Learning to Race Update (long)

[MarkP]

After six months of planning, preparation and anticipation the SOVREN Defrost Kickoff racing weekend arrived April 18th & 19th.

SOVREN requires new drivers to go through several steps to receive their competition license. First is to attend an accredited driving school, second is to make application and pass a physical, third is to attend the annual novice day which was held on Friday. Then the new driver must participate in two additional race days, without incident, to receive their license.

In hindsight, novice day was reminiscent of military boot-camp. Busy schedule and high pressure to perform multiple new tasks simultaneously, all under the threat of ouster if you make a mistake. Car racing is a serious and potentially dangerous activity and they demand the new drivers pay attention! We had 22 cars in the novice track sessions and they were throwing all kinds of different flags and situations at us to see how we would react while driving fast and in traffic. The most common violation was passing under yellow.

After each track session we would have a debriefing where they would dress us down and threaten to not issue licenses if we didn’t get our act together. In the end, everyone passed with a few probations issued to guys that spun.

Saturday was a real race day with four sessions for each run group – practice, qualifying, race #1 and race #2. My group included a dramatic mix of power and speed, we had fourteen early 911’s mixed with eleven big iron Corvette’s, Camaro’s, Cobra’s, a Ford GT 40 and a handful of other cars. I was the only novice in the group of 26 cars.

We had some light sprinkles in the morning and it looked liked we might get more rain, so I started the day on my new Yokohama AVS100 tires. I could tell right away that they were much slower than my regular track tires – very mushy feeling in the corners. My best lap time was 2:08.4 in the practice session (in car video link below).

I switched back to my race tires, Yokohama A008rs’s, and what a big difference! Best lap time dropped to 1:57.7, a 10.5 second improvement. I qualified last in the group, 3.5 seconds slower than the next 911 driven by Perry Elsasser, last years SOVREN Rookie of the Year.

In race one I stayed up with Perry for the first few laps, but he had more power coming out of the turns and gradually pulled away. I had 6-7 laps of open track to work on my speed and line until the big bore cars caught up to lap me – WOW – they’re loud and fast! Best time dropped to 1:54.4. Perry dropped to a 1:51.4, so I was 3 seconds off his pace.

Race two was shortened to 7 laps after a Shelby Cobra spun in turn one and was up against the tire wall in a dangerous spot. Best lap was 1:54.4 again.

Both my car and Perry’s were built by the guys at Emory Motorsports and they also provide us both trackside support (great people and great support). According to Rod Emory the Bursch muffler I’m running is restricting flow and reducing my horse power by 8-10%, versus the megaphone exhaust that Perry switched to this year. I'm planning on a new exhaust - to keep this an on topic technical post comments/suggestions please.

All in all, it was a great two days and I’m looking forward to the Spring Sprints, May 10th & 11th back at Pacific Raceway and then up to the British Columbia Historics in Mission BC May 24th & 25th.

Thanks to all the Pelicanheads that came out to watch and take photos!

Video link and photos on my website below.

Mark

Thumbs Up!

[RSupdate]

Excellent...!!!!

Thanks for the recap. Staying on the line with big American iron coming up from the rear can be quite intimidating !!!

CHEERS!

[Jack Olsen]

Great write-up!

It's great to get a window into the world of wheel-to-wheel competition.

[masraum]

Beautiful car, BTW. Vintage racing is very cool.

[ted]

Nice Story Mark.
Which Plavan is quickest, you or the San Diego Plavan?

[MarkP]

Jack, Don't you wheel-to-wheel the BB2?

[jluetjen]

Now I'm confused! How many Plavans are there based in how many different cities???

[MarkP]

I'm confused too. I'm a Powell, not a Plavan, but I might move to San Diego to race with them

[ted]

My bad Mark, sorry I am the confused one. I based my incorrect assumption on....
having talked with the SD Plavan and he told me of a family of Porsche racers, and seeing you have similar cars, you both have last name that starts with P
(I didnt notice the P for Powel that would of helped )
, I thought it was you that travels to north SD once in a while,,,

Even more compelling the wind was blowing west less than 5 knots, the roses bloomed late, the shadow from the jacaranda touched the pool (that never happens) the fact are irrefutable.

Please disregard my Plaven post.
Beers on me after the next SD AX!
thank you.

[RSupdate]

Hey Mark,

I just watched your footage.....nice!! Thx for having it there. I don't think I would try downloading it at home at 56k, but here at work I'm on a T1 line....took like 90 sec. to dwnld the entire 18 megs

I have it minimized on my desktop....think I'll watch it a couple more times t'day

[addictionMS]

great introduction, and now the real fun begins, chasing down a slightly slower car is really fun and will get you turning even faster lap times, but passing is where the real fun is. It is something really different to be a foot or two off a bumper for a lap or two looking for a place to pass. On Friday a buddy and I practiced at a DE, I hounded his bumper lap after lap, working on getting the ability to see past his car even though it was blocking my view, really hard to do. For a while the corner workers were a little freaked out waving the blue all the time, but eventually they got the idea. Both cars were full out race cars and we have raced together many times, so we knew what we were doing, and eased off when passing others so we did not freak anyone else out.

I strongly reccommend you find friend to do stuff like this with so you build the skills before you need them. Later in the day I had another race buddy hound my bumper, we always put the faster car in the rear so the learning driver was not at the limit trying to keep up but could safely focus on the task of following closely.

we will be at the HSR West event May 31-June 1, at Thunderhill, will you be coming down for that?

good racing...

[MotoSook]

Nice Mark. Enjoyed reading the write-up. (You guys and all your racing stories are going to get me in a heap of trouble one day with me lady )

[MMARSH]

Mark

Great story. Sounds like Sovern has a good program for getting people safetly on the track in a Racing enviroment.

Like Jim said, now the fun really begins. Having to pass a car that is driven well or slightly more powerful then you is a differant ball game when he isnt going to move out of your way at the next "passing Zone." Sometimes your faster then the person in front of you in some parts of the track, but he's faster then you in other parts. I've had never did so much thinking while driving intil I had to figure out how and where to get around another car who wasn't gonna give it up without a fight.

Personally, I get more of a rush Wheel to Wheel racing then doing anything else. Good luck at your next race.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally posted by MarkP
Jack, Don't you wheel-to-wheel the BB2?

Not yet -- only time trials.

[MarkP]

Jim, I'm planning to come to Thunderhill for the Oct 31- Nov 2 event. That will be my first trip down with the car.

Ted, I will be in Carlsbad this week from Wed - Sun. Any events this weekend?

I was in bed last night thinking about making my first pass in a race - looking forward to it!

Thanks all.

[ted]

Mark if you have the time we'll be down at the stadium this weekend both days. It's a Porsche performance driving school.
http://www.pcasd.org/home/index.html

If you make it by be sure to stop and say hi.
Ted's my pelican handle, just ask for tall Mike.

Sunday after the class they let the instructors loose for an hour on the track.
I plan to scrub/initial heat cycle some new Victor racers.

[RSupdate]

Originally posted by ted
just ask for tall Mike. ....

He ain't kiddin' either...!!!!

[MarkP]

Should I bring my helmet??

[jplavanjr]

Mark- Sounds like a GREAT weekend.

Ted- Even though he's not a Plavan, he's faster than the San Diego Plavan because my first rookie vintage weekend isn't for 2 weeks! I'm getting very fired up though.

3 of the 4 vintage 911 racing Plavans will be running at Buttonwillow May3-4 with the 4th there for support until his (3rd) car is ready:
Uncle Jim Plavan- Fresno
Cousin Chad Plavan- Modesto
JP- San Diego
Dad John Plavan- Escondido (as soon as his car's done).

[RSupdate]

Originally posted by jplavanjr
......3 of the 4 vintage 911 racing Plavans will be running at Buttonwillow May3-4 with the 4th there for support until his (3rd) car is ready:
Uncle Jim Plavan- Fresno
Cousin Chad Plavan- Modesto
JP- San Diego
Dad John Plavan- Escondido (as soon as his car's done).

Bravo !!!!! GO team Plavan...!!!