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Living up to the name
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: 15 minutes from Barber Motorsports Park!
Posts: 885
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Barber in my stock 911 - solo at last
Hi yall, it's been awhile! I have checked into the forums several times to find answers to a few tech quirks - I used the SEARCH button so you never even knew I was here! See what you get for training your newbies too well? :-)
Most of last year I was sidelined from track stuff for various reasons, some car-related, some life-related. But finally last Fall I had everything sorted. Just in time for the off-season. Thus, I was raring to go when my local PCA did our Spring DE at Barber last weekend! Somebody brought this chair, which was referred to as The Fuch-in Chair:  I have resisted the urge to tweak anything much at all on my car, basically keeping her in the tippest-toppest stock condition I have been able to since I got her in 2008. My only mods, which were already on the car, are 29mm spacers on my rear wheels and a strut brace in the front. I'm riding on Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs. Stock brakes, Brad Penn coursing thru her veins. I would like to get a fire bottle, but that's the only mod I've got planned! I did go to an Optima battery this year also. When doing track stuff, I've always signed up in the novice group, and my events at Barber have been spaced out so far in between that I've always felt like I was starting over. Once again this time I signed up in the novice group so I'd have an instructor. It'd been over a year since I drove Barber. Gratuitous car photos from Friday night tech:    So last weekend, off we went, in the rain all day Saturday. Drenching, drowning, saturating, rain. Big bowls of rain at the bottoms of the hairpin & museum turns. Front straight was one very long puddle, which made for awesome rooster-tail photos, but not the best traction. Many chose to sit it out. I went for it! God bless the brave men and women who serve as DE instructors. Can I get an AMEN? So to sum up, Saturday was basically a series of 30-minute pucker moments.  Sunday was gorgeous, and my instructor said the magic words. "You know this track, and you know where you need to be on this track, and you are ready for your check ride." YEehaw! I know everybody else goes into this aiming to get checked out of the novice group on their first weekend. What can I say, I've taken it at my own speed. But Sunday was it, I got in several nice laps, and voila, checked off. My next sessions driving solo were some of the most fun I've ever had - it's just different having the car and your work in it to yourself, you know? I 100% dug it and cannot wait to get at it again. Me, solo, coming over the tunnel turn - photo is by Lori Sparacio, Stop or I'll Shoot Photography  I have ridden shotgun at Barber in many, many different Porsches - from older ones like mine, to brand spanking new ones. 911s, Cayennes, Panameras. Just a few weeks ago I got a ride in a 2011 Turbo out there (WOW!). And I have ridden shotgun in my own car with much better drivers at the wheel. I absolutely love knowing that my 23-year-old 911, in stock condition, is truly up to the task of performing on such a challenging track. This car has been so solid mechanically, and has provided me some incredibly exhilarating driving experiences. So would you believe, I have no video, and very few photos until I get a set from the pro photographer who came out for the weekend. For all the angst I've devoted to preparatory details, I was so slammed at work, I literally dumped my car crap from the Porsche to my other car and drove it empty to the track, not so much as a torque wrench (I did have my tire gauge). None of my bags and bins of what was apparently "comfort" stuff for the most part. I was glad to have a small pack of Rain-X wipes, though!  SPECIAL THANKS TO HODGEY, my fellow Pelican and partner in late 80's grand prix white crime, who showed me an awesome trick to get my passenger side window to come down when the switches went all fussy on me (AGAIN). OPEN THE DOOR. I missed a whole session on Saturday, the only dry session in fact, because as I was heading to the grid, I could not get that window down, neither switch. I fussed with it until it came down an inch, and got some help pushing it down. After which, gratefully, the guys running the DE let me park in the garage. Hodgey's "PASSED TECH, TIME TO DRIVE" HAPPY FACE  Hodgey and I parked near each other on Sunday (the window was back up, nobody in the passenger seat) and it got fussy again and he opened the door and voila! The switches are new (just replaced, again, replacing them in 2008 was my first Pelican-assisted tech adventure), so it's something about the balance of the door affecting the wiring over there. Good to know! Yeah, so I asked where my "solo" sticker was, and somebody came up and slapped these two blue balls on my windshield...thanks guys   Click on any of the photos to go to the set on my flickr.com page.
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2008 911 (997) C4 Carrara White The sweet old 1988 911 GP White has gone to a new owner "Keep your head in the clouds and your right foot mashed to the floorboard!" ~Village Idiot Last edited by VroomGrrl; 03-13-2011 at 03:06 PM.. Reason: to correct the spelling of Hodgey's name! |
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03-13-2011, 01:28 AM
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....VG aka "Kathy"......YOU ROCK LADY!!!! Sally and I always enjoy being in your company.
I was there by your victorious side to see you get signed off......way to go girl you beat me to it!!!!! .....I'm waiting to see if my Instructor signed me off too.. We had such fun didn't we???....I have to admit I have been scouring adds for a set of track wheels.....(cheeky I kknow)
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Neil 1987 Carrera, Grand Prix White, 2009 Carrera C4S, Meteor Grey Metallic (X) [B] 2011 BMW X5[B] 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts' |
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03-13-2011, 05:09 AM
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Home of the Whopper
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Sounds like an awesome time, rain and all.
I have been trying to go to barber but it is always booked up so fast.
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1968 912 coupe 1971 911E Targa rustbucket 1972 914 1.7 1987 924S |
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03-13-2011, 05:15 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: sectors R&N, SE Pa
Posts: 3,117
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cool write-up and pics - here's your "Amen" and congrats on the solo!
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Dan '87 Targa Carrera 3.2 - Fabspeed Cat Bypass, M&K Muffler, SW Chip Venetian Blue |
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03-13-2011, 07:05 AM
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Living up to the name
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: 15 minutes from Barber Motorsports Park!
Posts: 885
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Quote:
Oops I accidentally reposted a pic from above - here's one of Lori's shots of Hodgey & Pippa in action - I think this is coming into the hairpin? 
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2008 911 (997) C4 Carrara White The sweet old 1988 911 GP White has gone to a new owner "Keep your head in the clouds and your right foot mashed to the floorboard!" ~Village Idiot Last edited by VroomGrrl; 03-13-2011 at 11:42 AM.. |
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03-13-2011, 11:26 AM
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Bellevue, Wa
Posts: 2,437
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Love it!
great write up, makes me excited for the track season which opens up here on April 21 - dont cha know, I'll be there in my stock 86' here is a quick vid I posted (horible sound) passing a 996 Turbo that was ghracious enough to let me by on the straights because I was all over his a$$ in the turns...the old cars can be quite fun! (and I love posting stuff about ME  )http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe8M02FvJgA
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Ed M 86' Coupe Last edited by ivangene; 03-13-2011 at 12:06 PM.. |
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03-13-2011, 11:59 AM
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Quote:
I did not spin it on the exit this time
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Neil 1987 Carrera, Grand Prix White, 2009 Carrera C4S, Meteor Grey Metallic (X) [B] 2011 BMW X5[B] 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts' |
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03-13-2011, 01:35 PM
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Living up to the name
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: 15 minutes from Barber Motorsports Park!
Posts: 885
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Quote:
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2008 911 (997) C4 Carrara White The sweet old 1988 911 GP White has gone to a new owner "Keep your head in the clouds and your right foot mashed to the floorboard!" ~Village Idiot |
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03-13-2011, 02:28 PM
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Living up to the name
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: 15 minutes from Barber Motorsports Park!
Posts: 885
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Quote:
If not with PCA, there are several other clubs that run great DEs there - Chin, BMWCCA, PBOC, and the new NASA-Midsouth is going to run at Barber also. The event calendar is on the Barber website under "fan info". Well here is the link: Barber Motorsports Park : Park Information Barber is a real treat - I hope you get to come check it out soon!
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2008 911 (997) C4 Carrara White The sweet old 1988 911 GP White has gone to a new owner "Keep your head in the clouds and your right foot mashed to the floorboard!" ~Village Idiot |
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03-13-2011, 02:32 PM
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Bellevue, Wa
Posts: 2,437
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yea, its good to have some shots and vids even if its not the best... here are a couple shots where the gopro can be seen mounted in differant places...I wish it allowed an external mic that I could stuff in the engine bay keep a lid on it, but in our area the BMW days dont fill up very fast .... might try them out if you get bumped off the PCA days or they are too crowded  
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Ed M 86' Coupe |
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03-13-2011, 02:59 PM
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Bellevue, Wa
Posts: 2,437
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and another
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Ed M 86' Coupe |
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03-13-2011, 03:02 PM
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Pippa
Olive
The Turtle
Ruby
Brownie
