Tag: learning

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I crashed: HPDE Edition

What: The very first time I crashed, which happened to be an HPDE road trip/event.

If I knew then, what I know now:

  1. I would have actively sought out training on how to handle “going off track.” Going off track is not a bad thing inherently and will happen. Handling it properly would have saved me a ton of money.
  2. Had a HANS or NecksGen device: the impact was a classic sudden forward neck movement, with a concrete wall.
  3. Reinforced that in motorsports, even recreational – if you’re competitive (I am) it’s not if you will crash, but when you will crash.  How are you going to move forward?

Things you should check out:

The car: 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 GSR

This car, was technically, my wife’s car. A few years prior, I had decided it was time to get back into ‘car game’. It was about 3-4 years from when I had graduated from college, had paid off my student loans and bought a house. Prior to college and for some time in college, I was active in ‘modifying’ street cars.  But after several cars, experiments, blown engines and essentially sunk money, I bought a 1999 Ford Contour SVT (black), which had an aftermarket exhaust, broken sun-roof and called it good.  So I thought.

Fast forward to 2011 and we had a heavily modified (and unnecessarily) 2008 Subaru WRX STi (mine) and a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR (my wife’s).

Soon after we bough a house, we had an STi and then an Evo 9. This was in 2008, maybe 2009 but not sure why the pictures look like it was in 1988 or 1989.
Yes, we did car shows and here is my wife claiming a prize for best something. Oh the shame…
Proof from the car shows…
And we even did photo shoots. Oh, the double shame!!!

I slowly took over the Evo because I had gone too far with the STi, making it not track-capable.  With an upgraded turbo and 400whp, it was too much car for to handle and very likely wouldn’t make it a day or two without over-heating or blowing up as EJ25 engines were and are notorious for not liking even mild track sessions.

I’ll be writing a car profile post and update this article later on, but in terms of specs, it had the basic bolt-on’s, a tune by Cobb Tuning, a harness bar, some gauges, upgraded brakes (lines, pads and rotors) and I removed the rear seats for “weight reduction.”  😆  Functionally, it allowed space to bring alone a full set of track tires/wheels, a jack, jack-stands and pretty much everything I needed for a track day.

My experience thus far: Intermediate run group, on the cusp of Advance

This was the first year that I had decided I was done with simply modifying cars and hard-parking.  I had taken an HPDE full-day event the prior November and the bug had bit.  I had spent that entire spring and summer, attending track days and this was also the first year a friend and I had started developing Track Attack.  Each time we went out on-track, it was not only fun but a chance to test and improve Track Attack.

At the time, I had somewhere around 8-10 track days, without any real incident; a spin here and there.  Generally, I felt quite ‘seasoned’ by the time this trip came around but by no-means did I feel fast.  I had also done a couple autocross events and had decided that was not my path.  Nothing wrong with Autocross but all that standing around, with no practice runs and for at most 4 under 60 second runs (of which I sucked at all of them) – I was OK sticking with track days.  🙂

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The setting: A three-day track day road trip (Portland International Raceways and Oregon Raceway Park)

Most of my track days were with either ProFormance Racing School or The Ridge Racing School (now the majority of their events run by Turn 2 Lapping).  Each year, ProFormance racing school would organize a ‘road trip’, hitting Portland International Raceways for two days and Oregon Raceway Park for another two days (Thursday through Sunday).

I was excited and intimidated a little about Portland, mainly because it had the ‘International’ in the name – implying, at least in my head, the more professional and potentially hard aspect of the track.

The back-straight at PIR getting some instruction and likely told I suck.
Coming off Turn 12 at PIR
Holding up traffic in the Festival Chicane

The first two days at Portland went great!  I had hired an instructor for the first day at each track, to help guide me through the track as it was my first time at each.  At the end of the day on Friday, we caravaned over the mountain range.  I stayed with a friend (Robert) I had made in my modifying days, that was a Shop and History (I think) teacher, in The Dalles, OR.  He was/is a big car guy and had just gotten into Evo’s and was gracious enough to let me stay at his house.

That first day went really well and aside from frustrations with the Track Attack app (no cell phone reception at all) was ready to get back to the track and make some serious gains on my lap times.  That Sunday morning, Robert came out in the AM and we were able to give parade rides, which was fun to show him around the track.  Once he left, it was time to get back on it.

What happened

It was what would have been the second to last session of the day.  I forget my exact lap times, but I want to say they were in the 2:10-2:15 range, of which looking back on it now, is well below the abilities of that car.  I honestly don’t recall having too much of a structured learning or driver development plan, so I was pretty much just lapping around “trying to go faster” but no real thing I was actively or consciously working on.

Oregon Raceway Park is an incredible track, with lots of rolling hills, blind corner exits and no real long straightaway, giving little time for brakes to cool down or a rest for the driver.  It is ran primarily in the clock-wise direction, though it is regularly run counter-clockwise.  It’s out in the middle of nowhere, high central desert, Oregon, where if you go off, there really isn’t anything to hit.  Generally, go off, pick up small rocks and dust – come back into the paddock, clean and vacuum your car and you’re back at it.

Except one section: Start/Finish main straight with a wall

Check out this video of one of the best club racers (and drivers in general), Cody Smith in a race at ORP.  You’ll see that right at the last corner, there is a wall that protects the hot-pits.  The only real place to get in trouble here is that wall and that’s what I learned.

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You see what happened at 2:32 mark?  That’s exactly what happened to me. 

On what would end up being my last lap for that weekend, I was coming up on the final turn, I braked, turned but turned in too early and probably too lazily.  As I started exiting the corner, was on throttle but noticed I was going to run out of road and I lifted.  🙁

Off-Throttle Oversteer: Engaged

Not sure if the car actually dropped a tire but the rear end whipped around and next thing you know, I am sitting there, staring at a wall and corner workers running over to me.  I then look to my left to see if any other car is going to collect me and this awesome green E36 M3 purposefully goes off-track, along with a nice 370z.  No damage to them, aside from a dusty car.

Within 10 minutes, I’m out of the car, physically fine and am able to limp the car back to the paddock, where front end is pushed in a few inches, the Seibon carbon fiber hood latch is broken but that’s about it.  If it weren’t for the leaking radiator, I might have even tried to drive it home.

The aftermath

First, I have to thank Don Kitch Jr on how calmly he handled himself (not having been his first rodeo by a lot) as that helped calm me down.  I had recently started working with English Racing, in Camas, WA and made the call to see if I could have the car towed to their shop, so they could take over assessing and fixing the car.

I also called my insurance and told them I had run into a mechanical issue while on a road trip and needed a tow truck.  With no approved partner within 100 miles, they allowed me to use the local tow truck provider (a story for another time) and I had the car towed to English Racing, with me going along for the ride.  Myles Kerr (Gringo Integra) was incredibly awesome, meeting me at the shop (I think they were actually there anyway) and giving me a ride to the local airport, where I picked up a rental car and drove home.

At the end of the day, the damage wasn’t bad at all and the learnings were great.  The majority of the front end needed to be replaced (front bumper cover, lower lip, radiator support, radiator, intercooler, headlights [I think]).  The rest of the body parts were repairable and while it was at a body shop, I had the body shop massage all of the fenders so I could easily fit the 275/45/17 rubber I was running without rubbing and had English do a full mechanical evaluation, tune-up, install a new TRE rear differential, bigger injectors, new fuel pump and a new tune, bringing the power to 334whp and 276ft/lb torque.

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The Dark Side

I’m not gonna lie, I had some dark thoughts in the first 24-36 hours after the incident.  Even before I got out of the car, staring at the wall, I thought to myself – “What the hell am I doing?  This isn’t for me.  I’m not good at this and I can’t afford this.  Did I just financially ruin us?”

The scariest thoughts were those “this isn’t for me and I’m not good at this” thoughts.  I had already heard from Don and other experienced drivers that crashing on-track isn’t a question of “if but when” it will happen.  And multiple “when’s.”

Luckily (or maybe not), I’ve had a history of dealing with thinking and being told that certain things weren’t for me and that I sucked at them.  In most cases, I’ve been stubborn and hard working enough to prove others and myself wrong.  So it took some time, but I consciously decided that this incident would not hold me back.  Motorsports and specifically, being the best driver I could possibly be was something I wanted to be a significant part of my life.  So I picked myself up, dusted off, fixed my car and got back it.

At ORP a year later and more than 10 seconds faster than the prior year.
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Walk This Way! Track Walks:

Looking out the pit-lane exit at Circut of the Americas

What: Track walks, why you like them, even if you don’t know it yet

If I knew then, What I know now:  I would have studied harder on these when I was younger.  I would be a better driver and team member overall, now as a result.

Walking the track before an event is a very important part of your race or track weekend.  It spreads across all forms of motorsports, and any amount of wheels used.  Getting your feet on the same ground you will be driving your car on will give you valuable perspective regarding placement or the vehicle, surface conditions, line options and so on.  It is a great way to get the track layout in your head prior to getting into or on your machine.  There are a couple of key things to pay attention to and try to do while on a track walk.  I will try to outline some of them to help you get the most out of your next track walk.  I will start with some of my experience from the first events I went to as a young lad in high school with my buddies.

A group of friends of mine in school were also into cars.  We would set up a couple of days a year where we would all meet up the day before an auto cross event, hang out at one of the guys cabins, and then take all of our cars to the event the next day.  Auto cross was a good introduction into motorsports as a driver for me.  The first day I went to an event was with the Porsche Club (PNW Region).  I had a little old VW Jetta that had some sticky tires on it.  We got to the event, stood through the drivers meeting, then everyone set out and walked around the course that had been set up.  A course walk at an auto cross is essential.  The track will never be the same from event to event, so getting a feel for the layout is an important first step.  Auto cross does not allow for a lot of set up and testing time, so getting the most out of your runs is key.   I learned how valuable it was.  I was able to pip my friend on our first time out, and he was driving a 911.  There were more events after that, and as I grew to understand the track walk it made perfect sense to me.

Flash forward 15 years and now we are doing track walks every week we go to the track.  I went out and rode a new Motocross track a few weeks back – I did not get a chance to walk it, but I took 4-5 laps at just above a walking pace just to feel the place out – 2 laps later I was ripping around just fine.   We will often times end our first night at the track with a track walk.  It is a great way to wind down after a work day, and also a good way to walk some miles if you did not get a chance to before!  My first race back after a couple of years of just crew work, I ended up racing at the Ridge in Shelton.  It is a place I had driven before, but it had been a while.  We took the time the night before the race to walk the track, twice actually.  It was great.  I had one of the instructors at the track walking with us and they provided great insight to where to place the car due to seems in the blacktop in braking zones.  Entry and exit lines were discussed.  Gear selection (which can depend a lot on your equipment) was discussed.  I felt a lot better after walking the track to just jump in the next day and go.  Everything was fresh in my mind again.

Elevated view of the turn 17-18 complex at Circut of the Americas

Gama asked me to do a track walk with him this weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent.  We have a race this weekend in the Pro3 car and he will be the only driver for the team this weekend as Manu’s car had a mechanical issue we found during a post-race inspection (more on that later).  I was quick to agree, as I have had many track days there, and 2 school days at that track, but had never actually walked a full lap in all of my years.  I had been to points of the track, but not all of the way around on foot.  We will be walking the track tonight and I am going to make notes, and take pictures to share our experience with the walk!

We try to track walk every weekend.  it is good exercise, knowledge, and you will have a great feel for the layout the first time you are behind the wheel at speed.  Be prepared for a walk, and be prepared for weather as well!  Some tracks are large, and weather can be different from one side to the other.  One of the other things that will help you a lot with our track walk, is walking with someone with lots of knowledge of that track for insight.  Most racers are instructors also, so their points of view are sound usually!  Just walking the track can gain you a lot, but having someone there to compare notes and tips with is very beneficial.   Having someone that drives a similar vehicle is even better!

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When to Ask and Asking the Right Questions at the Track

Discussing things between sessions during a race weekend – People will often come ask us about what to do, or what is going on – Almost always it is appreciated!

What: The nitty gritty of asking questions when at the race track

If I knew then, what I know now:  I would spend a lot more time reading and less time relying on info from others

What do I do about…

Asking people questions or for advice at the track is a tricky subject to discuss.  Things like prep, common sense and skill all come into play.  What do I do about?  That is a question that gets asked at the track more than anything else.  What do I about [fill in the blank]….?

Asking questions at the track can be easy at first, and then more difficult as time goes on.  People are often willing to help out those that are new, or are obviously a fish out of water.  That tune changes over time.  People in the racing community are expected to hold themselves to a higher standard.  You are out there racing.  It is a serious thing, and can have serious consequences.

You should well and know what you are doing out there!  The ones that find trouble asking questions are those that do not make good notes for themselves, or that simply do not listen to the advice they are given.  It can get you a long way, or it can very much get you nowhere.

Drives will often discuss the race with each other, compare notes, and talk out any issues or incidents that may have occurred.  Often advice is asked for and provided

Don’t go fishing for what you want to hear

Getting help at the track can be tricky in itself.  Knowing when and how to ask any questions is almost more important than what you are asking.  A conversation I had last week with one of the other guys locally that runs some race car support on race weekends ended up with us comparing stories of things that people have said and done to us when we are at the track.

More often than not, the gripes we had were from people repeating the same questions, and expecting different answers, as well as asking the “pros” for advice on something, then asking all of the other “pros” until one of them says what you want to hear.

There are three types of people at the race track:

  1. The ones that are there to win
  2. The ones that are there for fun
  3. The ones that are there to try to prove something.

Types 1 and 2 are easy to work with

The guys and gals that want to win will often have well thought out questions about stuff in advance.  They are into improving, not bull shitting.  The ones out there to have fun are also easy.  They don’t expect much out of the weekend, and if they have a question, will generally be a softball question.

Type 3 on the other hand…

It is the ones that are out to prove something, wither to themselves, or someone else, that are the issue.  They must like to or somehow almost always end up ruining it for the rest of us.

In the shop I work at, we have internal conversations regarding this issue as well.  Often times people want to come with questions and problems, and rarely offer up a solution.  In our shop, if someone has a question, we work hard to train and teach them to use all of the resources at hand before going to someone else regarding the question.  The race track should be considered the same.

If you are about to go ask someone a question here are a few things to consider before you go.

Picking the right time to ask people for stuff is important.

Step 1: Have some background info about what you are asking.

If you are going to ask about tire pressures, be sure to know what you are currently running pre and post session.  Otherwise there is not a reference point to compare.

Feel has a lot to do with the tuning of a car and each driver will often have a different idea of what feels good.  We deal with this in our enduro car – getting the set up that everyone can work well with.  If you are going to ask about brakes, know what you would want to change about the braking experience (force, feel, pedal modulation…)  Having a plan once you have the answer, is crucial.

Step 2: Don’t go shopping for answers!

The second step is to not ask the same question to everyone in the paddock.  If you are that un-sure of what is going on or how something is or should be.  Then you are in over your head, and you need to take a step back to re-evaluate.

If you have an idea of what you are looking for as far as an answer, and nobody’s reply lines up with what you expect.  Going around to ALL of the people in the paddock until you hear the answer you are looking for is incorrect, and the root of that is that you, yourself are expecting an incorrect situation to be proper, and if people don’t seem to think that is the case, then people will try to prove them wrong, often failing to do so.

This does not necessarily mean that crowd-sourcing solutions will always result in the proper answer but if after asking a few people, who are more knowledgeable and experienced than you and it is not what you’re expecting, it is probably time to re-visit those expectations.

Step 3: Take and actually implement the answers you gathered.

If you are asking everyone up and down the paddock about all of the different things about racing, the cars or machines you race, schedule, timing and all of that.  You are doing it wrong.  We are all adults and should be treated as such when we do events like this.  Just think about how ridiculous you would feel if you showed up to try out for the Seahawks and you brought with you some basketball shoes, a baseball mitt, and your I-pod in its fancy arm band holder.  You are not making that team.

Racing is similar.  If you are showing up and asking questions right out of the truck.  Your best bet would be to get back in the truck, head back home, and think about what you have done, what you want to do, and how better to be prepared for it.  This is not to say that you need to know everything before heading out and trying racing, but this is a more complicated activity than just a pickup basketball game.  It’s important to do some homework and find people who you can shadow and ‘learn the ropes’.

Not the best time to ask this guy about tire pressures he might recommend for your car.

Step 4: Respect people’s time and professionalism

I see a lot at the track, the weekend warriors going up to the bigger outfits and teams, and plain out bugging them about stuff.  This is the biggest no-no I see at the track.  If you need something from one of the big teams, you had better be willing to pay for it.  The guys under the big tents, pay big dollars to have support when at the track.  Going to the people that support racers that are paying to get free advice, is a bit of a slippery slope.  It can cause high tensions since some people are paying to get the same info that you are seeking for free.  The owner of the outfit may or may not be willing to help, but if you come and bring something to the table, then it is great start!

Conclusion: In the end, it’s pretty simple – take what you know, what you can and be sure to have reasonable questions, at reasonable times for people at the track.

If you don’t, you will find it ever increasingly difficult to find solid advice and answers.  One of the main things we learned to love about team driver Gama, is that he will often have very prepared sets of questions dealing with specific items.  We had a conversation last week about new wheels.  He asked if he should get lighter weight wheels to try out.

We talked about the idea (mostly because we all liked it) and discussed the pros-cons of light wheels.  The main issue being that often weight and strength will go hand in hand.  Gama then spent the time to research each wheel option for size, and spacer needs.  We ended up going with a new set of wheels to try.  Each one will be saving 4 pounds per corner but potentially not be as strong of a wheel.

He has asked me questions like this for years, and each time, has proven than he knows what he is asking about, is willing to accept the answer, even if it is not what he was expecting, and will take appropriate action when needed.  He is the type that wants to win!

Light eight, but not as strong. What is weight worth?!

Knowing little is not bad, but being a pain in the ass to everyone and not paying attention to people when you ask for advice is.  Depending on why type of person you are, asking questions and getting info at the track should not be a big deal.  Most participants are eager and enthusiastic, and will be willing helpers.  Asking the big name guys will get you a long way with the correct approach.  Remember that you should be having fun!  Having people be grumpy or mad at you is not fun, don’t be that guy or gal!