be the township of Calabogie, which is in the heart of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada. It is truly a beautiful place with wonderful lakes, rolling hills, and a few really good bistro type dining establishments. But most importantly, they have what we crave. What is that? An amazing, world-class race track.

 

This was our return to Canada in the post covid world. And to be honest, the border crossing thing wasn’t that big of a deal. In the last two years we had to cancel all of our events in Canada due to the covid border closings. As many know, we cancelled our Tremblant event earlier this summer due to low attendance. So we were very pleased to be able to proceed with his event. 

The event at Calabogie has always been a low turn out event and because of that, the event has a little more focus on individual development and TONS of driving. This year we each had a minimum of 3.5 hours of on-track time PER DAY, and well over 10 hours of track time for the total event was possible. Yes, you read that right. A typical DE event give you close to 4 hours of on track time for a 3 day event. I urge you to register and come to this event next year. Its well worth it, and its pretty special. 

Other than getting a ton of track time, we also try to have a pro-coach who can work with us. This year we were able to retain our best yet, Francis Marquis. Francis is a senior coach with Calabogie Motorsports Park, with responsibilities in HPDE program delivery and instructor training. He also works with TWOth Autosport as a driver coach and race engineer supporting the Spec Miata, Radical and TCR programs. And if that wasn’t enough, Francis is the chief instructor for the BMW Car Club of Ottawa, with responsibilities in organizing and delivering the Advanced Driving School and Tire Rack Street Survival programs as well as instructor development. He ran a wonderful program for us. He gave us several classroom sessions, in-car instruction and probably the best track-walk that I have ever been part of. His attention to detail was impeccable. And he was also really fun and just an all-around great personality.  

 

We had a beer and wine social, where everyone was able to embellish the facts of the day. For some reason everyone seems faster in the evening than they really were. The track also has a lunch counter. Each day lunch was included as part of the package, that made it easier for everyone, to be able to just get lunch at the track. 

We are looking at how to make this event even better for next year. This year has proven that we can run this as a stand alone event. We absolutely plan to go back next year. Whatever your reason for not wanting to go this year, or in previous years, I urge you to reconsider. The border wasn’t a big deal. Yes, the drive to get there is a little long, but we had no traffic and it was a pretty easy drive. 

Calabogie is absolutely one of my favorite tracks in the world. The experience is absolutely worth the effort. 

– Adam Schwartz



 

 

/by
, , ,

DE Crier Report: Palmer #2

NER’s Last DE of the Season

Palmer 2022 Sept 23-25

Your DE Crier was unable to participate in this event (hence this is Kind Of Bill’s Report – LR) but thankfully there are better writers.  The following reflects the work of Mike Woodward, Joe Cracco and Dale LeBossiere…

In between the heavy rain on Thursday and the showers late Sunday, we were treated to 3 great days of driving at a spectacular and challenging track with Patrick Long and the Cayman Islands sponsored Cayman GT4 Club Sport.  Admittedly, Friday started out a little cooler than the Cayman islands folks are used to (cold temps and wind chill almost in the 30’s), but it was sunny and dry! 

If you haven’t seen the Cayman Islands Cayman, you should.  It’s a beautiful car.  It’s fully wrapped with the front being that almost indescribably gorgeous Caribbean blue water and the back being the sandy beach with crashing waves in between.  Pity that no one could see the car for long.  Why?  Because…well because of Long. Patrick Long.  He (thanks to the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism Authority) drove 24 lucky raffle winners around Palmer in that car.   Let’s say that Patrick’s pace was such that you never saw him coming and once you gave him the point by, he was out of sight in a matter of seconds.  Turns out that Porsche factory drivers are pretty quick. 

Patrick Long is one of the great Porsche team racers of all time, and he has been the only American on the Porsche team.  He has won endurance races at Le Mans (twice), Sebring, and many others during his illustrious career.

The NER Track Committee was thrilled to hear Patrick would join us at our local track in Palmer, MA on September 23 for demonstration rides supporting his favorite charity.  The Cayman Islands sponsored this event with impressive goodies for all participants and, of course, the car driven by Patrick.

We raised $3,000 for charity by selling raffle tickets for the 24 rides available with Patrick.

All of the raffle winners were thoroughly impressed with the laps riding shotgun with Patrick.  Many of us have spent years driving Porsches as a hobby, and we were all humbled by the skills and speed demonstrated by Patrick.

For those of you track rats, a few technical observations:

  • The Cayman Islands Club Sport itself was no more powerful than many of our cars, but its suspension and brakes were extremely ‘dialed-in’.  Porsche does a fantastic job tuning its cars, and Cayman Islands team further tunes these cars based on feedback from its racers.  Many of us longed for a chance to drive that car!
  • Patrick was very relaxed driving at impressive speeds.  Endurance racers can’t afford to waste energy, and Patrick appeared to be driving conservatively relative to his race pace.
  • Perhaps because of the fresh Michelin slicks and the relatively low power of Patrick’s car, he apexed a bit earlier than most of us.
  • Braking was most impressive.  Patrick braked later than we do, and he balanced braking and turning (trail braking) almost to each apex where he smoothly transitioned to the gas pedal.
  • Patrick balanced oversteer and understeer naturally and without drama.  His hands were very fast and precise when the car oversteered.
  • Many of us were surprised by Patrick’s technique of shifting the PDK transmission to a higher gear to reduce torque and oversteer.
  • Patrick did not use the full track width on some of the turns.  His natural line was guided by his vision.
  • Many commented on the smoothness of the ride with Patrick especially when transitioning from braking to throttle in each turn.

Many of us improved our lap times after riding with Patrick, and the enthusiasm of all participants was exciting to see.

Dale LaBossiere reported that while he was awaiting his ride, Al Sandy was watching and timing Patrick… “that’s a 1:41”!  That lap time is about 4 seconds faster than the fastest times of our instructors, and Patrick drove that pace in his very first session of the day on an unfamiliar track! 

When Friday’s track went cold, the pre-dinner social had a festive tropical vibe with colored lights and inflatable palm trees in kiddie pools full of ice and beer provided by sponsor South Shore Auto works. Then the Cayman Islands folks put on the grand finale.  A one-two punch of Cayman Islands swag bags (including Patrick Long signed hats, yeti mug, key fob, etc…) and a belly-busting Caribbean food-fest dinner. (Thanks to Pam Mascetta and Judy Mansing for organizing the dinner!)

After an awesome day on Friday, we enjoyed the rest of the weekend without the company of Patrick and the Cayman Islands team. Saturday dawned just as cold as Friday (but didn’t feel like it b/c the wind was lighter).  With new run groupings, drivers were treated to 26-minute run sessions (20% more than normal) and boy was it a treat.  That extra 5 minutes was just enough time for each of us to master Palmer (or am I the only one?). LOL. What with running CW one year and then CCW the next, for most of us, it had been 2 years since running the track in this direction (CCW this time). Remember how to drive this direction 2 years later? Some of us can’t remember what we had for breakfast. 

Funny thing, though….it took only a session for the track layout to come back to Joe Cracco (inconceivable b/c, no kidding, he still can’t remember what he had for breakfast).   Talking to others in the paddock, everyone seemed to be working on improving their driving on different parts of the track.  Isn’t that just like Palmer?  After all, there are 14 corners and lots of elevation change.  (Who is Joe Cracco you ask? He’s the only man in New England who might do this: Winter Beaters Season 1 Vol.1 – LR)

Some folks were promoted, some hit personal bests, all had a great experience. To quote one new student (back from a few years away from PCA), “Every single person was friendly and helpful. I have participated in many DE events, but this one was by far the most welcoming”.   For that we have to give thanks to the volunteers who continue to produce events like this which are a joy to attend. ‘till next year, Palmer!

OK, so now your DE Crier is taking back the microphone from Mike and Joe and Dale. And the main thing that I can add is that I have actually been to the Cayman Islands and can report that it is all you would hope for in an island vacation (stay at the Ritz Carlton and try the water squirty thingie powered by a jetski if you dare). See Water Squirty Jetski powered thingie below-

 

 

Here are the promotions from this event…

Placement to Blue (new to our club but has prior experience):

  • Penko Ivanov

Green to Yellow:

  • Corina Cisneros
  • Stephen McMillan
  • Chris Gorski

Yellow to Blue:

  • James Burgarella
  • Benjamin Zendejas
  • Jay Wynn
  • Matt Robison
  • Joe Davin
  • Stephen Hall

Blue to White:

  • Sam Axelrod

White to Black:

  • Michael Canfield (son of the instructor Michael Canfield)
  • Torsten Becker
  • Zachary Veugen

And finally, special thanks to Glenn Champagne and Betty Mae Mosley for finding and coordinating the Cayman Islands Dept. of Tourism event at Palmer and the following day at Lars Anderson!

 

 

/by
, , , , , , , , ,

Getting Started with NER PCA

Welcome to the Home of the Porsche Club of America’s Northeast Region!

Below are some helpful links to the activities shown in the NER PCA flyer you received, as well as contact information for the experts who can answer any questions you have on each type of activity.

If you have ideas for additional events we could plan or would like to volunteer for existing activities, please feel free to email me at [email protected].
We can always use help keeping our members connected through communications on our website, writing articles for us to publish, event planning, or if you have technical expertise, we welcome any and all perspectives to ensure members are getting the most out of the club!

If you are already a member of NER PCA and don’t currently receive our News email which goes out around the 15th of the month, please reach out to me on that as well. I will provide information on how to update the email address on file with PCA National.

On behalf of NER’s board of directors and myself personally, thank you for stopping by to check out what the club has to offer and we look forward to meeting you at one of our future events!
Lisa Burke
NER PCA Membership Chair

Full calendar of club events: https://porschenet.com/events/
Recurring weekly events not listed in the calendar:
Sim Racing, Tuesdays at 8pm
Cape Cod Porsche Gruppe Cars & Coffee, Saturdays 7:30am

Concours: https://porschenet.com/activities/concours/
Chair: David Melchar, [email protected]

Driver Education: https://porschenet.com/activities/driver-education/
Chairs: Adam Schwartz & Charles Kenney
Registrar & Safety: Stan Corbett, [email protected]

Ramble: https://porschenet.com/activities/the-new-england-ramble/
Ramblemeister: Dennis Friedman, [email protected]

Sim Racing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/810156892838722
Chair: Robert Galejs, [email protected]

Autocross: https://porschenet.com/activities/autocross/
Chair: Chris Ryan, [email protected]
Registrar: Jeff Johnson, [email protected]

Social Activities: https://porschenet.com/activities/social-events/
Chairs: Glenn Champagne & Betty Mae Mosley [email protected]

Facebook groups to connect with other members:
• Main group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/northeastregionpca
• Autocross: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260319394517298
• Technical: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3572353792857260
• Sim Racing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/810156892838722
• Cape Cod Gruppe: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1570367176509558

/by
,

South of Boston (SoBo) Porsches and Coffee 11 September 2022

It was about 8:45 AM and I knew we were at the right place because Larry Levin, NER’s PCA photographer, was already there. Larry is the often-credited photographer for our on-line magazine and website.

Mistakenly, the website posting of our 11 September starting time was changed from 10 to 9 AM, making for a long morning (numerous Porsches arrived after 10 AM with the total around 50 Porsches.)

This was the first time we held our Porsches and Coffee at the LongPlex facility. Sweet Berry could not accommodate us in September due to apple picking crowds. When asked, LongPlex received positive remarks. The coffee was tasty; breakfast was offered. Sorry, no donuts or pastries.

The first proud Porsche owner I spoke with was Bob Gauvin with his 2003 Red Carrera. This 996 six speed, showing just 55K miles is Bob’s first Porsche, saying that it was a retirement gift. Bob and I share our first purchase of a sports car, the Subeam Alpine. Bob’s Porsche purchase was because of Jay Leno’s recommendation on his TV show. On his first drive Bob said he was a bit apprehensive because the car was so quick. This 996 is very original, well above average; headlights still look new.

Bob Gavin and his 2003 Carrera

Next for an interview was Rick Competiello with his 2013 Agate Grey 911S Cab (991.1) with Porsche Sport Exhaust. A PCA member since 2009, his first Porsche was a Cayman S. Rick said “Born and raised in Stuttgart Germany, as a child I always saw Porsches;” he added: “Porsches are designed by engineers.” Unlike the Cayman, the 911’s jump seats are nice for his two girls.

 

Rick Competiello with his 2013 991S

Jon and Nicole Smith parked their 1998 Zenith Blue Metallic (Grey Interior), Stuttgart built Boxster. (The “S” on the VIN denotes Stuttgart) rather than Finland). Jon said, “ I purchased the car in 2012 from my friend and proposed to my wife in the car. He drives the car every day and puts snow tires on in the winter. Jon added the color-matching hardtop in 2020. Currently they own four additional Porsches.

 

Jon & Nicole Smith (and Roger’s finger) with their 1998 Boxster

Rick Abisla arrived in his 1991 Midnight Blue Metallic C2 Cab. This well cared for Porsche showing 89,916 miles was bought off of a lease when it was three years old in 1994. Rick’s first Porsche was a Boxster (968). As a kid he had a MG Midget. Asked what he likes about his Porsche, he replied, “it is the stickability, handling.“

Rick Abisla and his 1991 C2 Cab

Don and Jody arrived in their first Porsche. Two years ago, they purchased this Artic Silver Tiptronic 2003 C4S. Hard to believe they found this well-above average-maintained car on Craig’s List (had 48k miles at purchase); they are the third owner. As a kid with a paper route, Don saw a 356 Porsche and he knew that’s what he wanted to have. On his first drive he realized that the C4S was fast. Jody says, “love everything about the car.”

 

Dan and Jody with their 911 C4S

The final SoBo this season is scheduled for 9 October (9 to11 AM)** at Sweet Berry Farm, 915 Mitchell’s Ln, Middletown, RI. The event as always is FREE, and no pre-registration is necessary. The only requirement to park on the grass is your Porsche. A Porsche logo sign should be in place directing you to the parking area. Sweet Berry Farm is child friendly, encouraging small children to enjoy a working farm, so when entering and exiting, drive carefully.

** Cars may be leaving before 11 AM to participate in the Bob Dow memorial drive.

Rog Slocum
127 Center Ave.
Middletown, RI 02842
e-mail: [email protected]

/by
,

Summer Stories

 The summer of ’22 has been going as  fast as that Hot Rod Lincoln that turned telephone poles into a picket fence (look it up). June is gone and July has rounded the last turn. There have been great rides, lots of car shows, some great races, a few hiccups and some great stories along the way. Sometimes the short stories are the best. Here are a few.

 I’m a big believer in Karma, although I was late to the party. You Tube has endless clips of Cops being there when they’re needed, bikers kicking car doors and then crashing, and all sorts of examples of fate getting even with dummies. My most recent example was on a test drive in the ’72 911.

  I don’t drive it as much as I should, so when I had an opportunity to make a little noise with it last week, I took it. After warming up the oil, which took a few miles on the back roads in Medfield, I stopped at a T intersection to open the Speed Box on my phone to check the accuracy of the speedo. There were no cars about when I stopped, but before I was ready to go right, a Prius had pulled up behind me  to also turn right and began to blow the horn. I quickly rolled around the corner onto the shoulder, stopped and let him proceed.  The road was a long straight that goes past the town Transfer Station with plenty of visibility for a speedo test. I got on it through four gears and was closing in on the “battery box” at a relatively high rate of speed. It was a 55 mph zone and he was doing everything he could to exceed it.

I thought for a moment that I should just blow by him to show how a real car goes, but since he seemed to be exceeding 70 mph (probably as fast as it would go), that seemed too easy, so I backed off as we crested a rise in the road. By then I was about 100 yards behind and was the second car to see the Medfield police car up on the left with a radar gun pointed down range. Of course the cruiser lit up the lights and made a U turn as we drove by. Imagine my surprise when he passed me and pulled over the Prius.  I rolled by as quietly as I could, some days things just go right.

The ’72 also delivered a great victory to me in the form of a minor repair. After the Endicott Estate car show (1100 entries, 35 imports ??) I drove home and put the car in the garage. As I closed the driver’s door the latch wouldn’t catch on the second click. Strange, it worked just fine the last 15 years. I thought that I would take the latch out and see if it could be fixed. Also, that window has been hard to roll up and down for years, maybe that could be addressed “while I was there”. To repair or replace the latch, the armrest, door panel, and window frame had to come out first. I discovered that new door latches for a 50 year old car were not available but there were some good used ones on eBay. Sometimes these wear items can be renewed with a new spring, a little cleaning or a little massaging so I dove into the job without a replacement part in hand.

I have the luxury of having more than one car available so if a job doesn’t get finished the same day, it’s not a big deal. Years ago when the only car we had was needed to get to work every day, a job wasn’t started unless all the parts needed were on hand. Sure enough, the shaft on the latch itself was worn so badly that it wouldn’t hold it straight  enough to keep the door closed tight. So it was back to eBay  to buy a used one on the left coast. The garage light went off for the night with tools and parts all over the floor. With the kids well out of the house, everything is always exactly where I left it when I get back to the job.

 I don’t drive it as much as I should, so when I had an opportunity to make a little noise with it last week, I took it. After warming up the oil, which took a few miles on the back roads in Medfield, I stopped at a T intersection to open the Speed Box on my phone to check the accuracy of the speedo. There were no cars about when I stopped, but before I was ready to go right, a Prius had pulled up behind me  to also turn right and began to blow the horn. I quickly rolled around the corner onto the shoulder, stopped and let him proceed.  The road was a long straight that goes past the town Transfer Station with plenty of visibility for a speedo test. I got on it through four gears and was closing in on the “battery box” at a relatively high rate of speed. It was a 55 mph zone and he was doing everything he could to exceed it.

I thought for a moment that I should just blow by him to show how a real car goes, but since he seemed to be exceeding 70 mph (probably as fast as it would go), that seemed too easy, so I backed off as we crested a rise in the road. By then I was about 100 yards behind and was the second car to see the Medfield police car up on the left with a radar gun pointed down range. Of course the cruiser lit up the lights and made a U turn as we drove by. Imagine my surprise when he passed me and pulled over the Prius.  I rolled by as quietly as I could, some days things just go right.

The ’72 also delivered a great victory to me in the form of a minor repair. After the Endicott Estate car show (1100 entries, 35 imports ??) I drove home and put the car in the garage. As I closed the driver’s door the latch wouldn’t catch on the second click. Strange, it worked just fine the last 15 years. I thought that I would take the latch out and see if it could be fixed. Also, that window has been hard to roll up and down for years, maybe that could be addressed “while I was there”. To repair or replace the latch, the armrest, door panel, and window frame had to come out first. I discovered that new door latches for a 50 year old car were not available but there were some good used ones on eBay. Sometimes these wear items can be renewed with a new spring, a little cleaning or a little massaging so I dove into the job without a replacement part in hand.

 I have the luxury of having more than one car available so if a job doesn’t get finished the same day, it’s not a big deal. Years ago when the only car we had was needed to get to work every day, a job wasn’t started unless all the parts needed were on hand. Sure enough, the shaft on the latch itself was worn so badly that it wouldn’t hold it straight  enough to keep the door closed tight. So it was back to eBay  to buy a used one on the left coast. The garage light went off for the night with tools and parts all over the floor. With the kids well out of the house, everything is always exactly where I left it when I get back to the job.

KTF

/by
,

10/15: NER Autocross #5

NER’s fifth and final 2022 Autocross event will be held Saturday October 15th  at Moore Airfield in Ayer, MA and is sponsored by Herb Chambers Porsche. 

Drivers should arrive no later than 7:30 to empty car and get ready.
Registration opens one month prior to the event and closes four days before the event.
>>> Register Here <<<

 

The full detail!

As always, we welcome newcomers to the sport as well as our veteran Autocrossers. We plan to try and do another joint NCR/NER winter Autocross Party at Billiards Café in Ayer in January/February where can all get together and present Season awards, etc. Stay tuned for announcements ….     

For those new to Autocross, it is a safe and accessible introduction to motor sports and a fantastic way to improve on your driving skills both for motorsports and street driving.  It is also a competitive event: the runs are timed and you compete against similar cars in your class at each event. Participants at our autocross events are a dynamic mix of veterans and novices, enjoying what is both a Club social event as well as a friendly competition. Novices can always count on help from the autocross veterans and no one takes it so seriously that it interferes with the spirit of camaraderie. We’ve even implemented a new class for novices and will provide a instructors during the event for those that want one. To give you a first-hand look at what to expect, we have a series of excellent  “Introduction to Autocross” videos on our website, produced by one of our long-time members Richard Viard. They can be seen on the Autocross page of our website at www.porschenet.com.

Registration is open on motorsportreg.com You must register online by midnight, Wednesday October 12th.

Gates will open at 7:00 am. Please do not arrive before that time unless you are part of the setup crew. When you arrive, the check-in crew will ask to see your driver’s license and e-waiver badge on your phone.

Park in the paddock area and empty your car, put your assigned numbers on your car, and get in the tech line with your helmet in the car.

Tech lines will be open from 7:15 to 8:15; Plan to arrive no later than 8:00 to get through Tech before it closes.

You should bring a helmet (Snell 2010 or newer), sunscreen, water and lunch if you did not order it. Loaner helmets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Drivers Meeting will take place near the Control Tent around 8:30 am. 

There will be a course walk after the driver’s meeting; Following the course walk go immediately to your assigned work stations. We will begin runs at about 9:30 am.

We’ll take a short lunch break between the morning and afternoon run sessions. If you ordered lunch when you registered, it will be available for pickup. Soft drinks, snacks, and water will be provided by the Club.

The cost for the day is $55 for members, $65 for non-members. Lunch can be pre-ordered online when registering.

Teenage children of PCA members who are under 18 but have a full license (not a learner’s permit) are able to participate via the PCA Junior Participation program.  This requires that a waiver be signed by both parents and one parent must attend the event.  Contact the Autocross Registrar for further details.

We look forward to seeing you at this event.  Questions:  contact AX Chair Chris Ryan ([email protected]).  For registration information, contact the AX Registrar Jeff Johnson ([email protected]).   

Directions:  The event will be at Moore Airfield on Route 2A which is separate from the main (former) Army base. The Google maps address is 90 Fitchburg Rd. Ayer MA.     From Rte128 or I-495: Take Route 2 West. Take Exit 38B (Route 111 North) for 2 miles. At the rotary, take Route 2A West toward Ayer. Stay on 2A as it turns right in downtown Ayer.  Follow Route 2A bearing left at the fork by Tiny’s Restaurant. Continue past the Shop & Save market on your left – the entrance gate will be on your left just after the railroad tracks with a sign reading “State Police Driver Training”. Enter through the main gate, then look for the “Autocross” sign and bear left up the hill to get to the airfield. Everyone should have signed the e-waivers prior to arriving. At the top of the hill there will be someone to check you in. Please be prepared to show your driver’s license and PCA Membership card if asked.

Event Sponsor:

/by
, ,

DE Crier: August Report

We missed you! Yes, I’m talking to you.  You didn’t go to the Watkins Glen 3-day DE in August and you missed a helluva good event.  (OK, you over there.  You did go – I saw you – and I know you agree with me.)  First and foremost we had fantastic weather:  nice dry high 70’s and cool at night.  (Perhaps we can thank Buzz Bean for his non-directed kidney donation that brought incredible karma. Kidding aside, that’s one magnificent gesture!)  Then we had an incident free weekend with only a couple of significant car problems.  One was Paul Skinner’s attempt at mosquito control on the front straight. The other was Gary Hebner’s car failure which led to another very nice act:  Larry and Laura Tambascio drove their track car home so that Gary’s car could ride on their trailer back to Providence, well out of their way!

Then there was the BBQ.  Thanks to Judy Mansing and Pam Mascetta for their continued excellence in running our social events.  The food was provided by Dinosaur BBQ and included some of the best ribs and brisket over which your reporter has ever smacked lips – and there was a lot of it – leftovers at the track the next day! And held at a really cool place:  Iroquois Lodge in the State Park where we could spread out, enjoy a huge lawn and then have nice covered seating.  And did I mention the wine and beer selection (Judy is in the business and knows her stuff)? The featured beer for IPA fans was a NY beer aptly named Wrench – 7.1 percent and a 16-ouncer.  So good I’ll have another, thanks. How about a third?  All gone but there are still Lagunitas.  (The DE Crier – not driving that evening – was not so happy the following morning.  However, let the record show no sessions were missed.)

 

 

We also had a little special entertainment in the form of fancy race car drivers visiting us on Friday.  Our lunch break was extended an hour so that 4 NASCAR drivers could do orientation laps in advance of participating in the Watkins Glen event on August 21st.  Most notable among them was Kimi Raikkonen (ex-F1 champion) who was joined by Ross Chastain and Daniel Saurez and Trackhouse Racing owner and former racer, Justin Marks. By NASCAR rules they couldn’t be on the track within a week of the event (dictating Friday) nor could they use regular NASCAR racers – so they drove Camaro ZL1’s, identical except for color.  Without knowing which driver was in which car you had a choice of rooting for White, Black, Maroon or Silver.  Our informal timing had them at 1:18’s on the NASCAR layout (a good NASCAR Cup Car time is 1:10) so they were going pretty good, but there was not the “racing is rubbing” that I expect from NASCAR, nor were they totally over the curbing in Turn 1.  But still entertaining.  I don’t know who won but Silver had a problem and had to retire.

And speaking of Turn 1, please see the recent article by Br1anna Croteau with a nice tale of exuberance leading to a good learning experience.

The DE dog report showed the usual attendance by Hank and Silver (who have been nominated as co-mascots).  They were joined by newbie Skipper (whose person is Bobby Jacobsen’s sister).  

And, almost finally, thanks to Adam Schwartz for his years of service as Track Chair (including some very trying times during the Covid).  He officially turned the reins over to Charlie Kenney who will continue the strong leadership we have enjoyed.

And, really finally, here are the promotions during the event.  Congratulations and thanks to the instructors who made them happen…

Placement in Blue

Scott Schermerhorn (new to us so we had an instructor ride with him to determine where he belongs)

 

Green to Yellow

Ryan Cataldo

Melanie Randall

 

Yellow to Blue

Nicolas Renaud (went from green to blue)

Gregory Cheshier

Olivia Bostian

Brandon George (went from green to blue)

 

Blue to White

Yutong Duan

Larry Tambascio

Chris Necchi

Rob Kuebel

 

White to Black

Gary Hebner

Yun Ling

Fernando Presser

By: Bill Seymour

/by
,

Brianna’s Spin at Watkins Glen

This was my second time driving at Watkins Glen, and I am in the yellow run group. My Dad and I were at the same event last year, however, this year however we were driving a 996 dedicated track car. Last year, we were driving a stock 991 with all the nannies, and I had significantly more seat time and confidence in the 991. This event at Watkins Glen was my second time driving the 996, so I was still getting used to the car setup, the shifting without rev matching and the six-point harness and Hans device, etc. – I was still building my confidence in the car. This was my goal for the weekend, build confidence in the new track car, and it took the entire weekend for this to happen. 

Friday’s sessions went well. I spent most of the time relearning the track and understanding where I can make improvements to gain more speed. It wasn’t until after lunch on the second day where I started to get confident, and maybe a little complacent in the car. One of the things my instructor and I we were working towards was carrying more speed through the turns. I knew that this was possible to do in the 996, but making it happen is a whole other thing. I was on my 5th lap after lunch on the second day and was getting really excited about my progress so far – this is where it all started to go wrong. 

As I approached turn one, I was carrying more speed into the turn than I had been on previous laps. I could feel my back end slipping and this sent a rush of fear through my body. Typically, in the past I have been able to wait out that slipping feeling. But this time, my mind and entire body froze, and I couldn’t make any adjustments to ty and correct the oversteer. I was trying to “will” the car back on track so I wouldn’t spin out. I learned the hard way that this is not how driving works, as I am not a Jedi. The car completed the spin and I ended up sliding sideways through turn one and the car came to a stop facing the oncoming traffic. I also stalled it as I completed my first 180 spin on a track. 

The spin itself was not where the anxiety crept in. I grew up driving various machines (snowmobiles and side-by-sides), so I am used to losing some control and going offline. The part that made me freak out was sitting in the stalled car and watching all the cars come through turn one. Luckily, I was stopped on a part of the track that was not online, so I didn’t have to worry too much about being hit by any of these oncoming cars. However, the feeling of sitting on a fast corner and not getting the car started while facing oncoming traffic was incredibly terrifying. 

After about a minute, with some positive reinforcement from my very calm instructor (Steve Sisler), I was able to get the car running again. I did a U-turn on the track and completed the lap at a slow pace before pitting in. I stayed in the hot pits for a few minutes. This is where my instructor and I talked through what happened and what I should have done. I needed to do one of two things, and I did neither. I should have added more throttle to create more grip in the rear, and I could have counter-steered and gone off track and utilized the space that was available to me. 

In the end, there was no damage done to any persons or the car. I was anxious for the rest of the day and into the next morning. Thankfully I was able to push though and slowly gain my confidence back. In the last session of the weekend, I drove my fastest lap of the event, ending the weekend on a very good note. I feel like spinning on the track was something that I needed to experience. I am now more aware of what the limit in the car feels like, and I am more aware of what I can do to better control the car as I drive near the limit. I will never forget the experience and I can use this to my advantage in upcoming events.

           

-Brianna Croteau

/by