Road Atlanta for the rookie

JeffYoung

JeffYoung

New member
Have the new motor in the car, and am raring to go. Had hoped to get to CMP this weekend, but just had too much do.....so, going to fix the jones with Road Atlanta over Labor Day.

I'm a rookie, this will be my second race. Have heard all the bad things about RA -- concrete everywhere, aggressive drivers in the region, etc. Anyone care to share some thoughts on the topic? Should I avoid as a rookie and just work on my home track (VIR), or give it a shot?
 
from my experience:

Drivers in the SE region are TERRIBLE! I have never met so many cut throat drivers in my life.. I actually hated being on track with some of the assholes.. Thus I wont be doing it again!

RA : Turn 12 is a tricky one.. Theoretically everyone has the grip to go into turn 12 flat out.. i didnt have the balls, or confidence, to do that too often..

Turn 7 is decieving bc its more than a 90 degree turn and there is no damn grip there.. Damn shitty corner..

Turn 1 is also like 12.. You can go flat out up the hill.. It works out nicely!

The complex between turn 1 and 4 is really confusing to me.. BUt eventually you remember it.. It feels like your doing the same thing almost twice..

My best advice is have AWESOME brakes ( bc i didnt) and warch as many videos of the track as you can find.. I know there are a few people on this board or HT that have them.. It really gives you a good idea of where you should be on the track..

and once again.. beware the racers!

Goodluck
~Jonathan
 
Originally posted by Fleetcare:
from my experience:

Drivers in the SE region are TERRIBLE! I have never met so many cut throat drivers in my life.. I actually hated being on track with some of the assholes.. Thus I wont be doing it again!

~Jonathan
Click to expand...

I hope your tongue was firmly planted in your cheek with that one. From your website it looks like you were racing Roebling, Moroso, and RA. IF it was, add a smiley, and all is good. If not, well... glad you won't be in the way at Sebring in a couple weeks.



------------------
-Marcello Canitano
www.SilverHorseRacing.com
 
HI Jeff,
I consider Road Atlanta my "home" track...except for Lowes,its the closest to me. Come on down and join in. ya gotta pay attention cause there are some places that have teeth if you screw up. Look me up and borrow a tape or sit down and watch some in-car from a Zs perspective
of the track.....
cresting at turn 2 and turn in for 3 is really confusing the first lap or two,or should I say year or two. Videos have helped considerably with my learning curve at RA. Agressive drivers? ....Well,guess that's for someone else to comment on,cause the southeast is my only exposure...IMHO ya gotta be little agressive in this sport/hobby
to keep outta the way...
BTW,bring plenty of brakes/ducts
See ya there Labor Day,
David Spillman
ITS #18
I'm a rookie, this will be my second race. Have heard all the bad things about RA -- concrete everywhere, aggressive drivers in the region, etc. Anyone care to share some thoughts on the topic? Should I avoid as a rookie and just work on my home track (VIR), or give it a shot?[/B]
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by SilverHorseRacing:
I hope your tongue was firmly planted in your cheek with that one. From your website it looks like you were racing Roebling, Moroso, and RA. IF it was, add a smiley, and all is good. If not, well... glad you won't be in the way at Sebring in a couple weeks.
Click to expand...


This is one of those things that just pisses me off.. I have raced in South Africa and watched production car racing in 2 other countries.. i can say that the SE boys are rough! Just talk to anyone @ BMWCCA and ask.. A LARGE NUMBER of BMWCCA drivers left SCCA because of unnessesary roughness..

And SilverHorse, I honestly feel that if you think a cautious driver is a problem then you probably shouldnt be racing in my opinion! I am not joking around.. but the SE drivers are damn rough and everyone seems to accept it.. I dont.. Its my choice..

I stand by my wording.. I dont think that drivers should ever get so pissed off while on track that they actually give another driver the finger for following the racing line.. I believe even the GCR says the car that has the line should stay on the line and allow the overtaking driver to pass where safe. I can say that was not the case a few times @ RA.

And honestly If you feel that differently to the way I do given the situation i just described then perhaps your overly accepting of rough full contact racing.. I am not asking everyone to be an F1 driver and like F1 i know drivers error exists, but common descency should be seen on track and off of it!
 
Let me just add a few words because it needs to be said.. the SE does have some courteous drivers who will come up and apologise if something happened. I suppose at the end of the day you come home and say "Shit, my doors all screwed up" or whatever the casualty is and you forget about those guys who gave you racing room!

So let me add that because there were some fantastic drivers who would race very closely but still giving plenty of room and deserve some credit for it!
 
Jeff - please give RA a try. Don't believe everything you hear about rough driving - my observation has been that "most" of the drivers are pretty good about avoiding contact. Road Atlanta is a momentum track, so if you dawdle, you do increase the risk of contact. The concrete barriers are intimidating, but in reality, we have a lot fewer crashes than before. When you're not driving - go out to the turns, observe the other classes, and talk to the corner workers. They have a pretty good idea of how the fast guys do it.

Bob Hudson
Asst Flag Chief
Atlanta Region
 
Jeff,
You've got to go to Road Atlanta. It absolutely is one of the most fun tracks in the country. As far as rough drivers go, I think people cause there own trouble somtimes. Go, have fun.

[This message has been edited by metalworker (edited August 18, 2003).]
 
Dude,
Where are you coming from? Yes,drivers should stay on line...but don't slam on the brakes at the Apex,or as you're tracking out..... I had an experience in June overtaking a honda that almost stopped at the apex of one. I thought he/she attempted to force me off or hit their car,yea I may have been waving some hand signals after I gathered up the car.But after I witnessed this same car driving in similar fashion all over the track,I realized that the driver was just learning track and the limits of his car in small increments. I approached with extreme caution the rest of the weekend,and gave him/her more room to enjoy his/her weekend when passing. If this person affected others the same way as myself. You could potentially be subject to verbal/signal abuse from your whole run group til they to,realize to watch for eratic driving next time they pass,and be ready to react. I truly believed that I was being "taken" out or "brake checked" by that Honda the first time around,and may have over reacted. Others may have felt the same way the first time exposed to unusual brake applications. Such as the apex of 12,10B,5,6,and 1 ...none being normal braking zones in most peoples book. I'm not sure what happened at RA for your feelings about the drivers to be so intense. But on the whole,I've never met anyone in my 2 years that I'd classify as overaggressive....On purpose anyway.
If I'm one of the aggressors/assholes,then I do apoligize,for not realizing the situation first time by.

OOTGGFTSEDIV
David Spillman
#18 Red Z

Originally posted by Fleetcare:

I stand by my wording.. I dont think that drivers should ever get so pissed off while on track that they actually give another driver the finger for following the racing line.. I believe even the GCR says the car that has the line should stay on the line and allow the overtaking driver to pass where safe. I can say that was not the case a few times @ RA.

And honestly If you feel that differently to the way I do given the situation i just described then perhaps your overly accepting of rough full contact racing
Click to expand...
 
I suppose i came out somewhat strongly on the subject. AFterall.. I wrote the reply @ 2.40am..

But there were a ton of good guys out there.. I remember Davids car quite clearly and he was a true gentleman on the track! Thanks! I suppose i kinda stuck my foot in my mouth but not really... I am not quite sure..
 
Originally posted by Fleetcare:

This is one of those things that just pisses me off.. I have raced in South Africa and watched production car racing in 2 other countries.. i can say that the SE boys are rough! Just talk to anyone @ BMWCCA and ask.. A LARGE NUMBER of BMWCCA drivers left SCCA because of unnessesary roughness..
Click to expand...


Well talk to me then. I came from BMWCCA CR. I was there for quite a number of years. THere has been no "large number" of BMW drivers leaving SCCA for BMW CR. There isn't even a "large" number of BMW CR drivers in BMW CR. The actual fact is that most of the cross over is people coming from BMW to SCCA. I did it and so did a pretty large number of my friends. Now if you have a vintage BMW or some 80K M3 and you want to eliminate as much of a possibility of contact as you can then you go to BMWCCA CR where there are serious penalties for that. It's strict too. Even single car incidents get you a 13/13.

The SE is not smash up derby and is nothing like Fleetcare is implying. Road Atlanta is incredible and the locals KNOW how to get around the slower guys without hurting anyone.

Lastly don't let Fleetcare be your basis for anything derogatory about RA or the SE. FWIW he only got through his rookie school at the begining of 2003. Nothing wrong with that by any means but just what kind of base of real experience can one make with such a short time in the subject matter???

Robbie
 
Originally posted by Fleetcare:
I suppose i kinda stuck my foot in my mouth but not really... I am not quite sure.. [/B]
Click to expand...
Fleetcare,
Thank you. Find some video,to determine braking zones,then stick to em,work up to speed Drive the "line",but don't brake for no particular reason on line....if you'll hold line and speed,most all will find it easier to get around somewhere. Watching cars overtake at speed could cause you concern,but nobody wants to go home with body work to do,we'll slide right by if you are predictable in movement.
Lastly,drive that lttle Honda around in a circle and try to make it slide....find that limit. they stick like glue.
Use it.
David
 
Whew, sorry guys, didn't mean to start a fire storm. I've been to RA to watch ALMS and it is an AWESOME track, I agree. Much like VIR -- up and down, a long straight, etc. (except for those concrete walls...lol). Didn't mean to knock the track at all, and David/Robbie/Hudson, thanks for the encouragement. I will be there.

By the way, the "aggressive" comment came from a single report by a rookie IT7 driver to me about a guy hitting him in the rear and spinning him off at the turn before the back straight (8?). Probably should have used a better/different word.

Dave, if there is some way I could get some video from you, I'd appreciate it. I found a write up on how to drive the track on line, but some video would help.

Thanks a bunch guys. I will be there. Loud TR8, going slow.

Jeff
 
Originally posted by mazing3:

The SE is not smash up derby and is nothing like Fleetcare is implying. Road Atlanta is incredible and the locals KNOW how to get around the slower guys without hurting anyone.

Lastly don't let Fleetcare be your basis for anything derogatory about RA or the SE. FWIW he only got through his rookie school at the begining of 2003. Nothing wrong with that by any means but just what kind of base of real experience can one make with such a short time in the subject matter???
Click to expand...

Ahh, now we see what the problem is... Fleetcare got his novice permit and thought he was "King of the Road", only to realize he was just a moving chicane.

But there were a ton of good guys out there.. I remember Davids car quite clearly and he was a true gentleman on the track!

Why did you fail to mention that originally? If you can't think coherently at 2:40am, then just go to bed, and save your drivel for some other board....


Thanks! I suppose i kinda stuck my foot in my mouth but not really... I am not quite sure..


Yes, you did. I'll tell you you did, and I won't beat around the bush about it. Whenever you make a blanket statement about all drivers in a region, or in anything, you're trying to do a cranial-rectal insertion, and suceeding without assistance. I'm glad you have driven all over the world, and have never been in anyone else's way until coming to the SEDIV.

While I don't condone rough driving, and I love to put my car on the trailer the same way it came off, it is after all racing, and incidents do occur. Normally when two race cars try to occupy the same piece of real estate, things happen. Not that I like it, and trust me, I've been on the receiving end more than I like, but I do accept the possibility of it occuring every time I put the car on track. If you got your panties all in a wad over a finger, I'd hate to see what you'd do if you ever got bump-drafted at Daytona. You'd probably sit on pit road and just cry.

Please, next time you want to give your opinion rather than adding some technical information to the discussion, just shut up, and save us the aggravation.

Just a friendly note from a driver in the SEDIV, who happens to enjoy close, clean racing, and thinks you can take your comments and stuff it.



------------------
-Marcello Canitano
www.SilverHorseRacing.com
 
Jeff,

RA is a great track. You should drive it.

Tips? Hmmm. The only problem I had was getting understeer going into the esses. It's very tempting to add too much throttle just as the road drops away. Bad combination.

------------------
Gregg Baker
Isaac, LLC
[email protected]
 
Okay, now that we're back on track, so to speak, I'm considreing the long trip down to RA to run IT-7 in the ARRCs, if I can determine that I'm not embarassingly slow!

So, in the event that I can make that determination, are there any videos or games that you 'shoes' would recommend??

Thanks, guys.

------------------
Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
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