Drivers school
- Thread starter dpc
- Start date
To lighten up this forum a little bit, I have to pass along a hilarious story from Friday's school.
I was one of the on-track instructors for Group Three. The day was going along pretty well, there were very few serious incidents and I got to meet some fantastic new folks. Plus, my buddy in his new Spec Miata got signed off for the Saturday Regional (although I tried bribing his instructor to *not* sign him off so I could drive his car on Saturday, but oh well...)
Anyway, after lunch we went out to practice starts. These are always my favorites, I love starts. Even better, the instructors were now expected to begin pushing the students a bit in order to see how they'd react to pressure. "Fish in a barrel" comes to mind...
So the procedures as described beforehand were that we'd go out and form up two-by-two and follow the pace car around the track. The pace car would pull off into the pits, we'd get a start, and we'd race until Station 5 (the right hander leading onto No Name). At that point we'd be given a double-yellow full-course caution, we'd form up two-by-two again, and then we'd do another start. We were told to expect at least three starts.
Paul Curran, Dave Canavan, and I gridded up at the very back of the group. We discussed it beforehand; we'd seen the prior two groups get a green on the first one, a wave-off on the second one, then a green on the third one. So, we plotted and decided that we'd go for it on the first one, intentionally jump the start on the second start to see who would bite, and then play it by ear on the third one.
And so it began. The group formed up nicely for the first stat with a NASCAR truck on the pole, a GT-1 Camaro beside him, and the entire 25-or-so car field behind them with the three of us in arears. As we came down the hill I almost cried in pride at how nicely lined up all the students were and I waved "thank you" at them as I swept by at the green flag through all those wide open holes they left for me. By the time we hit the double-yellows at Station 5 I was halfway through the group.
We formed up nicely going down No Name and the back straight, with the two biggie cars still up front. You could tell everyone was nervous as we came under the bridge, and as we streamed through the downhill I saw daylight: revving up through second and third gear I was sweeping along the right side, making up three more rows before the starter started shaking her head in a vigorous "NO!" I felt guilty, momentarily, as I slotted into the third row inside...
For the third time we formed up and rolled through West Bend, the downhill, then onto the straight, we got the green flag, and away we went! I found myself among the fast cars now, so it was all I and my little four-cylinder car could do to keep up with them as we swept through Big Bend and the left hander, then we screamed into Station 5 and everyone's hands went up, they slowed down, and began to form up in reaction to a yellow flag at Station 5.
But it was a single yellow, not a double yellow!!
I watched as everyone in front of me formed up two-by-two, blocking the track, with the truck and Camaro up front about as wide as a Mack truck each. I looked up ahead at the Uphill and there were no flags at all! I was in second gear, revving and trying to poke my nose around these other cars, and they were still there forming up like good little boys and girls! Suddenly, as we approached the Uphill, I saw my opening: The truck and Camaro were moving towards the inside of the track to make the turn, so I revved it up, moved to the outside of the track, and passed two rows of them all while on the outside of the Uphill with all four wheels in the marbles! I *wish* I had thought to look up at the corner workers' faces!
I could NOT believe my luck! I rechecked the flag station at West Bend: no flags. I was now halfway down the back straight; I looked in my mirror and they were still formed up two-by-two! I screamed through West Bend, checked the bridge station for a black or yellow flag (SURELY there's something wrong here!) and then re-checked with the station at the downhill. Nothing! I waved at the motionless Starter as I went by, and looked in my mirror to see a glorious two-by-two procession of cars still creeping down the Downhill turn!
Well, obviously my luck couldn't last forever. A frined standing in hot pits told me it was hilarious to see the little red car go screaming by solo, then the procession came by the starter and noticed, well, nothing (no flag, no head shake, no wave), the lightbulbs started popping on one-by-one and they got the hint and went racing!
Both big-bore cars caught up to me pretty wuickly, and soon thereafter Serge Lentz came up to give me a lesson in his new Spec Miata (oh, the humanity...). But it didn't matter: I had my chuckle of the day.
At the post-session debriefing I asked the big-bore guys why they thought "that little red car" passed them on the outside going up the Uphill turn, and they all got a laugh out of it. Lesson learned: see what's there, not what you expect to see.
All for fun, eh?
Greg
I was one of the on-track instructors for Group Three. The day was going along pretty well, there were very few serious incidents and I got to meet some fantastic new folks. Plus, my buddy in his new Spec Miata got signed off for the Saturday Regional (although I tried bribing his instructor to *not* sign him off so I could drive his car on Saturday, but oh well...)
Anyway, after lunch we went out to practice starts. These are always my favorites, I love starts. Even better, the instructors were now expected to begin pushing the students a bit in order to see how they'd react to pressure. "Fish in a barrel" comes to mind...
So the procedures as described beforehand were that we'd go out and form up two-by-two and follow the pace car around the track. The pace car would pull off into the pits, we'd get a start, and we'd race until Station 5 (the right hander leading onto No Name). At that point we'd be given a double-yellow full-course caution, we'd form up two-by-two again, and then we'd do another start. We were told to expect at least three starts.
Paul Curran, Dave Canavan, and I gridded up at the very back of the group. We discussed it beforehand; we'd seen the prior two groups get a green on the first one, a wave-off on the second one, then a green on the third one. So, we plotted and decided that we'd go for it on the first one, intentionally jump the start on the second start to see who would bite, and then play it by ear on the third one.
And so it began. The group formed up nicely for the first stat with a NASCAR truck on the pole, a GT-1 Camaro beside him, and the entire 25-or-so car field behind them with the three of us in arears. As we came down the hill I almost cried in pride at how nicely lined up all the students were and I waved "thank you" at them as I swept by at the green flag through all those wide open holes they left for me. By the time we hit the double-yellows at Station 5 I was halfway through the group.
We formed up nicely going down No Name and the back straight, with the two biggie cars still up front. You could tell everyone was nervous as we came under the bridge, and as we streamed through the downhill I saw daylight: revving up through second and third gear I was sweeping along the right side, making up three more rows before the starter started shaking her head in a vigorous "NO!" I felt guilty, momentarily, as I slotted into the third row inside...
For the third time we formed up and rolled through West Bend, the downhill, then onto the straight, we got the green flag, and away we went! I found myself among the fast cars now, so it was all I and my little four-cylinder car could do to keep up with them as we swept through Big Bend and the left hander, then we screamed into Station 5 and everyone's hands went up, they slowed down, and began to form up in reaction to a yellow flag at Station 5.
But it was a single yellow, not a double yellow!!
I watched as everyone in front of me formed up two-by-two, blocking the track, with the truck and Camaro up front about as wide as a Mack truck each. I looked up ahead at the Uphill and there were no flags at all! I was in second gear, revving and trying to poke my nose around these other cars, and they were still there forming up like good little boys and girls! Suddenly, as we approached the Uphill, I saw my opening: The truck and Camaro were moving towards the inside of the track to make the turn, so I revved it up, moved to the outside of the track, and passed two rows of them all while on the outside of the Uphill with all four wheels in the marbles! I *wish* I had thought to look up at the corner workers' faces!
I could NOT believe my luck! I rechecked the flag station at West Bend: no flags. I was now halfway down the back straight; I looked in my mirror and they were still formed up two-by-two! I screamed through West Bend, checked the bridge station for a black or yellow flag (SURELY there's something wrong here!) and then re-checked with the station at the downhill. Nothing! I waved at the motionless Starter as I went by, and looked in my mirror to see a glorious two-by-two procession of cars still creeping down the Downhill turn!
Well, obviously my luck couldn't last forever. A frined standing in hot pits told me it was hilarious to see the little red car go screaming by solo, then the procession came by the starter and noticed, well, nothing (no flag, no head shake, no wave), the lightbulbs started popping on one-by-one and they got the hint and went racing!
Both big-bore cars caught up to me pretty wuickly, and soon thereafter Serge Lentz came up to give me a lesson in his new Spec Miata (oh, the humanity...). But it didn't matter: I had my chuckle of the day.
At the post-session debriefing I asked the big-bore guys why they thought "that little red car" passed them on the outside going up the Uphill turn, and they all got a laugh out of it. Lesson learned: see what's there, not what you expect to see.
All for fun, eh?
Greg