Skinny instructor needed for HPDE Nov 9-11, Roebling Road

[sporqster]

I would like to take my 7 to the local Porsche club's 'Darkside' DE this November. http://www.cerpca.com/DERegistration.html I have been to several of CERPCA's DE's and they're all a blast - good food, mostly unpretensous folks. I'm a 'spousal' member of the local club... my wife drives her '79 911 at these things and we both have a great time. I'm used to showing up in a WRX (which actually hangs with the late model Porsche's pretty good - even does a little passing!)

 

Issue is: My 7 has a choice of 2 seats. One is a homemade thing constructed of 2X4's, foam, and black vinyl, and with no headrest whatsoever. The other is an aluminum Kirkey seat, that if you bend it a little can hold up to about a 30" waist.

 

I'm a 'blue group' track driver - and in a new car on a track surface I've only been on once is probably not the best way to go solo- even if George did give me the OK.

 

Here's the deal, I'll cough up the $100 for a "qualified" instructor if they'll ride along with me and help adjust the nut behind the wheel - perhaps help with other adjustments to the 7 as well. (It's hard for me to gauge if the 7 is handling properly or not, because it is so much lighter, faster, and consequenially "squirellier" than anything I've ever owned!). Instructors get free solo track time! Bring your own car, a rental, or you can borrow mine if you promise not to break it.

 

[R1 Seven]

I would take you up on that if Roebling were not so far away. It will end up being at least 7 hours drive each way for me. :nonod:

[Boxologist]

maybe take the Locost and run in the other run group as well?

[R1 Seven]

maybe take the Locost and run in the other run group as well?

 

Oh, the Locost would go and run in the Instructor group (as long as it did not get car snobbed)...that is just a long way to tow for a track weekend at RR. I get my fill most of the time only having to drive 2hrs (VIR) or 3-4 hours (Summit Point, Rockingham, CMP).

[sporqster]

(as long as it did not get car snobbed)...

 

I feel sure you wouldn't get car snobbed! - Coastal Empire Region PCA events are pretty easy going - actually there's as many or more non Porsche's at the DE's as Porsches ranging from aesthetically challenged 'track bitch' door bangers to pristine supercars and team sponsored race cars there for the track time. Everyone plays nice, in my experience.

[Kitcat]

Wow, your wife drives a Porsche at track days, sweet!

 

Your Seven should not be squirley, just the opposite. If you have decent tires, you will have predictable handling, tho maybe not optimal handling, which takes a proper alignment, good shocks, etc.

 

I recall a story about the Miata engineers, in 1987-88, buying an Elan to "benchmark" the newly designed Miata with. The Elan was far superior. Only later did they discover it was way off spec but its basic design was so good, it still shone.

 

Why do a track day with out head resraint, seems dangerous, no?

[R1 Seven]

 

I feel sure you wouldn't get car snobbed! - Coastal Empire Region PCA events are pretty easy going - actually there's as many or more non Porsche's at the DE's as Porsches ranging from aesthetically challenged 'track bitch' door bangers to pristine supercars and team sponsored race cars there for the track time. Everyone plays nice, in my experience.

 

That is good to hear. Some clubs/regions are better than otheres from what I have seen. Ususally the regions near large metropolitan areas are a little more "exclusive" since they have plenty of marque specific cars to fill their events.

[Boxologist]

...

 

Why do a track day with out head resraint, seems dangerous, no?

 

think he should mount that head rest that goes into the roll bar?

[sporqster]

Your Seven should not be squirley, just the opposite. If you have decent tires, you will have predictable handling, tho maybe not optimal handling, which takes a proper alignment, good shocks, etc.

 

By squirley, consider where I'm coming from - My first car was a CRX, then A WRX, There was an Opel GT in there somewhere but it was never really driven very hard. Everything I've driven on a track or auto-x before tended go in a straight line when in trouble, unlike the 7, which tends to be a bit more tail happy when in trouble. - very controllably tail happy - and I put on quite a show drifting around the autocross course, but as my time slips will testify, sideways is NOT the fastest way around the course. I also am learning the importance of gentle throttle application on the auto-x course, as in either the CRX or WRX I can just plant it anywhere near the last 25% of a corner and be fine - I actually used that to some extent to track out at the end of the corner- the 7, on the other hand has enough power and so little weight, that if I plant it while I'm sill turning, I tend to go for a ride - or have the opposite effect at least - I over-steer the corner and finish in the middle or even on the inside of the corner. :nonod:

 

I've got some nice adjustable coilovers, and uber stiff springs. The tires are 185/55-14 Yokohama advan's nearing the end of their life. So, not great rubber, but not exactly a Walmart special touring tire either. It's toed out about a 1/4" up front. I haven't checked the alignment in a while - I did notice that my training arm fasteners tend to lose torque and when they're loose the rear end tends to shift around a little causing some odd handling. I'm hoping a little blue loctite will nip that in the bud.

 

I think the break bias may be a little much on the rear end too. Or maybe I just need to break, then turn. Break first, turn second. Break first...... :banghead:

 

Point is, I haven't been behind the wheel of 7's enough to know how much of the 'squirlyness' needs to be adjusted with a wrench or screw driver and how much needs to be a driving style adjustment. I'm sure there is some of both that needs to take place, probably more of the ladder than the former.

 

I will have some 'gently' used Hoosier A03's 225/45-15's on the car for the track day, possibly not for the first run session as relative to a more street friendly tire the Hoosier tends to stick stick stick - no more STICK - with relatively little warning, when compared to a street tire that make a little more racket before it totally gives up.

 

think he should mount that head rest that goes into the roll bar?

I've got the skinny riders-only Kirkey installed now. Putting up pics in just a few - had a good cruise around the islands this afternoon!

[sporqster]

Bump for still seeking an instructer.

 

If I don't recruit someone they're going to get stuck with a PCA instructor. Not the end of the world- but I would imagine they'd just be "along for the ride" concerning sorting out a 7.

 

I'll throw in breakfast and a guest room on Wilmington Island for a willing victim, er instructor + guest. So all you really have to do is get here!

[Boxologist]

ask which instructors run in SCCA national events; which ones run Miatas as track cars; who owns/plays with 914/917s. these will be teh fastest to adapt to a 7.

 

anyone who is a good instructor or autoXer will be pick up how drive anything well.

[R1 Seven]

ask which instructors run in SCCA national events; which ones run Miatas as track cars; who owns/plays with 914/917s. these will be teh fastest to adapt to a 7.

 

anyone who is a good instructor or autoXer will be pick up how drive anything well.

 

+1

 

I would not discount the instructor pool with that PCA group. Every club that I have instructed with has plenty of good instructors that could help you with your car. If you let them know ahead of time what your goals are for the weekend, then maybe they will know just who to put you with. Plenty of discussion goes on beforehand by the organizers. The "gross" stuff should not be hard to work on by anyone. The fine tuning is likely to take more than one weekend anyway. Sorry I can not come and help you myself. It is just a combination of bad timing and the long distance (mostly the distance).