The First Step to Glory: The 3-Day Competition Course

To be honest, I'm not sure what really inspired me to take the 3-Day Competition course from Skip Barber Racing. The thought of real racing has always been stuck in the back of my mind since I quit road racing motorcycles a few years ago. Perhaps a combination of seeing fellow sim racers jump into the cockpit coupled with the desire and curiosity I've had about racing real autos spurred my phone call to SB (Skip Barber) racing.

In calling, I was planning to "eventually" take the course and was going to do it on a weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun). But, in discussion with the guy on the phone, he told me they were offering the June 17-19th course for $500 cheaper to fill it, since it wasn't sold out. So, after a week of serious thought, I made the call and stuck the $1775 on my VISA. I decided to make a week vacation out of it, visiting my family and friends in San Jose for the week and driving to Laguna Seca each morning the 17-19th for the course.

Upon arrival Tuesday morning, everyone was issued a firesuit, and a helmet. I opted to use my own motorcycle helmet, which they allow (motorcycle helmets apparently have a different Snell certification than auto racing helmets). When it hit 8:30, the instructors had everyone take a seat and they started with the typical intros for everyone. There was a good spectrum of experience in our group. We had your regular "just wanted to come out and have fun with no intention of ever racing" all the way to a guy with years and years of karting experience who had a full ride in the Formula Ford 2000 series with an IRL team (the team Jim Guthrie is on, forgot the name). There were a number of guys who also had autocross or karting experience as well. Then there was me with motorcycle roadracing and years of practice in computer simulations. Only a handful of guys were planning (or contemplating) on racing in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series.

The 20 of us were split into 2 groups of 10 that would alternate driving the 10 Formula Dodge cars. The 2nd and 3rd days, the group not driving went to one of the turns with an instructor and watched the other guys run.

The classroom consisted of discussion about our driving exercises of the day, and all the "basics" of racing. Racing lines were discussed, and terms were explained. Coming from a racing background, both real and simulator, most the discussion was review, but a couple things were characteristics of auto racing that I wasn't aware of.

The most notable one, which EVERYONE became intimately familiar with was TTO, or "Trailing Throttle Oversteer". Basically, this is when you're going through a turn at a pretty fast speed and lift off the gas. When you do this, the rear of the car will get loose on you. How loose depends on how close to the traction edge you are and how much you lift. On corners like the hairpins (T2,11) and T8 at Laguna, TTO is great if it's controlled and used to help steer you around the turn. On the rest (3,4,5,6,8a,9,10) it's something you really don't want and can get you into trouble big time. Of course if you don't control TTO in the hairpins, you'll just loop the car, which happened ALOT thoughout the school.

The exercises that were explained were the slalom course and the "heel-toe / double clutch" downshifting. In the slalom exercise, the instructors told us that on the 4th or 5th pass, they would tell us to get the car sideways and recover. They proceded to explain recovery. The double clutch downshifting was also explained, and made sense from a technical perspective.

One thing to note, all the instructors were hilarious. They kept all of us in stitches most of the time when teaching. They've all done this for a long time and have seen just about everything. They had great commentary and stories.

Ready to Rock

Our first exercise was a slalom course in th Formula Dodge cars. This was to familiarize all of us with the handling characteristics of the cars. The first outing in the car, it felt absolutely awesome! The thing turned, accelerated, and broke on a dime! It felt like an extension of myself going around each turn. If I think "left" I went left. It was nothing like a street car; the weight was well balanced from front to rear, and the suspension was very stiff and responsive.

After a few runs, the guys told us to pitch the rear out using TTO and then recover. Not too difficult. It gave us a good feel of the car and what happens when it breaks loose.

After we were done with that, we took a tour of the track in the Skip Barber van. The instructor pointed out the orange cones they set up for braking and turn-in markers, and showed the group the proper lines.

They let us out on our own for a couple laps to explore the track. After that they brought us all back together and talked about the next exercise - the "lead/follow" exercise. We followed the instructors who drove in Neons around the track. We did 2 sessions for 6 laps each session. This made us even more familiar with the track.

After this we regrouped again and did the heel-toe, double clutch downshifting exercise. This was kind of weird at first, but it came to me fast. I thought I'd have to be much more precise with the engine RPMs than was necessary. You really just needed to give the accelerator a hard push to get the revs really high, and it downshifted like butter. But, my mistake was that I did exactly what the instructors said and double clutched. This bit me bad later. One of the instructors even admitted to us on the last day that his personal opinion was that double clutching was far outdated and unused. I guess the schools standpoint was to learn it and then you know it if you ever need to use it later (like if your tranny is going bad).

After that we went back to the classroom to discuss the day's events. That was it for Day 1 of the course. After some thought, I was really thinking I might be in auto racing for the long haul. So, after the classroom was over, I went to the Laguna Seca store and shelled out 140 more clams (on the VISA, of course ;-) to buy some OMP racing shoes. They're really nice, durable, and, I found out later, grip the pedals extremely well and provide great feedback - much better than my Nike racquetball shoes.

Day 2, we all get there on time, anxious to jump back in those Formula Dodge cars. There is a video playing of in-car camera footage of one of the test drivers flying around Laguna in the Formula Dodge car. Everyone watched intently until they instructors peeled us away to start the classroom.

We were also introduced to one of the Skip Barber test drivers, who does photography and video work. He gave us a handout for prices of pictures and in-car video. $40 for the professional pics, and $50 for in-car footage of you while running on the 3rd day. I thought about doing both and said... hell yes!

Our classroom time was spent going over race procedure, starting, flags, and braking. We talked about the exercises we would be doing for the day - the braking exercises, along with staged laps by ourselves. Staged laps meant that we had to stop at the staging area on the start/finish line and wait for feedback or continuing if no instructor had any comments for us.

The instructors again took us around the track while the other group did the staged laps. Throughout the 1st day and today, the instructors kept warning us about turn 6. Imfamous turn 6. "Show turn 6 big time respect!!", was a comment echoed by all the instructors. In the Skip Barber van tour of the track, the instructor pointed out the sequence of paint and skid marks on the inside wall of turn 6 and named off the class of race car that caused those. While going up the hill, he pointed out the marks as we were going, "there's our cars.....there's the Barber Pro cars.....there's Toyota Atlantics.....and there's CART IndyCars."

The first thing we did was another "lead/follow" exercise. This was now pretty boring, and we were glad when it was over so we could move on.

Staged laps...now this is fun. This was what it's all about! For the first time in the school, we were able to get a "flow" going without having to let off the gas. What a rush! Going full throttle up T1 and down into T2. However, these first rounds took getting used to. It doesn't seem like you can go into T2 near as deep as you actually can. And, when you've came over T1, you are hauling quite a bit of ass. And, the B-to-A ratio (Butt to Asphalt, as the instructor called it) is so low, you really feel the speed. The talk among us students after this session was mostly how comfortable we felt going into T2 and T8. Did we keep on the gas all the way to the braking marker cones, etc.

The next staged session went even better. Now I was much more comfortable sliding the car around each turn. "A squealing tire is a happy tire" was the motto that the instructors kept saying to us.

After lunch, we stopped the lapping and went to the braking exercises. The first was a threshold braking exercise that had us brake hard after a cone set up before T11. We were to brake to the point where the tires would just about lock up (a little lock up was okay) and just come to a stop on the track. This exercise helped us learn the limits of our brakes, and how fast we could actually stop in these Formula Dodges. We were staged from T10, and sent down to T11 to brake. Then we were sent back around the track to T10.

Our next exercise was to now take what we've learned from threshold braking and apply that to trail braking. Trail braking is still braking a little while going into the turn. The instructors now moved the brake cone closer in and provided a turn-in cone as well.

The other group was the first one to do this exercise and my group (group 2) got to watch. This was real comedy. Four or five guys in a row just looped it in the middle and exit of T11, and about half of group 1 looped the car in T11 doing this exercise. Our group felt good now, none of us would feel bad if we looped.

The sobering fact that we were going pretty darn fast now came aparent when someone finally got into a hard wreck in turn 9 during the first run of our groups outing. An instructor also took the first group up to T9 to watch T8a, so they saw the whole thing. Luckily, the guy was alright, just a few scrapes and bruises. We were all thanking God for that one. The guys in group 1 were saying that he hit the inside wall in T9 really hard. It popped off a wheel and really thrashed the front of the car, totally bending the frame up to the tune of $6000. The guys were guessing he hit the inside wall head on at about 50-55mph. There was a bunch of oil and battery acid on the track from the wreck. About 20 minutes and a pound of oil dry later, we started up the exercise again, and the fellow in the accident jumped into another car and continued.

If you've noticed I was saying "inside" wall, that wasn't a typo. Our old friend TTO was the culprit in this incident. The chain of events (as interpreted by the instructor who saw it) was that the guy went into turn 9 without getting back on the gas and the rear end broke loose. By time he corrected, he was too far gone and was propelled inside, nailing the wall.

We finished off the day with another session of staged laps. This time, though, the non-driving group went in the Dodge Neon cars and drove the track with the instructor. This allowed the instructor to watch you on your lines and turning points and give you instant feedback.

Well, this was it. Our last day of excitement and fun in the Formula Dodge cars. Time to go fast, and time to get that in-car video taken...

The classroom portion today was a talk about passing and the passing exercise we would be doing, review of flags, and discussion of our afternoon session, which would be continuous laps (no staging).

Exiting Turn 5

Our exercise today was on passing. This was set up in turn 5. They put cones to represent a car, and had us dive inside it making the turn deeper on a sharper radius. On this exercise, we were staged at Start/Finish and used this time like normal staged laps with the exercise in turn 5. After a couple sessions of this, they took the cones away and let us do a couple more sessions of staged laps, using the preferred line for turn 5 again. For the last staged lap session, the instructor took us to lovely turn 6 to watch the other group. And, when it was our group's turn to drive, the instructor took the other group to turn 6.

No, this wasn't a crash. Thought I'd say that right off. But, everyone thought it was for sure going to be a crash. Well, I got a little hot into turn 6 :-), got a little TTO, and pitched that Formula Dodge sideways through turn 6. It fishtailed a couple times and I really don't remember what I exactly did, like keep the power on or what, but I recovered without spinning and kept going. I wish I knew exactly what I did. I think I just kept the throttle cracked and corrected with the wheel. That makes sense, because I'm pretty sure if I didn't get back on the gas, the rear end would have totally came around on me.

I was the reality check victim here. Turn 6 was the corner every instructor warned us about, and I got a small taste of it's wrath. And to top it off, everyone in group 1 hanging out in Turn 6 got to see my little blunder. I just really wish I had the in-car camera for that one... Turn 6 is probably the fastest turn on the track (not counting turn 1), being just a bit faster than turn 10. Turn 6 is much less forgiving though. The way turn 6 is banked, cars usually get sideways going in, hook up at the exit since it is uphill, and get thrown into the inside wall (just like the T9 incident yesterday). The faster the car, usually the higher up the turn they went (hence the earlier note from the van tour). Turn 10 has quite a bit of room. One of the students actually spun in turn 10 earlier that day from TTO and never left the asphalt.

Although it was a wet-your-drawers type of experience, I was too preoccupied with my lap to really think much about it. I was aware of how close I came to being a wall mark, but fortunately it didn't phase me too much. I think having the car sideways in turns 3,4, and 10 probably made me familiar enough with the car being out of shape (and in a much lower risk area ;-) that it didn't spook me.

When I got back to the staging point, I knew the instructor(s) would have a kind word or two for me. Never ceasing to be humorous, when I got back, the instructor said, "The psychic hotline says you're about to have a spectacular injurous crash if you don't take it easy".

My problem was all the result of going into T6 just a hair to hot and waiting beyond my turn in point to get back on the gas. I was pushing it a little bit to go a little faster. It was a good learning experience to see what waiting 5 more feet to brake could do to you in a turn like number 6.

The final lapping sessions came after lunch. We were going to get two 8 lap sessions, without any staging. The very last session of the day was when I would have my in-car cam mounted on my car :-)!

To pass in these sessions, you could only pass on the front straight between turn 11 and the Toyota bridge, and between turns 4 and 5 in the infield. And, you can only pass if the guy in front points you by. Any deviation from these rules would result in you getting black flagged and having a word with the instructors in the pits.

The first session was great! I was mid pack at the start (staggered start) and I waited untill the guy in front of me was at turn 4 until I went. This gave me clear track from most of the session. I only got stuck behind someone twice and they pointed me by the first chance they got each time.

At the end of this session, I was greeted by my friend Dave Sparks when I was getting out of my car. He wanted to come and take a look at the 3-Day experience. I'm sure he had a little sinking feeling inside, wanting to be out there himself.

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The last session.... now I had the in-car camera mounted on my ride. I was hoping for alot of clear track to go fast and slide the car around. This session turned out not to be as good as the previous one. I caught a few guys, and two of the guys I caught didn't want to let me by ;-). I had to ride right behind them for a lap until they decided to give me a point by. But, it was still an awesome session! I had a blast, and had a number of good laps.

Once I got the checkered flag, I felt a sinking feeling....it's all over. I couldn't believe it was done. No more track time. Ahhhh...I need more! Kinda seems like a well designed teaser...

Dropping down the Corkscrew

I can't describe the satisfaction and joy from racing these cars around Laguna Seca. It's incredible. The memories of going around each turn, threshold braking into, accelerating, and sliding out of turns 2 and 11. Diving into and accelerating hard out of The Corkscrew. What a rush! The class was worth every red cent in my opinion, as were the pictures and in-car camera video. The memories are wonderful; I'd recommend this for anyone who loves racing or just driving fast. It's an experience you will never forget!

Coming away from the course, I'm pretty much sold on racing in the Formula Dodge series. It now seems like a question of when and where. To be eligible to race the series, you have to take 3 advanced courses (lapping days, or the car control clinic), so I have to get those under my belt by time the West Coast Racing season starts in October.

I definitely plan to do the lapping days, no question. Those are just like we did on our 3rd day. 80 miles broken up in three sessions with limited passing on the front straight and between T4-5.

Comparisons, you ask? Hmm, that's pretty tough actually. Holding the car wide open until the last minute and braking into turn 2 in a real car is nothing like the doing it in the simulator, hahaha! I can't stop laughing about it. 1040 pounds and brake calipers from a Dodge Stealth - those cars brake on a dime, so you can really go in much deeper than you initially think you can. The sensation is unreal, and extremely addicting. I guess from a visual standpoint, there are good similarities. But that "seat of the pants" feel of the car's every movement, twitch, chirp, skid, slide, etc. puts wonderful shivers up your spine.

Once you get used to pushing the car, I think the simulator can be a great tool though. Once you have your car set up right, you can most likely use it to test certain lines, apexes, and see which corners are most critical for your times on the track.

I'd have to say motorcycle roadracing prepared me most for it though. Heck, if it wasn't for m-cycle roadracing, I might have never, ever gotten into ICR or NASCAR/Hawaii/NROS simulator racing!!! Dead serious! M-cycles were my first exposure to "racing." I just wanted to go fast and have fun, but then the competition bug got me. My first half year, I was king backmarker, placing around 40th of 60 and getting lapped at Sears Point in a 8 lap race! No kidding! But my 2nd year, I was determined to get good and started pushing the bike to it's limits (and having my share of crashes and near crashes). By the end of my 2nd year (and through my 3rd) I was placing top 10. Well, enough of that tangent. I got into simulator racing because I had to quit m-cycle racing....ran out of $$,$$$ (yep, those are 5 digits. Back to preparation. Yeah, maturing in m-cycle racing matured and developed me as a racer and gave me a good understanding of being on a track running full tilt with that "seat of the pants" feel.

I think the mental preparation is just as important as the driving skill itself. Competing on multiplayer simulator racing (Hawaii, and soon the NROS) definately hones this part of the racing equation and matures a racer. It's a fantastic form of race preparation.

As I said at earlier, I think the Indy car sim can also be a fantastic tool, especially to learn a track!! I knew every corner at Laguna, when many of the other guys where confusing turns 9,10, the corkscrew, etc. I *REALLY* wish every track that the Skip Barber series raced at had a track in the ICR2 sim! While the finer points of the turns may differ, and some turns may be significantly different on the sim, it still gives you a great understanding of the approximate turn radius, track width, distance from turn to turn.

Comparing the Weapons: