After some classroom work the six on the course went out first to be thrown around the track in a huge V8 van by one of the instructors, then out in the cars in two groups for a lead-and-follow with an instructor leading... For most people it was the first time in a stripped car with a race seat, five point harness and full cage etc, so even getting in and out was a learning process...
After the lead and follow, another talk, then out for first session. This was a mixed bag, afterwards the instructors were a little unhappy (or more than a little) with the amount of 'over-enthusiasm' being shown by the group (a couple of spins and putting wheels off track etc) in what was supposed to be a slow warm-up... A combination of things including some guys with some experience being too aggressive and some guys without experience driving beyond their ability. So they kind of let everyone know about it. I knew I was going fairly fast but I was happy I was within my abilities and not pushing the car and they didn't say anything to me, so I decided to carry on as I was.
After lunch another talking to, then back out for another session... This one went much better, everyone calmed down, the instructors were out in cars following people to assess their driving then leading them for laps demonstrating as required, etc. Unlike the others I didn't back off, I continued to drive pretty hard, getting up to where I felt I was nearing my limits and starting to push them, feeling what the car could do more and more... I went out first in the pack with some seperation between cars and half way through the session had caught four of the five cars that started after me... With too many cars bunched up I pulled into the pits twice to get some space as we were still only allowed to pass on the front straight and only if the other driver signalled they saw us...
The class session after was much happier. They gave everyone final pointers and asked what we wanted to achieve for our last session, everyone else was kind of cautious and said they wanted to improve braking or cornering or something... As they had not said anything about my driving all day apart from my line in one corner, and I was the only person the instructor cars had not done further tuition with, i decided to chance it, and said I wanted to be smoother and faster. They didn't bat an eyelid, so after class I went back out for final session and decided to go to work again.
They opened up passing on the back straight as well as the front (a bit more tricky and at higher speeds), and within a short space of time I had gone out first and passed four of the five cars behind me... I kept going, and I went quick, doing everything I had been doing all day, but better... I stood it on its nose into corners, I heel and toed and bounced off the limiter, I threw it off curbs on apexes and carved the ripples on exits... I had got the back end squirrelly coming down from max speed into the hairpin earlier in the day and scared myself some, this time I did it every time and loved it. They said we wouldn't find the limits of the slicks and be able to hold onto the car, but I got to power sliding and four tyres singing on the long corners... By the end I was stringing together whole laps without mistakes bad enough to bother me, and still getting better every corner, and it felt real good. Don't get me wrong I am not saying I am amazing, but I will say even I was surprised how quickly I came to grips with driving a car of that level that fast and feeling comfortable and confident pushing it as hard as I could. So that was a good result...
End of the course was good and the instructors said that they thought at the start of the day they were going to have wrecked cars, but overall the course had turned out to be one of the best quality they had ever had.
After that is was on to dinner at McDs in the city, which, unlike the fancy BK down the road, was kind of average and also the local congregation point for mental methheads, which was nice.
Today (Thursday) we rose and had a bit of a look around Salt Lake City, which seems scenic but largely boring, then headed south by various scenic routes... But I think I will go into that tomorrow... We ended up well off the main track, but it was good... Now I am in a motel near three other states!
Hope everyone enjoyed ANZAC Day and got along to a ceremony for us... I think it is probably the first one I have missed in living memory which sucks a bit. Will make up for it next time.
1 comment:
I love Mini Coopers too!
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