Hot Weekend at Barber

Participated in a weekend Chin event at Barber Motorsports Park in AL.

Still getting accustomed to the 992 Cup, it’s a lot of car and quite a step from the Ferrari. The clutch to engage the transmission takes a bit of getting used to, as do many other features of the car.

Car does not yet have a Cool-suit setup, and at 92 degrees it was unpleasant in the heat of the afternoon.

A few pics from the Porsche crew, most of us came up from FL. Couple of very talented driver and also a pro coach accompanying the group to give on board lessons.

Barber is a great lap, more of a momentum track.
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I'm curious about the clutch comment. Is the P-Bug a stick?

 

Barber is the only noteworthy track I have not raced on yet. It looks like a fantastic track with good facilities. Porsche has a big presence there so that must mean something. I'm not sure why SCCA does not make more a presence there. I think they have one regional race there every year and that's it. It hasn't even made the Majors tour.

 

The track and facilities are great. Porsche does indeed have a large presence there. After running it a few times (was there last year in the 458), I wish it were a bit longer, like another half mile or so.

It’s got lots of twists and turns, lots of camber and elevation changes, etc., but is more of a momentum track.

Length is virtually the same as Road Atlanta, which is a high horsepower track.

 

Dale,

Porsche six-speed sequential dog-type gearbox, paddle shifts, but……..

In order to save weight, it has a clutch in order to put it into gear (1st or reverse), so yeah, three pedals.

The clutch is very small and sensitive, and it requires some skill and getting used to.

If you watch some 992 race vids, you’ll see them nailing the throttle and popping the clutch, which is probably the right way to do it.

Once you’re off and rolling, no clutch is required if that all made sense.

Not very practical for HPDE and kinda a PITA for me as I could care about a few extra pounds (I love the Ferrari DCT), but it comes with the territory.

William

 

I'm an old motorcycle guy. One of the first things you learn is how to do clutchless shifts, up and down. You just feel it. I'll admit, it is harder in a car. That said, I brought a 2009 Cayman when the PDK first came out. The first time I took it to the track, I was laughing the whole time. Forget the flappy paddles. Just drive. The car is better than you are.

 

last i saw the facilities were not big enough for the SCCA and Barber thought that crowd was too ruff on them

place is maintained like the biltmore and they like to keep it that way

 

Barber is a fun track. Anyone going to the December Chin event at Sebring?

 

In all likelihood. Hope it cools down by then.

 

Here's a clue for y'all. The Barber family were carpetbaggers. That's okay. All that was a long time ago.

 

So how is SCCA too big but Indy Car is not?

 

25-30 indy car teams vs 100+ for scca?

the great unwashed...

 

Not sure what unwashed means but IMSA is not that big and they sometimes split up the categories. If Portland can host both and so has NOLA then they should be able to also. Given the location, turnout would be exceptional.

 

One of my favorite tracks running with my favorite group, Chin!!!!! I am so JEALOUS...in a good way! I miss track events so much but after running 14 years it's no longer in the cards for me these days. Maybe in the future we will see. My last time at Barber was in 2016. UGH.
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Anyone going to Barber HPDE on 16-17 November?

 

Barber was a blast, most likely won’t be back this year. Not sure what I’ll be doing in Nov, most likely Sebring or Atlanta.