Porsche Track Days coming up 4/15-16 for the west coasters...

If you're near Buttonwillow Raceway there is a Drivers Ed coming up April 15-16 that includes PCA instruction. The event is run by the PCA Coastal Driving School which is a joint venture between the Monterey Bay & Loma Prieta PCA Regions.

PCA MEMBERSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED to run this event!

Excellent Driver's Education Handbook provides the foundation for the driver's Ed that is built on with lot's of track time and excellent in car instruction. This guidebook also outlines car prep, safety equipment, etc.

Chief Instructor is Hank Watts, author of Secrets of Solo Racing

Registration info available on the PCA Coastal Driving School Homepage

DE events are a great way to get onto a road course in a controlled environment with in car instruction.


And you don't have to worry about unsafe drivers on the track with you...

Drivers must drive within their limits and keep their car in control or the authorities WILL intervene!

I registered yesterday.

Will be there for the fun!

Bill P.

Planning on being there for Saturday....
Should be the maiden voyage for "orange julius"

Dan,

Hmmmmm, now you got me thinking...ok it's Easter weekend but....as long as I home for Sunday, right ? I just might join in the fun on Sat. Hey, Greg thanks for the post-up.
Greg

C'mon Trekkor! Do it!

Grant?....you're car should be ready!



Bill P.

I have never been to that track. What is it like? I just signed up for Saturday. Anyone brave enough to instruct me? I havent been on a track for about 2 years now (My expereince consists of one POC DE at the Streets and a weekend with Russell School driving formula cars) and its a first time in my 914-6.

Anyone else?

I might drive down for this...

Fri & Sat event. Sat for me!

This is gonna be fun.

I'll be there...

Is this open for non-porsche vehicles? If so them I'll be there.

The Buttonwillow event is open to non-porsches!

Last year we had a variety of BMWs, Audis, etc.

It was fun running with the various marques. Some fast on the straights and some fast on the twistys

QUOTE (race914 @ Mar 23 2006, 04:50 PM)

The Buttonwillow event is open to non-porsches! Last year we had a variety of BMWs, Audis, etc. It was fun running with the various marques. Some fast on the straights and some fast on the twistys

awesome.

I'll be at the alfa romeo club time trial on April 8 and 9th at big willow. Then this event the next weekend at buttonwillow

April is going to be fun.

QUOTE (silversprint @ Mar 23 2006, 05:00 PM)

I'll be at the alfa romeo club time trial on April 8 and 9th at big willow. Then this event the next weekend at buttonwillow April is going to be fun.

What did the Dad tomato say to the baby tomato?













CATCH UP!!!

Just heard from Hank Watts and this event will use the 3 Mile Layout!

Either Layout #1



or Layout #13

(NOT being negative)


While Buttonwillow looks like it would be a lot of fun to drive (hoping someday to do it myself)

IF you're Not driving, it's Not the greatest track for just being a spectator.

Actually from the observation deck of the timing and scoring tower you can see quite a bit of the track. Main straight, turn 1, turn 4, infield section (bus stop) nascar, turn 9, and turn 13 coming back onto the main straight.

By their names, that would be sunrise, cotton corners, grapevine, club corner, bus stop, truck stop, riverside, lost hill, sunset.

That is a pretty good chunck of the track.

After being in the tower as co-track steward for the past 2 seasons I can tell you you can see a lot of this track from there. Much better than some of the other tracks GGR visits each year.

At some of the tracks you are totally dependent on the corner workers for information as to what is happening on track

Thanks Dan,
I've never been up there, never really even thought about trying to get up there to watch some action,
do you know IF they let 'just' spectators up there to watch, or do you have to be part of the organization that's using the track that day?

Scott, you just go up the first flight of stairs on the track side of the tower . takes you directly to an open air very large observation deck. completely railed and accessible. anyone can go to that level to watch the action. Great place to take some pics of cars on main straight. This is always available to spectators.

Each group has their individual rules on the inside of the tower. GGR uses it for timing and for track control. We do our own, instead of having the corner workers do our track control.

We have dedicated Track steward, communications steward, grid steward, timing crew and safety crew, for every event we put on. Keeps things basically standardized from event to event.

That is why we have access to the inside of the tower. Other groups I have no clue.

Thanks for that info Dan,
I just ASSumed that area was for *staff* only.

now I want to go to ButtonWillow again!

So how many 914s are in for the Buttonwillow weekend?

Jump in if I missed you

race914
nine14cats
Dan (almaden valley)
grantsfo
Headrage
silversprint

Still wondering if you should get your 914 on the track?

914s exceeding the 'speed limit' at the 2005 Buttonwillow DE.




More 914s! Lots of good track time







more pix

But seriously folks, if you are coming, let me know.

I live across town from the track and am willing to have a shit kicking BBQ iffin yan want.........

Wife & sons out-voted me for Easter weekend. While I would love to be on track Saturday with the norcal 914 contingency - a 914 run group would be great....skiing voters outnumbered me. Have a blast ! Thanks Greg B for the follow-up.
Greg

My daily driver M-coupe was just hit in a parking lot today. I won't know for sure if I can make this event until next week. I was planning to bring the BMW since it was just a DE.

So who's going???

I'll be there Saturday to instruct and to sort out the new track car
That all assumes it is not raining....

If there is precipitation I will only attend to instruct...let someone else go off into the STICKY BW mud.

We'll both be there!

Keeping our fingers crossed for no rain!

Greg,

I want to check out your airtabs on the top. Will be interested to see if you notice any difference...like on Nascar.

I'm anxious to run the riverside turn CW, that is where the rear end would get real light.

Judging from the 'fun' I had painting them, they definitely live up to their name of 'vortex generators'.

If they work like on NASCAR can I start bumping 911s?

What is the verdict on the Vortex Generators?????

A little background on the test..

Problem: Rear gets 'light' and twitches running through the Riverside turn going clockwise.




I take the 'bus top' in 4th shift to 5th before the 'truck stop' and hold it up to the 'lost hill'. Through the riverside turn, the rear end feels unstable enough to not keep full throttle in 5th (MSX box)

Test: See if vortex generators would help reduce the rear end twitch in this turn. Thought was to reduce the low pressure area behind the rear window and hopefully get some airflow to the rear spoiler.




This was not an experiment to reduce drag. Cost of Airtabs was $27.50


We ran Saturday but we ran counter clockwise! Car seemed generally more stable at high speed (over 100mph). I could take the riverside through the truckstop full throttle in 5th but CCW always seemed to have a better groove.. This was a DE, not a time trial, so there was no timing equipment setup (no Hotlap sending unit)

So subjectively the car feels better, but since we didn't run CW I don't have any objective difference for my CW test in the Riverside turn. Success will be full throttle CW through the riverside turn.

We have another PCA event at Buttonwillow in June. If we don't run CW at least I'll be able to get some lap times for CCW before & after comparisons.

Tricia's 914-6

John Seidell from PCA Golden Gate Region. Very fast 4!

Race914 pit @ Buttonwillow

The 314 car might want to stop and close his engine lid

cool pics, thanks!

John doesn't think his rear spoiler is large enough so he puts the engine lid up for more downforce....

Just kidding.

John's engine lid was actually 'sucked up' by the "low pressure area" behind the rear window That wouldn't have happened if he had vortex generators

Seriously though, our 6 pops the engine lid too from the flex. Gotta add a longer latch pin or some DZUS fasterners to secure the lid...