Richard EVO
11-27-2005, 11:51 PM
I ran with another HPDE group for the first time this weekend (Nov. 26 & 27) at Buttonwillow -- "Green Flag Driving" which is based in NorCal.* Here is my review:
THE GOOD
They let you run 15 minutes of slow laps (70 mph max. with no helmets allowed) at the beginning of the day.* I like this because it gets some of the early morning jitters out, re-acquaints you with the track, and warms up your tires, at least part way.
3 run groups, not 4.* (Aaron -- are you listening?)
On Sunday (not Sat.), they let me run in Intermediate and Advanced in the morning, and then combined those 2 groups in the afternoon, so that there were only 2 run groups (Beginner, and everyone else).
In Intermediate and Advanced, it's basically open passing, point-bys encouraged but not required (no passing in the turns, but that really wasn't enforced).
Track went hot at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, and skipped the lunch break (for the downside of this, keep reading).
Self-tech.
Nice Sat. nite dinner (pay for your own), and Margaritas (free), good conversation with the drivers -- very enjoyable.
THE DIFFERENT (not really good or bad, just different)
This is a group primarily popluated by older owners of 1960s American Muscle Cars.* Lots of Mustang GT350, etc., with huge, powerful, and very noisy V8s.* Some are very fast, suprisingly so in the turns, where you would think they would have trouble.* Other muscle cars were very slow around the track.
They ran in this order on Sat. -- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.* Never seen that before.
On Sat. I was the only EVO and there were no WRXs.* On Sun. there was one other EVO (never got a chance to talk to the driver) and a couple of Subies.* Other cars included Audi B5 S4s, NSX, M3s (all three generations), Corvettes, a Viper, and a couple of open wheel type cars.
THE BAD
They closed the track at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
They have a confusing flagging system.* There is no flag for stopping on the track.* Red flag basically means the same thing as black at every corner.* Come into the pits.* I have no idea what they do in the event that there is something really bad on track and it is best for everyone to stop.
We ran the same config. and direction both days -- #1 CW.* A different config./direction the second day would have been more fun.
Sometimes hard to get a point by from slower drivers.* I followed an older 911 that was burning oil big-time for about 2 laps without a point by before I basically forced the issue and went past him.* The slower muscle cars didn't want to give point bys either.* Some kind of old-geezer birthright I guess.
The event organizer, Tom, is really full of himself.* He has some strange ideas about HPDE.* For example, timing equipment is discouraged.* In the Sat. driver's meeting, I volunteered that I had set up a Hot Lap transmitter on the front straight if anyone needed to use it.* His response was "we already taped that over" (he was kidding).* How anyone thinks you can know your driving skills are improving without lap times is beyond me.
The price was $375 for a two-day weekend at Buttonwillow, which is higher than you would pay with other groups we know better such as SpeedVentures.
No drinking water, no lunch, no T-shirt, no nuttin' except the Sat. nite Margaritas.* You are on your own.
THE GOOD
They let you run 15 minutes of slow laps (70 mph max. with no helmets allowed) at the beginning of the day.* I like this because it gets some of the early morning jitters out, re-acquaints you with the track, and warms up your tires, at least part way.
3 run groups, not 4.* (Aaron -- are you listening?)
On Sunday (not Sat.), they let me run in Intermediate and Advanced in the morning, and then combined those 2 groups in the afternoon, so that there were only 2 run groups (Beginner, and everyone else).
In Intermediate and Advanced, it's basically open passing, point-bys encouraged but not required (no passing in the turns, but that really wasn't enforced).
Track went hot at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, and skipped the lunch break (for the downside of this, keep reading).
Self-tech.
Nice Sat. nite dinner (pay for your own), and Margaritas (free), good conversation with the drivers -- very enjoyable.
THE DIFFERENT (not really good or bad, just different)
This is a group primarily popluated by older owners of 1960s American Muscle Cars.* Lots of Mustang GT350, etc., with huge, powerful, and very noisy V8s.* Some are very fast, suprisingly so in the turns, where you would think they would have trouble.* Other muscle cars were very slow around the track.
They ran in this order on Sat. -- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.* Never seen that before.
On Sat. I was the only EVO and there were no WRXs.* On Sun. there was one other EVO (never got a chance to talk to the driver) and a couple of Subies.* Other cars included Audi B5 S4s, NSX, M3s (all three generations), Corvettes, a Viper, and a couple of open wheel type cars.
THE BAD
They closed the track at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
They have a confusing flagging system.* There is no flag for stopping on the track.* Red flag basically means the same thing as black at every corner.* Come into the pits.* I have no idea what they do in the event that there is something really bad on track and it is best for everyone to stop.
We ran the same config. and direction both days -- #1 CW.* A different config./direction the second day would have been more fun.
Sometimes hard to get a point by from slower drivers.* I followed an older 911 that was burning oil big-time for about 2 laps without a point by before I basically forced the issue and went past him.* The slower muscle cars didn't want to give point bys either.* Some kind of old-geezer birthright I guess.
The event organizer, Tom, is really full of himself.* He has some strange ideas about HPDE.* For example, timing equipment is discouraged.* In the Sat. driver's meeting, I volunteered that I had set up a Hot Lap transmitter on the front straight if anyone needed to use it.* His response was "we already taped that over" (he was kidding).* How anyone thinks you can know your driving skills are improving without lap times is beyond me.
The price was $375 for a two-day weekend at Buttonwillow, which is higher than you would pay with other groups we know better such as SpeedVentures.
No drinking water, no lunch, no T-shirt, no nuttin' except the Sat. nite Margaritas.* You are on your own.