I have submitted the following story for the local region newsletter. I thought I would share it here as well. This is the first time I have tried to write down how I felt about something I was involved in. It has been interesting and I hope you find it interesting as well.
Paul
How to bite off more than you can chew
A Driver’s school story
I was introduced to sports cars by a High school Chemistry teacher who asked me if I could come and work a regional road race held at a closed airport. She set the hook and I liked what I saw so much I began autocrossing in the mid ‘70’s when it was still called slalom. I really enjoyed TSD rally’s and crewed for local racers in their IMSA racing efforts. I went through “Crash and Burn school” at Road Atlanta and even got to drive a Cadillac Ambulance around Road Atlanta at speed. I was captivated with sports cars and the competition. I got married and although my wife tolerated my passion she hated the track. I drifted from sports cars until my retirement.
I retired after 25 years as a police officer in a medium sized community in North Alabama. I somehow managed to convince my wife that I needed a car that got better gas mileage than my Suburban now that the “company” car was gone. I started looking at 2-seater sports cars and was quickly reminded by the team owner that we still had two young (12 and 5 at the time) children at home and informed that “you are not buying a two-seater car.” I started looking for other “fun” cars that would seat 4 persons and while an M series BMW fit the bill it was out of my price range. I finally bought a Mazda RX8 and rediscovered the same sports car thrills I had experienced so many years ago. The local car club was still in existence and was having a 50th anniversary celebration later that year. I entered the Anniversary autox, did poorly, but had a blast not only with the car but seeing old friends.
The bug had returned and although I only attended a couple of events in ’05 I decided to go all out in ‘06. Spare wheels purchased, “R” compounds mounted, Koni shocks and I was ready. I didn’t do too badly in ’06 but my class had two National level competitors who soundly beat me almost every time. Late in the year I finally started “scaring” them by getting within a few tenths of their times.
This past November I traveled from North Alabama to Springfield Missouri to purchase a 1972 Datsun 240Z ITS Race car. I had owned a 240Z and have always dreamed of racing one. Life happens and that dream was delayed for more than 25 years but the time had arrived. After an uneventful 8+ hour trip with a borrowed trailer I arrived in Springfield, Missouri and picked up the car. While I could tell it needed some work, it was better than the phone calls and emails had described. The seller and I loaded the car, spares and then went over the logbook. Everything seemed in order, I bid him farewell, and took my prize to the hotel for a night of rest before the long trip home.
When I arrived home my daily driver lost its spot in the garage and the new toy took its place. With help from friends (including some new ones met through ImprovedTouring.com) I began the process of updating the car and preparing for an SCCA Race Drivers School to be held at Roebling Road Race course near Savannah, Georgia. EBay was my friend as I was able to locate many parts I needed to replace the braking system without breaking the budget. I should thank my wife as she purchased the Driver’s Suit I wanted as a Christmas present.
In January, after less $$$ than I anticipated I took the car to the local SCCA scrutineer for an annual inspection. While not perfect and still needing Roll Bar padding I PASSED! O Boy, I was finally ready for school having already obtained a Novice Permit.
Finally it was time to go to school. I made the 8 hour trip to the track accompanied by a friend who had rented a Spec Racer Ford for the weekend. We arrived at track and paddocked the car. Several more friends were coming down on Friday to root us on and help as crewmembers. We had a nice dinner that evening and retired to the hotel for a good nights rest.
Fast forward to Driver’s School Day 1. I cleared tech w/o any problems and joined nearly 100 other students in the first classroom session. The lead instructor took us through the paces and assisted by workers we learned the flags and were admonished by the Chief Steward to OBEY the flags. We all took the long walk around the course, the proper lines pointed out and discussions of how to drive through each corner. The instructor told us to return the next morning for a station wagon track tours with our assigned instructors.
After the tours it was the moment of truth. I got suited up and tried to start the car. It flooded. After several frantic moments it fired and I headed to the grid. Waiting to enter the track I was afraid the car would die, and sure enough it did. Finally got it running and out on track for the first time. It was follow the leader and the car just didn’t want to run. It was running so rich I was fogging the guys behind me. I made it through the session and went to work to try and fix the problem.
It has been years since I fooled with SU carbs and luckily a Datsun wizard offered to help me out. That really is the great thing about SCCA, everyone tried to help me get the car running like it should. After another bad running car session Don Ahrens rescued me. He had helped me on the grid and noticed the front carb was flooding out. I adjusted the float level in between sessions and all of a sudden I had a running car. With Don’s help we adjusted the idle mixture levels and for the last session of the day I actually was able to drive the car. I finally felt good and felt like I was learning the track but something still wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something didn’t feel right.
It was a totally new experience, running at speed with traffic. There were several “ground pounders” in my run group along with a GT3 Porsche, winged Mustangs, and a blindingly fast Mitsubishi. I tried hard to stay on line and wave the fast guys by my slower ITS car. I am sure I frustrated some of them as much as I was frustrated by the problems. I was learning the course, had actually passed a couple of people and generally had a great time.
At the evening drivers meeting we all got chewed out for passing under yellow flags. It seems that 1 in 3 of us had passed under yellow and the Steward of the Meet was not a happy camper. After getting our tail chewed it was time to get some food and sleep. My run group was to be the first group out in the morning.
Saturday dawned beautifully, bright sun, crisp temperatures and a wet track. It had rained most of the evening so we were going to get a drying track first thing not to mention the standing water. The car was running well, actually quite well. While I didn’t really get a chance to find out how well with the track conditions what they were I felt good and so did the car. This was our first timed session but the conditions made numbers meaningless. No real problems with the car but I hadn’t really tested the brakes or handling with a wet track.
Session 2 arrived and we had a clean, dry track. Out I went and started to work on my braking into turn 1 and turn in point at 8. Things were running along pretty well. I was getting faster, shifting into 4th sooner coming through 8 and having a pretty good time. I started diving deeper into 1 and thought I was having a pretty good session until I rounded turn 5 and saw a black flag with my number at 6. I acknowledged the flag and entered the pits to be greeted by the SOM. It seems that my previous lap pass of a vintage 911 Porsche, who was having mechanical problems and waving me around, I failed to see the yellow being displayed at 8. While I did see the flag after the pass, it was most likely displayed before I made the pass. The SOM was none too happy, but he politely explained life to me and sent me back out. After that incident I just motored around for a lap and half before the session was over.
As I got out of the car in the paddock I still felt something wasn’t right. My crew even asked how come I wasn’t grinning from ear to ear as they have seen me at other events. I still couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me, but clearly it was noticeable. I shrugged it off and went to meet with my instructor. My instructor said all 4 of us were doing well and to continue to work on our lines and brake points. As I walked back to the car I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back out. The traffic was a pain, I was frustrated by my missing of the flag, but something just wasn’t right. I just didn’t have the will to get back in the car. I was unsure of me, the car, and quite honestly I was scared that I would cause someone else to get hurt because of my actions or missing of a flag. I sure didn’t want to do that, but I wasn’t willing to quite either. I forced myself back into the car for another session still not sure I wanted to go out.
Session 3 was great. I was getting quicker and it was reflected in falling lap times. I had started to gain enough confidence through 7-8 that I was almost at full throttle at the apex leading into the incredibly long front straight. I was braking later at 1 and carrying a better speed out of 2. In fact, I had actually started hitting 4th just before making the left hand at 3. My confidence was growing, but it was damn hard work. I kept waiting for the fun factor to hit and it never did. One time coming out of 2 I apexed a little early and the car got sideways with me. I kept my foot in it and managed to get back on line. It actually felt good to catch it and continue but it wasn’t fun and I still didn’t know why. My head was just not in the game. As I came in from the session I began questioning why I wanted to even be on track.
During the lunch break I fully realized that I just wasn’t mentally ready for driver’s school. I just didn’t have the right frame of mind, was not having the fun I expected, and as hard as it is to admit, I was just plain scared I was going to hurt someone else or myself. That is hard to say, even now. I am not the kind of guy who runs away. Never have been. I faced many, many challenges during my time as a police officer, but I was always able to perform. Not this time. My confidence was shaken and my heart just wasn’t in it. I didn’t want to let down my friends who had traveled such a long way to help me at the school, but I didn’t think I could continue.
I talked with my instructor, who just happened to be a police officer, and told him that I had decided that I was not going back on track this weekend. We talked about 10 minutes but I still was not comfortable going on track. I had lost my nerve, plain and simple, and I still couldn’t figure out why and that bothered me as much as losing my confidence. A couple of fellow drivers talked with me and urged me to continue, but I told them both that I just wasn’t ready.
Without any fanfare I withdrew from the school. I got to watch the groups practice and the first of the two practice races on Saturday afternoon. It was fun to watch and I still hope to be out there with them someday, just not right now.
During the long drive home I had plenty of time to over-analyze what I had just gone through. I think I figured out why I lost my confidence. There are just so many challenges at a driver’s school it is easy to be overwhelmed. I was plain and simply overwhelmed by the combination of the traffic, speeds, flags etc. But it was not those things that left me unsure. It was the car. I did not have confidence in the car. I had never driven the 240 at speed before, did not know how it would react and I didn’t trust my rebuild of the brakes, I had never experienced the limits of the suspension. Bottom line, I was scared of the car as well of all of the other things I had to confront. It was easy for me to equate my fears to some of the absolutely frightening things I encountered as a police officer.
Even though I went into very dangerous, scary situations as a police officer I never lost my nerve (or so I think). Why? It was my equipment. I had confidence that if I needed a gun, it would fire, that the radio on my side would allow me to call for help, the bullet proof vest would stop bullets, and my training would allow me to shoot well. If I had that same level of confidence in my car, it would have made all of the scary parts of driver’s school manageable. But I didn’t have the confidence in the car. I had recently purchased it, updated it, and reworked the entire braking system but I had not driven it at speed until the school. Not only that, I had problems with the carbs after it seemed to run fine at home. What else was going to break? It caused me to second guess everything aspect of the school and my preparation of the 240.
Long and short of it, I bit off more than I could chew this time. I rushed to attend the school without spending a sufficient amount of time behind the wheel of the new car. I had spent very little time behind the wheel of this car and never at speed. I didn’t know how it would handle at the limits. What peculiarities of this car had I missed? This might not have bothered me had I been 30 or so years younger. But now it did and it scared me enough that I dropped out of driver’s school.
A piece of advice to anyone thinking about attending drivers school; make sure you have confidence in your car. Spend time behind the wheel of your car at a PDX , HPDE or Time Trial. I know I will be attending Time Trials in the next few months to gain not only seat time, but confidence in my equipment. I know I will need that confidence when I decide to schedule another driver’s school. Hopefully at the same track that drove me instead of me driving it!
