Got my license back, finally! Long.
I posted here about some problems i have had with my ITA 16V Scriocco. So many in fact that I was in danger of missing the last MCSCC Wheel-to-Wheel driver's school for 2011!
I last raced in 2003 after getting my license in 1988. I held a MCSCC instructor level license at that time and had a SCCA Regional for a few years in the early 90's.
Lst Tuesday I called up my buddy who owns Advanced Autosports in Beloit, WI, one of the largest Spec. Miata prep shops in the country, and asked if he had a Miata to rent for Saturday July 9th. He had planned on being at Gingerman Saturday helping a customer but that he was going to have one of his some of his cars at BFR with one rented for the school. Since I only wanted a car for the school he could rent me his car and he would have one of his employees there anyway for the other school renter.
Come Friday I went to BFR and registered and had my gear checked by tech. I mentioned that I was renting a SM car from AA and tech said to just bring the log book by later. I ran into Dave my buddy and found out that his customer that wanted to run Gingerman on Sat. decided to instead run the MCSCC race at BFR on Sunday. So now the car I was renting was going to run on Saturday and then two races on Sunday. I'm glad that I was bringing my own tires!
Yeah, since the VW and Miata share the same bolt pattern I brought my old Toyo's with me and had them mounted on the rental car. I saved a few bucks on the rental fee too!
Saturday morning at the drivers meeting I was assigned not one but two instructors! A lead or senior instructor and an assistant, an instructor in training. Station wagon runs followed which I really didn't need as I have, oh a few thousand miles at BFR but I went along and humored the asst. inst. as he drove the track and explained the line. Not to sound cocky but I did this more for his benefit as he was training to be an instructor and needed the experience.
The lead follow/session then took place with chase cars followed by student cars with instructors on board if there was a passenger seat. My rental car did not have a pass. seat. Dave, my buddy told me he didn't think I needed an onboard instructor. He did install a seat for his other school rental as that driver was a complete novice.
Two more practice sessions followed before lunch with meetings after each with instructors reporting the good and bad on each student. I learned that I was taking to wide of a entry into turn #3 and not getting down to the apex on some other turns as well. Understandable as I was trying to learn how to driver a strange car while getting used to driving like a race car driver and not a HPDE driver, the only kind of ontrack driving I've done these past 7 years.
At lunch Dave removed the restrictor on the intake on my rental Miata as well as the ballast (90lbs). He planned on running this car in a class on Sunday that did not require these items and thought that since a car does not have to be class legal for school he would just remove then on Saturday and give me a chance to drive the car this way. WOW is all I can say! Even shifting early (High 6000 range instead of 7200.) It was fast.
At the end of the day a 5 lap race was held. It gives the student a heads up on what to expect when he runs his first "real" race. With a S2000 sports race car in our closed wheel group I was girded 2nd, the fasted production based race car in the group, which included a few Prod. and GT preped cars! At the start I was all over the S2 car which I should not have been able to do! He was just not comfortable pushing that car through the turns the way it should be able. Once we got to the straight he was gone and I resigned myself to finishing 2nd in the race.
After wards the instructors meet and dicuss each student and then vote on if a license should be issued. having been a participent of these meetings 95% of the students are non issues. For me, I was asking for more then a Novice license, but a re-instatement of my Full Comp license.
When this was all done a presentation was held and each student who was getting a license was called up and presented with his license in front of the other students and instructors. I am happy to say I was awarded my Full Comp. back after taking 7 1/2 years off from racing.
Now I just have to get my G!D!! race car running and go out there and race!
