Hi All:

I had my first driver's education and driver's training session with the local PCA up in Brainerd this weekend. Here's a few observations and learnings.

The Incidents

There were a few incidents this weekend. I noticed that a lot of folks had track specific cars and that very few shiny new cars were out there. Some brand new 911 turbos showed at the paddock but never made it to the track!

• Race car 911 went off the end of the track and went end-over-end. The car had a roll cage and the driver was fine. He says he blew a tire (it was definitely gone by the end of the gymnastics) - but the other PCA instructors were suspicious of user error.
• 986 Boxster came out of turn 8 and spun out. It threw gravel all over the track and wound up parked at the end of the track.
• Another 911 accidentally shifted from fifth to second instead of fourth. Apparently transmissions and engines were sacrificed.
• A visiting C05 managed to mow the grass around turn five. No damage - just weed pulling.
• All the rest were wheels off the track, plowing the berms and so-on.

For some folks this was a very expensive weekend. I am not sure whether it was self-preservation or wallet-preservation but I was not willing to push it to that limit.

The Training

I had my own instructor available to me all weekend. Fred encouraged me to drive the car safely on the line, then as I got more comfortable, to push a bit harder. He took me out in his club racer 911 - I got to see just how hard you can push one of these.

We got some basic training on the line, the track and safety. We got slow speed track time, instructor driven track time and then fast speed track time. The best part of the instruction day was the huge amount of track time we got. I really enjoyed that a lot!

Driving in the Rain

We got a lot of rain Saturday and Sunday. Driving in the rain is henky! I can't say I enjoyed it - but I sure learned.

• Fred had me press the gas pedal too hard coming out of third so I could learn to handle a fishtail. I was coached to keep my eyes where I wanted the car to go and to take my foot off the gas. The first time through the Please Save Me (PSM) kept me from really fishtailing. The second time, the rear end broke free. I followed the coaching and the car came back.
• I became paranoid about weight transfer and using all the track when the track was wet. I am guessing that anyone driving near 9/10ths is doing that kind of thinking all the time.
• The car is psychic. It telepathically warns me when it's going to try to rotate, slide or fishtail. I now understand what people mean when they say it has 'road feel'.
• Brainerd has a drag strip. They laid down sticky rubber stuff where the dragsters take off. When the road is bone dry - those patches are like glue. When wet - it's a skating rink. We were told about a club racer who passed in the rain and ping-ponged off the walls on either side several times, squaring out his car in an unnatural way. We treated those patches with extreme respect.

The People

Nice, nice, nice people! I saw ZERO 911 snobbery. I saw helpful, friendly people who were welcoming new folks into what was clearly a group of old friends. Dale and Jo were kind enough to time laps for us. Kim and Keith were friendly and welcoming. Too many people to name, but this was the highlight of the event for me.

The Cayman

• 2:13 Hot Lap
• Street tires were great in the rain. Slicks would have been ... slick.
• 2:03 was the fastest Cayman lap (Tim's) that I know of.
• No mechanical failures. No new tires. No new brakes.

What I Learned

The brakes on the Cayman are fantastic. I stopped from 93 mph into the box without any drama. Tim had HK10 brakepads on his car and made the same stop from about 110 mph. Very impressive. As I'm coming into turn 3 (50-60mph turn) at 110 mph - it's very nice to know that the car will slow enough.

The power discussions on the site seem a bit less important to me now. In no way was I using the full power of the car - except on the straights. I know I can pull 10-15 seconds out of my lap time by getting my skills up. That's huge! I was able to get to about 135 mph at the end of the straight - a 911 Turbo was doing 156. More can be used - but not by me yet.

When you're on the line, it turns into a Sunday drive (sort of). There's very little drama and a surprising amount of speed. When you nail a corner the car hunkers down and just makes it around. I was really impressed.

Caymans sound ... different. Everything else on the track sounds like a roaring motor. The Cayman sounds like air moving and tires rolling. There's a bit of engine roar there - but it's mostly air. During the time trials you could clearly hear individual cars - everyone noted the sound difference.

Finally I'm wondering whether I'm nuts taking my daily driver to the track. You can get a track-ready 944 for about $15k. I loved putting my Cayman to the test - but if I have the bug should I buy a dedicated car.

I would love to hear others experiences on their DEs.

Dfogal.