NE Track Day/Autocross/Racing Reports

[blalor]

I also like how he was leaning into the corners. It's not a motorcycle, but it sure feels like one sometimes!

[snid]

I guess that's another reason I need some race buckets.

[Actual Size]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vKU90BSHqHk

[snid]

I had a great day today in the parking lots of NHIS. I did my first instructor gig at the ADSS - the same skills school many of us did at the MINIs only event. But, not MINIs only this time. In fact, there were very few front drive cars there.

The didn't split the students into two groups this time. Everybody did the braking excercises in the morning, and everybody did the skidpad excercises in the afternoon. That meant that the skidpads were not in use by students all morning. Not only during the classroom time, but the whole morning. So, I got to spend a bunch of time practicing on the skidpad and getting input from the other instructors. Remember that red BMW that was sliding around a lot during the MINIs only event? That's a chapter owned car they use to train instructors. So, I spend a lot of time trying to keep that going in the right direction. I also spent a lot of time in another instructors 3-series. Good stuff. I was almost getting the hang of using the gas to get a rear wheel drive car to maintain oversteer.

Then, I got to ride in students cars as they were on the skidpad. Well, and drive the students cars around a couple of times to demonstrate. I had turns in some fun cars. One of the old, shoe-shaped M-coupes. An older M5, a few 3 series cars. Good stuff. A couple of front drive cars too.

I'm very exceited that things went smoothly and that I got a lot of skidpad time in rear wheel drive cars. I even gave a couple of the other instructors some front wheel drive pointers using my MINI.

[snid]

Good autocross today. We were at you "big" lot at Sugarbush ski area... our "big" lot is still pretty small, but it's the best we have access to.

I managed a first in class, and I'm pretty sure a top 10 overall. And, for once, I didn't end the day thinking "I could have gone a lot faster".

[snid]

I was going to post this in the "Thanksgiving" thread, but figured it belonged here more.

This year of driving was quite the mixed bag. I accomplished a lot of my goals for the season, and some that I thought were further out in the future than this season.

I started down the path of becoming an instructor. I got to teach at a couple of ADSS events. I got to do some role-playing instructor development on the track. In that area, I made much more progress than I was expecting. Many thanks to the instructor development folks with the White Mountain chapter of the BMWCCA for that.

I got to drive a bunch of different cars this season. Many Miatas, an MR2 spyder, a Toyota Yaris on race tires, many many MINIs, a couple of shifter karts, a bunch of BMWs (3-series, M3, M5, M-coupe, etc), RX-7, Neon SRT-4, Fiat X1/9, Subaru WRX, 400+hp Subaru STI. So, I got to drive front drive, rear drive, all wheel drive, mid engine, 300+ hp, everything on my list.

I got to go for rides in various instructor's cars - a 911 turbo, a few MINIs, some BMWs, an Lotus Exige S. Many thanks to everyone who offered a ride, or a chance to drive their car.

Then, there was the unfortunate crash that cut my season short. And a huge list of thanks for people helping me deal with the aftermath... Many of the Sports Car Club of Vermont members and other MINI owners helped immensely with that. Wether it was:

making sure I was okay right after it happened,
freeing up space on a trailer so that it could get back to Vermont,
letting me drive their Miata on the track a few hours after I crashed my car
lending me a car for a few weeks until I could buy me new car
letting me keep my MINI in their yard
lending me a MINI specific car cover
helping me move the broken MINI from one yard to another
helping me load the MINI back on a trailer on a rainy friday evening
letting me use a pickup truck to transport the MINI from Vermont to Connecticut
donating labor to help put it back together again
donating leftover parts to help put it back together again
supplying new parts to help put it back together again
offering garage space for the winter

tons of people offered up tons of help, and I am so very grateful for that.

[ThompsonR53]

I'm glad to have helped you store the brown MINI - the mice loved it in my yard! Extracting it in the rain was fun too. Anything you need, just ask.

[snid]

Greg's MINI has been painted

[GBMINI]

Is that a snow plow on the front?

[jwardell]

Nice stealth headlights.
Does that wing offer frequent flyer miles?

[LePew]

Clever use of a longitudinal 2x4 to increase aerodynamic downforce. But I'm not sure that little piece of red tape is going to hold at speed. In any event, I'm looking forward to moving out of the way even more quicky now when Greg appears in the mirrors!

[GBMINI]

You'll certainly recognize him!