The Streets of Willow at the WCC got me all fired up for the Big Track. ( you were right, Bill )
June 24-26, I plan on running the GGR DE and TT at Buttonwillow.

Who else wants to stretch your legs?
What advice can you offer? ( besides brakes )

KT

I knew it!...Congrats Trekkor...you truly have intered into the "money pit" zone..

It will be great seeing you at the track....hopefully we can pit together.

Buttonwillow can get hot...Last July 4th weekend we ran there and it was over 102 degrees...tough on the car....keep that oil temp gauge in working order and don't try to overdrive your first time out.

And here's a word of advice....respect your instructors, but don't think they don't make mistakes. GGR and Coastal Driving have great instructors, but if the weekend is run in conjunction with Zone 8 a few of the instructors they got were from the BMW and other clubs.

Here's the horror story. A guy shows up and pits next to us. Had just purchased a track 914-4 2.0. Never driven it other than onto the trailer. On the first drive around the instructor was boasting how he was a quick driver and he'd show him how it was done. Now I'm no stud on the track, but on the warm up lap this guy is all over the place...not following conventional racing lines...seemed to like early apexes and squaring off turns...

Anyway...on the first lap they take off and the guy spins out with smoke coming out of the engine bay....he missed a shift because he had never driven a Porsche before!

In the pits he said that "those 914 don't have a very good gearbox" and walks away. I help the guy push the rubble that is left of his car into his newly acquired trailer and the guy gets ready to leave. I told him to go tear the instructor a new a-hole....he doesn't...

Get an instructor who has been in a Porsche before, preferably a 914. If it's all Zone 7 you will be fine, but if they are short of instructors, talk to folks and find one that has 914 experience...

Just my $9.14.

Bill P.

P.S. Welcome to the "Dark Side".....

Keep your nose clean. Buttonwillow seems to have a high water table. The off track area stays muddy days after rain and deep tire tracks are common. Those deep ruts are dangerous after they dry out. If you try to save a spin and hit the ruts sideways you can flip, so if you go off, stay straight and don't try to pull it immediately back on track. Other than that, have fun.

Bring a clean pair of shorts, maybe two.

Consider one of those undershirts that run ice water thru tubes.....well worth the money.

QUOTE (drew365 @ May 8 2005, 07:13 PM)

Keep your nose clean. Buttonwillow seems to have a high water table. The off track area stays muddy days after rain and deep tire tracks are common. Those deep ruts are dangerous after they dry out. If you try to save a spin and hit the ruts sideways you can flip, so if you go off, stay straight and don't try to pull it immediately back on track. Other than that, have fun.

There is a section where your car gets very light after cresting a small hill on the west side of the track, it is almost immediately followed by a turn in which the car is unbalanced. Watch it there! I almost went over after an off road experience. I was running counter clockwise.

Dan

Trekkor,
You will have a great time.
No need to worry about instructors, as long as you are talking Saturday and Sunday since it is a GGR Time trial/DE only certified GGR instructors will be in attendance. If you are going to be there on Friday for the DE put on by central coast then again most of the instructors will be GGR but not all. For GGR, Most, but not all, are familiar with 914s. Not nearly as many 914s at GGR TTs as there were a few years ago. There are a few that are 914 specialists...such as myself (914-6 with 2.7RS motor) (sound familiar Bill?)
Anyway, you should be perfectly safe...
Adapting to all of that new horsepower will be your biggest issue.
Are you still running 205s?
It can be a lot of fun driving a 914 with good power on skinny tires!!!
BW is a fun track but can get very tricky depending on which direction we run.

Off topic, but Bill, how is the new hot rod coming. I haven't been on the site in a while.

You can do Reno next weekend:

http://www.coastaldriving.org/


NCRC has also been recommended to me:

http://www.ncracing.org/

They have a June 24th event at Thunderhill.

Thanks for the replies.

Do I understand this correctly, the instructors drive my car? Not just ride and yell.

That could be touchy. If I dent my car, I'll deal with that.
If someone else does, then what. They certainly won't cart up a load of Benjamins

More like, "oh well, sorry".

I prefer to be the only driver of my car. What are the options here?

KT

My understanding is that the whole group drives a first parade lap. It's more like a 1/2 speed run for the instructors to check out the cars and make sure a safety issue wasn't missed at tech.

Depends on your experience....and the race sanctioning body. Some groups like touringcar.com will ask what your experience is, put you in a slow group and then move you up after visual observations, no instructor....others will ask for a log book and assign a non driving instructor, sign your book and issue a license....the big guys will require a driving school.

ME?....no one drives my ride unless I know him/her....even then...it's debatable.

As to Instructor's driving a student's car....one should know how to shift it....and should only be driving 8/10s...

ditto on what people said above...
who drives depends upon the group.

but I replied to say Congrats!!!

this is great trekkor!

brant

I'm jealous

have fun.....

I've only done one DE (in my Volvo of all things), I still had a blast, my instructor was "okay", but it sure beat not having one at all I guess....

Mike, why haven't you used your 911 for DE?

QUOTE (anthony @ May 9 2005, 01:28 PM)

Mike, why haven't you used your 911 for DE?

it's a garage queen

I guess too nervous to take it out on the track...I feel more comfortable in a 914 at speed

I've been thinking about it...my current tires suck (Kuhmo 712's)...my next set will be something sticky like the Falkens pretty soon...

For me it's the reverse. I think my SC is much more durable and up to the rigors of a 20 minute track session. If my 914 had a newer engine I'd be more willing to take it to a track.

I know Trekor will graduate to TT in no time with his car but since my cars are just street cars I just want to do DE to learn driving skills and enhance the driving experience with the car.

QUOTE (anthony @ May 9 2005, 01:41 PM)

For me it's the reverse. I think my SC is much more durable and up to the rigors of a 20 minute track session. If my 914 had a newer engine I'd be more willing to take it to a track. I know Trekor will graduate to TT in no time with his car but since my cars are just street cars I just want to do DE to learn driving skills and enhance the driving experience with the car.

I know I shouldn't say this, but I consider the 914 more "disposable", so if something happened to it, it would be easier/cheaper to fix/replace.........besides, if I started to track the 911, then I'd want to do the exhaust, make the suspension even better...etc..etc....

QUOTE (Mueller @ May 9 2005, 01:46 PM)

besides, if I started to track the 911, then I'd want to do the exhaust, make the suspension even better...etc..etc....

that's what I thought! 911 jack stands!!!

Jen

QUOTE (anthony @ May 9 2005, 12:28 PM)

Mike, why haven't you used your 911 for DE?

I have....but I've been so busy with the house. A two year project from hell.

I have done 1:40 at the Big Willow Track....it's set up pretty nice and has plenty of oooomph as some of you saw trying to pass me in the straights at Streets. It's an 83 with a 93 3.6 motor....

Oh and Mueller....bite me....none of MY rides are garage queens....

As to Manfred...I picked it up as it was such a deal and the cabriolet is a pig at 2800lbs+......even with close to 280hp.

Manfred has 180 hp and weighs less than 2000 lbs....AND a lot less invested if I DO stuff it into a wall.

QUOTE

Oh and Mueller....bite me....none of MY rides are garage queens....

the 911 was a birthday present, so I take extra good care of it...now if I bought it, it would be different

the 914 will not be a garage queen, it will be flogged

I need to get the brakes sorted, install the roll bar and get some nomex gloves at least.

Mueller, I'd like to see you at the Marina a/x on the 22nd.
What prevents you?

KT

Mike, bring the 911 to the Alameda AX on the 14th. It would be hard to hurt the car on an AX course.

QUOTE (anthony @ May 9 2005, 03:05 PM)

Mike, bring the 911 to the Alameda AX on the 14th. It would be hard to hurt the car on an AX course.

Long drive from Santa Barbara...

QUOTE (trekkor @ May 9 2005, 01:50 PM)

I need to get the brakes sorted, install the roll bar and get some nomex gloves at least. Mueller, I'd like to see you at the Marina a/x on the 22nd. What prevents you? KT

Trekkor, Who is doing your rollbar? Are you going to keep the car streetable? I'm probabably going to push my car to the edge of streetable track car once I'm finished.

I'm with Mueller on keeping the nice cars off the track. My "40th Birthday" Boxster wont see a single day out there.

QUOTE

Trekkor, Who is doing your rollbar?

Trekkor is doing the rollbar.

I have an Autopower bolt-in single hoop.
I may fab up a petty bar as well.

KT

QUOTE (trekkor @ May 9 2005, 05:29 PM)

QUOTE Trekkor, Who is doing your rollbar? Trekkor is doing the rollbar. I have an Autopower bolt-in single hoop. I may fab up a petty bar as well. KT

Thats great! If I determine I can fit under a standard bar I might go that route. However due to my hieght I may need to get a custom bar. I also dont trust my skills enough currently to mess around with a rollbar.

KT, apologies for giving you the first taste of the real stuff. It is a major hook. But FWIW, all we were trying to do at Willow was to play a fantasy game. You dress up like a racer, put on a helmet, get your picture taken, and wow your friends back home.

Speaking as one who doesn't go fast enough to hurt his car (or the competition), I can have a ball shifting at 5500 and taking it easy on the brakes. Learning the right line and correct driving form doesn't break your car; trying to shave a few hundreths off your time to prove your machismo will. Or worse, trying to excerise the beast on the street.

For all of you who wouldn't dream of taking your 'too nice of a car' out to a DE or event like this, ya just don't get it, and probably never will. Don't go to the Monterey Historics, it will really bother you

QUOTE

For all of you who wouldn't dream of taking your 'too nice of a car' out to a DE or event like this, ya just don't get it, and probably never will. Don't go to the Monterey Historics, it will really bother you

It's different when it's my money and car on the line, I don't have the kind of income to total a $30K car and be okay with it.....yes, I have insurance, but they don't always pay up when you most need it

QUOTE (Mueller @ May 9 2005, 07:27 PM)

QUOTE For all of you who wouldn't dream of taking your 'too nice of a car' out to a DE or event like this, ya just don't get it, and probably never will. Don't go to the Monterey Historics, it will really bother you It's different when it's my money and car on the line, I don't have the kind of income to total a $30K car and be okay with it.....yes, I have insurance, but they don't always pay up when you most need it

Mike, your insurance is worthless on the track, or AX for that matter. Not a rhetorical question here. Why do you feel the track more dangerous than Mulholland on a Sunday morning?
I'd rather go 9/10ths on the track than 6/10ths on the street; at least everyone is trying to go in the same direction Or are you talking about mechanical mayhem? Missing a shift and exceeding redline by a few thou has the same effect street or track.

Not trying to start an argument or sell you anything here. I just really like going out to play.

And Z, can't argue with you about the 911. You sure have the straights figured out. Now if you could just manage the turns

QUOTE

apologies for giving you the first taste of the real stuff

Howard, it's o.k.

I go out to Sears Point a few times a months, lots of table scraps there.

This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time.
Running a car on a race track is one of the childhood dreams we likely all share.

Pulling the trigger on my AFX slot cars 30 some-odd years ago was where it all started.

KT

T, see ya at BW
Howard, See ya at Laguna Seca
where's that 13mm with the ground down box end?

Hi Trekkor,

As a first timer in PCA DE/TT's, an instructor WILL drive your car with you as a passenger during a drive around session and possibly the first few laps of the first session do give you a view of the racers line ont he track.

I'm not sure if Dan is instructing, but if you can get him he's great. He was Doris and my instructor bascially at the start up of our DE/TT experience, and he had his own 914-6 for several years. Just work with the GGR guys to get an instructor and you'll have a blast.

My warning was mainly for a DE where someone is not familiar with Porsche or 914's.

Hi Dan,

The car is still under construction. We will not make the TT's this year, but should be up and running for auto-x and open track days sometime ~August. It's been a long wait.

Did you end up finding a 914? Or you sticking with your Boxster?

Thanks,

Bill P.