This was my second full day PDX @ GIR.

I was assigned to the Intermediate class this go around and I was surprised, but eager to learn more and push myself.

Getting started on the day I was assigned an instructor who was pretty cool and directed me well on some points to get me going quicker. The first session out I started slow. The track temperature was still quite cold and cold tires lead to some very dangerous situations. So I took it easy and gradually started pacing faster.

After my first outing, my instructor wanted to show me a few tips so I let him in my car and we went out for a spin. All I can say is “wow”. He really drove my car and showed me how much the car has in it and what lines and braking points I could make. This inspired a ton of confidence in me because now I knew how fast the car could go with the right line and confidence.

My next outing was very different than the first. After seeing what the car could do I pushed my speed harder and focused on my line and keeping my driving smooth. And it worked well. I was passing everyone in the pack and challenging the fastest runners in my group.



As I got more confident in the car I started moving faster and faster. During my 3rd session a Porsche boxter and a 2007 Corvette I was able to pass and challenge the whole session. It feels good to tail a 400 horse power Corvette and then him wave me to pass in my 287 horse power car. I was really getting into a groove. Having a car right on your tail is fairly unnerving. I focused on keeping him in mind but keeping my eyes ahead and reading ahead and down the track.



When under pressure a lot of people tend to drive abnormally or over drive. Unfortunately for this Subaru it ended very badly. Just prior to this I was behind him and he was driving very erratically. I think he was nervous and driving beyond his skill. I passed him and by the time I came back around the track the corner workers were waving black flags (black flag means slow down something bad happened). I soon came to see what happened.



Aaron was doing some timing on his watch and saw one of my bests at 1m:14s for a lap. That was one second faster than the $70k Nissan GTR’s time. (i am not saying my car is faster than a GTR is or can be by any means, just that as a driver I was out pacing him) I was proud of that, but wasnt too worried about everyone else, but focusing on my own line and driving.





By the end of the day I was completely exhausted and very satisfied with my driving and the day in general. Its going to be a very long off-season as I already cant wait to do another event.

Here is a complete gallery of all 250 pictures from the day. Please use the password “skidcity”.

http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...0-19-08%20pdx/

Also, please take the time to watch the video of some highlights from one of my sessions.

Higher quality:
Thanks if you made it this far,

Neil

 

Nice driving. The 350Z is a great road racer in capable hands.

 

Great write up and great pics/vid.

Looks/sounds like you're a quick learner.