BillH wrote:

IF and that's a big IF, you decide to continue doing events and want to put in a harness and seats. They can be mounted so that the swap from your stock seats to your race seats takes 10 minutes. Used race seats are inexpensive.

pr0zac wrote:
dude, pocono does track days for like $250 a day. i was going to go last year but the guy that i was going to go with blew his motor. i was trying to get my friend who has an m3 to go but i think he is scared of getting shown up.lol. i would be more than willing to do that with you. i have a z51 car with j55 brakes.

BillH wrote:

It's rare that someone uses their brakes like that in their first event, maybe 2 or 3% of the drivers and that's OK. But some of those 3% have to be told to slow down because they're basically out of control, not hitting the apexes or the lines. A few do get it right, hit the lines and use their brakes hard, very few.

Most don't and I'd much rather see guys concentrating on lines, consistant brake points, etc. on their first time out.

But I'm running the car as hard as I can unless I'm stuck in traffic. Sometimes what I think is 10/10ths ends up being 11/10ths,

Jeffvette wrote:
Quote:

But I'm running the car as hard as I can unless I'm stuck in traffic. Sometimes what I think is 10/10ths ends up being 11/10ths,

The 10/10ths that you are driving are nowhere near the limit of the car.

ghoffman wrote:
Here is what my 2000 FRC looked like after a cut RR Hoosier put me into T3 at Loudon.

[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Rightside.jpg[/IMG]
I really liked that car before I crunched it:
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/P7160003.jpg[/IMG]

and here is what a Hardbar customer did to his C5 at about 100MPH. With the Teamtech Rampac, it does not fall off of your shoulders because of the unique design. We both walked away unhurt, and there are many other examples.

[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Opps2.jpg[/IMG]

jsup wrote:

That is what scares me, doing that to my car.

Wonder if insurance covers that stuff...

ghoffman wrote:
Cars can be replaced, lives cannot.

Jeffvette wrote:
Quote:

jsup wrote:

That is what scares me, doing that to my car.

Wonder if insurance covers that stuff...

HAHA.

If you can't afford to write it off, keep it off the track.

ghoffman wrote:
Cars can be replaced, lives cannot.

CentralCoaster wrote:


Lesson #3: After a few events, you'll know the regulars at your local track that aren't afraid to go, and you won't feel the need to try and convince your own friends to go. And if/when they finally decide to, you can be the guy that helps them out.

CentralCoaster wrote:

Bill, my stock seat covers are finally starting to go, but I was thinking, why spend $600 on new leather when I can just put in some race seats?



In my shoes, would you suggest using race seats in a semi-daily driver, or is that going to be impossible without compromising either street comfort or track use? If I went that route I would buy two race seats, get some adjustable seat tracks for them, and having to get ones that fold forward for access to the hatch area. And even with harnesses, I would retain the factory seatbelts for daily use.

Or should I just buy new factory leather, and then just swap in a race seat and harness for track events?

CentralCoaster wrote:


I don't ever hold back at the track. I don't spend $300 and a weekend so I can go cruising at 7/10ths. I can do that in the local canyons.

Obviously getting out of control repeatedly isn't the fastest way around the track, so I don't do it. But I'm running the car as hard as I can unless I'm stuck in traffic. Sometimes what I think is 10/10ths ends up being 11/10ths, and I blow a breaking zone or drop some tires in the dirt. You can't learn where the limits are without going past them every now and then. And yeah, I paid for the entire track, so I'm going to use it. Running poor lines only reinforces bad driving habits and gets you slower lap times.

SpectatorRacing wrote:
I've only seen a handful of bad accidents (meaning the car couldn't be driven home) at a driving school.

ghoffman wrote:
I say the same things and would add (at NHMS):
The brakes are for braking, not the engine

SpectatorRacing wrote:

It actually gets annoying at times when I bring newbs (or even guys with several events under their belts) and they are completely reliant on me for EVERYTHING.

Can you help me bleed my brakes? Can you drive my car for a minute and tell me if that noise is ok? When am I up next? Where's my instructor? Can I store my shit in your trailer? Can you help me get the stuff out of my trunk? What run group am I? What run group is that guy? Is that guy faster than me? What are his lap times? What are my lap times? etc. etc.

I love bringing friends at the track, but when I have three students and am a co-sponsor of an event I don't have time to babysit. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only guy that can read the schedules that are posted all over the place...

ghoffman wrote:
I have Corvette newbies just leave it in 3rd all the way around. One less thing to think about.

Other things I say;

Use your mirrors

Breathe

ghoffman wrote:

Halleyuah!
I instruct for several reasons and I am a very generous person, but enough is enough sometimes. I like to have one student per day, sometimes 2. It is not bad to have 2 if one is a total newbie, and the other is an intermediate that needs some fine tuning. It is especially helpfull for the intermediate driver to have in-car video that we can review together.

The reasons I instruct are (in no particular order)
1) Give it back to people (like the movie 'Pay it forward")
2) I always learn something, even after running at NHMS for 18 years.
3) Meet new people, make friends
4) Test new Hardbar products and get seat time for myself

ghoffman wrote:
Here is why Corvette owners need to learn how to drive. Do you really want a Spec Miata to pass you because you really can't drive as well as your ego says you do?

CentralCoaster wrote:
The right instructor can be a big help, but I see how they can be a little choosy about who they spend time on. It seems like some of the guys out there can't be helped and just have the goal of ditching the instructor as soon as possible so they start driving stupid.

ghoffman wrote:
Yea, I am just having fun with Corvette guys. Here is a pic of me as Brian Cunningham's instructor at the brand new New Jersey Motorsports park in August. Man, I am so claustrophobic in those, I have to slide down against the sub strap to get any headroom.

SpectatorRacing wrote:

Nowadays, every student I have wants me in the car every session of every day. I don't mind as that's what I'm there for, but it's odd to see this. I'd love to think it's because I'm that great of an instructor, but I doubt it ;)

What's really odd is when I have a more experienced student that already runs a good line and is a safe, smooth driver. The next step is basically finding speed and lowering lap times. But often they don't want to push harder,

BillH wrote:
Unfortunately, it fades after a half lap in the Miata.

ghoffman wrote:
Are you the one with the fancy helmet?

BillH wrote:

I see a lot of this too, students really wanting someone in the car, especially the novices.

What I see with the intermediate drivers is one session's not enough to work on the little things.

Jeffvette wrote:
Quote:

BillH wrote:
Unfortunately, it fades after a half lap in the Miata.

I would expected it to fade as you head down pit lane.

BillH wrote:

Are you headed down there? I thought it was this weekend.

ghoffman wrote:
With SCDA I had a guy in a brand new Viper who had never been to the track ever. As an FYI, Loudon is NOT a place to screw around, at least 2 pros have died there. He is a contractor and is used to bossing all of his Union guys around and does not want to listen to a GD thing I say. He is doing tank slappers into every corner so I say pull in and let me out. I go to Bill who is Chief Instructor and tell him that this guy needs a new instructor. The call goes out on the corner worker radios that the Viper needs a new instructor. Ashley calls out "get Gary to work with him". Then they say "Gary is the one that wants out". They say OK then, Bill will deal with him. Sometimes, you just have to say no.

Jeffvette wrote: