Pelicanites at Willow 1/21

[pbs911]

Looks and sounds like fun. Hopefully there will be time I can get off work and make it down.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally posted by dd74
Jack: I loved watching Tyson catch that pastel green 944 Turbo. That car was very fast. He looked fighting mad after you guys took him on the front straight...

I'd been passing that guy all day -- but he never made it easy. You could almost see the thought bubble above his head: "This is my 951 turbo race car. There's no way an early 911 should be passing me."

He was very fast on the straights, at least.

Originally posted by surflvr911sc
The girls made us take this.

For those of you who want to know... left to right, that's:

David (DD74), Ryan's Dad, Ryan (Surflvr), Alan Jackson, Dave Bouzaglou (TRE Cup), Magnus Walker, Jack Olsen (note the "GQ" pose), and -- next to Noel's (The Cook) GT3, our own Tyson Schmidt.

[DonDavis]

I think I'm gonna be sick.

[mjshira]

do you track guys (other than Jack) drive your car daily? I have thought about getting out there on the track but I pause when I think about missing a shift and ^&%$& How much training do you need?

Thanks

James

[epbrown]

The PCA requires you to complete 3 (I think) Driver's Ed events before you're certified for AutoX v- seems reasonable if you're a track newbie, but lots of people forgo it and attend other events.

Emanuel

[surflvr911sc]

This was my first time on a track. I don’t think my Dad ever went over 100 mph but everyone was tolerant and courteous and he had a great time. I’ve been driving my car almost every day lately, but I have a truck that I can always rely on. There were a couple cars that got banged up but I think only one wasn’t able to drive home.

The OTR event is great but it lacks the training structure of the POC & PCA. The upside is that it’s inexpensive to get out there to try it and guys like Jack, Tyson, Dave B, Chris Campbell, Hans, and a couple others I’m sure I missed are great about spending as much time instructing as they do driving. They must be beat at the end of the day after five hours plus on the track.

I want to get into the POC program but it feels like a big psychological hurdle to commit to actually doing it, mostly from lack of knowledge I’m sure.

[TRE Cup]

POC has a good program to start track events. They start you out on the smaller Streets of Willow course. The various layouts available, and being able to run different directions is more challenging and instructive than the Fear Factor that the high speed big track poses. Unless you have a fast car and are proficient, exceeding 100 mph on the "Streets" is not likely to happen. then again you are so busy with controlling your car there, that you are hard pressed to look at the tach- let alone any other guages! POC's approach is a sound one- you are not pressured to go faster than you think you can go. The instructors will point out where and what you need to do to increase your confidence and speed. After you've demonstrated the control necessary, you get to drive alone , under their observation. After two completed events, you may be eligible for the Slalom license. After a year, you are eligible to enter the big track time trial series. One of the statements I make to students is "Don't try to impress me with how fast you are, try to impress yourself first- (me second) with how smooth you can be learning the track, your capabilities, your car's capabilities , and how to react if a situation occurs. Faster speeds will come later- you have to go slow before you get fast"

[speeder]

Excellent response from Dave, if I might add anything it would be that I recently joined the POC and have done 2 short-track events at Willow and had a blast. If you think that you will enjoy track driving, POC is an excellent and safe way to go. Reasonably priced in the beginning as well, it gets more expensive when you get to the big track events/time trials.

[mjshira]

thanks for the great comments guys! I think I will look into what the NYC area offers and consider it. I assume that you let the instructors drive your car to show you?

[TRE Cup]

A way to impress your instructor , before he takes your car out, is to inform him that you don't go past XXX rpm redline and if he could please respect that. A good instructor can easily show you everything you need to know at least 500 rpm short of red line. He is not there to show you how fast the car can go, but to teach you what YOU and the car are capable of. Of course, later in the event once he's familiar with your car and you want a little "E" ticket ride, you can ask him to do so- BUT always with respect for your equipment

[mjshira]

great advice,thanks. And maybe it would also be wise to install a wevo shift gate too! :-)

[Tyson Schmidt]

Originally posted by mjshira
great advice,thanks. And maybe it would also be wise to install a wevo shift gate too! :-)

Hmmmm........ maybe you should ask for an insructor with 911 experience. Particularly with the 915 trans!

[surflvr911sc]

You hear that Tyson? No hitting the rev limiter while instructing!!

[Jack Olsen]

Here are some more pictures, taken by one of the OTR organizers:

DD74, with his ride:



Jack and DD74 and BB2:



Ryan and his 3.6-powered SC:



"The Cook" and his 360-hp GT3:

[Jack Olsen]

Two guys with a turbocharged 240Z talk boost with Tyson Schmidt and Hans Stoehr:



Magnus Walker's lightning-fast 2.7:



'Still Life with Fuchs':



Hergesheimer's Daytona entry:



Pat Flanagan and (local legend) Joe Kunz:



Practicing driver changes for this year's Daytona:



Joe Kunz, Doug Baron (another local 911 legend) and Mark Hergesheimer (?):



The perils of too much exuberance. This M3 did a spectacular slide off of turn five and into the infield:

[Bill Verburg]

You guys gotta stop this Its like providing porn to prison inmates.

High today was an ear crackling 0&degF, haven't seen liquid water in a month

[MY83SC]

I am just curious....Just how fast do cars like Jack's get going on those high speed turns? >>>If I were to ride along with Jack...I would make sure to wear a pair of "Depends."

[surflvr911sc]

And bring a barf bag!

[MY83SC]

>>>I would pre-seal the barf bag in place with double back tape....pre-ignition! LOL

[rich22]

Originally posted by JackOlsen
"The Cook" and his 360-hp GT3:

Somebody stole 20 of his hp?

Originally posted by MY83SC
I am just curious....Just how fast do cars like Jack's get going on those high speed turns?

Judging by Jack's laptimes, I would guess he's doing around 130-135 mph in Turn 8.