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May 15, 2009
From: Aashish
Event Dates: May 9 & 10, 2009
Acknowledgements: A big thank you to Douglas Hood (S2ki Upstate CO & Track guru) for being present in spirit and for his constant advice and encouragement. Ellen Emerson (fellow S2ki member and track nut) for all her assurance about my first track event and for helping me get some quality car set-up work done at Formula H. Other members on S2ki for their words of encouragement.
My family - for being very supportive and keeping my spirits up.
Jeff Gable & Mike Cookson ? my mentors at the track that checked in with me from time-to-time to answer all my questions and offer advice and suggestions.
Mel Dillon & Bill Cristofaro - My instructors that helped me find the line and worked patiently through my missteps, and offered constant constructive feedback.
About GVC BMW CCA - This stands for the Genesee Valley BMW Car Club of America. This chapter of the BMW CCA has had a long history of running track events (high performance driving schools, Instructor training schools and club racing schools) and is considered a leader among all BMW chapters in the United States. Other chapters apparently base their programs on the GVC program.
Track Rules for run group D - Laps are not timed. Passing can only be initiated by the driver of the car that is being passed. The car in front has to issue a point by at which point the passing vehicle gets off the racing line to complete the pass and either gets back on the racing line or takes a different line into the next corner.
The Track: WGI (Watkins Glen International) is a storied and historic venue and has been host to the United States Formula One Grand Prix. Area hotels abound in memories and tales of champions past, and this has been described by Walter Rohrl as one of his favorite tracks ever.
 The track starts with a front straight that ends in turn one (a right hander). Once off the apex a car accelerates through the "Esses? (climbing 10 stories from the track out point to the top of the "Esses") carrying great speed on to the back straight. The back straight ends in a bus-stop (kind of like the bus-stop at Spa in Belgium), following which you are immediately into Turn 6 a sharp right hander with a blind apex. It is important to hit the apex correctly in order to get to the track out point to enter the chute a steep downward lefthander with another blind apex (turn 7). As you hit the blind apex for turn 7 with a gradual steering input, you start tracking out to the outside of the track by gently unwinding the wheel. Once you hit the outside of the track, you aim for the turn-in point for the "The Toe of the boot" (turn 8). Get on the brakes hard as you hit the turn-in while gradually steering your car to the next blind apex downshifting and accelerating uphill to your right towards the apex. Once at the apex you track out and are then on a little straight where you can get up to about 80 MPH as you head to "The heel of the boot" (Turn 9). Brake at the turn in point and swing right to the apex on the inside and then get on the gas and track to the outside, following which you will be in perfect line to get to the turn in point for Turn 10 (or "Off camber" as it is known). Get on the brakes before you turn in and look left as you try to find the apex for this corner while you are on the gas. Once past the apex, you track out to the outside and are on full throttle through to turn 11 which is a left hander. Dab the brakes gently to transfer weight forward at the turn-in for Turn 11 and hurl yourself towards the turn-in point for turn 12. Get on the brakes and steer right to point the car towards the apex for turn 12 and then get on the gas hard for once you hit the apex you will unwind your wheel and be back on the front straight.
Day 1 notes: Each day had three run sessions interspersed with classroom sessions. On the first run it was recommended that you let your instructor drive your car for the first 3 laps so you can observe the line that he/she (yes! there are lady instructors too). My instructor was Mel Dillon who had 20 years of experience doing track sessions and running with the SCCA. He told me that he started out tracking in an old Civic, and is now running with a Cooper S. Mel drove the first 3 laps carefully pointing out the line he was taking while exiting the pits, how to merge into traffic and passing signals, communicating with flag workers, etc. The first lap was pretty much a warm up and was gentle before he gradually brought the car up to speed, to give me a sense of how the track would feel at speed. I was glad that I did not have a heavy breakfast at that time. Came time to go out on the track and I squeezed about 4 laps in before the checkers came out and we had to go back in.
Over lunch I met up with one of my mentors for the weekend and he told me to expect rain and asked me if I was ready to go out in the rain. I told him that I was channeling my inner Sebastien Vettel for the rain, to which he laughed and said that I better not channelise my inner Felipe Massa. He went on to say that a lot of people prefer not to run in the rain, but that if I wanted to really learn how to drive well, then I must learn to love running in the rain. Sure enough during my second run later that day the skies opened up and I had to get my wipers going as I was coming up through the Esses. I noticed a few M3's ahead of me slowing down and backed off the gas, when Mel asked me to hit it. I floored the pedal and flew towards the fast-approaching traffic and was waved by an E36 M3 and then an E30 M3. As I passed the second car I noticed it was too late to get back on the racing line before braking and turning in. Mel asked me to brake a little early and take an early turn in over the rumble strips into the bus stop, and asked me to keep my loaded wheels off the concrete strip and on the asphalt. We came out of the bus-stop and then made our way down the chute and into the toe and back out onto the straight where I got to pass another slow moving Mini. I then had an open track for the next lap and half and towards the final lap a dry line appeared following which I was again eaten alive by those magnificent M3's.
 The last session also had a little rain, but nothing to cause concern as I focused more on trying to hit the blind apexes. After all groups had run we went on a track walk with a senior instructor taking us out on track and explaining to us what lines we should take and what lines to take to avoid the ARMCO and the tire walls. We even got to feel the difference between concrete sections and asphalt with our palms to understand which one would be our best option in the rain. The day ended with a garage party in the pits with beer, wine and excellent conversation. I got into a lengthy conversation with Jeff Gable, one of my mentors who explained how buying a used 323i got him started on tracking. He now has an M3 as well.
I must add here that between our sessions all the drivers in my run group had to go over to another part of the WGI facility where a slalom course and a skid pad had been setup for us. We had another instructor at this session that was taking each of us through the course and we needed to perform and exhibit skills to his liking for him to pass us and give us a sticker that would allow us to run the second day. This was a lot of fun and the instructor gradually got me up to 35 mph through the slalom at the end of which you turn left accelerate hard to the point where you see 3 cones and then brake hard without engaging ABS. The lesson in that was to learn the limits of braking without getting to the point where the wheels locked and ABS was engaged. The figure 8 skid pad was also a lot of fun and I initially accelerated a lot more during cornering and watched the car understeer. I then learnt to back off the throttle a little pushing the weight forward and giving me enough grip to complete the skid pad faster and smoother. The speed for this exercise was 35 MPH as well and I was able to ace it after the first few failed attempts.
Day 2 Notes: The second day started early as my run group was out first on a chilly, windy and cloudy 50 degree temperature run. We were grouped into teams of two and I was teamed with a driver in a Lotus Elise with whom I practiced passing maneuvers for the first 3 laps. After the track went green the Elise left me eating Lotus pollen as it raced off after the M3's on the back straight. I finally caught up with it on the straight between the toe and heel and lead for a while before the checkered flag came out. Mel told me that while I was doing great the only place I was messing up was coming down the chute and unwinding the steering a tad sooner missing the apex thereby losing speed going up to the next corner (the toe). He also pointed that I was losing my line when other cars in front of me were screwing up the line and said that I must look ahead of the cars and never ever go off the line because someone in front blundered. We pulled into the pits and as I parked the car, Mel told me that I would have another instructor for the last two sessions. It was going to be one of the graduates of the Instructor training program. I was thinking to myself that this could not augur well having a rookie instructor in the car with me. I was used to Mel's constant conversation and inputs, and applause (when I did things perfect), and was a little worried about how this new person would be. Turns out I need not have worried. The Instructor training program runs like this. Every trainee instructor has a very senior instructor pretending to be the student that needs to be shepherded around the track, and not all participants in that program pass the test. I really lucked out when Bill Cristofaro showed up to tell me he was my new instructor for the rest of the day. He observed me asking questions in a classroom session about messing up at the apex going downhill in the chute and told me that he was glad I asked, and promised to work with me to get over that issue. Bill told me that he had instructed with the Ferrari club, the Audi Club and the Porsche club, and the only reason he was going through the training program was because BMW CCA had stringent rules stating its instructors had to pass the Instructor training program. I was thrilled.
We started our second run and we went through the laps. Bill while conversing observed the line I was taking and told me that I was doing very well for a beginner and was handling some sections much better than people in the advanced run group (for which I credited the Si's handling and i-VTEC power train). He told me that I was executing the bus-stop like a pro, but was getting suckered into turning in early into the Inner Loop (turn 6). As we came through the bus stop he asked me to go about 3/4th's to the outside and then begin my gradual turn-in to the inner loop. I was able to hit the apex perfectly by doing this and then came my Achilles heel - the downhill chute. He asked me to brake, as we went steeply down hill and further asked me to gently turn in to the outside a little, then a little more, and a little more until I saw the apex and floored it. From this point onwards I made a mental note to myself to do it as gently and delicately as possible until I saw the apex and then floored it. As we went over the start finish line, Bill said that we would start trying a different line into the corners in case we were ever forced to be of the racing line, and we did this through turn one by following the inside of the track a little ahead and a little past the apex until I had a clear straight line to the next turn-in point for Turn 3 (the start of the ESSES). Earlier on I was scrubbing speed going into the Esses by either braking a little or backing of the pedal a little, and Bill told me that I did not need to do that, and said that once you track out towards turn two do not lift off the gas completely. It is ok to get off a little to transfer weight forwards to aid turn in, but he said that the Esses are like a fine ballet dance and were completely dependent upon my steering inputs. As I started taking heed of his advice I noted that I was able to keep up with the M3's as we climbed up hill to the top of the Essess and towards the back straight where they lost me. I also found that I was able to hit the rev limiter in 4th (at 97 MPH) much sooner than on my earlier laps. On our penultimate lap there was a yellow flag displayed at the bus stop where a Mini had gone off the track and smoke was coming out of its underside. I could smell the brake pads, but did not see any physical harm to the driver or instructor as the car went off in the run off area and had come to a stop with no damage or detritus on track. On Day one an instructor in his Porsche had major failure and had left a trail of coolant on the track, which was very quickly cleaned up by the track stewards. There was a point during this session where a couple of Mini's running ahead of me screwed up their line braked hard and distracted me, Bill told me to look ahead and to never lose the line. I kept this advice in mind and stayed on the line the best I could irrespective of how the car in front was doing. When a car in front goes off the line, there is an opportunity to overtake and as overtaking was forbidden unless initiated by the car ahead, I was getting distracted and backing off the gas.
 As we came back into the pits, I asked Bill if I could ride with him in his car for the "Ride with instructor" session as Mel did not have his car with him on the track. Bill said I sure could and told me that he would not be driving at 9/10ths like the other instructors would so I would get a chance to observe and learn how he handled the track and caught the blind apexes. After a small break I walked over to the garage bay where his car was parked and was amazed at what I saw. In front of me was an E36 M3 coupe with a Mitsubishi fixed spoiler on the back. The interior had been completely stripped bare and a roll cage was installed where the rear seats had been and Sparco sport seats up front. The doors were stripped of their panels, and while the dash was intact the radio and the air conditioner were tossed to save weight. Bill strapped me into his car and we headed out of the pits onto the track. Little did I know that I was set for the ride of my life. Pit lane exits out after Turn One and I was amazed at the sheer raw power that the M3 exhibited as it muscled out onto the track passing a Corvette through the Esses and onto the back straight. Before we knew it we were at the bus stop where Bill applied a quick dab on the brakes downshifted to third and barreled in and out of the bus-stop and into the inner loop and onto the steep downhill chute. At this point I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. All the speeds we were doing seemed very amateurish to me as I rode along with this retired 60 plus gentleman that was exhibiting complete and total assurance as he was piloting his car at breakneck speeds while talking to me and giving me tips. Just as I'd gotten used to the thrill and wished this session was extended for another few more laps than normal, we were shown a yellow flag at Turn One and then eventually the black flag came out by the time we were on the back straight indicating that we needed to slow down and make for the pits. A Porsche belonging to an instructor had stopped on the track after turn one and because the car could not move and posed a danger, the session was called off.
After lunch we had another class room session where the instructor discussed weight transfer and tire grip. He also warned us that if we felt we had enough driving or were feeling a little distracted it was better going home with a smile than doing the macho thing by going out on track and going home disappointed. The lesson he was trying to instill was that the brain should be focused totally on driving and sticking to the line and should not get distracted even momentarily while on track. As I contemplated his advice I was in two minds whether I should stay or leave. I was quite tired, and my body was sore all over, but I felt like I had a little more to give. I decided that I'd go out on track and stay focused on the line and sacrifice speed by focusing on the line and try hitting all the marks that I had set for myself. I decided that if I felt tired a few laps after I went out, I'd go back into the pits and call it a weekend. There was another 25 minutes remaining for the session to start and I hydrated with two small bottles of water, and then began the process of prepping the car. I checked the tire lug nuts for looseness, checked brake fluid and engine oil. Everything looked good, the Si had taken everything thrown at her like a champ and I felt like I owed her that final session. I put on my neck brace, took off my glasses and pulled my helmet on, and then put my glasses back in. Bill showed up and asked me if I was ready to go and I responded with a thumb up sign. He got in and after we connected our helmet headsets, we went out to the staging area. I purposely waited until all the other cars had staged and joined in at the back of the line. I did not want the hassle of letting the faster cars pass and wanted to intensely focus on my racing line. Bill told me that he wanted me to warm up for the first two laps before dropping the hammer. As I was going down pit lane, I warmed up the brakes and made a smooth exit out onto track in 3rd gear. Shifted into 4th as I went up the Esses and stayed at 90 MPH on the back straight, braked as I approached the bus stop and then smoothly got off the brakes and onto the gas, into the inner loop and down the chute slowing and gently turning in to ensure I hit the apex before I tracked out. Repeated this for another lap and getting things right twice in a row gave me a ton of confidence to keep running and then I started flooring it through the track. I passed a Volvo Coupe and a few Mini's on the straights and even had a BMW 330i yield to me. As I kept going, the track started to feel more and more like a best friend - It also helped that with the Si I could go flat out through most corners thanks to the uphill sections and the K Series Si engine delivering just enough - no more and no less. When the checkered flag finally displayed, Bill raised his hands and started applauding. I was wondering why and as I stuck my fist out in the air to indicate that I was headed for pit-lane he said "I don?t know if you realized, but you were going much faster in the final session than you were earlier". He also said that I was consistently lapping the track much faster. I don't know if he really meant what he said, but that last final session felt like the Si and I had made peace with the track and were frolicking around as if in known surroundings.
I pulled into the pits, thanked Bill who asked me to come see him in 10 minutes to review his evaluation for me. As I caught up with him he revealed that he had seen a lot of improvement over the two sessions I'd had with him and gave me scores close to the highest possible rating that are usually given to the advanced drivers. While I can?t say how much of that was me, I think I owe it big-time to the boys in Japan for building an awesome tiny car that stayed together as other storied names had fallen or erred. I then met Mel who also shared his feedback and told me about my plus points and my minuses that I plan to work on for the next time that I go tracking.
Coming Home: As I bid adieu to my instructors, mentors, friends I made, and the track and headed home, I was immediately struck by the stark contrast between being on track and out on the street. The track seemed to me as being safer even though all of us were running at far higher speeds, than the highway where people seemed to be driving very involved with multi-tasking at the wheel, rather than focusing on the road. On the way home I was passed by a group of M3's from the driving school that honked and waved at me, I immediately pulled over to the right lane as I rolled down the window and gestured for them to pass me on the left. We exchanged smiles and thumbs up signals as it struck me that this was going to be my last exhibition of track etiquette as I headed home. Woke up this morning and went over to the Honda dealers and had them switch my pads back to the stock pads, following which I stopped of at Advance Auto Parts to buy a brake dust remover and then went to the nearest car wash, where I spent the next 30 minutes trying to get the brake dust off the wheels. They look better now except for the portions that are hard to reach. My car is back to being a "Civic" member of everyday society, but the memories of this May weekend will linger in our minds for a while to come.
Lessons Learned And to Remember for Ever:
1. Decisive and smooth motions while turning.
2. Braking and then getting on the gas smoothly.
3. Blind apexes require patience and a gradual turn-in until the apex appears to your eye.
4. Learn to love the rain and stay off the slippery parts. Rain is a great equalizer and helps you run closer to the big dogs.
TRACK PREP: A list of things I bought and work performed to get my car prepped for the track.
1. Hawk HPS Brake Pads - Fronts wore down to 7 mm (new pads are 10 mm) by the time the weekend was done. Considering I drove about 150 miles on track, I think its safe to say that The Glen is heavy on the brakes. You can also contrast that with my OEM pads that are worn to 8 MM (in the front) after 10K miles of running. Expensive and very noisy at low speeds but highly effective and did not exhibit any fade.
2. SA2005 rated G-Force helmet - M Rated helmets are also allowed, but SA is supposed to be safer and more specifically designed for Auto Cross, Karting or Racing.
3. G-Force karting neck support brace - Cheaper than buying HANS although not as functional as HANS in a racing incident. This helps support your neck while experiencing all those G forces.
4. Replaced brake fluid with Honda recommended brake fluid
5. Oil change with Mobil 5W-30 synthetic oil. |
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