Phokaioglaukos

I spent Friday night and the weekend at Summit Point with the Washington region SCCA. This is a wonderful race school. I rented a SSM car (regional class that is a bit more restrictive than national spec Miata) from Bret at RP Performance (and I recommend him) and drove with 33 other cars in group 2, the small-bore group. We had 2½ hours of classroom on Friday, 5 sessions on track on Saturday, and on Sunday another 4 sessions on track followed by three starts and a 5-lap race. Instructors (1:2 ratio to students) watched from trackside and commented on each session. The instructors had the whole track covered and called out the numbers of cars that had notable events, good and bad, in the classroom that followed each session. Of course there was open passing everywhere from the first session on.

This school would be a great introduction, as it is intended to be, for a completely green driver. They cover the line, car control and all the basics, plus racecraft. Not in tremendous detail, of course, as it's only a 2-day course, but it's an exhausting program. I think if compares VERY well with the 3-day Skip Barber class. Better in every respect, in fact.

As an intermediate DE driver with knowledge of the track, I first had to learn a bit about the 1.6 liter Miata without ABS on slick RA-1s. The first two sessions in the wet were pretty interesting--much different that it is with my GT3. But here are a couple of more general differences from PCA DEs:

• My DE instincts are limiting. I'm used to catching someone and getting a negotiated point-by pass on the straights. I had to actually take the pass, and there are more than a few places to do that in the turns at SP. Lots of discussion about taking the corner away from your competitor.
• In making a pass, the instructors want no more than 6" between cars. That way if there is contact it's not significant. The bodies of ALL the Miatas reveal contact.
• My vision is aimed front and rear, which is largely ok for DE, but is not enough for racing. I had to learn to see all around be, especially in the starts. This will be a developing skill!
• No 13/13 rule in SCCA racing. Someone punted me in the esses during a practice session when he tried an unwise pass.
• NO 13/13 rule. In our 5-lap fun race there was lots of minor contact. Twice I had contact with cars trying to get under me, but managed to hold my position. You can fit lots of Miatas in a small space.
• SCCA flaggers (all volunteer) are superb. The pro flaggers at WGI are good, but these guys and gals are supercommunicative. A standing yellow means that if you are certain you can stay on the track (back off to 9/10ths), you can go through the turn. They wave the yellow with varying vigor to convey seriousness of the issue. They do hot pulls under standing yellow. Coming into T1 I was completing a 2-car pass just before the standing yellow when it changed to a waving yellow. I found half-way through the turn a tow vehicle on track yanking a car out of the deep mud. I was informed and prepared by the flaggers and all was good.
• SCCA staffs like crazy. They had a full race contingent of specialists there (starters, flaggers, timing & scoring, grid, etc.) as though they had 300 cars for a normal race weekend. We had 50 cars. There were 200 workers and 50 drivers. And the workers were friendly and helpful. Did I say they are all VOLUNTEERS?

The social scene is quite different from a PCA DE with many people camping at the track. I had a fun weekend and met lots of interesting people. I can recommend this school, as others here have recommended it to me. This school is run by the WDCR at Summit Point twice a year. Other SCCA schools will be different.

BC

Where can we find the info for the next few scheduled? And I am sure we can look up the cost there right?

Thanks for the info.

Professor Helmüt Tester

WDC Region's licensing school is really a model for other SCCA schools. I'm not a DC Region-member, but I know the people who've developed it to this point, and it is (IMNSHO) the best 'introduction/indoctrination' into club racing that you will find anywhere. Chuck Allard wrote the curriculum years ago, and that curriculum is now being used by other SCCA Region's around the country. It's a race school program that is run by serious RACERS, not bureaucrats or glorified HPDE instructors. The pro schools (Skippy, Russell, etc.) can't hold a candle to it. Really.

Glad to hear that they're now teaching my "make the pass close enough to take the chrome off their doorhandles" passing technique. Very important, and reduces incidents from turn-in to apex.

spazegun2213

Sounds like a great school! I'm glad you learned a lot, I know i did from the nasa school.

Are you going to take the plunge, buy a race car and kiss your 401K goodbye?

Phokaioglaukos

The Professor warned me that with my 3-day Skippy school license I was not ready for a Spec Miata race with SCCA, although I am legal to do so and have lots of track experience. He was right. I think I would have been safe, but I would not have had as much fun as at the school, and I would NOT have learned as much.

For example, in a race the faster drivers start at the front. In our practice starts and races the instructors mixed up the faster and slower cars so that everyone had to deal with traffic. There is also a matter of this formulation having seriousr entertainment value as the instructors congregate at T1, but it serves a pedagogical purpose. A real race start will be easier, in some respects. As another example, in one of our sessions the fastest instructors in a Miata drove with us. He sat on my rear bumper for a big chunk of the straight--to see if I would panic or lift. He passed me late and then, a couple of laps later, let me catch him and make a pass between T9 and T10.

The racers that teach in the WDCR school are competitive. Several are champions and all have won races, mostly in the hotly contested Miata classes where the fields of racers are in the 40s. They do not pull punches. The Chief Instructor called a battle between two cars entering SP's T10 the moron vs. the retard. As they fight it out the cars behind them will stay on line and pass them on the straight. Several of the the students had their actions described as stupid, and some as ****ing stupid. We spontaneously gave one of the instructors an ovation for describing, in very colorful terms, the danger of a spinner not getting off the racing surface--I cannot do it justice.

I need the competition to cause me to really improve my driving. I'm planning to buy a race car--the question is whether to get something like a Spec Miata or a formula car and keep my GT3 for DE or get something that I can drive in DE and race (together with a trailer and tow vehicle).

You can find info about the school here: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/

Sean F

Don't count on it Chris. My experience has been that they're all crazy and it doesn't really matter where you start and who is around you. Starts are just plain nuts.

BTW, did you race at the Glen with NASA? I didn't see you after the open track day.

SundayDriver

WDC is one of the best, if not the very best. Many other regions offer great schools as well. I used to instruct at the CalClub schools and they are very similar to WDC. All the SCCA schools share the real world racing experience.

MJR911

Chris, Glad to hear you did the school man! You're now ready to come mix it up with us in SSM. We've spoken about it before, and now you're a believer... you cannot get past a certain point in "driver ed". I was exactly where you were a few years ago, thinking "holy ****" these guys are fast and aggressive. But anyone of those guys will stay up til 2am to help rebuild your car and tell you everything (well almost) they know.

I'm running the 13 hour this weekend and filled our team car with a bunch of PCA buddies. I wouldn't miss the PCA race at Sebring for the world, but between the car costs and the 13.13 in PCA the competition just isn't there. Why not do both?! ...best of both worlds.

Cheers. PM if you want to chat any more, but congrats.

MJR911

Also, the Wash DC region SCCA has all of their own flaggers... all volunteers. These guys travel to all MARRS races. It is very nice to know you'll have that level of professionalism behind you.

MJR911

I'll shut up after one more point. I have a close friend that runs full tilt formula ford, think runoffs 2 of last 3 years. Formula car racing is another ball game.

GT3 Nut

Chris,
I did the same school in Oct. 2004 and the 2nd school in Spring of 2005.
For the 1st school I also rented a SSM car from Bret. The schools were great! We should compare notes sometime. Who was your instructor? Are you going to the 2nd school in the spring to get your license? email me or PM me sometime.
I am doing my first PCA race at CMP in my 996 Cup in less than 2 weeks.
SCCA in a Spec Miata is much cheaper, but I am looking forward to trying PCA in CTC3. I never did more than the 2 schools with SCCA.

renvagn

Sounds like you had a great time Chris. Spec Miata is competative to say the least. I have a friend in Rochester who is one of the top drivers in the NE region. It is common for them to bump draft through the esses at WGI and go several cars wide through T-1. In SCCA the car is a means to achieve your objective, so the addition of new paint colors on your car is all in a day.

Phokaioglaukos

Thanks to Mitch for letting me crew for him at a race, and seeing the lay of the land. You can tell from his posts here how excited he is, and NOW I understand why.

Matt, I think I will do the spring school if I can. It's good track time and a great experience. The instruction is superb. I had Brian Holtz and he was excellent, but many helped me. I have a regional license through the Skippy school, but this school was much better.

I'll be in touch with you both shortly.

Barfly

Good to hear you had a fun time at the school. Starts are always hectic. I ran a SRF this weekend at VIR with a 90+ car double enduro and 2 regional sprint races that were also pretty packed with 40-60 cars. There were spec miatas as far as the eyes could see. Total madness. 3 of the 4 race starts were clean, but I got punted by a miata on the opening lap of one of the races.

Nothing can really compare to the real thing as you will see racers drop 1, 2, and sometimes 4 wheels and just keep the throttle planted. Good times.

James-man

What? AND NO TROPHIES????

Just Kidding.

Thanks for sharing the details of your experience.