Kodey.com - Summit Point Track Days

Summit Point Track Days

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· · ·

· 2006 ·
Track Time

· 2005 ·
Summit Point

· 2004 ·
Fall Foliage

· 2003 ·
Rolex 24

· 2002 ·
DC Grand Prix
4th of July

· 2001 ·
Speedway

· 1999 ·
San Diego

"That Maserati is holding us up!"

"That Maserati is holding us up!" my friend said. "Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say." he would later add.

Do you know what tires smell like when they're hot? I'm not talking tires-being-shredded-by-a-burnout hot. I'm talking tires that are just-starting-to-melt hot, as they're "talking" to you while going around a corner at a speed that yesterday you would have considered impossibly quick.

Do you know what brakes smell like when they're really hot?

Do you know what a Ferrari sounds like at full acceleration through 120mph, and how it feels when decelerating from 125 down to 40 in a shockingly short amount of pavement?

I do.

Track Days at Summit Point

I first heard about the possibility of driving on a track from the Porsche Club when I got my Boxster. I never built up the nerve to go. Then, I get my Ferrari and heard all the same stories. "Drive the car the way Enzo intended." Yea, right.

Last year, I went to watch one of these events. That was my first mistake. While there, I spoke to several people about how it worked. Second mistake. One year later, I decided to give it a shot. You only live once. Yea, right.

One inspection for the car, and one helmet rental later, I'm ready to go. <gulp>

Pregame Prep

The morning starts early - 7am. Arrive, get registered, tape up all your exposed lights, put on your numbers, and get another on-track inspection. It's pretty clear that safety is the primary concern here. The tape on the lights is to keep the glass or plastic from shattering if hit by a rock. Shattered glass could be tire blow-outs. The second inspection verifies that there's nothing in the car that shouldn't be, and to make sure tire pressure and lug nuts are up to spec.

Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.
I have all my war paint. I'm ready for action!	Some of the other cars in attendance.

Drivers Meeting

Every driver must attend the drivers meeting before going out on track. The idea is to recap the rules and focus on safety. Consider this meeting as your investment into the weekend.

Warm-up: Be careful in the morning. The track is cold, your tires are cold, your brakes are cold, and your brain is cold. Take time to warm them all up.
Flags: The corner workers are there to communicate with you:
- Black Flag
  - They may shake a furled (rolled-up) black flag at you. They may point at you. That means, "Knock it off." It's up to you to figure out what you're doing wrong.
  - If you don't figure it out, you may be shown the black flag. That means you must immediately pull into the pits to have a conversation with the stewards. This will be a one-sided conversation.
  - A black flag may also indicate that there is a problem with your car, or the session is being stopped prematurely. Either way, pull into the pits immediately.
- Yellow Flag
  - The workers may show you a yellow flag. This means that there has been an incident up ahead. If the flag is not waving, the results of that incident are off-track. Slow down anyway - because you'll likely want to learn about what caused the incident before you reach the incident!
  - The workers may wave the yellow flag. This means the incident is likely still near or on the track. Take caution.
  - The workers may vigorously wave the flag. You'll certainly get the idea that something very interesting is going on. Take extreme caution!
- Blue Flag
  - Check your mirrors. The car behind you may be faster than you. Point them by in the next passing zone.
- Checkered Flag
  - The session is over. You can pretend that it means, "you won" if you'd like. All those things that were cold before are now really hot. Cool them down. Cool your tires, cool your brakes, and cool your head. Drive slowly, and practice your line.
Passing: This isn't a race. The whole idea is to have fun. What fun would it be if you go home with a wrecked car? So, passing may only be completed in designated areas (one of the 3 straights), and only after a point-by. What's a point-by? It's the way you communicate with fellow drivers. The driver being passed must point to the side of the car he is expecting to be passed on. That shows that he is aware of you, and you may pass. No point, no pass. One pass per point.
Courtesy: Some of you may have very powerful cars. Some of you may believe that the corners are simply the things that connect the straights. If you find yourself rocketing away from cars behind you on the straights, only to have them catch right up to your bumper in the "skills" portion of the track, please point them by at the next passing zone. In fact, after you do so, follow them. You might learn something.
Keep a Cool Head: If you find that the car in front of you rockets away from you on the straight, only to get held up in the "skills" portion of the track, please be patient. Pull into the pits for 30 seconds if you need to.

First Laps

Well, here it is. First time out. I wasn't nervous at all - I was quite comfortable with my plan to ensure my car would look the same going home as it did right now. Take it easy. Learn. Be humble.

I meet my first instructor, and let him know that this was my first time. Immediately, he offers to drive a few laps with me in the passenger seat to teach me the line around the track. Not many people have been behind the wheel of my car. But, in this case, I'll definitely make an exception.

Off we go... Out of the pits and onto the main straight, left lane. He patiently and slowly takes me around the track, showing me the line. Oddly, one of the things I notice is just how slow he's going. He just points overtaking cars by and stays his course. That takes the pressure off. I can go at the speed I'm comfortable with. No need to push.

The instructor takes 3 more laps, highlighting the need to be smooth, and how critical it is to stay on the line. After lap 4, we pull into the pits again to change drivers. My turn!!

Driving Impressions

Understandably, I start out feeling quite timid. I love driving on twisty back-roads, but somehow this feels very different. I remember the line he showed me, but actually putting the car there is another story. The instructor gives me steering assist at a couple of places to show me where the line is. I only get 2 laps on this session, which means I never really got a comfort level.

At the beginning of session 2, the same instructor joins me. This time, I'm pretty nervous. This time, I know just how much I have to learn. Off we go, and lap 1 still feels like I'm all over the place. Relax. Just drive.

Literally by lap 2, session 2, I'm feeling more comfortable. With each lap, I'm able to remember just where the apex of each corner is, and just how late the turn-in points are. Going fast on these corners means driving TOTALLY different than I normally do. It takes some adjustment, but I start to get the hang of it. That being said, I'm getting passed by everyone - especially this blue Porsche 944 Turbo. He's clearly quicker than everyone else in my beginners run group.

What amazes me the most is just how fast my car stops. Using brake pressures that I would normally reserve for an emergency become the normal course. Especially for turn 1, taking the car down from 120 to about 40. It's also amazing just how much speed and how many lateral G's the car will take while remaining completely planted on the pavement. It's taking quite a bit of effort just keeping myself in my seat. Now I know why race cars have those special seats and belts to hold you in.

By session 3, the instructor has less to say. I assume that's a good thing. I must be holding the line quite well, since he's not telling me where I'm turning in early or late. At one point he comments that I'm doing very well in the most difficult sections of the track. Cool! I can feel that I'm getting quicker, but still being passed by much of my run group.

For session 4 and 5, I have a new instructor. I tell him what I've been working on - especially getting used to how late I can brake for turn 1. By session 5, he begins to quiz me on where I'm looking as we go around the track. This is encouraging. Instead of watching my line, he's making sure I'm remaining aware of what's happening around me. Look for the turn-in, then the apex, then the exit. Glance at the flag stations, and then repeat for the next turn. There's actually a lot to do, and it takes a lot of concentration. During this session, I don't get passed once. I think I'm getting the hang of this!

Beginning day 2, I do one more session with each of the instructors I've used. I'm feeling great - cloud 9. During the lunch break, I ran into my second instructor. He asked what my occupation was, and I told him technology. His reply was really cool. "We had a bet going on your occupation - we figured you were a doctor of some kind. You're a surgeon on the track." I'm sure I didn't stop grinning for an hour or so. On top of that, I'm given solo-status. Now, I can go by myself. Perma-grin!!

Obviously, I still have a ton to learn. But, I could think of nothing cooler than being able to go alone, so my last 3 sessions are solo. By the last 2 sessions, I was able to pass everyone in my run group. Even that Blue Porsche that was zipping by me only one day earlier. Vindication!!

As I was packing up, one of the drivers came up to me. You guessed it. The Blue Porsche. He came up to congratulate me on how much I had improved that day, and how much fun it was that session as we were so closely matched in skill. Sweet!

One of the best experiences of my life!

Photography

I was wondering how I was going to capture this adventure in pictures or video. Obviously, I can't take pictures while I'm driving. How about a professional photograhper? UniqueAngle Photography to the rescue!

Brenda was there to capture everything on film. I think the pictures turned out awesome. (As you'll see, most of the pictures below are from UniqueAngle.) I'll probably get prints of several - this was an experience I don't want to forget!

Hot Lap

Here's my best attempt to describe the exhilaration of going around the track at speed. Obviously it's nothing compared to the real thing. But, perhaps you'll get the idea...

Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

Approaching Turn 1, you notice just how tight the corner is. They stick a hard-right hairpin after a 3000-foot straight. Nice! Mash the brakes, flick the car to the left a bit to use up all the track, and turn-in. The turn is a lot later and a LOT quicker than you can imagine. At the apex there's a grooved concrete patch, which makes for very high grip. So, immediately jump on the gas, right at the apex, and accelerate out. Wow!!
Turn 2 is more of an extension to turn 1, as it widens and opens from turn 1 to complete 180 degrees. The gas pedal is all the way down, all the way around, entering the back straight at the far-left.
UniqueAngle	Accelerate down and across the back straight to prepare Turn 3, a high-speed left-hander that also turns uphill. The uphill grade and slightly banked corner makes for a lot of extra grip as the G's load up. Kiss the left curb at the apex (which is the same red-white striped curbing that I see at races on TV), accelerate hard, sliding back to the right of the track over the blind crest of the uphill section. Too cool!! (This is my favorite section of the track!)
Turn 4, the "Chute", is a very fast downhill right-hand kink. Set up left side, and gently turn in as the car floats a bit dipping downhill. Then, just before the apex, the tires dig in with tons of grip as the downhill flattens out as you blast through the corner.		UniqueAngle
UniqueAngle	Mash the brakes again entering the impossibly tight left-hand hairpin of Turn 5. Whoa, baby! Normally, you'd enter a tight left-hander from the right of the track. Not true here. It's quicker to carry more speed out of the "Chute", which means a left-side entry for the hairpin. Another concrete patch welcomes you into the corner with plenty of grip. Dive into the corner with the tires squealing a bit in protest.
Exiting the apex, stay hard-left, to prepare for the "Carousel", Turn 6. Another hairpin back to the right that widens at the exit. Dart around the right-hand apex, sliding out to the left side of the track...
Just in time for Turn 7, another sharp right-hander, that completes the 220-degree "Carousel", and begins the "Esses". Wow! The tires are really hot at this point in the track.
UniqueAngle	Hard on the gas through the left-hand sweeper of Turn 8, accelerating all the way, building up more speed and more G's...
Through the high speed right-hand Turn 9 to complete the "Esses", and on to the bridge straight building more and more speed.		UniqueAngle
	Over the hill, under the bridge, and set up on the left-hand side for Turn 10. Carry a much speed as possible out of this corner to set up for the main straight. Now, just run through the gears to 125+ before mashing the brakes to do it all over again.

A Few More Pictures

Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.
UniqueAngle That's definitely me driving!	UniqueAngle Leaning into the corner.	UniqueAngle Lamborghini, Lotus, Porsche, Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari. Nice!
UniqueAngle Interesting prism effect on this one.	UniqueAngle More shiny reflections.

Last updated:
Nov 26, 2005
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