So, four years ago, to the date, I and a couple friends headed off to South Haven, Michigan with no idea what we were about to get into. That was my first HPDE, WMHM09. Here I go, four years later, driving up on the same tires that I tracked on for the first time. Normally, due to work scheduling conflicts, I leave early in the evening. That wasn’t the case for this year. I headed out around 2pm, yes, I’m getting there early.
I cruise, normally around 70 mph which yields 38 mpg in the hatch!! If there is one positive to having a LS transmission in the car, that is it. I got up there by 6pm and took my time setting up camp and getting my car ready. I needed to get it done by nightfall because I wanted to see how the new color way on the rear wheels looked on the car. Haha. Just as I got everything done and set up, boom, rain! Not just rain, but massive winds. It was pretty gnarly, something hit the top of the awning that made a few of us jump. Two or three red dots on the radar came through. After that, I made my rounds before heading to bed.
I got decent sleep which was the plan because instructing plus driving is pretty taxing. This year, I was dealt a different hand. Chris had asked me if I wanted to help Luke be Lead Instructor. Sure, why not, I like to talk anyway. I came into the weekend with a bit of a head cold, another reason for good rest.
Drivers’ meeting, instructors’ meeting, and a beginners’ meeting to start the day. That means Luke and I were in that “barn” for about an hour and a half. Then, we had to make sure that all the Intermediate students had instructors for their first session. With all of that going on, I missed my first driving session.
The rest of the day consisted of talking, walking, checking up on the run groups at grid, helping grid, getting the car ready, and driving the car. Add more stuff in there, but that is the short version. The bad part of that is that all of the conversations that you have are short lived. I somewhat in a way feel like the bad guy because I’m probably acting rushed. But, I try my best to allocate my time wisely with everyone.
As far as driving, it was basically my first real dry session of the year in my car. Different brakes and used tires that I didn’t know much about besides “don’t rain”. They were RA1s, so I knew that they are “good until the chords”. But, that still doesn’t mean a lot depending on heat cycles, storage, etc. I went out on them to try to work some heat in them. My first impression was straight line, threshold braking was nice. Transitions were a bit shaky, so I just wanted to work heat in them. Well, at that point, I got stuck in like a 7 car train. So, I just came in. I wanted to work on a few things that day, but missing the first session and that one being a “throw away”. I had to get focused on tasks ahead while on track. I worked on some off line stuff and some left foot braking. It got me out of the DE “rut” and actually was a lot of fun. Off line braking into T11 is nice, plenty of grip.
After the track activities were over, Grant, Jason, Shelbi, and I went to help with the dinner. We cooked wieners and beans, plus helped get stuff set up. We also got to eat first, so that was a positive. Haha. That line is not fun to wait in when you are hungry. After the dinner, it is time for the raffle. The raffle is fun because it gets loud and a lot of silly stuff is said. Bad part is, it gets stuffy in the “barn” and Tracy Chicago
I woke up around 6am to shower and head to the gas station. I got some sinus relief type medicine and something for my headache. I barely made it back for the drivers’ meeting because Roger was talking about selling his R at the gas station. I wish I had a picture of Roger because he is what most of us strive for. Older gentleman, rocking a Type R that he bought off the showroom that has 32,000 original miles on it. 18,000 of those are track miles. Haha. That rocks, but he is getting rid of it because his wife wants him to get a GT3. “Oh man, I really have to…” He seems bummed, but I see that as a positive.
Sunday was probably busier than Saturday because Luke left with his family a bit early. So, any issues, I had to take care of. Gingerman was low on staff or something because Adam was working grid. He wanted to take his car out, so I took over for him. Then, Josh came back, so I went and got my car ready. I worked on a couple different shock adjustments and more off line stuff. Given my gear ratios, I only upshift once and only one down. So, I stayed with the left foot the rest of the weekend. My left foot isn’t quite as sensitive as my right. That thrown in with “better” brakes means that I am threshold braking right at the crest of the hill into T1. One time, I came into the corner, I felt the rear end get light, so I released some brake pressure. The rear stayed out, so I released some more. At that point, the rear stayed out and I was passed the Armco. I said the heck with it and released all pressure and monster trucked through the grass. Grant seen that from the front straight and said that it looked awesome. Haha. I might have got my right side tires on the curb, but I doubt it because I think the cone was still standing. Another time, it was gone immediately. When I say gone, I mean Formula D reverse entry into T1. When I was working grid, John, the one working control told me that was a heck of a save because he thought I was going into the wall. Well, once it was around, I was still “steering into” the spin. That slowed the spin, so I just hammered it and went through the grass into pit out. As I was going Bigfoot through the grass, I threw the “Slayers” up for the people watching in the stands. Once I got the idea of what was going on in T1, I brought the brake zone back a tad and released a bit earlier. So, no issues the rest of the day there in T1. My last session of the day which only ended up being a few laps was in Saurabh’s TTE Miata. Man, that thing was a frickin’ blast!! The steering was a bit heavier than I expected, but having a bit of torque was nice. Plus, you tell it to go “there” and it went “there”.
From helping on grid and driving, I got to tearing camp down late. So, my departure was a lot later than I had wanted. Oh well, I ate with a few others at Arby’s before heading home. The drive home was pretty mellow, but once the sun went down, I was struggling. I normally stop at this BP right outside of Grissom Air Force base. I made it there and grabbed a Red Bull. I literally laid down on the sidewalk and browsed the internet for a bit. I couldn’t drink all of the Red Bull, so I gathered as much energy out of that can that I could. That stop helped A TON because the rest of the drive didn’t feel too bad. I got home around midnight. The girls were out of town and I had to be up by 7am. So, here we are now. Thirteen days later and I have worked twelve of them. Honda Meets are always a blast, but I wish that they were longer!! We have ITR and NSX Expos coming up, so I will get to see a lot more of my out of town track buddies!
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