Novice

I am planning to attend at least one DE this year.
I joined PCA and am reading the Connecticut Valley Region DE Rules.

- Can you help me with where to get all the gears?
e.g.Fire extinguishers, outfits, hamlet ...etc
- What kind of maintenances before and after the event.
- If I have taken a Winter Driving Course (with Tim O'Neil btw) and learned the basic weight transfer theory, should I skip the 1st/beginner run group ?

Thans in Advance for your help

SkipSauls

I'd get just the helmet first, unless a suit and fire extinguisher are required. In my region you only need a fire extinguisher if you're running on track tires.

Does your region do pre-techs? We do these 1 1/.2 weeks prior to the event so that the drivers have time to fix/change things. Brakes, tire wear, lights, leaks, etc. are all checked.

No, it's not the same thing at all. Let the PCA instructors show you what to do in a safe and fun manner. Jumping into a faster run group when you're not ready is not going to help you or anyone else.

Talk to your local PCA members and they'll get you started. I don't know which region you're in, but my experience has been that most PCA members are great folks.

Have Fun!

STLPCA

Gerry
Each PCA Region sets its own DE rules subject to some insurance dictated basics. Obviously, comply w/your local region's requirements. In my region the only requirements/prep/gear:
- Snell SA95+ or M95+ helmet (some regions only allow SA)
- tech inspection of car = basic safety issues incl. 50%+ brake pads, brake fluid less than 6 mos. old.
- clean out the entire car, incl floor mats not screwed down, & trunk (OK to leave the spare tire bolted in).
- no extinguisher needed.
- cotton long sleeve shirt, cotton long pants & secure, supportive footware.

Although I bought an SA2000 helmet for my 1st DE, you may want to use a borrowed (not too grungy) helmet unless (until?) you get hooked to reduce the investment. Make sure your brakes are up to snuff - new fluid & ample pad material. Inspect (or have inspected) your suspension, wheels & tires for any safety issues. Your engine/tranny should be in good operating condition filled w/good oil. You will be working all components & a failure is, at the very least, no fun.

If this is your 1st 993 track experience, stay in the novice group, progress in small steps & absolutely park your ego at the gate. After my 1st I posted here that I drove to the track in a street car & drove home in a race car. I still feel that same high every time I (intentionally) leave the track.

Mark in Baltimore

First off, congratulations on doing a DE! You'll most likely get hooked instantly and your once-a-year tracking will rise to eight per year.

Secondly, I don't think it's a great idea to be skipping the beginning run group if you have limited track experience. You'll end up being a hazard to the blue drivers, and it'll be a frustrating and intimidating experience for you. Start out with the green group and work your way up. If you're fast right out of the box, you'll be passing everyone, but, quick or not, chances are pretty good that you won't know the course, won't know much about braking points, apexing, tracking out and the zillions of other nuances that are crucial to fast and safe track driving. Even Michael Schumacher's prodigious talents had to be honed.

Your instructor is your guide and you should listen to him or her and concentrate on smoothness, awareness and calmness. You have nothing to prove; listen to your instructor. Your speed will come. When the instructor feels you are ready, you may solo that weekend. Once you get a few DE's under your belt and have proven to yourself and your instructors that you are more than just competent but actually scratching below the surface potential of your machine, then you can think about moving up to the next group, where the driving will be a quite a bit more intense.

I have the Bell M2 helmet, which is a good entry level model and not expensive. I've also heard good things about the G-Force products. Whatever you get, be sure it's SA2000 rated or whatever your region requires and not a motorcycle helmet (most regions won't allow these.) Try OGRacing.com.

Don't worry about a driving suit; some students have them but most simply wear their long sleeve cotton pants and long sleeve cotton shirts. Avoid nylon material since it will burn and melt very nicely against your skin.

I would also recommend wearing a pair of gloves. I have a set of Sparcos that I bought from OG but you can use leather ones. I found that my palms get a bit sweaty and a slippery steering wheel is the last thing I want when I'm bombing along at 140 mph.

I bought my Halon fire extinguisher from Northstarmotorsports.com. There may be cheaper places. Don't forget you'll have to get a seat mount fire extinguisher bracket, either a Brey-Krause or Stable Energies model. IIRC, the Stable Energies model moves with the passenger's seat. Does your region require that you have an extinguisher? If not, wait on buying this.

Make sure your tires have some decent tread, have your brakes bled and/or the fluid changed and be sure you have enough brake pad left. Your region will require a shop to tech the car, so a good mechanic will check all of these things. At the track, bring some white shoe polish or blue painter's tape to create your car number.

At the track, you'll have to remove all loose items from your interior and from your trunk. Leave your spare tire in since it's part of the crush zone in the front.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things but the other guys here can chime in.

Good luck and have fun!

Carrera Mike

Gerry,

I just want to congratulate you for doing the DE. This is what I believe when it comes to DE...

It is the BEST investment you can make when owning a porsche. It beats all the expenditures on upgrades. It will teach you what your car can do. For me, I can't believe that a 993 can be pushed to those limits of driving. Now I have very strong confidence when pushing the car on corners and diff maneuvers. The $$ i spent on DE taught me to drive faster and safer than if I spent those $$ on upgrades.

Link below has the guidelines you might be interested into: https://www.pcaucr.org/pcaucr/site.n...ndbook2003.pdf

MikeF

If it isn't mentioned above....it's a good idea to flush your brake system prior to the event.

Mark in Baltimore

Your fluid should be fresh. Old fluid has moisture in it and the moisture lowers your boiling point. If it's old, flush it. If it's fresh, bleed it anyway.

I know some people who don't bleed the brakes before every event but I think it's important to do for safety's sake.

Bill Gregory

Gerry,

I'm in CVR and on the track committee, maybe I can help. Sounds like you've found the CVR track guide, which includes information on Lime Rock, which is our home track, here. That should answer most of your questions on what you need to have for equipment - minimum, get a fire extinguisher (recommend Halon and not Walmart $9.99) and bracket to hold the extinguisher. You can either get fire extinguishers and brackets through local shops, or use places like OG Racing or Paragon Products (a Rennlist sponsor), and of course there are others.

Next, you can read some articles on drivers education track preparation on tech.rennlist.com under 'Performance and Drivers Education'. I won't append them all to this post.

Clothes, to start out, you'll read you need a long sleeve cotton shirt, cotton pants (jeans), and shoes - suggest non-running sneakers (the wings can mess up foot movement around the pedals). Of course you can spend $500 on a racing suit, but it's not neccessary to get started. CVR can lend you a helmet your first time, or buy your own. Article on tech.rennlist.com provides more helmet information.

To start, as others pointed out, ensure your brakes have recently been bled, that there are no obvious oil leaks, you have plenty of brake pad, brake hoses and fan belts in good shape, etc. Appendix G in the CVR Drivers Education guide shows a CVR technical inspection form, which lists specifically what needs to be in order. Net, if your 911 is in good street condition, it's fine for your first time on the track. 911's, from the factory, are really amazing on the track, as you'll find out.

When starting out, you don't have to worry about what run group you should be in....you'll start out in green run group, and progress from there. At the track, an instructor will drive your 911 with you for the first two laps, at reduced speed, to point out the turn in, apex, and track out points, and flag stations. Then you'll switch and you'll be driving the rest of the day. CVR also includes classroom instruction in additon to on-track time.

If you have any other questions, you can email me, or post in this forum.

Novice

Thank you all for the suggestions and info.

Good to know that there are loaner helmets.

Bill, a few questions for you...
a) Who and where is the pre-track day inspection be done ? at what cost ?
e.g. I plan to bleed the brake system myself ( I have the pressure bleeder). I hope I don't need to show a receipt for the service
b) I am new to P-Car, do you happen to know of a reputable independent shop in southern Fairfirld county ? I live in Stamford, and work in Milford.
c) Are the spaces very limited per event. and I should register as soon as your registration form is available on the web. ( I will be checking daily )


Looking forward to meet you.

Novice

Mark, Mike:

I agree, bleeding is so easy ( not that I have done it on the P-car yet) with the MotiveProduct power bleeder.
One question, I currently have the traditional clear/yellow fluid. Which brand do you guys use and how much minimum do I need to buy to do a complete flush.

Novice

As I plan to do most of the maint. myself, can someone advise me the factory new thickness of the pad or the acceptable thickness for CVR DE?

Mark in Baltimore

I run ATE Super Blue but will probably start using Catrol SRF when I use up all of my Blue. SRF is more expensive but better. One can should be a good start.

Re pad thickness, I'm not sure what the exact, minimal thickness should be. A tech guy from one of the local regions told me that when the pad thickness is equal to the backing plate thickness, this is the time to start being concerned about brake issues since there is much less pad material to absorb heat to the caliper and fluid.

4 Play

I also will be attending my first DE events this next year.

My question is this: What is your recommendation for tires for a novice? I seem to remember hearing that people new to the track should start on street tires since they tend to give a warning as you approach the limits. My car is all street now, but will have PSS-9s as well as a second set of tires/rims by then. What tires should I run?

Thanks,

Dave

ApexL8

Dave,
I agree with the information you found saying your first DE should probably be on street tires, and for the same reason you mentioned. I would suggest doing at least two DEs and moving up one group before switching to stickier tires. The other reason to use street tires is that they will break away at a lower level than track tires, not good from a pure performance standpoint, but it is a useful learning tool to see how your car behaves at the limit, and you want that limit to be low so that you will have the best possibility of being able to correct for it in a controlled manner.

The PSS-9s are going to be a worthwhile investment, even for your first DE, not purely from a performance standpoint, but from a safety standpoint as well since worn stock dampers can cause the car to handle badly when pressed hard. I'm speaking mainly of the 1995 MY dampers, but you may experience similar conditions in your 96.

4 Play

Chuck,
Thanks for the confirmation and explanation. The previous owner sold me the car with brand new Kumho Ecstas. Not my favorite choice for the street, so now I guess I know how I will wear them out real quick!

Thanks,

Dave