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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

In Racing, Weight Is The Enemy

By Susana Weber
NOR'EASTER Online - June 2005

NER’s first DE event of the 2005 season was May 3rd and 4th at NHIS. Although the temperatures were on the cool side, the rain stayed away and the sun was out both days. While taking a break from driving and instructing I was introduced to two novice (yellow run group) drivers. After chatting for awhile about track driving in general, these two Boxster drivers, asked me some very specific questions on how they should go about ascending to the next level. At first I thought they were talking about modifying their cars, but correctly so, they meant improving their driving skills. All to often, students think the way to improve is through car modifications. I get into this exact discussion often with 20 year olds at the gym. They all seem so willing to spend their hard earned cash on modifying their cars, but nothing on improving their driving skills. This frustrates me so much that in a couple of cases I have taken these young men for rides around the Gloucester rotary and through the esses that lead into the Blackburn Industrial Park. Think skid pad, late and blind apexes. I won’t get into the local speed limits that have been broken. You never know who reads this publication!

Back to the track and my new friends, I gave my novice friends the same advice that Dave Weber, Doug Adams, and many of the other instructors I was fortunate to have, when I was in the yellow run group, gave me. There is NO substitute for seat time! So get as much as your budget and schedule will allow. I further explained that other than safety gear like racing seats and harnesses, leaving their cars stock was both smart and frugal.

With affirmative nods the conversation drifted towards specialty driving schools such as Skip Barber, the Three Day Racing School in particular. At approximately $3,500 these types of schools are expensive but do include 12 hours of seat time and 12 hours of classroom in the 3 days. The seat time is in a 900 pound, open wheeled, formula racecar. Although not very comfortable, these cars are fantastic learning tools. Everything you do in them is instantly fed back to you through the seat of your pants. With this kind of instant feedback, you learn very quickly what works, and what doesn’t. Trailing throttle over steer (TTO) takes on a whole new meaning when it happens in the blink of an eye! You begin to understand that your steering corrections must be made QUICKLEY and without hesitation! And the instructors don’t tell you that when you get back in your Porsche, that it will feel like a big, heavy, soft riding, Cadillac with a plush interior!

Again, back to the track and my new friends. I suggested they continue with their DE driving education until they move up to the intermediate (white) driving group. At this point in their track driving careers, the advanced skills they will learn at an expensive specialty school will be best applied. Think, cart ahead of the horse! Seat time, seat time, and more seat time…………I can’t emphasize this enough. There is no magic to this. Driving is a learned skill that only good instruction and time behind the wheel can improve. So don’t be in a rush to move up the run group ladder. Take your time and enjoy the process! I know, I did, and still do……….enjoy the process!

Porsche Club of America The Northeast Region

Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region