[Jeff Higgins]

Sigh... a good buddy of mine and I took part in our local PCA chapter's track day yesterday at Pacific Raceways. We have both been doing this for many, many years at this point, and we both feel we have rather capable early cars (his is a '71 with coil over suspension on all four corners, Turbo brakes, a Chris Powel (former Bayside Racing engine builder) built 2.8 long stroke running a Varioram intake, etc.). We have both noticed, however, that it has gotten very much more difficult to keep up with the modern cars that make up the majority of the entrants in these events. We are spending far too much time with our arms out the window, pointing by faster cars, and very rarely getting a point by from anyone. Maybe the time has come...

We really had no trouble hanging with the 996 and 997 series cars. Then the 991's came along and it got noticeably more difficult, if not impossible. The 991.2's have well and truly buried it for us. That, and even in the "B" group in which we run, fully half the field are GT3's, with the other half a mix of turbos and just a few "standard" 991's. These are seriously fast cars. Perhaps more importantly, they have some very sophisticated "nannies" that are making even very average drivers look like Patrick Long. There is just no keeping up anymore. We are, essentially, just in the way.

Guys who were doing this in those years tell me this is much like what happened at the end of the 356's run as track day cars. As 911's got faster and faster, the poor little 356's became just moving chicanes for the 911 drivers. Kind of an annoyance, really. Well, I feel that we are now there. At least as far as running with the PCA. There are some local clubs that continue to attract more of a mix of cars, and a lot more in the way of older cars. They just don't run nearly as often, so it makes it kind of hard to remain "current".

I guess I'm not sure where to go from here. I still love doing track days. I'm not sure I would have as much fun in a new car, much less one with all of the "nannies". I can very much see, at this point, being more or less pushed out of our local PAC days. That makes me very sad...