First DE is history. The good the bad and the ugly.

[thrown_hammer]

Okay the GOOD news first. I got all my runs in and I am MUCH better at track driving than Auto-X! My instructor was superb. He signed me off after the third session. He said he thought my chassis setup was phenomenal and wouldn't change a thing. By the end of the day I was lapping people in my run group!
I met BILL (AKA Bondman) fellow Pelicanhead. I just happened to setup right beside him and didn't know it until I saw his bailbond decal in his back window. He was great. I think I borrowed 94 things from him Saturday. He set me up with some ATE racing blue. I changed out my brake fluid over the lunch period. MUCH better.
Now for the BAD news. At the end of my last session on the cooldown lap my car started to stutter. I made it all the way around the track to the exit and the car died as I left the track. A tow showed up and pulled me to the paddock. I checked the relay and fuse. Nothing. Car would crank over but no start. Lucky for me our PCA prez happens to be a Porsche Master tech with 30 years experience. He came down off and on and messed with the car. Got it started a couple times but it would flood itself out and die. Went to the hotel mot sure how I was getting home.
Now for the UGLY. Sunday went back to the track. MArty asked around and found someone willing to loan us a trailer to tow my car to his shop an hour away. So we loaded the Red Queen on the trailer(thats the ugly part) and pulled her to the shop. My wife followed and we went home from there. He is gonna look at it early this week. Bond man has a pic of her highness on the trailer. I will get pics up later today. I have a couple really short movies as well. In .mov format.

Overall I am hooked. By the second session I was into fourth gear in every straight. Even between turn 3 and 5. My instructor kept insisting 4 is not a turn it is part of the straightaway.
More later.

[Tim Walsh]

souinds like you had a blast.. I can't wait til i go on my first DE

[VincentVega]

LOL. I know what you mean about '4 is turn'. My instructor was the same way at Summit. It was hard to listen to him when he said, 'This is not a braking zone, full gas'. I remember thinking he was on crack. Of course he was right, I just needed to gain some confidence.

Good luck with the car!

[jphillips-998]

Was this Gingerman just yesterday? I was there w/my '74 Carrera running in the A (red) group but did get one session in the B group b/c I wanted another guy from my group to ride w/me.

Is Bondman BBBB in the black 911? He teched in front of me...

[thrown_hammer]

I decided I know nothing and the instructor knows everything. I did what he told me even when it seemed impossible. Free your mind.

[thrown_hammer]

Jeff,
Yep that was him. I was in the "C" group. I ran Saturday. Beautiful weekend. Do you have any pics of your car? I was setup right on the enterance road by Bondman.

[IROC]

Originally posted by thrown_hammer
I decided I know nothing and the instructor knows everything. I did what he told me even when it seemed impossible. Free your mind.

"There is no spoon..."

[k9handler]

pics....video....MORE info! I ned a fix, great stuff Shawn!
I hope your car is ok. So how did the wheels/tires work out!

[cstreit]

Thrown, Turn 4 is intimidating, but it's really flat out. Scary part is that it's slightly off camber and the car tends to dance around a bit, PLUS it's right where I shift into 4th.... AND you are braking towards the edge of the track, but it's definitely flat out..

[thrown_hammer]

Chris,
I had the most trouble with turn 1 beleive it or not. I had the rest down pretty good. i was so worried about setting up for 2 that I kept fighting the car thru 1.
Here are some pics.

[thrown_hammer]

[thrown_hammer]

That last car isn't me. It's a Euro SC.

[k9handler]

Shawn, the wheels look great...you should keep em on!

[jyl]

Hey, how did that Mini (that I see in the pics) do?

[fryardds]

Shawn,

I was there at Gingerman to check out the cars on the track and deliver a suspension system I sold to a Chicago PCA member that was doing the DE also. I didn't realize that was you or I would have looked for you after the session. Hope nothing serious is wrong with your 911.

I was standing by Turn 1 and 2 watching the cars and recalled thinking you were taking a very good line through Turn 2 on a consistant basis. Turn 1 gave several drivers fits. I saw at least 3 different cars either spin or get sideways on that turn.

I stayed for the "car show" and meal afterwards. I didn't see you there but you must have been with your car trying to figure out what the problem was.

Curious, why do you think you are better at the track than auto-X?

[thrown_hammer]

I think on the track you have time to think about the next turn and the track is well defined. At the auto-x you have to think three turns ahead and the course is semi-invisible to me.

[thrown_hammer]

John,
I don't even remember the Mini on the track. I know it was there because of the photographic evidence I have presented. It was an "S". There was a red one too.

[thebondman]

Ummmm, It's BILL a.k.a thebondman

j/k
-BILL

[thrown_hammer]

Ummm... Bill yeah thats it! You look like a Jim. Here is the pic of the Red Queen on the trailer on the way to the shop with me and...ummm...Oh yeah Bill!

[thebondman]

-BILL