A Million Driver School Questions...

[oh2winindy]

Doing the double at Roebling in February. Here are a list of questions for you guys...

1. Do they do annual Tech on the car there?

2. How much gas should be bring, or is there race gas available at the track?

3. Is the great and mighty Purple One going to be instructing?

4. If so, can you/he be requested?

5. How many pens should I bring to sign autographs with?

6. Are there camping facilities at Roebling?

7. Can we arrive a day early to set up?


Ok, 7 for now instead of a million, but we will have many more as the time draws near. Thanks in advance for your replies!!!!!

[Gary Payne]

[QUOTE=oh2winindy]Doing the double at Roebling in February. Here are a list of questions for you guys...

1. Do they do annual Tech on the car there?

Jamie, It can be done BUT.... its best to have your car's annual tech done prior to the race weekend.

First during the school weekend youve got a lot of things on your plate related to the school so you dont want to be messing with an annual.

Second, If the inspectors find a problem, you aint got a lot of time to resolve anything and still get your school requirements done and if the problem requires parts.... ie belts, fire system , hardware issues, etc, your pretty much sol.

Best advice, contact the chief of tech for your region well in advance of the school and arrange to do it before leaving home. Also take at least one crew guy with you for the weekend and make sure your car is running well for the school. Nothing more frustrating that trying to get the school requirements out of the way and fighting mechanical problems.

[carnut169]

#1- already answered, and correctly.
#2- none. Just buy the track gas.
#3- email him & ask, but if so, #4 is yes. He loves teaching open wheel drivers
#5- um... don't worry about that.
#6 & #7 yes!

Main thing is make sure your car is good to go.
Next, remember this is for fun... relax, listen to your instructor & have a blast.

[TimW]

Stay hydrated! 2.5 hours in the car for 1 day is a lot of track time. That is on par to running a half marathon. You will be tired. And then you'll have to do it all over again the next day.


Advil is good for the sore neck muscles you'll undoubtedly have.

[oh2winindy]

I hope everyone got the Autograph pen thing was a joke!!! LOL Anyways, thanks for all the info guys and hope to see you all soon!

[Mark H]

Hey Man,
The camping thing gets kinda cold at RR in Feb. Plus going to the motel lets you regroup for the next day.
There are some, kinda cheep rooms down at I-95, and they give SCCA discounts.
Get gas early because the track mgr. is not always around, you know the sarge!
Pit right up next to the fence near the grid, in case the Reynard starter goes out (not like that would ever happen)?#!^$
Good luck man see ya at RA with a novice permit!

[Brad Ellingson]

Mark is spot on about the camping. Unless you have a motorhome..I'd stay in the hotel. I did my driver's school in April of '03 at Blackhawk Farms (Northern Illinois). Having been in the Infantry I figured I could hack staying in the back of my truck. I've slept outside in colder weather but the big difference between then and the driver's school was I didn't have the choice to stay elsewhere. Didn't get much sleep which I believe hurt me during the school. I didn't wreck my car or anything, but I wasn't as rested as I should have been. I was also pretty wiped out at the end of the day. [size=2][/size]

[Purple Frog]

#5 I only sign in Purple.

I went last year and you didn't show, so this will cost you twice as much beer this year.

Ask as many questions as you like. It actually helps all the lurkers that are afraid to ask. (Plus it gives us more opportunity to degrade you and make you feel silly. LOL It's sort of like Marine boot camp. We degrade you down to worm status the first day, then by Sunday you leave thinking Chip Ganassi certainly has left a message on your answering machine.)

I don't know much about the Kershaw double school this year, but it is closer to you. I'm tossing around the idea of teaching at both (sort of depends on some little kart event in Chicago).

It costs extra if I have to bring a few extra Reynard starters shafts...

[jattus]

I did my first driver's school in 98 at the double in February a Roebling Road- I would not plan on camping unless I was a polar bear- We we arrived at the track each morning the car had a layer of frost on it- You will be worn out and need a good nights rest - spend the extra $60 and get a hotel room.

Good luck
Justin

[EYERACE]

gas? like anyone is going to be checking your gas at a driver's school......you'll probably go through about 15 gallons...times $5.00 a gallon = the cost of a room at the Microtel for one night. just buy 93 octane pump gas and use the stuff that's about $2.00 per vs. $5.00. stay at the Microtel. get a rubber neck coller for support, 3 days is a lot of tired muscles. GET THE TECH DONE BEFORE YOU GO TO THE TRACK.......why do i emphasize this ? care to find out the hard way ?

[carnut169]

Man you guys are soft!

We camped at the track for drivers school along with many of the other racers and instructors... had a blast! We got to stay up late bench racing, cooked out, and although it was a bit chilly we had a small heater in the trailer and decent sleeping bags- it was just fine. It really gives you a more relaxed enviroment to get to know people, and thats one of the best parts of racing.
If you are a sound sleeper, then consider that you might get MORE sleep b/c you won't have any travel time (30 mins, at least).

Oh... and the money you save will pay for your instructor's dinner at the Shell House (although it may be time to change the venue).

Some of my best memories in racing have all involved weekends where we stayed at the track.

EYE- I thought our compression ratio required a higher octane and our motors required lead?

[Purple Frog]

No alarm clock needed, the first diesel usully idles by the tent about 6:45. All the new students with their wizzy multi-thousand dollar shiny new satin drivers suits sleep in the motels. Meanwhile the old instructors sleep at the track. (Is that because we are not allowed to drive on Georgia roads after the worker party?)

Then what do instructors have to do all day but walk around saying things such as:

You are still turning in too early.
They will not let you leave the grid without gloves.
Ah... so you have never driven this car before this morning...
Quit frigging around with that movie camera mount and listen to me.
And just how was that FV able to pass you on the outside of turn 1?
There is this little pedal on the right side of the footwell...
So... after you didn't see the red flag at 4 different corner stations, what did you do?
Have you ever met with Fred Schumucker before?
How are you at golf?

[dc]

I'm going to offer up a few ideas that you can prepare for the school ahead of time, because you will be in a frenzy during the school, and the thought, "I should have brought..." will go through your head a hundred times, if not more.

1) Pack 2 coolers. One with premade one-hand sandwiches and easy eat snacks, and the second with cold drinks. Pack bottled water, Gatorade and one or two cans of Ginger Ale. Drink a lot. You will need to eat quickly because your time is at a premium on your school day. Quick energy is a huge benefit. High carb, high calorie, high protein... get your simple sugars. I like the Snickers Marathon bars, myself. You can get them really cheap at Walmart, and they taste really good. Food is MUCH easier to think about a few days before than on school day.

2) Buy helmet tear-offs. This is a simple and inexpensive thing to do that you should get in the habbit of doing anyway. It will save you time in having to clean your helmet visor after every session, and it will extend the life of your expensive visor. Learn how they install and come off before you go to the track. Bring Rain-X and Fog-X, too. Weather isn't always perfect on school day. Also, drink a lot of fluids.

Make sure you have all of your vitals written on the back base of your helmet, too. Tech will love you for it. Sew your SCCA patches onto your suit before you get to the track. Finding needle and thread at the track on race day is like finding a needle in a... well, you know.

3) Make reservations at a local hotel. A fresh night of sleep and a shower, shave and everything else, and you will have a big advantage over the guy who slept out in the cold. Reserve your room early, as most other students will be thinking the same thing as you. Trust me and everyone else here, the hotel is worth it. Also, drink a lot of fluids.

4) Recruit help. Get as many volunteers to help take care of the car, filling the gas (getting the gas), tire pressures, and everything else. You can't do it by yourself. You shouldn't try. You have to focus on the school and the car 100%, and trying to remember if you filled the gas tank is not something you should be thinking about. The more help you have, the more you can focus elsewhere. Let your help know, too, that you are going to be a ghost on Saturday, too. It isn't a picnic or party for them, so taking snapshots isn't high on the priority list when the fur is flying. Also, drink a lot of fluids.

5) Eat well the night before. Don't eat crappy fast food if you can avoid it. Being sick on school day sucks. Take my word on this one. I dealt with stomach issues as well as motion sickness on my school day and I was MISERABLE. I almost didn't make it back into the car for the final "race." This is where the Ginger Ale comes in. Ginger acts as an emergency aid for motion sickness. Unfortunately, I learned of this after my bout, but I'd never head to a race weekend without a few cans or a box of Ginger Snaps. Sleepy drugs are no good in the car, either. Speaking of drugs...

6) Bring pharmaceuticals. Not the recreational ones, but stuff for upset stomach, headaches, etc. Fill a Ziplock bag of your favorites. My bag includes Excedrin Migraine, Pepto tablets, Advil, Claritin, Rolaids, Aspirin, and a couple others. Chasing around drugs after you have already developed a problem isn't fun. Having a headache in a helmet, or worse, feeling nauseated in the car, is one of the worst feelings you could anticipate. Also, drink a lot of fluids.

7) Prepare for rain. It sucks, but it's entirely possible. In February, you might expect worse, too. Umbrellas, rain ponchos, Rain-X and any other wet weather gear you will need. Also prepare to try to keep your driver's shoes dry. Wet shoes are a nightmare on those little metal pedals. A little skateboard friction tape on the pedals will save you a lot of rain problems later on. Two summers ago, every race I ran was wet, and it is not fun. Plan for it, because it will happen.


Also, drink a lot of fluids.


Most importantly; have fun, relax, listen to your instructor, focus on being smooth and smart, and have fun.

[dc]

Oh yeah, and buy race gas at the track. Don't screw with your carb settings and engine by running unleaded 93-octane street gas. It will be more trouble that it is worth. Do everything you will do as if it were a real race day.

[Keith Carter]

Don't forget to READ THROUGH THE GCR. You will be tested. It will hopefully be open book (mine was), so bookmark all of the main sections in it like the general rules, the SCCA hierarchy (SOM, Chief Steward, etc..) and all of the other major partitions in the GCR. Your test will be less stressful.

[Purple Frog]

Doug definitely hit all the high points.
Savannah is a three day school. In fact I think there is even a Thursday night classroom session. Historically we have run three run groups. What that means is that on Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday, every time you come in off the track you will have only about 25 minutes before it's time to go back to grid.
In those 25 minutes you'll have to listen to your instructor, eat, use the facilities. Notice I didn't mention refueling the car, checking it's fuilds, changing tires, RECHARGING the ONBOARD BATTERY, etc. Crew needs to be doing that, and they need to already be trained before they get to Savannah.

About tires. This is one time that having the stickiest tires isn't too important. With an FC at Savannah for drivers school I'd probably throw on a used set of Hoosier R-45. Have another used set around in case you flatspot one. Based on history, you will probably need rain tires at some point in the three days. They also don't have to be the latest nor greatest. If it is raining and the course is green for your session, you will be expected to be out there. So, borrow somebody's rains to have in the trailer.

Make sure all your wheels actually fit on the car. Many times it starts raining, guys grab the rains out of the trailer... then find out that the wheels they are mounted on don't fit on the car.

Running a FC at drivers school usually means you are the fastest car in the group(or at least should be). Which won't give you much practice using mirrors, but a lot of experience getting by backmarkers.

[dc]

Running a FC at drivers school usually means you are the fastest car in the group(or at least should be). Which won't give you much practice using mirrors, but a lot of experience getting by backmarkers.

Interesting point. You get really big balls after a day of blowing by Formula Vees and F500s in your track sessions. You forget you have mirrors really quick because few cars if any are ever behind you. You get really good at getting by people who aren't used to having REALLY fast cars coming up on them. You'll aslo have really frightened people in those slow cars who will forget their names when they see you in their mirrors. Be prepared for ANYTHING. They will do the most bizarre, unsafe, unpredictable things when you least expect it.

I remember fondly to my school at Blackhawk when a VERY slow SRF pointed me by on the outside of the very fast flat out turn 5, then proceeded to move right into the line he pointed me to. You might want to bring extra underwear, too. I think my arms were numb for a couple of laps after that one.

You'll quickly learn how to use your mirrors on Sunday morning in session one. The jewels quickly reduce swelling when you realize that you aren't nearly as fast as you thought you were on Saturday.

[Purple Frog]

Ah... the fond memories.
I blew through drivers school like I was the next great American F1 star. Sat on the pole and won every practice race.
"Hey, what's the big deal? I'm a natural."
Three weeks later, first regional weekend, beautiful downtown Road Atlanta.
Mr. cool and fast, gets to the practice grid ahead of everyone.
First hot lap. I'm pedaling as fast as I know how.
Out of nowhere two serious real FAs simultaneously pass me on both sides going up the hill out of T1. I had not even got my breath back before another one just blows by me in the braking zone for T3. Needless to say... I went straight off at T3.
I think I was rattled for like three weeks.

[EYERACE]

about that pump gas and carb jet thing...you're right.....but like this matters at a driver's school. the goal is to finish. the picky and theoretical stuff can wait. about the lead, there is a small fraction of lead still in unleaded gas - it's a relative thing. and the compression ratio of a 1600 is not so high that it matters - therefore - actually the best gas to run is the fuel with the lowest compression number that does not ping

[Dave]

First hot lap. I'm pedaling as fast as I know how.
Out of nowhere two serious real FAs simultaneously pass me on both sides going up the hill out of T1. I had not even got my breath back before another one just blows by me in the braking zone for T3. Needless to say... I went straight off at T3.
I think I was rattled for like three weeks.

Had the same feelings my first time out. Sitting there afterwards wondering what I had gotten myself into. Got over it though!

[racerjon1]

Study the basics.

Sure they go over them in the classroom, but you might be wearing your suit for the first time and dreaming about slaloming Formula Vs, or if Mr Ganassi is going to like what he sees in Sunday's race, or if you remembered Frog's beer. A lot more students get out there and miss some of the basics than you might think.

Beat into your head:
Braking Point/Zone
Turn in point
Apex (late, early.. etc)
Track out point

These are the main terms you are going to hear us talking about when we instruct. The better a knowledge you come in with of these, the more we can work on dealing with traffic, racing, and the quicker you are going to process what we say. You can learn this by playing grand tourismo, or picking up a simple book like "secrets of solo racing" However you do it, beat it in your head.

Also.. please, don't be afraid to ask questions. Some of us get dumb and assume that you know what all those simple things are. Speak up, make sure you are leaving with as good an understanding as you can get. If it's a simple question, it is not your fault you dont know it, its our fault for not already mentioning it.

Another thing that I have noticed instructing at this school with Frog, and Court.. etc is that we sorta instruct by committe. In other words we all watch everyone in the group, and give feedback to each other about our students. We are a tight knit group, and you can feel free to ask questions of anybody. It starts at the school, it continues on here, and makes for much better race weekends when we have continue that relationship. (Plus when you outqualify one of the instructors one weekend you will know them and can point back and laugh)

And most important..

Have fun.

Drivers' schools still rank as some of my most fun weekends in cars. It's like the best summer camp, prom, and graduation all rolled up into one. So relax, and when you are blowing down the front straight at 120 mph, smile. (and check your mirrors)

Jon K
www.seat-time.com

[oh2winindy]

Thanks for all the great advice guys!!!! I have actually done a ton of karting, including shifters, tags, and 3 24hr races in france, so I am hoping the switch to cars will be a little easier than if i had no race knowledge at all. I read a million books also, so the tems i should be good with... Thanks again, and look forward to seeing you all in Feb, and then again at RA!!!!

[dc]

I have actually done a ton of karting, including shifters, tags, and 3 24hr races in france, so I am hoping the switch to cars will be a little easier than if i had no race knowledge at all.

I swear to all I love that I thought the same thing myself. The very first time I was in a Continental on a race track was the first time I was in a REAL race car. It took me a lap to remember how to shift and recall what the gear pattern was, and three laps to figure out how to breathe and drive at the same time. I don't think I blinked the entire session, and I'm being dead serious. I got back into the paddock and my eyes were bloodshot and tears were streaming down my face like I had gotten a shot of teargas. My hands were sore from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. My chest hurt because I was breathing like I was 2,000 feet under water. Seven laps.

Humbling, to say the least. I couldn't wait to get back in the car and do it again.

[jattus]

Doug is right on- sounds like my first time in the car except I think I did a complete lap in 2nd gear

Make sure your car starts - In 2002 at the VIR School we had a guy come all the way from Northern Ohio- something like a 10 hour tow. When he arrived at the track he tried to fire his Atlantic up and it was dead- Instructors looked at him asked him when the last time he turned it over and he answered " about a month ago". Turns out the ecu was shot and he didn't have a spare- Talk about a long ride home.

[formulasuper]

I did my first driver's school in 98 at the double in February a Roebling Road- I would not plan on camping unless I was a polar bear- We we arrived at the track each morning the car had a layer of frost on it- You will be worn out and need a good nights rest - spend the extra $60 and get a hotel room.

Good luck
Justin

Or invest $30.00 in a small electric heater, good for many years use, and be amazed how hot a van or pickup shell can get inside using free electricity at Roebling Rd. You will be sleeping with the windows cracked for fresh air.