My First 944spec race with NASA in two weeks!
08-01-2012, 02:07 AM
#16
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas City
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I miss racing with the Midwest / Great Lakes guys 
You are definitely in one of the most competitive regions in the US. 5 out of the top 7 last year at Nationals were Midwest drivers in 944 Spec.
You are definitely in one of the most competitive regions in the US. 5 out of the top 7 last year at Nationals were Midwest drivers in 944 Spec.
08-01-2012, 11:23 AM
#17
Rennlist Member
Yeaaahhhhhh, buddy!!
You're going to rock, Dan. The comp school on Friday should be great too. The Mid Ohio School guys that run it do a really good job.
Gary Barton will be going through comp school with you and running his first weekend as well. He's a great guy and is also fast and smooth. Should be an awesome weekend.
BTW -- we're also going to have a set of HPDE sessions to share. If you have a passenger seat, Eric or I can go out with you for a session or vice-versa. Alternatively, you can take my car out and we can compare the TraqMate data and video with mine.
Joel -- we miss you, man!!!
You're going to rock, Dan. The comp school on Friday should be great too. The Mid Ohio School guys that run it do a really good job.
Gary Barton will be going through comp school with you and running his first weekend as well. He's a great guy and is also fast and smooth. Should be an awesome weekend.
BTW -- we're also going to have a set of HPDE sessions to share. If you have a passenger seat, Eric or I can go out with you for a session or vice-versa. Alternatively, you can take my car out and we can compare the TraqMate data and video with mine.
Joel -- we miss you, man!!!
08-01-2012, 12:12 PM
#18
Administrator - "Tyson"
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Lifetime Rennlist
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Good luck Dan!!
Bummer I won't be there to cheer you on, my next event is Nationals.
Bummer I won't be there to cheer you on, my next event is Nationals.
08-01-2012, 03:40 PM
#19
Rennlist Member
I hear we are looking to have 13 cars! 
We won a free HPDE entry from NASA Midwest from signing up Gary. We can swap cars, do ride alongs, and compare data. This is going to be a blast, and great preparation for Nationals, as well.
We found a really interesting technique looking at Dan's data last year. Trouble is, it seems to require Pro Drift levels of car control to pull it off. Most of us take turn 12 (before the carousel) like a normal high speed corner - brake to set the nose, turn in, back on the gas for the short chute to the carousel. Dan would come blazing in without slowing significantly, and slide the car all the way into the carousel braking zone. While this meant he could get back in the gas in the short chute, it was still nearly 3/10th's faster overall. That approach would be suicide in most corners, but in that combination was fast (if a bit risky to gather it all up before the carousel).
This is one example of what makes data so interesting to share as we do in the MW/GL 944 Spec. Ex-pro drifter Dan has learned grip driving from us, and we've learned where his approach can be surprisingly useful. Fun stuff.
We won a free HPDE entry from NASA Midwest from signing up Gary. We can swap cars, do ride alongs, and compare data. This is going to be a blast, and great preparation for Nationals, as well.
We found a really interesting technique looking at Dan's data last year. Trouble is, it seems to require Pro Drift levels of car control to pull it off. Most of us take turn 12 (before the carousel) like a normal high speed corner - brake to set the nose, turn in, back on the gas for the short chute to the carousel. Dan would come blazing in without slowing significantly, and slide the car all the way into the carousel braking zone. While this meant he could get back in the gas in the short chute, it was still nearly 3/10th's faster overall. That approach would be suicide in most corners, but in that combination was fast (if a bit risky to gather it all up before the carousel).
This is one example of what makes data so interesting to share as we do in the MW/GL 944 Spec. Ex-pro drifter Dan has learned grip driving from us, and we've learned where his approach can be surprisingly useful. Fun stuff.
08-13-2012, 10:44 AM
#20
Three Wheelin'
Nice job this weekend. I watched your second race as long as possible before getting ready for mine. It looked like you were heading for another 5th place in a big group. It was great to watch GTS, spec 944 and Cayman ITC out there at the same time.
08-13-2012, 12:06 PM
#21
Rennlist Member
Great weekend, Dan! Clean and competitive. Enjoyed your company in the paddock as well. Your motor in Sams car is working well, too.
Nice save here! ->
Great weekend by all. 13 cars, clean racing, new faces on the podium. Neal may have broken the 5 year old track record in his new car - waiting on the official time.
Nice save here! ->
Great weekend by all. 13 cars, clean racing, new faces on the podium. Neal may have broken the 5 year old track record in his new car - waiting on the official time.
08-13-2012, 10:45 PM
#23
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
awesome if not tiresome weekend! My friday at Mid Ohio school was not bad as there were only four people there for the class total. Our first two sessions on the track were in the wet and once the track started to get dry the other spec guy in my class had his hood come up through the windshield on the way out onto the pit out. After some more driving our class was over and i managed to get my car tech inspected and collect all my paperwork.
Saturday our practice session was very wet and i managed to make it around without incident and then qualified fourth in our 944spec group out of 13 just before sliding off turn seven the end of the back straight into the gravel trap! After being towed out i returned to the paddock and weighed in, just to find my car was 175lb overweight at 2775lbs! Back at my camp i decided some weight savings was in order, so out came the headlights, all the power steering bits and the passenger seat and harnesses. The race, four hours later was in the dry and i neglected to drop my tire pressures so the race was drift city after my temps reached over 40psi. I had a standing applause in the stands at Madness at one point, drifting sideways completely over the hill and down the other side but saved it, just to do a 360 at the bottom two laps later. Sounds like alot of people had similar experiences though. I finished my first race fifth place after being passed by Eric who ended up off track and then Shannon who snuck in at the keyhole and i never could get back past him.
Sunday however was nice out and dry the whole day. I was slow in practice, trying to feel the track out, but qualifying i did well and came in fifth position grid. The race start was incredible and i was able to hang with the top four for a couple laps before dropping back due to more massive oversteer (even after adjusting my rear swaybar) and many of the faster cars swarming all over my bumper. Shannon caught me and eventually made the pass, so the chase was on again. About 20 minutes in i was tagged in the left rear quarter by a wide body 911 from a faster class deciding to try and pass on the left side of us as we were moving to the left side of the track. Not sure whose fault that was but NASA pretty much less us both slide. I stayed behind Shannon until the last lap, white flag waving i decided this was my last chance. At turn 2 i stuck right to his bumper until turn in and dropped inside and it was a drag race down the back straight. I had the advantage being on the right side of the track and raced him to the braking zone, taking the lead in turn 7. He didnt give up easily and was on my bumper the rest of the way. I almost gave it up in the exit of thunder valley, putting two off in the dirt but recovering in time to gain position. I slid around the carosel and stayed just ahead to the checker. Fifth place once again, race 2!!!
After the race i came to the realization that when i lowered the car a few weeks earlier it had increased my rear camber, probably to the point that my car was scooting around on the inside edges of the rear tires all weekend, causing my oversteer problems. I guess i'll be under the car more, correcting that as well as a new front seal for my LSD trans that was purging blue gear fluid out all weekend. The car did run very well and used minimal oil so horray for that.
Saturday our practice session was very wet and i managed to make it around without incident and then qualified fourth in our 944spec group out of 13 just before sliding off turn seven the end of the back straight into the gravel trap! After being towed out i returned to the paddock and weighed in, just to find my car was 175lb overweight at 2775lbs! Back at my camp i decided some weight savings was in order, so out came the headlights, all the power steering bits and the passenger seat and harnesses. The race, four hours later was in the dry and i neglected to drop my tire pressures so the race was drift city after my temps reached over 40psi. I had a standing applause in the stands at Madness at one point, drifting sideways completely over the hill and down the other side but saved it, just to do a 360 at the bottom two laps later. Sounds like alot of people had similar experiences though. I finished my first race fifth place after being passed by Eric who ended up off track and then Shannon who snuck in at the keyhole and i never could get back past him.
Sunday however was nice out and dry the whole day. I was slow in practice, trying to feel the track out, but qualifying i did well and came in fifth position grid. The race start was incredible and i was able to hang with the top four for a couple laps before dropping back due to more massive oversteer (even after adjusting my rear swaybar) and many of the faster cars swarming all over my bumper. Shannon caught me and eventually made the pass, so the chase was on again. About 20 minutes in i was tagged in the left rear quarter by a wide body 911 from a faster class deciding to try and pass on the left side of us as we were moving to the left side of the track. Not sure whose fault that was but NASA pretty much less us both slide. I stayed behind Shannon until the last lap, white flag waving i decided this was my last chance. At turn 2 i stuck right to his bumper until turn in and dropped inside and it was a drag race down the back straight. I had the advantage being on the right side of the track and raced him to the braking zone, taking the lead in turn 7. He didnt give up easily and was on my bumper the rest of the way. I almost gave it up in the exit of thunder valley, putting two off in the dirt but recovering in time to gain position. I slid around the carosel and stayed just ahead to the checker. Fifth place once again, race 2!!!
After the race i came to the realization that when i lowered the car a few weeks earlier it had increased my rear camber, probably to the point that my car was scooting around on the inside edges of the rear tires all weekend, causing my oversteer problems. I guess i'll be under the car more, correcting that as well as a new front seal for my LSD trans that was purging blue gear fluid out all weekend. The car did run very well and used minimal oil so horray for that.
08-14-2012, 12:05 AM
#24
Rennlist Member
Ohhhhhhhhh yeeeaaaaahhhhh! Nicely done, man! There's nothing quite so satisfying as the last lap pass. 
I had an awesome weekend too. Lots of good racing and camaraderie. New car was fantastic too.
Eric -- I haven't seen the results yet, but I think I missed the lap record by 0.01 second. D'oh!
I had an awesome weekend too. Lots of good racing and camaraderie. New car was fantastic too.
Eric -- I haven't seen the results yet, but I think I missed the lap record by 0.01 second. D'oh!
08-14-2012, 10:14 PM
#25
Instructor
FIRST POST AS A (PROVISIONAL) NASA LICENSED RACER!
Boy do I feel lucky - like I won some sort of lottery. (more on this later)
By Neal Bohr's definition, I'm well on my way to becoming an expert in the 944 Spec series.
-forgot hood pins (see XSBoost90's post above about Comp School)
-forgot to lock trailer hitch to vehicle before loading vehicle (damaged tow vehicle bumper)
-tire pressure check, what?
-you mean my car under-steers, not over-steers?
-oooh, so that blue flag with yellow stripe is not meant to let the other Spec 944 guy behind me pass (like it did in HPDE).
As you can read, I'm about as green as KLR's latest race car. And that's okay (when you have these Mid West region guys supporting you).
After 12 years of on and off HPDE running, and with the tremendous support from family, I decided to try out racing. Oh, and for those on the fence, DO IT! I am the perfect example of someone who waffled over this decision for too long.
This is the part where I "hit the lottery."
These guys (Neal, Eric, Ken, Sid, Dan x 2, Sam, Jim, Kelby, Linda, Trina, and more) are INCREDIBLY supportive and will answer all of your questions (even ones you don't yet know). I can honestly say that without their support, I would not be racing today. So many questions, so many hurdles, and every time I thought "well, that's it!" these guys would find a way to solve my problem and keep me moving forward toward my goal of becoming a better driver, racing!
Whether they know it or not, their experience and willingness to support newcomers is almost unbelievable (and dare I say invaluable).
=====
Friday, Comp School...
I thought I was going to be only the 2nd person in 17 years that didn't successfully finish comp school when entering the track at speed my hood flipped up and smashed my front windshield (see expert comment above). I also thought that would be the end of my weekend, because how could I get my hood repaired and a new Windshield late on a Friday afternoon (before Saturday qualifying). A few guys from the Honda Challenge series, parked next to me, repaired my hood while I finished up Comp school in a Mid Ohio provided TSX school car. Also, Dan (XSBoost90) made a phone call and got me lined up with a Lexan windshield from Eric! I couldn't friggin believe it!
Saturday, first experience on track in my 944 without rain...
Qualified (not last - LoL) and was loving every minute.
Raced a clean-ish race and stayed out of the way of the faster cars (that's every car but the one or two that finished behind me). No damage to car, no damage to me, SUCCESS!
Sunday, first experience on track in my 944 with DRY track...
Qualified (not last again) and began to get some confidence on track.
Raced a clean race, passed a couple cars in class (only to give up one of those spots when I saw a blue flag w/yellow stripe, and let faster out-of-class traffic pass me, oh and also the spec 944 guy that slipped in behind them, d'oh!)
All in all, I am completely satisfied with my inaugural race weekend at Mid Ohio.
I can't wait to see my new "race family" at ACC in Joliet, IL!
Cheers and long live the Midwest 944 Spec bunch!
-Gary
=====
Boy do I feel lucky - like I won some sort of lottery. (more on this later)
By Neal Bohr's definition, I'm well on my way to becoming an expert in the 944 Spec series.
-forgot hood pins (see XSBoost90's post above about Comp School)
-forgot to lock trailer hitch to vehicle before loading vehicle (damaged tow vehicle bumper)
-tire pressure check, what?
-you mean my car under-steers, not over-steers?
-oooh, so that blue flag with yellow stripe is not meant to let the other Spec 944 guy behind me pass (like it did in HPDE).
As you can read, I'm about as green as KLR's latest race car. And that's okay (when you have these Mid West region guys supporting you).
After 12 years of on and off HPDE running, and with the tremendous support from family, I decided to try out racing. Oh, and for those on the fence, DO IT! I am the perfect example of someone who waffled over this decision for too long.
This is the part where I "hit the lottery."
These guys (Neal, Eric, Ken, Sid, Dan x 2, Sam, Jim, Kelby, Linda, Trina, and more) are INCREDIBLY supportive and will answer all of your questions (even ones you don't yet know). I can honestly say that without their support, I would not be racing today. So many questions, so many hurdles, and every time I thought "well, that's it!" these guys would find a way to solve my problem and keep me moving forward toward my goal of becoming a better driver, racing!
Whether they know it or not, their experience and willingness to support newcomers is almost unbelievable (and dare I say invaluable).
=====
Friday, Comp School...
I thought I was going to be only the 2nd person in 17 years that didn't successfully finish comp school when entering the track at speed my hood flipped up and smashed my front windshield (see expert comment above). I also thought that would be the end of my weekend, because how could I get my hood repaired and a new Windshield late on a Friday afternoon (before Saturday qualifying). A few guys from the Honda Challenge series, parked next to me, repaired my hood while I finished up Comp school in a Mid Ohio provided TSX school car. Also, Dan (XSBoost90) made a phone call and got me lined up with a Lexan windshield from Eric! I couldn't friggin believe it!
Saturday, first experience on track in my 944 without rain...
Qualified (not last - LoL) and was loving every minute.
Raced a clean-ish race and stayed out of the way of the faster cars (that's every car but the one or two that finished behind me). No damage to car, no damage to me, SUCCESS!
Sunday, first experience on track in my 944 with DRY track...
Qualified (not last again) and began to get some confidence on track.
Raced a clean race, passed a couple cars in class (only to give up one of those spots when I saw a blue flag w/yellow stripe, and let faster out-of-class traffic pass me, oh and also the spec 944 guy that slipped in behind them, d'oh!)
All in all, I am completely satisfied with my inaugural race weekend at Mid Ohio.
I can't wait to see my new "race family" at ACC in Joliet, IL!
Cheers and long live the Midwest 944 Spec bunch!
-Gary
=====
08-15-2012, 09:19 AM
#27
Rennlist Member
Frank, we should get some video up pretty soon. Dan should have some incredible video, and usually posts it up.
Gary, you sell yourself short! You've got about 2 seconds worth of understeer in that car, and the old R-888's you have cost a second or more as well. With some fresh tires and new front springs, you'll be deep in the mix in no time. We'll get your car set up just like the rest of ours. Chassis set up is key. I was 4 seconds slower in your car, than my car that was down 20+ HP. BTW, Jim from Pine Tree Motorsports found my timing belt jumped one tooth when I spun as he cause for the power loss, (need to get that clutch in, Doh!). Now that you have a Traqmate, we can compare data to get you faster. Steve (in his second event ever) - cut off about 4 seconds with some coaching from Neal & I.
I was glad to see you stay on track. We've all made the same mistakes with the hood, and trailer, you're just on an accelerated learning curve
. We have a lot of spares in the group, and most of them are driven by experience over the years! It's great to see the series growing with such great guys like you, Dan, Steve, and Sam (who got himself on the podium this weekend).
I can't wait for Nationals!
Gary, you sell yourself short! You've got about 2 seconds worth of understeer in that car, and the old R-888's you have cost a second or more as well. With some fresh tires and new front springs, you'll be deep in the mix in no time. We'll get your car set up just like the rest of ours. Chassis set up is key. I was 4 seconds slower in your car, than my car that was down 20+ HP. BTW, Jim from Pine Tree Motorsports found my timing belt jumped one tooth when I spun as he cause for the power loss, (need to get that clutch in, Doh!). Now that you have a Traqmate, we can compare data to get you faster. Steve (in his second event ever) - cut off about 4 seconds with some coaching from Neal & I.
I was glad to see you stay on track. We've all made the same mistakes with the hood, and trailer, you're just on an accelerated learning curve
. We have a lot of spares in the group, and most of them are driven by experience over the years! It's great to see the series growing with such great guys like you, Dan, Steve, and Sam (who got himself on the podium this weekend). I can't wait for Nationals!
08-15-2012, 11:37 PM
#28
Race Car
Nice job Dan.
Own the starts dude....that sets the level of the entire race.
Don't get around here much these days but, tip 'o the hat to old schoolers Sam Grant and David Floyd.
T
Own the starts dude....that sets the level of the entire race.
Don't get around here much these days but, tip 'o the hat to old schoolers Sam Grant and David Floyd.
T
08-16-2012, 10:42 AM
#29
Rennlist Member
Video of the opening laps from race #1 on Saturday. This was a pretty wild few laps, with the track still a little slippery in the worst possible places from several hours of rain that morning. Sam Grant started from the pole in this one (first Midwest Region pole!), got a mediocre start that took him down to 3rd behind me and Dan Pina, and then fought his way back to the lead.
Also, a couple more gratuitous pics. #1 is Gary holding his own in traffic. #2 is Steve Brewster cresting Madness.
Also, a couple more gratuitous pics. #1 is Gary holding his own in traffic. #2 is Steve Brewster cresting Madness.