Wayne's Review of the 962 Driving Experience at Willow Springs...

[Wayne 962]

I wanted to post this as a new thread because I didn't want this stuck on the back of the other thread. Jack Olsen wrote in that thread:

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Here's an odd truth. The part of the day that sticks with me the most was a moment when Wayne and I stepped out of his RV and he glanced over at the car and I saw a kind of double-take -- there was this moment where there was no hiding that sense of wonder -- you could see that Wayne was simply taken aback.

Because he owned this car.

It's a hard thing for the rest of us to get our heads around, probably. But in that instant there was a mix of both the kind of happy adoration all of us feel for our 911s (which of us hasn't taken an extra moment to look back at the car sitting in its parking space?), but this particular car is also something that played such a unique role in history. It's one of the greatest machines ever made. Imagine if you had the chance to own a P-51 Mustang or a Saturn rocket and you could turn around and look back at it in its parking space. I mean -- I'm sure I'm not explaining it very well -- but he's able to step out of his door and see this huge icon of racing history -- his 962.

That picture of the cockpit brings back a lot of memories for me. It's not a pleasant or a relaxed place to be, honestly. And that's another way to understand it. I also got to drive the Boxster Wayne put a 996 motor into. It's had its suspension re-done, and it's a really great car on the track. The same goes for Wayne's 959. These are street cars --they were built to be sold to drivers first and foremost, so the driving experience part got a lot of thought and consideration. That's fine, and it's part of what we like about the 911. But it's important to note that you get leather door panels and a nice looking dash and a comfortable seat in those cars. You get that experience of feeling 'one with the car' as you carve through corners. But you also are able -- in every corner of a track -- to feel that compromise that was hammered out between driving experience and pure performance. The car sways a little, it conforms a little, it grips, but you can feel it fighting for that grip.

The 962 is a different animal. The driver accommodations are adequate -- but the cockpit is like a footnote to the car itself (if that makes sense). The car is a machine that goes around a track as fast as a car can go. To do that, it needs a driver, so there's a seat and a steering wheel and a shifter and such. But the car isn't about the experience the driver is getting so much as it is, simply, about being this phenomenal machine. You don't feel one with the machine because, well, the thing that matters in this case is the machine.

All of that's a long-winded way of saying that it never feels like a street car at all. It felt -- to me -- more like an experimental aircraft. But one with a phenomenal amount of power. When the boost comes on, you feel like you're launching. At a track as small as Streets of Willow, you only have a certain number of heartbeats before you know you need to think about where you're going to come down -- about what's going to happen right after you let up on the rocket blast.

At lower speeds, it's not a docile car. But it's surprisingly easy to control. The steering is light. The pedals are much firmer than a street car, but you can start from a stop without much drama, especially when you consider how tall the first gear is. (It's a useful gear on the track, unlike any first gear in just about any street car.) At Streets of Willow, everything was 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear, pretty much. And I don't think I was ever even in the vicinity of the top of third. (Ideally for a track like this, you'd put in a shorter gear set.)

But even at a track like this, you point and it goes. That's the impression you get, and that's what makes it seem like a car that's not easy to drive, but also not especially hard.

It's light -- in the 1700-1800 pound range, I think. It's got a lot of power, even at lower revs and even at Streets of Willow speeds. After the first lap, going slow so the car with the video camera kept up, it was already my favorite car ever, pretty much.

But then there's another side to its personality. At somewhere in the 5k range (could be lower, could be higher, I wasn't free to stare down at the gauges at this point), it just leaps forward. Up until that point, it seemed like a really overpowered track car. But now it's just like the laws of physics have changed and some new elemental force is pushing you faster and faster. Again, the only thing I can compare it to is a rocket being set off. But imagine that without the sense of randomness to its direction. This isn't like a monster 1/4-mile machine -- it always stays locked to its path -- always holding the pavement laterally as it leaps forward.

It's simply this: a machine designed to navigate a track as fast as science and engineering will allow.

And it's when it's leaping forward that you start to get a feel for what this car must be like on a larger, high-speed circuit. It's precise and in its element at speeds that most cars (BB2 included, unfortunately ) are feeling the 'limits of their limits.'

I think the big track at Willow Springs will be an eye-opening experience for Wayne. He's already got a good core set of racing skills. But I think being able to drive this car there will show him this car's personality in a whole new light. Those of you who have met Wayne will already know this, but the guy is very down-to-earth, very modest, but very good at pretty much everything he does. I don't think he's got any aspirations to race, but I think he's going to get the experience of a lifetime when he finds himself getting comfortable with this car at the kind of speeds that the car itself is comfortable with at a track like Big Willow (probably the fastest average-speed road course in the country, so you've got to treat it with a great deal of respect).

In any case, I'm grateful for having been allowed to drive it a little. I'll always love my own car -- but now that I've driven a 962, I have to understand my own car in a more specific context. It's a great car to drive, but it is a compromise between performance and the other mandates of a production car. I wouldn't want to drive the 962 around town, honestly, but there is no compromise whatsoever in its design. It is purely and simply a great, great race car.

And yes, it was fun. (How's that for understatement?)

Indeed, while I am not as eloquent a writer as Jack is, I will try to add my own thoughts to the experience. In a nutshell, driving the 962 on the track last Monday did not disappoint - it was probably the most fun I've ever had in one day in my entire life. Well, I can remember two previous days with ex-girlfriends that might tie the 962 for "most fun", but I'm sure my memory of those days vastly exceeds the actual fun that was had (maybe).

Heading out to the track the week/month before, I've had trouble sleeping. There's a lot of stuff going on now at Pelican (good stuff - more on this later), and this track day was smack in the middle. The car has 700 horsepower, and hadn't been run in about 8 years on a track. When we started it up a few weeks ago, a water hose blew, dumping coolant all over the driveway. Then we discovered some coolant leaks on the turbos. On top of that there were some other "issues" (fuel smell, some lamps not working). In all, I was very nervous that the car would breakdown or worse. Or worse meaning, explode, catch on fire, blow up, crash, etc. In the past two months, I've had two camps of people talking in my ear. One camp said "you can't run that car at the track without a full mechanic pit crew". They also said, "the car will catch on fire if you're not really careful" and "your engine is going to blow up" - you don't know what you're doing. Then I had the other camp (mostly the laid back guys in the UK) who said things like "just drive it, don't worry about it". "It doesn't need 110 octane" and "it doesn't need special motor oil" and "just fill it up with distilled water and do drive it". These guys (Group C LTD in the UK) have been holding my hand the whole way on the car, putting up with all of my silly questions, etc.

In reality, the day went off with hardly a hitch - the car performed nearly flawlessly. The only issue was a dead / low battery which was really my fault. We had used the starter motor to empty the engine of motor oil (using the pump to empty the sump, since you can't get to the sump without taking off the entire lower carbon fiber pan of the car), and I didn't adequately recharge it. We also had some issues starting it. It had always started up very easily, just like a 911SC, but this time at the track it wouldn't idle unless I was holding the throttle open slightly. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's because we were up at about 2800 ft elevation, and the air/fuel mixture for when it was cold was off. No worries, as soon as the car was warm, it started up again and again like a champ.


continued...

[Wayne 962]

So, with the car warmed up, I sat in it, and drove it around the pit area. I didn't want to take it right out on the track. The car is unusual from a street car for obvious reasons, but there are two that are distinctly more different - the car is a right-hand drive car (with the shifter on the right though), and it's also very wide and low to the ground. I wanted to get familiar with it off the track first, as I didn't want to get on the track and all of a sudden have problems with important things like brakes. !!!

Speaking of brakes and tires, I decided to have the folks at Group C LTD rebuild the calipers with new seals prior to having the car delivered. I also had them put on new tires. Brakes and tires are two things that you don't really want to mess with. Pretty important. I also bought a new driving suit for use with the car - it has six (yes six) fuel pumps that sit within about 1 foot of you on the left, constantly reminding you of the race fuel that is circulating about the cabin. I figured a new Nomex two-layered suit was probably a good investment at that point. I bought some gloves too, but I didn't end up using them that day - I liked the feel of the wheel without the gloves.

So, driving around the pits was awesome. Basically, I had bought the car without driving it, and was hopeful / acting on faith and the reputation of the folks who did the "PPI" (Group C LTD) that the car actually ran drove. After having the problems with the water lines and the oil line leaks, I thought for sure the car would break down in the pits, or on the first lap. That did not happen at all.

So, the first time on the track, I took the car out for the "ducks in a row" session. The corner worker lady needed a lot of convincing that I was not going to pass anyone nor drive over the speed limit (60 mph) for that session. Did I also mention that the car is LOUD inside? I don't mean "that's really cool and a nice loud sound", I mean front row at Pink Floyd concert, since I'm almost 40, I'd need ear plugs, loud. By the end of the day driving the car, I found myself trying to drive to minimize the noise. Next time, it's heavy duty ear plugs. Needless to say, it's impossible to give instructions or talk with anyone when you're in the car, and they are looking at you through the open door.

So, trying to convince the corner worker that I was going out in "ducks in a row" was challenging. Meanwhile, there was something on the track, and the car was sitting, starting to overheat. Race cars don't have fans - they are supposed to be moving to keep cool, and the car was getting close to 100 degrees C, which is 212, which is not good. Finally, we got on the track, and the temps immediately dropped - so low that the needle fell off the gauge (40 deg C). The car ran really cool all day long.

First time out on the track was good. I swear though, as loud as the car was, my heart was pounding even louder. Not for the faint of heart, I really noticed the pumper going full speed. Lots of adrenaline. John Williamson (Otto) had taken me out in the Boxster in the group before in order to show me the lines. I originally didn't really want to go (didn't want to lose my lunch), but that was a very smart move, and I thank him for that. Took some of the "edge" off of heading out on the track with the 962. The 962 on the track handled surprisingly well - it was very light and nimble. Where the Boxster always felt like it was fighting against the centrifugal force, the 962 had (understandably) TONS of grip. It really felt like a slot car going around the track - like there was no possible way it would slip or fall off of the track. I felt like I could have gone twice as fast through the corners with no loss of grip. I kept it easy all day, as I didn't want to experiment with the car on that particular day. While driving the Boxster, the car (while very, very good), felt like it was just a few inches away from losing grip and spinning. No such feeling in the 962 - it was almost like it was on a roller coaster track, and no matter how fast it went, it was going to follow the track - no ifs ands or buts. When I got back into the Boxster, I really felt spoiled (I guess I'm doomed), and didn't really want to drive it too much. Maybe next time, I'll push the Boxster a little harder - when I was at Bob Bondurant, they yelled at us if we weren't pushing the back ends around on the cars - being too "soft". There's good and bad in that, those Vettes they had were awesome, but they also had you-can't-mess-anything-up traction control on them too.

So, back to the 962. The car has a lot of power as you might imagine. Taking off on the straight, you are quickly reminded that you can kill yourself in the car if you're not careful. Coming around the skidpad, you shift down into 1st, and then to 2nd, and then to 3rd. You can probably get going to 150 or so at the end of the straight if you don't let up (and professionals would probably do that), but I have three kids I wanted to see that night, and accelerating from 15 mph to about 110 or so was good enough for me. We had the boost turned down for most of the whole day - I didn't see it get above 1 bar.

There was one time, really late in the day, when I was getting very comfortable in the car - I was coming down the back straight, 1st/2nd/3rd with boost on, and then I clutched and reached for fourth, and reminded myself that 4th was off limits for today - no reason to destroy the car on the last run of the day. Besides, I was right where I had spun the 959 last time I had it out on the track, and I knew that chicane could bite you hard if you come over the hill and get distracted.

Speaking of getting distracted, I did once! Coming off that long straightway, I started thinking about something stupid. I don't remember what, maybe it was my credit card bill, or the annoying gopher in my backyard, but I forgot to brake at the end. I quickly corrected, and the car slowed instantly - the first true test of the brakes all day. No skids, no tire smoke, just rapid slowing down. At that moment, I was like "wow, this thing is actually probably safer than the other cars - the super braking on it just saved my ass from a trip into the dirt". For those of you who don't know, the car has two HUGE calipers on each corner (eight total), each one made out of super-light magnesium. Very cool (although the mag doesn't make for good longevity of the calipers seals supposedly - the calipers have a sticking problem if they are not used often - that was the problem with the car when I had the Group C LTD guys change out the seals).

Speaking of the 959, I was surprised at how much the car felt like the 959 too. I didn't think there would be much comparison, but the two are similar. I guess that's natural, as the two engines are very similar. The 962 is a great car with a lot of grip around the corners. When you get on it, it flies. But, as Jack noted, when you really get on it, and the boost kicks in, an invisible hand descends from the clouds and just shoves the car forward with a tremendous boost. This happens at about 5000 rpm. The 959 does the exact same thing, but with a cushy interior and a stereo. They say that the 959 is/was a 962 made for the street, I can totally see where that comparison comes from. Needless to say, I am re-energized to get the 959 back on the road now (we're working on the suspension right now, more details forthcoming in another thread).

continued...

[Wayne 962]

So, what are the plans for the 962 now? Well, the car is happy back at home in the Pelican garage. The turbo oil lines that I thought we fixed are still leaking. Actually, the lines are fine, but oil is leaking out of somewhere else. Perhaps the turbo seals? Trouble is, the turbos run hot so any oil leaking out of them is instantly burned off. I.E. I can't see exactly where the oil is coming from. We'll get it eventually.

There are some minor things that need to be done to the car:

- Install new brackets for the nose (it was vibrating around a bit)
- Installation of passenger seat (maybe)
- Some interior trim pieces need to be repaired (25 year old race parts). The fuel reserve lamp on the dash doesn't work (might just be a bulb, as it doesn't go on when you turn the ignition on like it should).
- Maybe fit that new wing I bought in Monterrey (details to follow).
- Clean the whole car (it hasn't had a good detail in what looks like 20 years)
- Install updated air jack lifts

etc.

I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures of the DIY stuff and all of the cool stuff so that you guys can enjoy. Again, I'm really happy that the car performed flawlessly on the track. We have a lot of stuff going on at Pelican now (details coming soon, I promise), so for now, the car will be stuck away in the garage until we have some more time to look at it, or another track day (maybe after the holiday season). I didn't really publicize this particular outing because I wasn't organizing it, and I was also very nervous about the car being at the track. I really didn't want a lot of people around watching the car breakdown / crash / catch on fire. Now that I'm more comfortable with it, I'll be sure to let everyone know next time we're taking it out.

I hope you like the write-up!

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Here's a link to the other thread with more photos and a video too:

Streets of Willow Track day with the 962!

My favorite pic from the day:



-Wayne

[rusnak]

I'll ask what everyone is dyin' to know. Is there a cupholder, or some sort of drink dispenser?

[slodave]

Wait -

it was probably the most fun I've ever had in one day in my entire life. Well, I can remember two previous days with ex-girlfriends that might tie the 962 for "most fun", but I'm sure my memory of those days vastly exceeds the actual fun that was had (maybe).

Please tell us this was some sort of menage 'a trois.

[ShakinJoe]

So Wayne....we expect you'll have this at the 48 hours of Sebring in Feb 2011....the largest Porsche club event in the WORLD.......right???

[Ole Petter]

Oh my, Wayne and Jack - thanks a lot for this story! Must have been a ball, particularly as everything went well. A fullfillment of a dream - your own Porsche Race Car WOW

This "thing" still has the Nurburgring official track record. Big respect! Probably it will never be broken. And to drive your own... Stuff of dreams. I have seen in-car videos from the Nurburgring with Derek Bell driving a car like this - crazy stuff!

Very interesting to read the comparisons with the 959 and even Jack's car and the Boxster. As good as they are a race car of course is the real deal. I guess the amount of downforce a car like that generates at very high speed must be plain incomprehensible...!

I look forward to the next thread on this wonderful car!

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by slodave

Wait -



Please tell us this was some sort of menage 'a trois.

That was two days with two separate girlfriends, not one day with two girlfriends!

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by ShakinJoe

So Wayne....we expect you'll have this at the 48 hours of Sebring in Feb 2011....the largest Porsche club event in the WORLD.......right???

Sorry, cannot make that, got other things going on then, details forthcoming...

-Wayne

[dad911]

Looks too wide to fit in the enclosed trailer.

[Grady Clay]

There is a well-written piece (by both Jack and Wayne) and it describes the situation very well, and I wasn’t there.

Wayne has just had his first ‘taste’ of the heroin.

The 962 will start to be in its own when Wayne finds he can drive it with the throttle. Closer to the limit-of-traction, he can sense ‘edge’ with the throttle. Under full power, the throttle can modulate the grip with surprising precision.

Having a ‘warm-up’ with John was exactly the right thing. It should have been a reminder of the value of ‘sideways driving’ when exploring the limit.

I’m afraid I’ve moved into the “let’s do it right (and careful)” camp. I have done more than my share of “Aw, let’s get in and see what she will do” track days when I was much younger (20s-50s) and single.

The 962 is also more ‘complicated’ than an old something. Murphy lives at Willow. Having the car ‘race ready’ by a pro team with lots of time means it was race ready. Every minute that passes, every time it is looked at, every lap on track and every time you fix something - it gets farther away.

I would also be there with my drums of VP112. Old racecars have as much need (if not more) for octane as mid-race in the 24.

I don’t want to sound like a wossy old fart. I’m all for going as fast as possible. I just don’t want to lose a fine old race car (or Wayne).

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

… I like to think of a racecar like a box of Kleenex. You buy a new box and madly rip out the tissue. Eventually the box is empty. You can buy more tissue and refill the box. Eventually the box needs some tape repair but the box won’t last forever without a serious rebuild. …

Then you sell to a museum.

Wayne, I wish you all the best, fun and fast laps.
Wish I were there.

Best,
Grady

[Tom '74 911]

Wayne - I think it's fantastic that you are able to enjoy the fruits of your success by acquiring something like this for yourself. Even more, I appreciate that you are willing to share the experience and the car itself with us here. I think virtually every one of us that reads these pages at some point or another has fantasized what we might do if we won the lotto - and a car like this certainly was part of that dream. Sharing your giddy sense of nervousness, awe and amazement is something we can all relate to and appreciate. And of course the thing we appreciate the most is that you drive them!

Looking forward to reading more in the future,

Tom

[GaryR]

Great story, great car!

Wayne, a nomex suit is great but if your hands are on fire you will find it hard to get out of the car. Wear a balaclava and good nomex gloves at all times, regardless of how you like the feel of the steering wheel!

[tobluforu]

That was a great read, and you are one lucky man.

[5:04]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

The corner worker lady needed a lot of convincing that I was not going to pass anyone nor drive over the speed limit (60 mph) for that session.

The thought of this is hilarious. I can picture the poor corner worker trying to be convinced this machine that looks more like a space ship than a car, makes a Miata's weight sound like a tank, and has enough horsepower to leave atmosphere. is going to stay under 60mph and not dive bomb everyone on track while being deafened by the idle lol.

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by 5:04

The thought of this is hilarious. I can picture the poor corner worker trying to be convinced this machine that looks more like a space ship than a car, makes a Miata's weight sound like a tank, and has enough horsepower to leave atmosphere. is going to stay under 60mph and not dive bomb everyone on track while being deafened by the idle lol.

She was certainly an interesting-looking character. Kindof attractive in a "I live in Mojave and have a cousin who makes Meth in his bathroom" kindof way.

-Wayne

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

She was certainly an interesting-looking character. Kind of attractive in a "I live in Mojave and have a cousin who makes Meth in his bathroom" kind of way.

That was the heat, Wayne. It plays tricks on you.

Great write-up, though. My favorite two pictures of the day were taken by Patrick Brass:





That first picture just looks bad-ass -- and the second will flash you back to what it's like to drive the thing. As confusing as it might look, it's a very sensibly-laid-out cockpit. When I ran out of gas, I hardly had to look down to find the reserve button and start the pump for the extra fuel I needed to keep going.

I think a full support crew would be essential if you were going to run a race series or attend an event where your professional reputation would be connected to everything going perfectly. But for a simple track day, I think you had exactly the right approach. If a component breaks, you're in a position to put the thing back on the trailer and get it back to where you can fix it at your convenience. All of us who have raced know there's nothing more expensive than needing to have your car back up and out on the track right now.

I think the next time out it would make sense to document everything more. Someone on this site probably has the capability of doing a professional-level video about it. And one day your kids are going to really enjoy watching that video.

Like others, I'm really impressed that you were able to make this happen -- that you didn't simply lock the car up in a climate-controlled environment for the rest of its life. It's what the car was built for.

[grudk]

Great write up, guys. Glad to get to 'experience' the 962 with you, albeit if only in my head. I like the aircraft analogy...

Echoing above, do wear the gloves next time. Next to your face/airway, hands are the last thing you want burned.

[JerryL]

Awsome that you can do this, reap the rewards of hard work and enjoy the passion!!!
Great read.

Regards