I'm doing my first DRE through PCA tomorrow at the Pocono Raceway in PA. I'll be in my totally stock 997TT tip (with over 13K miles on her). I'm in the green group for first timers. What should I expect ? Is it just going around the track with an instructor ? Will the instructor drive my TT (I REALLY don't want that to happen) ? Will the instructor ride shotgun with me (boring for me) ? Will I get to track the car solo (thats what I want to do) ? What should I wear (I plan on wearing my helmet, piloti shoes, jeans and a t-shirt). How long does the event last ? Any recommendations ?

 

1. Don't try to impress your instructor, because you won't. Don't try to scare him either. Chances are he already is. Just be a good listener.

2. There is classroom instruction. Listen closely. An instructor will ride with you the entire weekend unless you are some type of driving genius. (You will be doing the driving)

3. The instructor at some point may ask to drive your car. If he/she does, let them. You will learn a lot that way.

4. You will solo when they feel you are ready. Don't rush this. Having an instructor is a great way to get feedback and pointers.

5. LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT! Bring a jacket as well. It always rains at Pocono...

6. Sessions are usually 15-20 minutes. Not sure how many sessions you will get.

7. Have fun and don't forget to RELAX AND BREATHE.

Those are the basics.

It's just like Law School. You did not take the Bar right off the bat did you? No, you were given training first before they let you loose!

My guess is that you will be addicted to track days VERY quickly.

 

I had a friend bring a video camera to record my driving lines...I don't know if they still allow this, but I found it useful.

 

Mike,

Thanks for the pointers. I would have thought that it would be extremely hot in the car therefore go with the short sleeve shirt. I guess I'll take the jacket also. I'll report back with my experiences.

 

I found that it is good to let the instructor drives your car and you watch the lines as a passenger. Also good to experience how fast you can push your car going in and out of corners before you actually drive them.

 

I'll see you there, an instructor is key the first time out. Metro pca requires a long sleeved shirt, also bring a tire gauge. Look me up. Don't worry you'll be solo soon enough. You don't have to let the instructor drive your car, but it's helpful, they don't usually push it very hard. Be on time, tech shuts down at 7:30.
I'll pm you my cell.
C

 

Funny how 1st timers don't want instructors in the car when I have 10 years of track experience and relish when a good driver rides shotgun.

Not bashing, I was the same once.

Mike listed the basics, take it slow and don't get angry when a 20 year old 3.2 passes you. Oh and have fun

 

How'd you do? Hope the track stayed dry, it was a little wet here in NYC.

 

I ended up missing it...wife.

 

So my expectations were met and then some. My 997TT tip was the only 997TT at the Poconos. I missed Chris, But met a lot of great Metro NY people, including Dorothy Buxbaum and Mark Figelman. Everybody was very helpful. Mike from AWE gave excellent advice. It rained for most of the day which with my car with AWD was just fine. I ran in the green group with an instructor, Rich Smith. Rich was very helpful particularly in correcting my massive failures - not staying on line, braking to early, braking to late, showing proper track courtesy and not scaring the other drivers. We ran 4 times total of approx. 35 mins. duration each. The day started at approx. 7AM with tech check and ended at about 5PM. My green group had a boxster, cayman s, a couple of 911s of various years, a vintage Carrera RS, 2 996 GT3 and 1 997 GT3 (ceramics like my TT and beautiful) driven by some Frenchie named Phillipe (Phillipe and I would swap paint all day, but only in the infield driving areas). The 2 morning sessions were the short track and the 2 afternoon sessions were the long track. For the record, most of the "old timers" quizzed me on why "tip" until they saw my OEM tip on the track against the vaunted GT3 "track stars". More on that later.

The first session my instructor Rich (thanks Rich) drove my car for 2 laps to show me the lines. After that I drove for the rest of the day. Although not timed and a race per say, this was all out "driving" with safe passing where you could 100% "drop the hammer" and remain flat footed if you could. My first session was not great, but I still passed all of the drivers by the end of the session. My driving was terrible. My prior Skip Barber Lime Rock experiences sucked compared to the Poconos.

The second session was better b/c I felt more comfortable. It rained pretty heavily, but I was still able to hit 133 on the back straight. By the end of the 2nd session it was clear that my TT was in the wrong class as I literally had no competition. I focused on getting better skills and Rich, my instructor, helped me alot here, particularly in the infield sections where the 997 GT3 would be on me like white on rice and the TT would tend to push at the limit. The good thing was that the TT with its awesome electronics never spun out (although I came very close at least twice) and the 997GT3 spun out 4 times on the second session. BTW, Phillipe was an excellent driver and really pushed me HARD on the infield corkscrew portions. By the end of the 2 nd session it was clear that all green drivers had to waive me past as the 2 that refused to waive me passed literally went off of the course under pressure. My instructor blamed the instructors in the other cars for not waiving me on - some drivers in the green group are driving slow cars and try holding on. Unfortunately, the TT was too much for the green group.

By the third session the rain had stopped to a drizzle and we had the long track. They started me out in last place for this session. By the time I hit the grandstand I had passed all of the other drivers. The Pocono longtrack has an incredible sweeper between the back straight and the front straight. On the back straight I hit 144 and the front straight 152 for the 3rd session. By the end of the session I had lapped all of the other green group cars except for Phillipe. Phillipe really pushed me with his better handling car going into the slower infield turns. However, after the turn I would stand on it and keep him at bay. Once I hit the straights I was simply gone - period.

For the last session Phillipe was placed in front of me and we went out first. The 996 GT3s were simply pigs, but the 997 GT3 driven by Phillipe was a very fast car. I'm not easily impressed, but I had a hard time staying with him through the tight twisties (I did, but I was going all out). Once we hit our first straight Phillipe waived me past. The track was drying out and I hit 147 on the back straight and 155 on the front straight. I completely dominated the green group due to a lack of competition.

Next time I hope there is another TT in the green group. BTW, I had a great time. It was alot of fun. I learned that I really do NOT know how to drive and that the PCA instructors can help place me on the path to being a better driver, both on the track and the street. I also confirmed what many have told me already - that I am a fast driver in a fast car. Finally, I will say again what most of us already know - we really do not need more power. We need to HARNESS the power we have. I know that my OEM TT tip needs new rubber. My TT kicked *** with Bridgestones that has almost 14K miles on them. All of the GT3s had good fresh rubber. My instructor and Phillipe told me that if I put some new rubber on my car, no coilovers and no engine mods I could easily run in the white group (2 levels of driving up). I'll probably be in the green group for at least a few more sessions and then onto yellow, etc. Of course, an EVOMs 700hp kit would make my next track event very interesting indeed ...

 

Nice write up. Sounds like you had a great time and learned a lot. How did your PCCB's hold up? I think i've read that it's not so much the braking by the driver that kills brakes but all the electronic nannies going on in the background which eat brakes.

 

Sounds like fun, too bad i missed it. Just buy my w/t in the fs section you're all set then counselor!
Chris, it's all of the above plus 3400lbs, if you push yourcar, you will go thru brakes.
c

 

My ceramics were literally phenominal - they never faded. I had to remind my instructor (he had a tricked out 1979 911 SC Targa with no electronics) that my ceramics do NOT fade (at least with me, a novice driver, driving her) when he told me to let my brakes cool down. The 2 996 GT3s did not have ceramics, while the 997 GT3 did. In fact, my tip TT and Phillipe's 997 GT3 were the only rides in the green group that had ceramics. I will tell you, as a novice driver, that my totally stock tip TT NEVER EVER encountered brake fade. Whether, over a period of track days I go through brake parts will remain to be seen. I really think that the stock TT with good rubber is a phenominal weapon against the vaunted track stars (the GT3's). In fact my instructor thought that I would have fared well against the cadre of GT3RSs that were in attendance after getting in more track days and going to the yellow group where you can solo (if you want). That is how FAST I was. For now though, I'll take comfort in what Porsche's great test driver said about the TT - its good enough for 99.9% of the drivers out there - that includes me. BTW, the 997 technology, not just the ceramics, saved me countless times. Anybody that can use more than the TT can offer on a track is a legit race car driver who makes money off of their skills. Bottom line - from the ceramics to the PSM - the 997 TT is a true track star and one *****in daily driver. See you guys in bumper to bumper on the LIE !!!

 

Thanks for the nice write-up. Looks like you're hooked. By the long course, I assume you meant the "bowl" where you link the two NASCAR straights using turn 1 (skipping the south infield course)?

You'll definitely pick up some serious speed with you car and that configuration.

Just work on your lines and don't worry too much about speed at this point. Did you say 4 spins for the GT3? Wow, in my region 2 spins and you're done for the day.

 

PistolPete,

The long course was exactly what you stated. After the back straight you drop down from the high off camber wall (a real NASCAR wall !), hit the apex and accelerate flat footed down the front straight (in my 4th session I actually passed an instructor driving what appeared to be a modded 911 down the front straight -I felt like I was hitting my limit at that point as he was clearly a way better driver).

My instructor kept telling me the same thing with respect to speed and lines. Next time I'll definitely focus more on lines. As it was my first time I guess I felt the need for speed - I was a little boy that they let run wild in a candy store - and I took advantage. Like I said, I really don't know how to drive properly on a track. I'll need quite a few more "lessons" before I really follow the lines and brake properly. Another problem was that my instructor hadn't been in a tip TT before. With the tip you are either on the pipe or not - so "squeezing" the throttle, as opposed to "punching" it felt substantially different to him. When my tip is on the pipe it will hold the gear, as we all know, for approx. 8 seconds, which is an eternity on the track. I doubt I will ever find an instructor that appreciates my cars "on or off" tranny. So, at least for PCA events, I will have to literally slow it down to advance to the higher run group (for me the yellow group).

BTW, we were told that 2 spins OFF of the track and you are done for the day. The 997 GT3 never spun OFF the track (lucky bastard). In the wet with rear wheel drive and Pilot Sport Cup tires (like many GTs out there) this was a very difficult track day according to the veterans. I can only assume that had the 997 GT3 spun off the track twice or hit the wall or whatever, he would have been done for the day.

As much fun as my TT was on the "bowl", is I believe how much fun the GT3 was in the infield. The 997 GT3 also sounded incredible shifting through the gears after the last infield turn going into the back straight. I never heard him go through all of the gears because by the time we hit about 100-110 mph I blew by Phillipe (the Frenchie with the 997 GT3) like a TGV monorail going past a freight train .... At the end of the day I told him Viva La France - he told me he is going to dump the GT3 and buy a TT. Go figure.