First DE

[fast924S]

Hey guys, Yesterday was my First DE ever. It was held at Lime Rock in the rain. It was the most amazing thing I have ever done. Ive never had so much fun and pushed my car so hard even in the rain. Its very well run, The instructors are Great and the other Porsche heads are great too. ALOT of crazy cars out there. Saw maybe 3-5 944/951 a Bunch of 911 and some 914. It was A great Day and I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to find out what these little cars can REALLY do. Cant wait for the next DE and a good dry day. I get to excited thinking about it soo im done LOL.

[JHinOH]

Hey, good to hear. Any pics? I fell into the habit about 2 years ago and have really enjoyed driving the 924S on the track. Great car to learn with isn't it?

[fast924S]

No, No pics. Didnt want to have to worry about a camera in the Rain and all. But man was it fun. My 924S did very well. All my mods worked great and everything stayed together witch is good. It was raining so I couldnt go to fast but was in 4th gear on the front and back straights and 3rd at about 5-6K rpm in the turns, Car sounds amazing up in the R's like that. Its a very well balanced car and great to learn with so far. I cant believe how hard and fast you can take a corner in this car and not have a single issue. Handling is Great.

[callmethewander]

Man, Congrats! I have been wanting to do that for so long. Can you walk us through the whole process before the DE, like inspection,, registration etc., especially the costs involved (which is my biggest stumbling block). I'm pca member already just never done more than autocross.

[Dantilla]

Be Careful!

Be VERY careful!

Slippery slope ahead-

I attended a DE a few years ago, and look what happened to my 944:


Full cage, all new suspension, SCCA safety gear, stacks of Hoosier race tires, and a competition license, and......

[fast924S]

Its alot easier to do then I thought. Registration for a event is easy got to www.clubregistration.org
and find a even. Registration fills fast so be ready to signup as soon as registration opens. If I remember correctly its was $175 to do the DE event. Which really isnt that bad if you think about what they are letting you do.

Inspection is easy. Make sure all lights work, Wipers work, Seatbelt work, Seats are bolted in. No cracked windows. No major fluid leaks. At least 6/32 of tread on tires. All bushings and ball joints must be ok( No play) and exhaust cant be too loud. Also You need to have atleast %50 pad life left and have a fresh bleed done. Your PCA web site out your Regions web site should have a list of Places or People that can inspect your car. Try and get it done at least 2 to 3 weeks before The event, this way you have time to fix stuff. The guy I used (Matt Brady) was very nice and loaded with info, He didnt charge me for the inspection. I hear some shops charge a $25 fee or so. Also you need a Helmet or you can rent one at the track. Im using a full face motor cycle helmet, Works great and is Snell Certified.

Once you get to the event Find out where you need to Sign in. SIng your name on some wavers ect. go back to your car and EMPTY OUT EVERYTHING. You cannot have anyting loose in the car, If its not bolted down take it out. Then off to the pits to get your last a final inspection, They will check your lug nut torque 96ftlbs, Pop your hood, they check to make sure every cap is tight and that your throttle doesnt stick at all. Then you roll back to your parking area and go to a drivers meeting that covers alot of basic stuff like flags ect.. After that a 1hr class to teach you hand signs and stuff and answere any questions you have. Then meet your instrustor and our off.

Def get a storage box aka (track box) To put tools, tarp, clothing, Fluids ect.. in incase you need them.

It really help if you go with someone who has done it before, I went with a friend of mine thats done it 4 or 5 times now, Big help.


Again if you think you love your 944/924 on the street WAIT till you see how amazing it is on the track. My 924S has STOCK suspension and it was insane how well it holds the line. Your gonna lear alot and have a blast doing it. Let me know if you have any more questions and I'LL see if I can answere them

[fast924S]

Dantilla, I think Im on my way LOL. Just gotta get some more track time on the stock setup, Once I start out driving that, its time to start attacking suspension. Your car looks amazing

[Techno Duck]

Originally Posted by callmethewander

Man, Congrats! I have been wanting to do that for so long. Can you walk us through the whole process before the DE, like inspection,, registration etc., especially the costs involved (which is my biggest stumbling block). I'm pca member already just never done more than autocross.

Steve its real easy to sign up. First off it will differ depending on the region you run with, but for MetroNY first timers just need to mail in a form to the track registrar. This just has your basic contact info and also includes stuff like emergency contacts, your doctor and type of car. After you are entered into the 'system' you simply log on and can register for whatever track days are scheduled. Payment can be done via PayPal or just mailing in a check.

Inspection is held differently for each region. I know MetroNY you simply bring your car to an approved tech site (there are about 10 shops scattered across the LI, Westchester area) within 3-4 weeks of the event and they go over the car. There is a tech form which says what they go over. In NNJ, i know they have specific tech sites and dates where you show up on the respective day you have your car gone over.

The day of, try to show up around 6:30am so you give yourself time to unwind, clear out the car, put numbers on the car and in general just get yourself setup. Most places have check in start around 6:30am (they tell you who your instructor is here) or so and on track tech around 6:45am or 7am. They will just do a quick once over on the car, mainly checking lug nuts, throttle return, wheel bearing shake and make sure the car is cleaned out of all loose items.

7:45am is usually drivers meeting required for all participants where they will just go over what each flag means and give you an idea of track conditions. After that the first run group usually starts around 8:30. There will be a schedule handed out telling you when your group is running and when your class room session is. Most of the lower run groups will have a short (usually 45 minute) class session with a race coach or instructor just giving you info on weight transfer, concept of 'the line' and hitting the apex...etc. Just real basic stuff.

Its really very easy and not high stress at all. Definitely a great experience the first time you are out and probably the start of a very slippery slope. DE's arent too bad cost wise considering you will get about 80+ minutes of seat time roughly compared to maybe 10 minutes (if your lucky) at an auto-x.

Just one thing to be aware of is gas. Gas is usually available on site but its ungodly expensive, best to leave the site during your lunch break if need be and take a ride out to the nearest gas station. Food is available at Lime Rock on site but places like Pocono there is nothing around really but some great BBQ places not too far away.

[Dantilla]

I started racing with the street suspension. I just did the minimum to pass tech, and hit the track. No need to spend money, then decide racing wasn't for me.

Just stripped the interior, put in the cage/seat/harness/window net/fire extinguisher/kill switch and put the numbers on.

After a season or two, it was time to join the other 944s, and put a proper suspension under the car, along with the oil pan upgrades, new intake and exhaust.

The car was originally the gold color (Kalahari Beige) that looked pretty bland for a race car, so I had Maaco spray half the car blue to spice it up a bit.

[DMRK]

Congrats, sounds like you had a great time!
I hope to hit that slippery slope this year my self

[924RACR]

It's about time, man!!! Join the rest of us out there!

My wife's taking my car to (race) driver's school this spring - only a few weeks to go!!!

I have a few more stickers than Dantilla...

[Rasta Monsta]

Have fun. . .DE'd my S for the first time a couple weeks ago, and on a wet track as well. It was awesome! It might give my 931 a run for its money if it had another 50 or so HP!

[Skytrooper]

I wound up doing 6 days of DE last year with my 924S. I have been bitten with the bug and am just waiting for the weather to clear to get back "on-track". This year the 944 gets to take over the track duties.

[JHinOH]

I am going to try and talk the wife into a DE this year myself. The 924S is getting all the seat time lately because it's so much fun to drive at the track.

[callmethewander]

oh man, I'm getting all itchy and twitchy, I know I would love it. Hopefully I'll get there soon. So a cracked windshield is a definite no-go huh?

[jsb944]

Was back on the track last weekend for the first DE of the season....started a year ago...last weekend was my 4th event.

Best high I've ever had !!!!!!!!!!!!

Just one thing to be aware of is gas. Gas is usually available on site but its ungodly expensive, best to leave the site during your lunch break if need be and take a ride out to the nearest gas station. Food is available at Lime Rock on site but places like Pocono there is nothing around really but some great BBQ places not too far away.

Two things I've got to say about this....first...we should all be really happy we have 944's !

I burn about 10 gals per track day....and that's hammering the piss out of my car....my friend in his 997 does about 2 x that. I generally fill up in the early AM and I am good until the next morning....lots of 6cyl guys are bringing extra fuel to the track or going out during lunch to fuel up....and by the way...the gas stations near the track rip you off too. The Exxon just outside Pocono is 50% more than the wawa on the other side of Rt 80.
'
Also...Pocono does have a cafeteria. It's not gourmet food by any strech of the inagination...but it's serviceable. It's where I've generally eaten when at Pocono...burgers, chicken sandwiches, sometimes sausage & peppers, etc.

Also...I ate at Woody's Country Inn down the street from the track last weekend...it was very good.

[Dantilla]

I used to attend DEs with my old 951.

30 mpg on the way to the track, less than 10 while on track.

Limp to the closest gas station at the end of the day so I could get 30 mpg on the way home.


The nice thing about an ITS/Spec 944 is that they are so reliable. Set the car up, and just drive. A friend coulldn't understand why I don't race my 911. Since it's had an engine swap, I would have to run with the big boys, with the big budgets. No thanks. I got my 944 to pass tech and get an SCCA logbook for less money than what I have into the 911's transmission.

[kdjones2000]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

Be Careful!

Be VERY careful!

Slippery slope ahead-

Full cage, all new suspension, SCCA safety gear, stacks of Hoosier race tires, and a competition license, and......

..... and an empty wallet

I have now done 4 DE's with my 951, and there are a few surprises ahead on this path. The most notable is how fast things wear when you are pushing it.

My original OEM front pads lasted (as far as I know, I got the car at 60k miles 13 years ago) for 120k miles. They were finally ready to be replaced after 20 years. At the same time I changed over to Turbo S brakes (More area) and put some OEM Textars on it.. I just looked at the pads after DE #4, and damned if those things aren't about DONE.

Same things with the front wheel bearings. Was noticing things up front were not as they should be after #4, and found that both fronts had loosened up a bit. Never had to adjust them before, but I guess using Toyo Proxes and pushing hard just starts to make things wear a lot faster.

Even so, DE's are "The most fun you can have in your car with your clothes on", as the AZ PCA region likes to say Have fun with it!

[Techno Duck]

Ah yea, i usually get about 11-13mpg while on track. 25+ on the way home.

My first event this year is the 18th at the new track in NJ. Cant wait!

[petrolhead611]

Strongly recommend replacing those four 20 odd year old rubber flexible brake hoses with Aeroquip before taking to the track. Those old things could bubble up & burst under heavy braking.