What I learned in HPDE1

[cmchopeful]

I think that Mike's post was so very accurate for a first timer. I went out last year in NASA in HPDE 1&2 for the first time at MO.

 

I too had "agricutrual research tiprs" in exiting turns 1 and 7. Thankfully no damage.

 

What is being said about settings expectations with your instructor will make your experience in HPDE so much better.

 

I approached my first time out letting my instructor know that I was scared of my car (2000 Z28 w/auto trans, real fun controlling oversteer accelerating out of a corner) as I had already spun out twice on local roads. I told my instructor I wanted to understand what the car and I could do.

 

We started out with smooth, smooth, smooth and smooth, not fast. After I got the point and it took a couple of sessions, the instructor started asking me to push in certain sections we he had already decided that I could handle more speed.

 

The end result was that the instuctors and instruction I had in HPDE1 and the lead follow in HPDE 2 were invaluable. I left the last event (I did 3 weekends) at Mid-Oho with a knowledge of my cars handling that I did not have before. Not just on the track but also in car control on the street.

 

I know now that the limiting factor is not the car but the driver. I never knew a heavy car could enter MO turn 1 at 80 and stick, but it does.

 

I guess with all of my rambling that the best advice I could give anyone starting in HPDE 1 is to talk to your instrutor before going out and tell them what YOU want to accomplish.

 

Smooth is fast, fast is not nescessarily smooth or fast.

 

I wish Mike the best of luck this coming year and sorry to hear about hitting the wall. Great post.

 

Mitch

[etta87]

Mike - reading your story reminded me of my first time at an HPDE with the BMWCCA. I had a car the was far beyond me and trying to take everything in was much, but in the end I had a great time and I learned the meaning of brake conservation. By the end of the 3rd day I had very little brakes cause I overused them early on day 1 trying to go too fast and fast the car was. Luckily it rained on the third day which caused EVERYONE to slow way down and forced me to drive slower and much much smoother.

 

Now, several year have past and I see a friend of mine in a Cobra having similar fits cause he's scared he's going to go off the end of T1 at Summit Main. It was tough talking to him trying to get him to realize he's looking at the wrong part of the track. Heck, I never even paid mind to the fact that there was a wall down there I was too busy looking around for the apex and track out point.

 

At the end of the day my friend and I both realized you need to be rested, prepared to listen and start out slowly. Best thing I ever did was to get an E30 eta and use that as my HPDE car. Talk about slow...0-60 in 15 minutes, but it teaches you momentum and smoothness.