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Posted by: wndsrfr Aug 23 2013, 06:55 PM

My first DE outing at Watkins Glen....simply awesome...words can't describe it. I'm simply overloaded by the immersive visuals of it all. At the drivers meeting this guy offers to give coaching so I sign up with him. Turns out to be Pete Argetsinger....I drive half the session then he takes over! Whoa baby! He made Kermee dance out there...I mean point by's from GT3's! Like he dives into turn 1 in 4th and upshifts to 5th going into the esses! Flat out all the way to the bus stop and he doesn't leave any loose change there either. World class.....what a day. By the way Josh--he pats the dash & says "nice car". Way to go buddy--good work.

Posted by: carr914 Aug 24 2013, 03:54 AM

Glad you had fun. Pete & I grew up in Watkins Glen. If you don't know or I'll give others the History Lesson - Pete's Father Cam (died a couple of years ago), was a Cornell Univ (Nearby) Graduate who raced an MG-TC (I think) and after the Watkins Glen original Circuit was stopped, he designed the New Circuit up on the Hill above town. Cam was President of the Grand Prix Corporation (my GodFather was Competition Chairman) and proceeded over the Glen Glory Days of F-1, Can-Am, FIA, & Trans-Am. (The Track was later sold to Corning Glass and later to Speedway Corp (Nascar's France Family)). Cam and his Wife later opened the Watkins Glen Racing Research Center Downtown.

Pete was a Good Racer (IMSA, ALMS, SCCA) and I have worked with him for years at Skip Barber

Posted by: Randal Aug 24 2013, 09:21 AM

Hope you have a video to share.

Posted by: wndsrfr Aug 25 2013, 06:17 AM

Here's the still......hope to get video later.


Attached thumbnail(s)

Posted by: Racer Chris Aug 25 2013, 09:16 AM

You were driving the long course I hope.

Posted by: Matt Romanowski Aug 26 2013, 07:33 PM

It was great meeting you there. I'm glad you enjoyed the days. Next time we're at the track together we'll have to ride together.

Posted by: mettelman Aug 27 2013, 10:47 AM

Matt, welcome to a World-Class circuit! 914s do well at the 'Glen, but you have to keep the momentum up- especially up the esses, into the bus stop and through the off-camber turn headed toward the front straight. Gearing is important as you should be using everything except 1st. Glad you enjoyed it.

Posted by: r_towle Aug 27 2013, 12:03 PM

don't you have to keep the momentum up just going to get coffee?

Rich

Posted by: wndsrfr Aug 27 2013, 06:39 PM

Yep, the full monte as they say. This is such an incredible place--the visuals that you're processing on these first days are simply overwhelming. I know, I know that I'm supposed to be focused on the track, eyes up & situational awareness, but those huge grandstands behind the massive wall coming onto the front straight and the whoopdee down turn 1 with its banking and then whoop yikes yessss of the esses & the bus stop coming on so fast & then down, down, down into the carrousel & hard on the gas down the boot---what a hoot! And all the while the incredible scenery to watch to try to pick out the flaggers, wow!
Summit's nice, VIR's great but the Glen is tops on my short list of tracks.
Momentum is of course required & Pete really taught that to me as I had been taking the esses in 4th (stock gearing but with 225/45/15's giving about a 5% shorter gearing overall) and getting into 5th passing the apex at the top. Pete had us coming off the front straight through turn 1 with enough speed that he was in 5th entering the esses and took them flat out. I found that I was able to duplicate that & finished the back straight at 6100rpm, about 133mph before braking for the bus stop, so the gearing is a good match at this point.
I'm still too slow coming off of turn 11 in 4th gear onto the front straight due to the visual impact of the wall & stands but am just touching 6000rpm in 5th before braking for turn 1. My rev limiter is set at 6750, so there's room to grow...

Posted by: MikeSpraggi Aug 28 2013, 03:01 AM

John, I know what you mean. WG is my favorite track for just the reasons you mentioned. Going up the esses full tilt all the way to the bus stop is almost indescribable. What event was this? Sorry I wasn't up there with you. I'll be going up again this year for the VRG vintage race in October. I was there with Kermee a couple, maybe three years ago with Josh. Glad you had fun. Let me know your remaining events this year. I'll see if I can join you.

Posted by: carr914 Aug 28 2013, 06:13 AM

Just don't do what I did in the Boot

this


to that

Posted by: stownsen914 Aug 28 2013, 07:25 AM

WGI is my all-time favorite! I was just there a few weeks ago with my 914/6 for the first time in several years,, and it was like putting on n old glove ... I've been there many times over the years, but less so in recent years I'm afraid.

Scott

Posted by: wndsrfr Aug 28 2013, 07:04 PM

Hope you have a video to share.

OK, you asked for it.....here's the video below, but first let me say the quality is horrible. I'm completely pissed at my inability to get video from stunningly clear GoPro MP4 into an edited version on youtube. Spent over 5 hours converting, etc,etc and then movie maker wouldn't save it in a usable format, so I just uploaded the whole shebang. Sorry about that.
To get the good laps, skip forward to 6:12 where we get going after the standing yellow is dropped.
Much thanks to Mike Calcaterra, my neighbor in the paddock for giving up his time to shoot the video on his GoPro & give me the chip. He's considerably faster than I am so was able to keep me in view most of the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvR39zz8PZg

Posted by: r_towle Aug 29 2013, 06:14 PM

nice dashboard on a 914...wow