Track fun

[Raymond A. Kawski]

Just wanted to share some recent track fun.

A few weeks ago I went to Monticello Motor Club (http://www.monticellomotorclub.com/) to instruct for NASA/PDA.   Brand new facility and what a nice track!   Spent the day learning the new track and instructing.

Towards the end of the day I brought my student out in my VE powered NX2000 to show him the line and such.   Well half way thru the session a jackass in a GT3 decides to pass me without a point by IN THE TURN!   Now this didn't really bother me so much because I've been driving now for 10 years and I'm comfortable in traffic and know what's going on around me.    I told my student that he shouldn't be doing that and continued showing him the line and having him watch my hand position, etc.

After a few laps the jerk in the GT3 comes around again.  Now they only way he got back to me so fast was that he was passing EVERYONE wherever he felt like.   So I wasn't going to let him get around me unless I gave him a point by.  So for 2 laps I blocked him from passing me in the turns and on the straights.  If he went left I went left.  If he went right I went right.   If I saw him try to take me on the inside I adjusted my line to block him.    The last straight before pit out I pointed him by just to get his numbers.  So that I could tell event organizers that this dope was passing unsafely without point bys.     Since I know the organizers pretty well I told them I had blocked him for two laps.   The response was good, followed by them checking with the corner workers who reported the same thing and that they would talk to him.

It felt good to be able to not only get around the track fast and to keep someone behind me at the same time!

Later in the day Joe DiMinno showed up and the chief instructor wanted Joe to go out with a guy in a 300whp imprezza to check him out to see if he was ready to take a comp school.   Joe told me to go out behind the guy and to dog him around the track to give him more of an experience of what it would be like to be in a race.   Joe said I probably wouldn't be able to keep up with him in the straights but would catch him under braking and be on him thru the turns.   So the first lap I did that and had no problem sticking with him because he was going slow and taking an ok line but not the best line.  I continued to follow him around filling his mirrors and being about 6" off his bumper.   On the second lap he got faster but I was able to keep with him by dropping back before the turn to take my line and speed thru the turn so that I would slingshot him on the straights.   Finally I saw Joe motion for me to pass him.   So I did and I enjoyed the rest of the session.   Needless to say the Joe told the guy he wasn't ready as a 190whp FWD car just passed him and then after I did a Miata passed him as well.   Which shouldn't happen with a good driver with 300whp and AWD.

I learned that day that I really need to get a car ready and take a comp school as I'm ready for it.


Fast forward to this past weekend at Pocono North where I went out with a fellow instructor who has an M3 who wanted to follow me around to video.   Needless to say I looked up to see where he was and then looked back down and oops missed my turn in point.   lol.    Car is fine but made for a funny video.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f457TCc-ADk


RK