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Driver Education Ground School

NER’s first Driver Education event of the season took place on Sunday April 24th at Palmer Motorsports Park.  No, this wasn’t your usual DE, rather it was the annual Ground School – held at a racetrack (rather than the usual location at HMS Motorsports in Danvers).  And a great idea is was as it allowed those attending to do parade laps and see what a really cool racetrack looks like.

There was an excellent turnout:  40 registered and 37 of them showed up plus there were 24 “day of” drop-ins for a total of 61 Green student wannabees.  The day started with coffee and pastries (courtesy of David Peterman and Panera) served in the main Palmer garage. Once all were settled we were greeted by co-Track Chair Charlie Kenney (Adam Schwartz stayed home so we wouldn’t catch anything bad) followed by a series of presentations that explained what DE is, how to sign up, how to prepare for an event and then what to expect at an actual DE event.  Driving tips (apexes, friction circle, flags, etc.) were NOT explained – that will come at the events themselves. What the attendees DID learn about were…

  • Dave Berman explained the instruction process and instructor/student pairings
  • Paul Skinner explained how to register, car numbers, etc.
  • Aaron Murphy detailed the car tech form and tech line process
  • Cody from HMS talked about the required safety equipment
  • Judi Mansing promised wonderful social hours once the track is cold
  • Ed Mansing described how NER’s program fits with our sister region NCR’s parallel program
  • Mike Woodward talked about what goes on in a typical track day and how to get the most out of it.
  • Charlie highlighted the tracks we visit

With all of that good stuff in mind, attendees were then sent out to do some parade laps so they could get totally psyched up. The laps continued until the “meatball” flag was shown which signaled that pizza (courtesy of HMS Motorsports) had arrived (they should have shown the “pepperoni” flag but that apparently was at the F1 race in Imola that weekend). Good pizza, some soft drinks, some more chat and everyone went home happy and newly knowledgeable.

                                 

 

In my role as DE Crier I made sure to chat up some of those attending. While most were clearly there with the intent to do DE there were also some who saw this as an opportunity to meet some PCA folks, see the Palmer race track and MAYBE get talked into doing a DE. I suspect some will indeed start down the slippery slope. One such was Joanne Young of New Braintree who showed up in a very pristine 2005 Boxster.  I was her right seat passenger for a few parade laps and then took the wheel to better demonstrate the Palmer “line.”  Great fun.  During pizza time I had another nice chat with mother and daughter combo Nita and Jenna Moton.  Nita recently moved from Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter and her 911 is in the process of being shipped here. I forgot to tell them that it’s OK to share a car at DE (although difficult if both are Green novices). 

           

 

So all in all it was great day with good learning and the fun of parade laps. If you were there I know you will agree.  But let’s end with this note:  if you haven’t done a DE, would like to, but missed the Ground School, YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP FOR ANY OF OUR DE’S. See you at the track – and come and tell me a good story.

And thanks again to Panera, HMS Motorsports and hosts Palmer Motorsport Park!

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The DE Crier says “Get Pumped!”

In my new (and evolving) role as DE Crier I received an email from Adam asking me to pen something that would get people excited for the upcoming DE season.  OK, fair enough.  There are a few ways we can go with this.  “Cooped up all winter, pandemic blues, blah, blah, blah but now the robin chirps, the tires squeal, etc.” would be one way. Or “Porsches are meant to be driven on the track, finally see what your car can do.”  But I’m going to take a more concrete approach and take you through the season, track by track, so you’ll have a sense of what is on tap.  Warning!  (Go ahead and wince, Adam.) This will be one man’s opinion and not every word will be positive. But before we get into that don’t forget about the DE Ground School at Palmer on April 24th. This is a class room introduction to DE pitched to those who have never done one (and includes the ability to do slow laps on the track). Even if you don’t think you want to do a DE why not go (and maybe have your mind changed)? Palmer is a cool place, see your other Porsche buddies, go for a nice ride in a rural part of the state.

All right, back to the task at hand.

The first event is NCR’s two day at Lime Rock. Paul Newman loved Lime Rock and I am a big fan – of Paul, but not Lime Rock. It’s a rare combination in that it is great for beginners and also very technical for the experienced.  But it’s short and there is only one left turn where I have managed to spin twice (which probably signals that I am a beginner so why don’t I like it more?). Also the downhill should be taken flat on the floor in my car but that hasn’t seemed to happen yet – so maybe I’m just a whiner. It is historic, in a very pretty part of CT, has good facilities and is a bucket list track. Stay in Great Barrington which is a cool town with nice restaurants.

Next up is Thompson which is also historic – the oval dates to 1940 and was one of the first paved tracks in the country.  The road course has gone through a number of versions.  Like Lime Rock it is pretty short at 1.6 miles but is much slower (60 seconds is a good lap at LRP, 80 seconds at Thompson) and has more turns. The haters call it a glorified autocross (hey! I was the AX chair for 6 or 7 seasons buster) but it has some nice subtleties and the facilities are excellent. Newer Porsches will see 130 on the straight, quit complaining. And, if you live in metro Boston, it is really close.

After that is the first of the two Palmer events (second one is in September). We run one event clockwise and the other counter clockwise (Anker says “anti-clockwise”). I prefer CCW but that’s just because I’ve done a million laps in that direction. This is a challenging track with elevation changes, off-camber turns and lots of opportunity to go wrong. But don’t because it is also the least forgiving of an “off.”  Facilities are good and getting better.  NER has a great relationship with Palmer and there will be good socials when the track goes cold.  An easy drive from Boston but no close hotels. At the Ware Diner they give you a choice of how you want your bacon cooked.

Back on our schedule after a multi-year break is Mont-Tremblant (use your French and call it LCMT).  This is another historic circuit that you have to get to at least once (it was called St. Jovite when F1 ran here). It is a very nice course with some interesting turns and a loooong straight, good runoff as well. I assume our event will be timed to coincide with the Blues Festival at the ski village which is fun. The geography is a little confusing:  at the north is Mont-Tremblant resort (the ski village), in the middle is the village of Mont-Tremblant (where the track is) and in the south is what was the village of St. Jovite – but now all are called Mont-Tremblant. I’m not fond of the ski village (too Disney-esque, drinks from an automated machine, but the kids will like it and the hotels are more modern) – better restaurants in St. Jovite. Consider camping at the track – a nice lake to swim in.  Pain in the neck to get to with the border crossing and maybe horrible traffic in Montreal (Adam thinks the bridge construction may be completed but I’d still brush up on my French swear vocabulary).

Also back on our schedule is Calabogie which is scheduled so that you do Mont-Tremblant then have a travel day to Calabogie – enjoy your week in Canada! Calabogie, like a martini, is an acquired taste (I really like martinis!). It is long and has many corners that look the same but (obviously) aren’t – after three days I was still struggling. And there is nothing to do nearby. But the hard core folks love it and there will be special programming to help advanced drivers improve (heavy training on interpreting data). I’ll be looking for a volunteer to help me write that one up from afar.

In July is the first of two NCR events at Tamworth.  Great track, gorgeous views – it’s too easy to screw up because you are admiring Mt. Chocorua off in the distance when you need to be hitting an apex. The facilities are not yet first class – no garages and not enough paved parking – but the quality of the track more than makes up for it.  The nearby hotels are weak – better ones a half hour away in North Conway – but have breakfast at Rosie’s and you’ll start your day off right.

Ah, Watkins Glen. What can I say?  The best, just go.  And take the husband – he’ll like the wineries, the Glen, the Corning Glass Museum.

The season ends with NCR’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway event in October (yes, it might be a little nippy). Before we had Palmer and Thompson we did tons of events at NHMS and everyone complained, instructors wouldn’t sign up. Yes, there are a couple of bumps that are hard on full-on track cars and, yes, it is pretty short.  But it’s a fun track, very safe for newbies and it is a hoot being in this huge sports complex where the NASCAR boys go to play (climb up in the stands between run sessions for a sense of it). Along with Thompson, Palmer and WGI it has garages. And there are lots of good lodging and eating choices nearby (have at least one meal at the Makris).

So there you have it:  29 days at 8 different tracks spread out over the season. If you have never done a track day then you need to, damn it!  And if you are a regular then welcome the newcomers into your fun club. One final enticement:  there are socials when the track goes cold and (thanks to the successful ministrations of Pam Mascetta and Judi Mansing) even the most snobby beer geeks will find something to their liking. See you there!

-Bill Seymour

 

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A Quick Pitstop with Bill

I got fired. Booted off the board. Ten years of service, and I get an email, not even a phone call. No pension, no gold watch, not even a Gala to go to. Crumbs and crickets. And yet I still have to write a column. Oh well.

(Only kidding, of course. Term limits.)

So I needed a new job. There has been some minor controversy about whether or not a report is required to be put online after each DE event. Easy solution – I agreed to be responsible for doing it. I go to most of the events, don’t mind writing, doesn’t require research – just take a few pictures and pay attention. Write up what the weather was, mention the sponsor, who got promoted, who attended for the first time, what kind of IPA they had at the social, who did something stupid, tell a few stories, etc. Adam is calling this position the “DE Crier.”  So I’ll do my best, but I’m going to need some help.

For one thing, I won’t make it to every event. And in that case, I will need to have some spies who will take notes and talk to me afterward so I can write it up. And send me some pictures. The other thing is that to make this enjoyable reading, I will need to tell some stories, and those will come from you. So if you are at a DE, please be cooperative (and interesting) if I come up and talk to you. What kind of stories? As we always say, it’s not just the cars; it’s the people. I have met some wonderful folks through my PCA DE activities, and here are a couple of example stories…

I met Mark Schnoerr at PCA autocrosses, where he would flirt with FTD despite driving a pretty stock 914 (unless he was beaten by his wife, Sigrid). Mark was a dual-brand guy – he also ran a BMW E36 – and he did a lot of DEs as well as autocross.

 

At first, I didn’t own a trackable Porsche but did an occasional DE in my BMW E34 sedan and recruited Mark to be my instructor. Despite its heft, the E34 handled remarkably well and was a 6-speed V-8. And Mark would not let me give a point-by to a Porsche – just pushed me to go faster. (Two days at Watkins Glen and I drove home with metal on metal brakes.)  Later, after I had my Cayman and was doing regular DEs Mark instructed my daughter and, for one magic day, my wife. Rosemary (her nom de guerre is Rosemario) was comfortable, if mid-pack, as an autocrosser. I talked her into a DE at NHMS, and afterward, she said, “no thanks – too fast.”  But she was going to be a spectator at a one-day DE at Lime Rock where I had arranged Mark to instruct my daughter. Nora wound up with a conflict and was a no-show. Mark, who can be very persuasive, talked Rosemary into taking her place. It poured rain all day. There was a river running across the No Name straight. While most everyone (probably including me) tip-toed around, Mark had Rosemary close to 115 on the main straight and 80 on No Name (“keep your foot down and the wheel straight”). She loved it. Signed up for Watkins Glen, Mark wasn’t there, she hated it, done. Oh well.

But in the “what goes around” mode I am now again in regular contact with Mark (who lives in Texas). The JB team now has an E36 which we are preparing for endurance racing, and Mark still has his similar E36, is a regular competitor in WRL endurance races and has been providing invaluable insight into how to set up our car.

The second DE tale centers on my daughter’s first DE, just days after her 18th birthday, in one of the first outings for the Cayman. Nora was, of course, a green student, and I was in yellow/blue. Also at the event were Steve Schindler and his son Dennis who was a couple of years older than Nora. Steve and Dennis, who were also in yellow/blue and green respectively, were sharing a Boxster. At some point, Nora asked me if the Schindler’s car was faster than ours. I reflected that our newer base Cayman was probably darn close to their older Boxster S and that Steve and I were doing about the same lap times (and boy, do I wish I could still say the same!). This was apparently taken to heart because when Dennis appeared in Nora’s mirror (easy to spot with the Vermont plate), and she was advised to give him a point-by, by her instructor, she declined.

Most instructors would have told her to drive into the pits, but this instructor (not Mark but one of the best!), knew his student and her car and let her continue. With attention half on the mirror, Nora didn’t get much farther before PSM saved her bacon; she came to her senses and let him by. Lesson well taught and duly learned. The event did no damage to the relationship with the Schindlers:  at a later Mt. Tremblant event, Steve’s wife Mary befriended Nora, and Nora left our B&B in favor of camping at the track with the Schindlers.

-Bill Seymour, Former NER President, current “DE Crier “

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The Long And Winding Road – June ’17

– Bill Seymour

OK, so we’re now back to writing about “moving car events” (the job responsibility of your scribe who is VP Activities).  The weekend of May 6-7th saw the Zone 1 Concours and Rally come to NER-land (see article elsewhere in this issue).  As an autocrosser, DE’er, tech sessionist and social attendee but never a concourser or rallyer I was poorly trained to be the local event chair for these activities.  (And why Concours falls under “moving car events” is a puzzle.)  But I learned quite a bit about how these things work and I met many nice folks who don’t run in the same PCA circles as me.  The gimmick rally was fun – driving through some pretty Boston suburbs looking for signs that would answer questions.  Charlie and Martha Dow did a great job setting it up.  I can imagine Rosemary (former LL) and me doing one in the future.  On the other hand, while I enjoyed looking at the cars prepared for the Concours, I don’t see myself entering one in the future.

But I did get to the track – briefly – in April.  Our winter project of installing a larger engine in the BMW E30 endurance racer took a little longer than hoped.  The trickiest part flowed from the decision to remove all the stock wiring.  The new engine uses a programmable ECU and it took more than a couple of weekends before it recognized all the sensors and sent out all the appropriate signals.  We missed our first race at Watkins Glen.  When we finally got it to run and sent it to the dyno for tuning, it had fuel starvation issues.  The gas tank is saddle shaped with the pickup at the bottom of one side but the fuel return line going into the other side.  Apparently on the track it sloshes around enough to keep both sides filled but on the dyno the pickup side was being drained faster than it was replenished.  Weird.  But that issue was solved, the car did its dyno thing and we were off to Palmer for its maiden run.  Chip took it out first (fortunately as I’m not sure I would have been so astute) and immediately noticed that we lost oil pressure on left hand turns (and with a counter clock-wise track that’s most of them).  We tried adding oil but to no avail – going straight or turning right the oil pressure was 60lb+ but as soon as you turned the wheel to the left it would drop as low 15.  No good.  Back to the shop it went and removing the oil pan revealed that the windage tray/baffles had not been installed.  The red-faced engine builder shipped us the needed parts and we went to a Palmer lapping day for a re-test.  All good.

So we were set for our first race at New Jersey Motorsports Park but disaster befell:  Chip hurt his back.  We were already worried about having only 4 drivers for two 9 hour races so we recruited two more drivers:  NER/NCR buddy Damon Josz and Kristin Larson’s brother Scott Townsend.  After the miserable slog through NY and NJ (why are there so many confusing routes to get past NYC?) we got to Millville in time to unload the trailer and get dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse (TripAdvisor rated #2 restaurant in Millville! – they boast of “Craft on Draft” and list these four beers:  Miller Light, Bud Lite, Blue Moon and Sam’s Seasonal.  The Lunch Lady would sue).  Friday morning we went through tech and let Damon and Scott have a few laps as they had not been at this track.  Friday afternoon each driver was to run 5 laps which would then be used to place us in a class.  The American Endurance Racing series format puts cars in 5 classes based on similar lap times and then you compete against the other cars in your class for a 9 hour race on each of Saturday and Sunday.  They claim that they are able to detect and correct for those who sand-bag in qualifying but that did not seem to be the case… Things were going OK until Scott reported that 1st and 2nd gear had gone missing.  While we checked shift linkages and made calls it was also noted that the front brake pads were way too thin (Team Jamaican Bakin’ was better organized when our name was still named Team Jamaican Bacon).  With new brake pads installed but no transmission solution, we concluded that the missing gears were not needed in a race so why not press on?  OK, here’s a reason:  the car doesn’t idle well and stalls easily so getting off the grid quickly in 3rd gear was near impossible.  What, me worry?

We were placed in Class 3 (there are five classes) which included 19 out of the total of 54 racers.  The fastest lap times for each car (during the actual races – never mind what the sand-baggers ran in practice) ranged from a best of 1:28 down to about 1:45 for the slowest cars.  The fast cars included a Nissan GTR, a very fancy Mustang and a brand new BMW 2-Series factory race car (~$90,000 – similar in concept to the Miata Cup Cars) that even had air-jacks (and were total jerks – they were in the pit box next to us).  Our best lap of 1:37 put us in the middle of our class.

I drove first and was holding back a bit to avoid the early race over-exuberance.  Bad strategy:  on lap 4 I got punted in the right rear and spun into the weeds.  I managed to rejoin the fray (remember, only 3rd gear and higher) and was advised by my teammates to see how it felt rather than coming in.  It felt fine so I continued for another one and a half hours without issue.  When I pitted to hand over to Scott the tires were checked and it was noted that there were about 8 inches of missing rim.  Ouch!  Lesson:  you get hit, come in and have a look! 

Long And Winding Road - Scary RimThe car was running fine for the rest of the day except we needed to change tires (we had made a poor tire choice for an endurance race – the seconds gained by using stickier tires are way less than the minutes required to change tires) and the brakes were going at the end.  Then with 5 minutes to go Dave radioed that the car had died and he was being towed in.  Our worst fears were not realized when the addition of gasoline solved the problem.  Despite our issues we improved on our starting position and were 6th in our class.  Upon inspection the rear pads were totally gone and the brand new fronts were almost gone.  The left front tire was toast – expected for a nose heavy car on a clockwise track – but the right rear was worn on the inside.  Apparently the hit I took bent something but the car drove OK and there was nothing we could do.  The impeccably prepared Team Jamaican Bakin’ (yah, mon) was able to buy one more set of front brake pads from another E30 team (the Miata brake pads and tires lasted multiple weekends!) and we were back in business for Day 2.

Dave started on Sunday followed by Scott, me, Dennis and then Damon.  Again the car ran fine except for needing a tire stop.  The new brake pads (a different brand) both stopped and lasted better and we had no excitement until Damon’s last shift.  The car has a brake bias adjustor which apparently got nudged forward during the driver change so that it had way too much front brake bias.  So the first time Damon braked hard at the end of the front straight the fronts locked and he went farming.  He realized the problem, corrected it and ran very quickly till the end despite finishing on a totally corded left front tire.  We finished 8th in our class. 

So while the BMW is somewhat faster than the Miata, we are still sorting things out.  With the new engine it has plenty of zip and the handling is pretty neutral if not great.  The main issue is the brakes which lock up too easily, don’t inspire confidence in close racing and don’t last.  It’s a little puzzling as the car is not much heavier than the Miata (which has great brakes) and has bigger rotors/pads.  We suspect that weight transfer may be limiting the stopping power and ducting may be needed to make them last longer.  So in addition to working on being better racers, we also need to learn car development.  Stay tuned. 

Finally, if you go to NJMP (and it’s a nice, well run track with lots of runoff as needed by Bill and Damon), try:  Our Mom’s Kitchen Soul Food (get the crab cakes) and the Country Inn and Suites (breakfast available at 6am and they made bacon upon request!).

Addendum to my column from Damon Josz (make of it what you will)…

Guilty. Therefore the names remain. I would add the useful limericks and acronyms that were learned from Bill including ACORN (“All Clear On Right Now”). As I heard these outbursts several times, I quietly assumed these were liberal beliefs exclaimed in a random fashion. Alas I learned a backseat navigation technique and Bill’s prior military training. KISS and PPPPPP were already in my lexicon. Keep it simple stupid… brake bias adjustment/ placement.   And…. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance…. brake pads for an endurance race?

Travel and dining with others provides new views and dialogue. And therefore we quickly adhered to the do not discuss politics, religion or dogs. Friday’s test results in, and…the trans out? Hmmm. 3/4/5 being the only useful gears of any importance, the “no wanking noises” and “we’re here” made the decision clear. Run it. End of day track burgers provided by AER in the garage, the hunger abated. And a couple kegs dulled the senses. Yet Dennis and I had wanderlust and thirst. Bill, Scott, and Dave elected for A/C and hot showers.  Dropping the others off at the hotel, a beer store was located. And Our Mom’s Kitchen next door. Hmmmm, soul food. With IPA in hand, what could be better? Fried chicken and (sic) crab cakes. Wit tater salad side. Missed the collard greens, but agricultural greens were waiting on Sunday. The color of the characters were rich. The pleasantries exchanged. And cash only. No seats, takeout only. Just as well. As we started to observe the actual condition of the local eatery, I tend to shy away from box store eateries, a placard was noted. This placard pronounced an inspection had occurred. When was not clear. Why was.  The proclamation by a local official, presumed blind and handed a paper bag of single dollar bills, announced that said takeout restaurant was, is, could be, maybe, at this time, that was then and this is now…”conditionally satisfactory.” As not to offend the 3 rather large women, and the minor baseball league/rap ensemble and tattoo artists collective gathered out front, we elected to continue our wait. Momma provided. With a bit of mental math, and no receipt, we paid the bill. Our safe departure and arrival back at Country Inn (review to follow) 3.75 stars, we enjoyed a veranda on a hot summer night with excellent soul food and real beer. And a hotel cookie to finish. The start of Saturday racing, the transmission was declared “conditionally satisfactory” also. Both the trans and Mommas did not disappoint. Side note. The Buffalo Wild Wing box store the next night failed miserably.  However, Popeyes Chicken on Sunday had box store redemption.  None compared to Mommas soul food. And driving a race car into the trailer after 18 hours of wheel to wheel racing? More than “conditionally satisfactory” we checked the box, excellent. 

Long And Winding Road - mom's kitchen

 

 

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