Apology in advance: I NEED to brag!!!

wastintime · 03:48 PM

Hey everyone,

I am sorry, but I need to brag. I'm sitting here with a big stupid grin on my face! I just got off the track at VIR (full course), I was doing a weekend DE with the Audi Club. My saturday was ok, I had a two good sessions two mediocre ones. My best time in the RSA was a 2:25:30, but there was a lot of traffic and it was kind of hard to get a clean lap.
Today was not going so great, I'm not sure why. I think it was because they combined the two instructor groups and there were two many cars and a huge speed differential.
Anyway, A lot of people left after the 3rd sessions, and Randy Pobst was at the track 1, because he used to race for Audi so he goes to some of their events, and 2 because a really cool guy, Jim, with a Carrera GT hired him as his coach for the weekend. Jim's a pretty good driver, and he's an instructor.
Anyway, Randy and I were standing around pit row because they'd called and said they needed instructors, and then it turned out they didn't need us, so Randy goes "hey which car where you driving again" and I go "the RS America" and he goes " Oh yeah! the red one! you wanna go out in it with me right now?"

I was speechless, but I ran got my car brought it up, and then he and I went out in it. He drove first, and we just had a blast. We made sure all of the students got out and we had a clear track and then we just went at it. I was so pissed the my camera just died, and I have no in car video, but there were some pro photographers that said they got some great pics, and my wife was taking some too. Anyway, it was a blast, we're talking to each other, slipping the car, rotating it like crazy, it was the first time I drove the living piss out of that car like it was meant to be driven. Partly because it's my baby and I usually never go above 6k on the track, especially in low gears. I'm usually a little conservative, but Randy drove it to it's limits, and then my fangs were out and I did the same. He had me accelerating so deep into turns, trail braking a 911, decelerating through turns, all kinds of stuff. He said he loved the car, loved the brakes, loved the feedback from no power steering, his only complaint was mine, that I need a bigger sway bar in the rear.

So, Randy and I are just playing around and having a blast... lol, and we're talking and laughing going 150mph up the back straight, it was just amazing, and he was such a nice and cool guy.

Then, we're scaring students so we decide to come in. Then they announce a combined instructor run as the last run of the day. Out of luck, the VIR personnel at the pit exit line the carrera GT and myself up first because we're fast, and most of the other cars were 944s or miatas. So Jim is driving with Randy coaching, and we go out. My fangs are out and I'm driving my car for all it's worth. The CGT gives me a pass signal on the warm up lap, and I think Randy wanted Jim to see how I go up the climbing esses, then after about 2 laps he gets close enough on a straight that i let him pass, but every time around I catch him at the climbing esses, and then he flies away from me on the back straight. We're just weaving through cars, passing everyone, and then finally I'm so close to him before the back straight that he gives me another pass signal. LOl, at which point I run out of gas. The warning light came on, and it sputtered a little coming down the roller coaster, so I pitted in. When Jim and Randy came in though, we were talking about it. At lunch Randy took the car out and did a 2:01:xx in it, and he said before I passed them they were doing 2:13:xxs so obviously, the CGT had a lot more to offer, but I was driving my butt off. It was the most fun I've had on a racetrack in a long time. Then to top everything off. I'd told Randy that I literally just got my race licenses for SCCA, HSR, etc... because a friend wanted me to co-drive his miata and Radical, and when we pulled in he shook my hand and said "I look forward to seeing you on a racetrack with me in the future, that was a lot of fun" He could have just been being nice, but that truly made my day, weekend, month, etc...

Anyway, I sincerely apologize for the length, but man I am just still ecstatic, and going crazy over how fun that was. I will try to post some video of the two fast sessions I got on cam, and some pics of Randy and I driving the RSA when I get back to Charleston.

thanks for listening to me brag like a jerk/kid guys.

earlyapex · 11-20-2005, 04:18 PM

Congratulations! Days like that help keep the fire burning.

jwerion · 11-20-2005, 04:49 PM

That is awesome, what a great experience. I will look forward to the video and photo's

Jeff Alton · 11-20-2005, 05:06 PM

Sounds like a good day, thanks for sharing!

Cheers

trekkor · 11-20-2005, 05:55 PM

Reading that made me happy... thanks.

KT

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Great story - thanks for sharing!

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

awww man that is AWESOME! Driving instruction and free rides from Randy Pobst... I'm green with envy!

mmastro · 11-22-2005, 10:25 AM

Truly awesome!! THanks for bragging!! Can't wait for the vids and pics!

Henry Schmidt · Henry Schmidt's Garage

Great weekend, keep it up!!

wastintime · 11-22-2005, 01:29 PM

Hey guys, thanks for the replies, yeah it was awesome. I'm still pumped up about it.

I just posted a video on Trackdaymedia, so it should be up in 24 hours. Sadly, like I said, I have no in-car video of Randy and I going around the track, so these are my "slow laps" in traffic the day before. I'm probably 7 seconds a lap off pace. It was really hard to tell. There was a lot of traffic and I wasn't pushing that hard. Still, lol, passing a 996TT is always fun. The yellow RX-7 was a great car to follow. He was doing 2:05s when he got a clear track.

I'm supposed to get a CD of pictures in a few weeks, so when I get those I'll post some of the two of us in the car together.

Doug E · 11-22-2005, 06:12 PM

Very cool indeed ... sounds like a great event

Par911 · 11-23-2005, 05:47 AM

Man, great story! It's always nice to hear some of the big timers are down to earth too.

Jim Richards · 11-23-2005, 05:50 AM

Fantastic! I'd be bragging too if it was me in your place.

forklift · 11-23-2005, 08:00 AM

Hey Andrew,

Cool story, glad you had a great time. I am curious about your times though. Are you saying you dropped from a 2:25 to a 2:13 in one day? It took me about a year to drop from 2:22 to high 2:15s on Toyos in my RSA. With a 2:13 you would have qualified first in D at the PCA race last year. http://www.pca.org/pca/clubrace/2004_results/vir/VIR-Qual1.htm

Just curious.

Thanks,

Jim

wastintime · 09:45 AM

Jim,
No, I didn't mean it to sound like that... I didn't drop from a 2:25 to a 2:13 in one day. I was just saying that was the only time we got on me. If you check out the video you'll see. There was a lot of traffic. Literally all of Saturday I never got one single perfectly clean lap, there was always someone in front of me, and there were a few cars turning dangerously slow laps, like 2:50s. Plus there were some really fast cars you'd have to slow down to let by, like the CGT, and two Radicals. The guy driving the yellow RX-7 in the vid was really fast, he was doing 2:05s, and I was trying to follow him for a while, we were talking at some point trying to figure out what times we would turn on clean laps, and he said he thought I would have been doing like 2:17s with a clean lap, so I probably dropped no more than 5 seconds, which really doesn't surprise me too much since, I knew I wasn't pushing that hard until Randy shamed me into it, and then I was determined to pass the CGT. But, basically, those were the only clean laps I have times on, so I have no idea how much time I dropped.
Lol, That's nice to know I would have qualified well. Those times seemed odd too though. The first place qualifier was like 7 seconds faster than the 2nd place in the same class. Who knows. Plus, what time of year was that? I know at Roebling, track temps can be worth a couple of seconds depending on tires, the temp, etc...

wastintime · 11-23-2005, 09:56 AM

Lol, actually what should really be bothering us is that a Carrera GT would have placed 1st overall... on street tires!

Dantilla · 11-24-2005, 12:57 PM

Brag anytime! Randy Pobst's column is trhe best thing every month in SportsCar magazine. Thanks for sharing.

Zeke · 11-24-2005, 11:31 PM

Outstanding. Life is good.

4to8m8 · 4to8m8's Garage

Fun for me to read since VIR is my home track. I can't wait till spring!!!!

David · David's Garage

Great story, thanks.