My first driver's school

steve b

steve b

New member
I bought an ITA car last fall and I'll be taking my first driver's school at Summit Point in 2 weeks. I was wondering if anyone else here will be at the school and also wondering if anyone can offer any advice.
 
Myself and Ron Earp will be there crewing for Jeff Roussell in an ITS car (silver 260z). Find us, paddock near us and we will be more than happy to help out.

Advice:

1. Drive just fast enough not to get noticed, and just slow enough not to get noticed.

2. Have car prepped totally for reliability.

3. Shift 1k below redline.

4. Have crew, or someone to help you (and you do, us).

5. Try to relax.

6. Start hydrating early in the a.m.

7. Sleep lots.

8. Don't plan on doing much the Monday after school.
 
lol... that's about what most people have been telling me...."go slow, but not too slow".

I think I can handle all of your list except getting sleep. There is NO WAY I'll get any sleep Friday night.
 
The only things that I would add to Jeff's list is to be sure to bring a set of rain tires (of 18 sessions in my school at Savannah, IIRC more than 12 were in the rain) and bring some spare dry tires. It would really suck to have to the tires you got with the car last year start throwing their tread or cording. (been there, done that!)

Scott "Righty" Franklin
www.NutDriver.org

IT7 and a flaming SPU Baby Grand
 
What kind of car did you get? What tires will you have with you?

What Motosports or HPDE have you done before?
 
I bought an ITA car last fall and I'll be taking my first driver's school at Summit Point in 2 weeks. I was wondering if anyone else here will be at the school and also wondering if anyone can offer any advice.
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Make sure you have crew. I do not know how people do a school without crew. Do not plan on touching the car at all. You job is to get up in the morning, get some food, go to class, get in car, go to class, get in car, rinse and repeat. You will not have time to even set tire pressures.

Drink lots of water and make sure you go to the bathroom BEFORE you get in the car in case you get into a "fascinating" experience.

Don't plan on drinking too much Friday or Saturday night. You will be well wiped Saturday and Sunday night. Take 2 Tylenol or Advil or whatever Saturday and Sunday night. You are going to use muscles you are not used to using.

Have fun. I always wanted to take a year off of racing so I could go back to school. You get lots of track time for a reasonable price.

Good luck.
 
The car is an 85 MR2 with a set of Hoosiers that still have about half the rubber (no idea about heat cycles). I have a new set of hoosiers and a set of hoosier dirts for rain (about 2 years old).

I have about 30 track days (all but 2 at the summit point tracks). I ran a street 93 MR2 for those. I have one track day in the ITA car but it was on the Shenandoah circuit.
 
Make sure you have crew, water, and some food if you dont want to eat at summit. I had zero time till lunch to even think about the car, much less when something didnt feel right mid day through the first day.

Don't worry about sleep, once your done with the classroom Friday night you will get to sleep pretty easilly. Plan on being asleep shortly after dinner on Saturday (I was out cold by 9pm at both of my schools.)
 
Having just done my schools last year, I will echo what everyone else has said: Crew is essential. One thing that is easy to forget is to refuel the car. You will be doing a lot of laps, and it's awfully embarrasing to run out of fuel during a session. :P
 
Having just finished my first school in Feb. and my first race this past weekend, I can tell you this: Be aware of your surroundings. Safety should be your top priority, but looking should be close to it. Watch other cars around you, watch stuff happening way out in front of you, but most of all don't miss flags. I spent my first sessions learning flag stations and it rewarded me throughout the weekend. Once you have grips on whats going on around you, you can start working on going fast.
 
If you have a "To Do" list for "school day" don't plan on having the time to do it... Find someone else to do it or get it done in advance... even if it is as simple as figureing out how to get your darn spoiler on, fueling the car or other last minute stuff like taping the lights... Everything should be ready to go so you can just simply concentrate on driving.

you have a somewhat reliable car to start with so that is a +

Good Luck :023:

Raymond "remember this is fun... Keep it that way :) - stress is the #1 reason things stop being fun" Blethen

Edit: As metnioned above, Flags... that is probably one of the key things looked at by the stewards and instructors.
 
In addition to what's been said thus far, I'll add another one - Pre school preperation for your racecar and yourself.

- If you haven't already, flush your brakes with new fluid.
- Might as well change the oil and check all other fluids (tranny, water for radiator, ect.)
- You're nuts if you goto a school and don't have an up-to-date log book. If you do not now, guess what you should be doing this weekend?
- Check the thickness of your car's brake pads. I made the mistake at one race and ran out of rear pad during an event.
- Read the GCR. Read it again.
- Read the school's supps if available

Stuff of items to bring:
- registration sheet
- payment for the school
- novice permit
- racecar's log book
- helmet
- driver's suit
- assortment of tools: from a jack, wrenches to windshield cleaner and paper towels.
- extra engine oil and brake fluid
- copy of the GCR

Might as well begin to put this stuff together now or at least a week before the school.

This may sound funny to some, but I put some Pepto pills in my racing suit bag in case my stomach starts feeling the nerves.

You've got a ton of HPDEs and track time, so this should be nice and easy for you. It's just another day at the track. The only difference is you'll now have fun passing people in the turns. While on track, don't let instructors intimidate you. They may get right on your butt to see how you react. You're out there to show you can handle things, if you're following them and a safe passing opportunity comes up, pass them. No matter what anyone at the track says, go at your own pace, focus on your lines and being alert where the other cars are.

You are going to have an absolute blast!! Oh, Spanky, even as a current license holder you can enter a competition school. Or better yet, if you're qualified (and have a national license, grrr - just had to add that :lol: ) look into instructing.

Looking forward to reading your post race report Steve.
 
Have a zip-up binder with all your paperwork in it, pens and a notepad. That makes your life a lot easier in terms of organization.

Have a crew member who you trust implicitly. You will jump straight out of your car, have about 10 seconds to bark instructions to your crew member, before meeting with your instructor and heading to classroom. When you leave the classroom, your crew member will probably already have the car in grid for your next track session.

Yes, you have basically NO downtime. Leave your gear in the car so you don't forget a glove/collar etc.

Make a checklist for your crew to go through between every session. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times you aren't driving. Bring snacks to munch on so you don't pass out. Some of the instructor ride-alongs are optional, I think sunday morning's is... it should be mandatory, don't miss any good time you can ride with the instructor (since you already paid for it...)

Besides that, it's a lot of fun, drive smart. I did my school last fall at Summit with DC Region, I had a great time!
 
Thanks for all the input guys. Most of the things suggested, I've already done. I'm planning on doing the rest this weekend (have a current log book and new annual tech already). But I'll be making a list from all of your input to make sure I don't forget anything.

One last question. I know lap times aren't important for this... but I worry about keeping pace with the field. I know my car is capable of 1:31s on summit main. I drove high 1:35s in my street car. I'm hoping I can run around 1:33 in the ITA car. For those of you who know summit point, what kind of lap times do you think my run group will turn at the school?

I'm not worried about where I run in the pack, I just want to be IN the pack.
 
Forget about lap times. Quite honestly, you'll find that your lap times will drop as you begin racing (including the school). My times at HPDEs before racing and once I started racing are much different. You will also find there is a broad range of driver talent including lap times at the school and even at racing events. Seriously, you'll be fine. You have too many other things to be worried about right now. ;)
 
Unless your instructor says you need to speed up, I wouldn't worry about lap times. I suspect that with your track experience you will be fine comparatively. You can always check the MARRS results for ITA lap times...but i wouldn't! Lol.....
 
Edit: As metnioned above, Flags... that is probably one of the key things looked at by the stewards and instructors.
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That and attitude. They will watch and grade you on how well you take the pointers your instructors and observers will give you.

Have fun. I have my certificate framed and up on my racing wall.
 
Oh, Spanky, even as a current license holder you can enter a competition school. Or better yet, if you're qualified (and have a national license, grrr - just had to add that :lol: ) look into instructing.

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I've been contemplating the whole instructing thing (got my national license :) ). I'm just having a hard time deciding wether to do it this year or not.(Long story).

I believe that WDCR does NOT allow you to go to school if you are a current license holder. If they did, I have a car that needs to be shaken down. :)
 
Unless your instructor says you need to speed up, I wouldn't worry about lap times. I suspect that with your track experience you will be fine comparatively. You can always check the MARRS results for ITA lap times...but i wouldn't! Lol.....
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unfortunately, I already know the MARRS ITA lap times. (way faster than me) I was just wondering how the student times would stack up.
 
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