School at the Glen

[hd54kh]

I am off tomorrow to the Glen. Will be my first school. Any advice? I am ready, the car is ready - All fresh fluids all nuts and bolts gone over, all safety gear good, driver gear good, paper work in order. Nerve racking part I need an annual done. The car was last run October 06 and set up for the Glen and has run there often. So the logistics is the uknown, where to go, how to not slow things down at tech (19 entrants for the school), where to park truck and trailer (enclosed 20&#39 etc..... We will be staying at a Best Western about 16 miles doen the road.

Wife is the crew, she is fine with the basics (air, torque, fluids etc....) How bout gas, I have a half tank now but how much should I run, and how much will be used for the school?

So any help to avoid any pitfalls is greatly appreciated.

Terry Schneider
#99 ITB Golf GTI

[dj10]

[quote] I am off tomorrow to the Glen. Will be my first school. Any advice? I am ready, the car is ready - All fresh fluids all nuts and bolts gone over, all safety gear good, driver gear good, paper work in order. Nerve racking part I need an annual done. The car was last run October 06 and set up for the Glen and has run there often. So the logistics is the uknown, where to go, how to not slow things down at tech (19 entrants for the school), where to park truck and trailer (enclosed 20&#39 etc..... We will be staying at a Best Western about 16 miles doen the road.

Wife is the crew, she is fine with the basics (air, torque, fluids etc....) How bout gas, I have a half tank now but how much should I run, and how much will be used for the school?

So any help to avoid any pitfalls is greatly appreciated.

Terry Schneider
#99 ITB Golf GTI

Terry, my 1st suggestion is......relax, take a deep breathe and exhale slowly. Listen carefully to the instructors and instructions given. Be early not to rush yourself. Don't get impatient & mad at your wife and yell at her, remember she's there for support. Fill your tank up with fuel so that is one less thing you have to worry about. If you need more bring some spare fuel to be safe. If you get there early you can have tires, pressures and touque finished. Make sure your belts are set for you and get all your adjustments done before you get to the track. This is only a school so have fun and learn. There's pleany of parking at the Glen. Don't sweat the small stuff.

RELAX, you will screw things up if your uptight.

Good Luck

[Andy Bettencourt]

Excellent recommendation on fuel Dan. You NEED to be on the track when you are supposed to so don't let low fuel bugger-up a session.

Here are some things you need to focus on:

FLAGS - See them, obey them.

Other cars - be aware where they are, let the drivers know you know where they are with point bys and predictible driving.

Hit your lines and BUILD your speed. It's not a race. Slow is fine at first...an UNDERSTANDING of what is going on around you is much more important.

Show others you can pass safely and BE PASSED safely.

Instructors ask themselves one question at the end of every school when evaluating a driver - would I want to race next to that driver? You don't want them thinking, "He never saw me" or "He missed the flag in T3".

And most of all, be relaxed and have fun. You could be at work!

[Doc Bro]

Find out where the classroom component of the school will be and park your rig close to it that way you don't have to run all over God's green earth in between sessions. Enjoy!! Schools are really fun. Keep your vision up. You don't have to go for speed it's not about that, besides...who's your competition?? Situational awareness will be your friend.

Oh yeah...assume everyone has less experience than you.

R

[dazzlesa]

your main goal should be to show the instructors that you play well with others, not winning your on track session

[lateapex911]

I'd start with 3/4 tank....that way it won't slosh past the cap and cause a black flag, and it won't get low and do some weird starving thing. And take extra fuel filters, as well as a couple cans of fule, just in case, if it hasn't been run that much.

Good advice on the rig parking. Get there early.

And when you're driving, look where you want to go, and always try to look ahead.....not two inches in front of the car. Your hands will magically follow your eyes.

Pretend there is an egg under the brake and throttle pedal, work your turn in points, apexes and track out points methodically, but by the last sessions, you should be being aggressive.

[RSTPerformance]

Biggest mess up I have seen at schools from a "scrutenearing point" is people not understanding the flags and or the process to follow after getting one (full course yellow, white flag, etc.). Make sure you understand all that and be sure to watch for flags, they will be testing you when you least expect it!!!

Wish we were thier, good luck!!!

Raymond

[JimLill]

you may find this handy:

http://www.r-series.org/sbrs/wg.jpg

[Eric Parham]

My first school was at the Glen. I loaded my tires into the back of my Fiat Spyder in RI, picked up a speeding ticket in CT because I couldn't see through the tires in the back seat, arrived to find that my motel had given away my room (some mismanaged place downtown across from the only Chinese restaurant -- good food at that restaurant BTW).

Finally found a bed&breakfast with an empty bed, got some much needed sleep, went to the track early and installed my brand new harnesses, took car to annual tech and they heard a scraping noise as I pulled in, failed tech (turned out to be new/longer harness bolts scraping on driveshaft), thought it was time to pack it up for the long haul home until my instructor offered to LOAN ME HIS CAR (an ITC VW Rabbit with a BRAND NEW ENGINE). The school went great and I still remember it fondly. The rest is history, as they say (bought my first VW a few weeks later -- a Scirocco).

Lessons learned? Plenty, but yours will hopefully be different. Get enough sleep and just go with it.

[JLawton]

Biggest mess up I have seen at schools from a "scrutenearing point" is people not understanding the flags and or the process to follow after getting one (full course yellow, white flag, etc.). Make sure you understand all that and be sure to watch for flags, they will be testing you when you least expect it!!!

Wish we were thier, good luck!!!

Raymond
[/b]

You will see a black flag all and you will see a red flag and you will see a rescue vehicle on course at some point during the day. Missing a red flag is a huge no no.......

Be ready for all of these situations.

Good luck!!

[hd54kh]

Thanks guys, got to roll the car in the trailer pack the last few things and head west. From your replies the common items - flags, surroundings, communications and fun. I will write Saturday with how things went.

Terry

[joeg]

Don't have an ulcer.

Read your GCR and supps! You may be quizzed on something like what is the maximum paddock speed--which may be in the supps.

Is your wife good looking?

Bring warm clothes and a good selection of tires.

[lateapex911]

Is your wife good looking?

[/b]

Now....I have to know....where are you going with this one, LOL....?????

(perhaps you're suggesting she hang with the instructor /observers to gain him points??)

[StephF]

Now....I have to know....where are you going with this one, LOL....?????

(perhaps you're suggesting she hang with the instructor /observers to gain him points??)
[/b]

*Raises an eyebrow questioningly....*
You mean to tell me that if if I had dressed Ed up in hot shorts when I did my school at Summit Point many moons ago that I could have gotten signed off after one school??

[Ed Funk]

No, honey, that would probably have cost you two more schools!

[RSTPerformance]

Didn't every guy wear hot shorts back in the 70's and early 80's???

Raymond

[Ed Funk]

Raymond, I was just a kid in bib overalls at that time out there in the Bible Belt :P , hot shorts were something electricians had to deal with so your cows wouldn't get shocked!

[StephF]

Probably the WORST look ever was in the 80's...guys with tight, short denim cutoffs, wife beaters....and mullets. ( we need a gagging/throwing up in a trash can icon!)

Back on track though, hope the original poster is having a good school. I had an excellent time at mine. The Summit school was awesome! They ran it like clockwork with tons of track time and critiques. Then the LRP school, that was also great. It was kind of a surprise to get to doing regional races and finding out that you got so little track time compared to the schools.
Make sure you tell us all how it went!

[hd54kh]

What a time!

First "is she good looking?" Well let's see... She can check tire pressure, torque wheels, check fluids, help get me in car and belted, keep me on time...........She is is beutifull. Oh wait if I'm the best she can do???

Joking, she is great and a sweet coach.

School was great, I had never been in this car on pavement let alone any race car ever and never been on a track before so it was nervous as hell at first. So never before registered for an event, never had a car annual done and never navigated around the paddock ever. Just what I knew from a few folks I know that race. It is different as an observer than when all the items need to be taken care of are in my hands. With the wife and all the help everone offered along the way made it smooth. An absolutlly teriffic bunch of folks.
Whenever I had a question all were there to help I learned just to ask and the advice or answers would flow.

Thursday night the class was fine I was well prepared for that. Than track time followed on Friday. So much to learn and absorb. I was in trouble not knowing the car, track and raceline. After a couple of laps I had more confidence on the track but was still not running how I should have. The instructors in the corners were really helping me where I was weak. The flags I was doing well with until the red flag came out.
I was in the Bus Stop following a Porsche 944 through when the Red came out. Well I am running all out and see the brakelihts and look to see the Red Flag but I had to pass the Porsche so not to lock the brakes up and risk an incident. So just as I passed him I came to a full stop with two off. Mentioned in class but no deduction or reprimand so goes that.
Had trouble all day on turn ten running the line through it and cost me a bunckh of time. I had different rims from fron to rear with different offset so maybe that was my issue. Most elsewhere I think I was ok. By the end if Friday I was well worn.
Saturday it rained, that rack does hold water. I actually felt pretty good in the rain with the front drive and decent Toyo rains on it. Started work on my race lines better and reall felt comfortable that I was more relaxed and able to start seeing my weak points and work on it. In first session of the morning I did a spin in turn 8 in the rain. I knew I entered in with too much speed and when I started to go around locked them and kept in one direction, after I signaled to the flag station he pointed me clear and off I went. I just didn't want that Porsche to pass me again and maybe spent too much time in the mirror and not my braking point.
The race wnt fine had all the good stuff happen. I felt more confident I went through some cars all around the Bus Stop, corner cautions and finished unscathed and three position from where I started (well due to atrittion). In retrospect I know a few areas I need to improve to get more competitive laps in, I know I had trouble in the toe on the boot. If I shift I have too much wheel spin, if I don't I am bogged down so I will need to find a better shift point there as well as after the esses. I need to improve my race line especially in turn nine on the long course and ten when on the short course.

Now I wish I had done this last spring but will look for some kind of HPDE/DE for seat time. A few techincal issues I will post when I get some time. It was great, all that helped were great and am looking forward to seeing all once again.

Thanks to Jerry Moninghan for the #99 and pre/post calls. And all who posted here as all advice was spot on.

Terry and Pretty Mrs. Schneider (Ang)

#99 ITB Golf GTI

[JamesB]

Congradulations. As someone who did HPDE for some time before his first school I can tell you it doesnt change even if you have had time on the same track in the same car. I did a day before my school so I would know the car. Well I had a whole lot more to learn, but I had a blast and it sounds like you did too. Enjoy your events and if you can take advantage of any seat time you can get.