Ran my first-ever SCCA race (and finally got around to posting about it)
08-31-2006, 06:24 PM
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Ran my first-ever SCCA race (and finally got around to posting about it)
Watching the Denver GP a couple of weeks ago has given me the motivation to FINALLY post up a few quick notes about my first-ever SCCA race weekend a couple of months ago.
I ran the SCCA double regional weekend at Pueblo on July 2nd and 3rd, in a Spec Miata that I rented on an 'arrive-and-drive' setup from a very highly-regarded shop in New Mexico. It was nice not having to worry about a single thing on the car all weekend, from the setup to the tire pressures to the re-fueling. I just showed up with my safety gear and SCCA credentials, got in the car, and raced.
As for the races themselves, I finished 16th of 16 Miatas in the first race (which was about where I expected to finish) and 12th out of 15 finishers (and 17 starters) in the second race, which was a rain race. More on that in a bit.
The first race was all about getting a feel for the car. I had never driven a Miata before (street or track-prepared), and I have to say that this car definitely lives up to its reputation as a formula car with a roof! I couldn't believe how effortlessly the car changed direction in the turns…it was so responsive to the smallest control input that the Z feels like a boat by comparison. I had a good race with another first-year driver for about the first two-thirds of that race. Following behind her, I found that I was quicker in the turns that weren't passing opportunities or that didn't lead to passing opportunities (T2, T5, and T6, for those familiar with Pueblo), and she was quicker in the good passing zones (T9 and T1), with the two of us being about equal in the rest of the turns.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to carry our race to the completion of the full 18 laps, as I was contacted by a lapping car in T7 towards the end of the race. The other driver there accepted full responsibility (a fact that was backed up by the workers at that corner,) but it was such a heavy impact that I had to take about half a lap to shake the car out and make sure it was still in one piece! The hit didn't knock me off the track or out of the race (fortunately), but it did move the car completely sideways by about 3 feet. During this time, the driver I was racing against was able to pull out a large enough lead that I wasn't able to catch back up to her in the remaining laps. No problem, I thought, we'll have a rematch in the second race of the weekend!
On day 2, I started feeling a little more comfortable in the car, and started to push it harder in the practice and qualifying sessions. It sure felt faster to be pushing the car harder at turn entry and sliding it through the turns. So imagine my surprise when I looked at the time sheets and found that I was slower on the second day than the first! Most other cars were about the same speed on the second day as they were on the first, so I can't blame it on changing track conditions. It turns that what they say is true…slow in, fast out. I had been concentrating on entering the turns quicker, which had me spending half the corner gathering the car up and getting on the gas later; and carrying that disadvantage all the way down from one turn to the next. Okay, I thought, I'll try to work on that in the race, and see what kind of result (position and quickest personal lap) I can get out of it.
Well all that was thrown out the window when the skies opened up on our out-lap for the race! After all those years of track days with no weather problems, here I am on my first race weekend ever, and we get a downpour. Fortunately, I had talked to some of the more experienced drivers when the rain clouds showed up right before we went out, and had gotten some tips on running Pueblo in the rain (namely, tip-toe through T10, and aim down the middle of the track, as those drag lanes may as well be black ice in the rain).
We take the green in an absolute downpour, with me in the outside (left) lane coming through T10. The car in front of me gets on the gas a little too aggressively at the start for the conditions, and immediately pivots 90 degrees to the right and starts accelerating straight into the other lane of cars at the start! I'm able to get past this car as it's driver had corrected and was fishtailing down the front straight, which gets me past hurdle number one, only to give rise to hurdle number two…the rain is so heavy, and the spray kicked up by the cars in front is so thick, that I CAN'T SEE A THING heading down the front straight into the T1 braking zone. I'm talking about 10 feet of visibility here!
I half expect to come into T1 and be greeted by a scene straight out of one of those old F1 replays, with a shower of tires and car parts coming out of the mist. Fortunately, once I got down there, I was able to see through the turn, and everyone had survived, with the exception of one car that had gone off the outside, and was rejoining from the left, right next to where I was going to be as I continued through the turn. This would be bad enough (2-wide, T1 at Pueblo in the rain on the first lap on almost-slick racing tires), but to make it even MORE interesting, the car behind me decided to show a nose and try to come through on the inside. So the next event in my growing list of 'you haven't lived until' moments is:
"You haven't lived until you've gone three wide, in the middle, through turn one at Pueblo on the first lap, in the rain."
So here are the three of us, barrelling through the exit of T1, and down the chute into T2. The car on the (now) inside gets by at T2, and me and this other daredevil who decided to dive down the inside in T1 go side-by side through 2 and 3, but he gets me in 4 (I'm here to tell you that there ain't much grip on the outside of that slow right-hander at the top of the hill). Unfortunately, 4 cars slid off the outside of T10 and into the wall at the end of that first lap (including the car I had raced so closely the first day…the resulting sheet metal damage to her fender caused a tire rub that ended her race early), which caused the stewards to stop the race for a few minutes while those cars were pulled out of the wall.
After the re-start, I was able to stay on track for the remaining laps, and I got to practice my low-grip car control and accident-evasion skills (I wonder if dkmura can set up an 'avoid the fishtailing, spinning car in front of you' exercise at our next 350Z track day). It gets the adrenaline going when the car in front of you gets on the gas a bit early (coming out of T8, in this case), and you have to decide which side of the track he's going to spin off to, so that you can get by on the OTHER side as quickly as possible so as not to get caught up in his accident. I guessed right, in this case, but it sure was close!
I got into quite a few big slides myself, but fortunately I was able to save all of them. A slide in the dry would seem like nothing now, compared to some of these slides in the wet.
So that was pretty much the weekend…lots of fun, and definitely an experience that won't soon be forgotten. My challenge now is to decide whether the extra enjoyment of a race day over a track day is worth the dramatically larger expense and time requirement over tracking the Z. The total price of one race weekend (when renting a car like a Spec Miata) can easily be higher than the cost of a set of HKS RS coilovers for the Z…something that really puts it into perspective for me. And even amortizing the cost of a race car, trailer, and possibly a tow vehicle, it would take a long time to hit the break-even point.
Decisions, decisions.
Here's some pics (I'm in the white number 23 car).
I ran the SCCA double regional weekend at Pueblo on July 2nd and 3rd, in a Spec Miata that I rented on an 'arrive-and-drive' setup from a very highly-regarded shop in New Mexico. It was nice not having to worry about a single thing on the car all weekend, from the setup to the tire pressures to the re-fueling. I just showed up with my safety gear and SCCA credentials, got in the car, and raced.
As for the races themselves, I finished 16th of 16 Miatas in the first race (which was about where I expected to finish) and 12th out of 15 finishers (and 17 starters) in the second race, which was a rain race. More on that in a bit.
The first race was all about getting a feel for the car. I had never driven a Miata before (street or track-prepared), and I have to say that this car definitely lives up to its reputation as a formula car with a roof! I couldn't believe how effortlessly the car changed direction in the turns…it was so responsive to the smallest control input that the Z feels like a boat by comparison. I had a good race with another first-year driver for about the first two-thirds of that race. Following behind her, I found that I was quicker in the turns that weren't passing opportunities or that didn't lead to passing opportunities (T2, T5, and T6, for those familiar with Pueblo), and she was quicker in the good passing zones (T9 and T1), with the two of us being about equal in the rest of the turns.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to carry our race to the completion of the full 18 laps, as I was contacted by a lapping car in T7 towards the end of the race. The other driver there accepted full responsibility (a fact that was backed up by the workers at that corner,) but it was such a heavy impact that I had to take about half a lap to shake the car out and make sure it was still in one piece! The hit didn't knock me off the track or out of the race (fortunately), but it did move the car completely sideways by about 3 feet. During this time, the driver I was racing against was able to pull out a large enough lead that I wasn't able to catch back up to her in the remaining laps. No problem, I thought, we'll have a rematch in the second race of the weekend!
On day 2, I started feeling a little more comfortable in the car, and started to push it harder in the practice and qualifying sessions. It sure felt faster to be pushing the car harder at turn entry and sliding it through the turns. So imagine my surprise when I looked at the time sheets and found that I was slower on the second day than the first! Most other cars were about the same speed on the second day as they were on the first, so I can't blame it on changing track conditions. It turns that what they say is true…slow in, fast out. I had been concentrating on entering the turns quicker, which had me spending half the corner gathering the car up and getting on the gas later; and carrying that disadvantage all the way down from one turn to the next. Okay, I thought, I'll try to work on that in the race, and see what kind of result (position and quickest personal lap) I can get out of it.
Well all that was thrown out the window when the skies opened up on our out-lap for the race! After all those years of track days with no weather problems, here I am on my first race weekend ever, and we get a downpour. Fortunately, I had talked to some of the more experienced drivers when the rain clouds showed up right before we went out, and had gotten some tips on running Pueblo in the rain (namely, tip-toe through T10, and aim down the middle of the track, as those drag lanes may as well be black ice in the rain).
We take the green in an absolute downpour, with me in the outside (left) lane coming through T10. The car in front of me gets on the gas a little too aggressively at the start for the conditions, and immediately pivots 90 degrees to the right and starts accelerating straight into the other lane of cars at the start! I'm able to get past this car as it's driver had corrected and was fishtailing down the front straight, which gets me past hurdle number one, only to give rise to hurdle number two…the rain is so heavy, and the spray kicked up by the cars in front is so thick, that I CAN'T SEE A THING heading down the front straight into the T1 braking zone. I'm talking about 10 feet of visibility here!
I half expect to come into T1 and be greeted by a scene straight out of one of those old F1 replays, with a shower of tires and car parts coming out of the mist. Fortunately, once I got down there, I was able to see through the turn, and everyone had survived, with the exception of one car that had gone off the outside, and was rejoining from the left, right next to where I was going to be as I continued through the turn. This would be bad enough (2-wide, T1 at Pueblo in the rain on the first lap on almost-slick racing tires), but to make it even MORE interesting, the car behind me decided to show a nose and try to come through on the inside. So the next event in my growing list of 'you haven't lived until' moments is:
"You haven't lived until you've gone three wide, in the middle, through turn one at Pueblo on the first lap, in the rain."
So here are the three of us, barrelling through the exit of T1, and down the chute into T2. The car on the (now) inside gets by at T2, and me and this other daredevil who decided to dive down the inside in T1 go side-by side through 2 and 3, but he gets me in 4 (I'm here to tell you that there ain't much grip on the outside of that slow right-hander at the top of the hill). Unfortunately, 4 cars slid off the outside of T10 and into the wall at the end of that first lap (including the car I had raced so closely the first day…the resulting sheet metal damage to her fender caused a tire rub that ended her race early), which caused the stewards to stop the race for a few minutes while those cars were pulled out of the wall.
After the re-start, I was able to stay on track for the remaining laps, and I got to practice my low-grip car control and accident-evasion skills (I wonder if dkmura can set up an 'avoid the fishtailing, spinning car in front of you' exercise at our next 350Z track day). It gets the adrenaline going when the car in front of you gets on the gas a bit early (coming out of T8, in this case), and you have to decide which side of the track he's going to spin off to, so that you can get by on the OTHER side as quickly as possible so as not to get caught up in his accident. I guessed right, in this case, but it sure was close!
I got into quite a few big slides myself, but fortunately I was able to save all of them. A slide in the dry would seem like nothing now, compared to some of these slides in the wet.
So that was pretty much the weekend…lots of fun, and definitely an experience that won't soon be forgotten. My challenge now is to decide whether the extra enjoyment of a race day over a track day is worth the dramatically larger expense and time requirement over tracking the Z. The total price of one race weekend (when renting a car like a Spec Miata) can easily be higher than the cost of a set of HKS RS coilovers for the Z…something that really puts it into perspective for me. And even amortizing the cost of a race car, trailer, and possibly a tow vehicle, it would take a long time to hit the break-even point.
Decisions, decisions.
Here's some pics (I'm in the white number 23 car).
Last edited by GaryM05; 08-31-2006 at 06:26 PM.
08-31-2006, 06:40 PM
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Originally Posted by funkymonkey1111
that's a great write up.
when you rent the car for racing, are you responsible for damage?
when you rent the car for racing, are you responsible for damage?
Yes, part of the rental agreement is that the renter is responsible for repair of any damage (though not regular wear-and-tear) at the rental provider's normal shop rates. However, one thing that sets some rental providers apart is how strictly they enforce this, and how much they'll be willing to absorb as part of the rental. In other words, some have more of the 'good guy' gene than others.
08-31-2006, 07:59 PM
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Let's see: at our next HPDE track event I'll set up sprinklers in front of the accident avoidence cones and send everybody in three wide. THAT should do the trick for Gray!
I agree this is a great write up, but I'm not sure about that last sentence. There is no "break-even point" in racing! But honing your driving skills by driving in door-to-door competition offers rewards that go far beyond pure economics.
I agree this is a great write up, but I'm not sure about that last sentence. There is no "break-even point" in racing! But honing your driving skills by driving in door-to-door competition offers rewards that go far beyond pure economics.
08-31-2006, 08:14 PM
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I think I recall telling you that Spec Miata was the way to go!
I used to own a Miata (although my ex drove it into the ground) and I know exactly what you're talking about regarding the handling. Cool little cars on the track - huh? I just can't get passed all the middle-aged women and retired old farts driving them on the streets (as if to say, "well I didn't save enough for a Porsche, so here's my Miata"). My mom just bought her 3rd...
That was a great recap and I'll reiterate that I'm just sick that I haven't done this myself. Tracking the Z is great fun, but to be on the track in true race competition - I know that's an entirely different experience. Mike Pederford tried to convince me to buy one of his Miatas and simply drive it to the race track events. His comment was, "you're more likely to get in a wreck driving to the track than you are during a race." I'm not so sure about that, but it would cut the cost of a trailer and truck for sure. I'll make you a deal, Gary - I'll get my license and next year we can split the cost of a Spec-B. Eh? Oh yeah, you know you want to!
Joel
P.S. Did I mention you should come to PMI on the 8th? Sick-day, Gary... Sick-day.
I used to own a Miata (although my ex drove it into the ground) and I know exactly what you're talking about regarding the handling. Cool little cars on the track - huh? I just can't get passed all the middle-aged women and retired old farts driving them on the streets (as if to say, "well I didn't save enough for a Porsche, so here's my Miata"). My mom just bought her 3rd...
That was a great recap and I'll reiterate that I'm just sick that I haven't done this myself. Tracking the Z is great fun, but to be on the track in true race competition - I know that's an entirely different experience. Mike Pederford tried to convince me to buy one of his Miatas and simply drive it to the race track events. His comment was, "you're more likely to get in a wreck driving to the track than you are during a race." I'm not so sure about that, but it would cut the cost of a trailer and truck for sure. I'll make you a deal, Gary - I'll get my license and next year we can split the cost of a Spec-B. Eh? Oh yeah, you know you want to!
Joel
P.S. Did I mention you should come to PMI on the 8th? Sick-day, Gary... Sick-day.
08-31-2006, 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by dkmura
Let's see: at our next HPDE track event I'll set up sprinklers in front of the accident avoidence cones and send everybody in three wide.
Originally Posted by dkmura
I agree this is a great write up, but I'm not sure about that last sentence. There is no "break-even point" in racing! But honing your driving skills by driving in door-to-door competition offers rewards that go far beyond pure economics.
Joel
08-31-2006, 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by dkmura
Let's see: at our next HPDE track event I'll set up sprinklers in front of the accident avoidence cones and send everybody in three wide. THAT should do the trick for Gray!
Originally Posted by dkmura
I agree this is a great write up, but I'm not sure about that last sentence. There is no "break-even point" in racing! But honing your driving skills by driving in door-to-door competition offers rewards that go far beyond pure economics.
Maybe after this weekend's race at La Junta I'll have more of an idea about that.
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09-01-2006, 11:29 AM
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Originally Posted by jgray
I think I recall telling you that Spec Miata was the way to go!
I used to own a Miata (although my ex drove it into the ground) and I know exactly what you're talking about regarding the handling. Cool little cars on the track - huh? I just can't get passed all the middle-aged women and retired old farts driving them on the streets (as if to say, "well I didn't save enough for a Porsche, so here's my Miata"). My mom just bought her 3rd...
That was a great recap and I'll reiterate that I'm just sick that I haven't done this myself. Tracking the Z is great fun, but to be on the track in true race competition - I know that's an entirely different experience. Mike Pederford tried to convince me to buy one of his Miatas and simply drive it to the race track events. His comment was, "you're more likely to get in a wreck driving to the track than you are during a race." I'm not so sure about that, but it would cut the cost of a trailer and truck for sure. I'll make you a deal, Gary - I'll get my license and next year we can split the cost of a Spec-B. Eh? Oh yeah, you know you want to!
Joel
P.S. Did I mention you should come to PMI on the 8th? Sick-day, Gary... Sick-day.
I used to own a Miata (although my ex drove it into the ground) and I know exactly what you're talking about regarding the handling. Cool little cars on the track - huh? I just can't get passed all the middle-aged women and retired old farts driving them on the streets (as if to say, "well I didn't save enough for a Porsche, so here's my Miata"). My mom just bought her 3rd...
That was a great recap and I'll reiterate that I'm just sick that I haven't done this myself. Tracking the Z is great fun, but to be on the track in true race competition - I know that's an entirely different experience. Mike Pederford tried to convince me to buy one of his Miatas and simply drive it to the race track events. His comment was, "you're more likely to get in a wreck driving to the track than you are during a race." I'm not so sure about that, but it would cut the cost of a trailer and truck for sure. I'll make you a deal, Gary - I'll get my license and next year we can split the cost of a Spec-B. Eh? Oh yeah, you know you want to!
Joel
P.S. Did I mention you should come to PMI on the 8th? Sick-day, Gary... Sick-day.
I can't imagine what a stripped-down, forced-induction Miata with lightweight wheels and sticky tires could do at the track...it would be interesting to see. I do know that the Spec Miata pole-sitter's time in my first race at Pueblo was only about 2 seconds off what a Z06 running in NASA's most-experienced, open-passing run group was running at Pueblo just 3 weeks later, under similar weather conditions.
You should consider getting your SCCA license next year and coming out! Let's talk more this off-season about some of the options there, including the possibility of splitting a ride (although I'm still trying to figure out what a Spec-B is...)
That comment that Mike made about traveling to the racetrack echoes another one I've heard..."the most dangerous part of racing is towing to and from the track, not the action on the track itself." Spec7 is a class that was made to support the idea of driving to the track in your race car, but they've modified the rules somewhat that could make that a little difficult (you can now remove emmissions equipment and do some other slightly more aggressive things to prepare the car.) And when I've asked around about Spec7, everyone agrees that it's dirt cheap, but they also say that, after driving the Z on track, it might not be that enjoyable to drive a Spec7 on track. Although I have to say that there are some DAMN FAST Spec7 drivers in our region that might differ with that.
And you're right about being on-track in a race being a lot different from tracking the Z...it's amazing how much more mentally involving it is. It even made me forget about all the weeds that I have to pull in my yard, for a whole weekend! That's definitely the sign of a hobby that makes for a great way to escape from everyday life.
09-01-2006, 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by GaryM05
You should consider getting your SCCA license next year and coming out! Let's talk more this off-season about some of the options there, including the possibility of splitting a ride (although I'm still trying to figure out what a Spec-B is...)
I would definitely like to talk about this more in the off season! OR we could talk about it at PMI on the 8th! Ok, ok... I'll stop.
Joel
09-01-2006, 01:06 PM
#10
great write-up Gary. Makes me miss our track days. I can't imagine the pure terror I'd be going through on the track had I been in your shoes. What a cool story though. Sounds like a great experience to learn from, and I know you're a quick study with plenty of skill as it is. So... we'll be seeing you at National's next year then? 
Will
Will
09-04-2006, 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by jgray
Spec-B is also called "Showroom Stock." At least that's what it used to be. Maybe they've changed the classification or designation. You're more in-the-loop about this than I am, so it's safe to say I'm full of it.
I would definitely like to talk about this more in the off season! OR we could talk about it at PMI on the 8th! Ok, ok... I'll stop.
Joel
I would definitely like to talk about this more in the off season! OR we could talk about it at PMI on the 8th! Ok, ok... I'll stop.
Joel
You're killing me with the PMI talk. Ain't gonna happen, sadly.
09-04-2006, 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Resolute
great write-up Gary. Makes me miss our track days. I can't imagine the pure terror I'd be going through on the track had I been in your shoes. What a cool story though. Sounds like a great experience to learn from, and I know you're a quick study with plenty of skill as it is. So... we'll be seeing you at National's next year then?
Will
Will
I will say that it gets better with experience. I ran the LaJunta double regional this past Saturday and Sunday, and was MUCH more comfortable in traffic this time out. I'll try to post up some thoughts about that in less time than it took me to post these about 2 months after the fact!
Nationals next year?!?! Probably not for me just yet...that's still a little further up the intensity scale than I'm looking to travel just yet.
09-04-2006, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by GaryM05
I ran the LaJunta double regional this past Saturday and Sunday, and was MUCH more comfortable in traffic this time out. I'll try to post up some thoughts about that in less time than it took me to post these about 2 months after the fact!
Joel
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