Little Talladega GP track day

I think Mike has a tentative date for Sept. 4 booked...

 

This track is AWESOME. And almost 100% safe. Even SCCA has Solo II Autocrosses (any licensed driver in any car) there. Granted they cone in the corners and add slaloms to the straights, but they still let anybody out there.

If anybody is interested I have instructed a few schools over there. I know all the F-car owners are one tenth off Schuey's times, but if anybody is a new F-car owner and wants some instruction... I have literally thousands of laps there (we used it for our factory motor-developement) and can offer pretty inexpensive instructional clinics. They usually run about $350-$400 each for a small 5-6 student 8am to 5pm clinic.



Give me a shout if you're interested,
Scott
<><
Siegel Racing
404-388-8751
www.siegelracing.com
[email protected]

 

We usually have at least 2 accomplished driving instructors that offer their services to participants, either in the instructor's track-prepped car or the owner's own car. Scott, we'd love to have you there as an additional volunteer on Sept 4 if you'd like to join us, though the "big cars" drive differently on that track compared to the carts! But I bet they're fun too... I've had the opportunity to drive an open-wheel Formula Ford on that track, and it kept up with the Ferraris in the turns, though of course fell way behind on the straights.

I'm waiting to hear from Tommy Cosgrove to work out the details for the event. Info from our previous events is at www.TradeTutor.com/tgpr/

Mike

 

Right now I am trying to secure several "high-end" instructors. Trying to nail down all of them and a date that works for as many as possible is a bit of a challenge.
I think this is really really important. I went from the 1:20's to around 1:13 with Jim Robert's help in my 308 (the shaved track tires and Brembos helped too!). Driving correctly means faster and a lot more fun.

 

Don't rule out Tom Turner and David Gold who have helped us before. Driving with David Gold in his track-prepped Porsche at Barber is THE MOST FUN that I have EVER had in a moving car! He's quite astounding at getting the most out of his car and the track... and he's also quite experienced at TGPR including instructing there. And Tom's no slouch either -- he went with me as my instructor at Barber and really helped me nail the line.

 

I don't know if I qualify as "high-end" but I've been around there in all sorts of vehicles. I've intructed for SCCA, BMWCCA, karts, and private customers. I'm trying to get "licensed" for the PCA days. As for TGP, I've certainly done the most in karts there, where we run in the 59's, but also in all sorts of cars, fwd, rwd, awd, formula cars, etc. I've got an STi only day coming up on July 15th with one spot left if anybody has an STi.

My recent experiences have solidified the fact that there are many inherent principles in all vehicles. Car control always comes down to the traction circle and weight transfer. Most "high-end" instructors can get in almost any vehicle at a track that they know, and go quite quickly, in very few laps.

I don't know if there is an opening for another instructor (or if I qualify), or if we'd want to set up another day at TGP. We can get on there almost any time...


Give me a shout if you're interested,
Scott
<><
Siegel Racing
404-388-8751
www.siegelracing.com

 

**Edit**

Re-reading my post I sound like I might be a tool. I hope I'm not. For those that didn't notice my other thread, I am/have been the Performance Engineer for Subaru of Gwinnett. Now, with my wife 1 semester from graduating from grad school, the position is going part time. I am trying to make ends meet at least until she graduates. Hence upping my "advertising" for instruction.

I hope I don't come off sounding arrogant. I've been racing for a while, and some people feel that I've gotten to the point that they think I can help them. I also do some coaching (I was a gymnast and then a cheerleader for 8 years) and tutoring (high school math). That, mechanical engineering, and car set-up/tuning/driving are kind of what I see as my marketable skills.

Anyway, thanks again,
Scott
<><
Siegel Racing
404-388-8751
www.siegelracing.com

 

Do you already have a helmet-to-helmet headset communicator like the NADY units? They're a MUST for the driver being able to hear the instructor.

 

All the cars that I've instructed in so far have been coupes. With the race cars we used full 2-ways. In the coupes I've always been able to talk loud enough to be heard (cheerleader ), but I guess for something really loud, or with an open top, that would be great.

I found those Nady intercoms on ebay for $48-$65. Are those the best thing to get? That's a simple investment for me doing instructing, and I bet it would be nice.

If those are the thing to get, I can certainly have them before the next event.

I found two main ones, the Nady and the Chatterbox. I know a bunch of bike riders who use the chatterbox with their wives:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2481884318&category=34284

or:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2481877970&category=10066

or with a FM radio:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2482257057&category=10066

Thanks for the suggestion,
Scott
<><
Siegel Racing
404-388-8751
www.siegelracing.com

 

I've bought several NADY units that the club owns or that we've used as door-prize giveaways. They've worked great. I usually purchase from
http://www.ogracing.com/eshop/home.asp?categ=77

{moderator on}Scott, please leave your 5-line signature off future posts. Feel free to have that information in your profile, though. Thanks! {moderator off}

 

It's looking like Saturday Sept 4 will be the TGPR Track Day. Tommy Cosgrove and I are coordinating the details.

We usually fill up with a waiting list, so keep an eye out, put it on your calendar, and reserve early! Fee is usually in the $169-$189 range.

Details on recent/past events there, including track layout, are at
www.TradeTutor.com/tgpr/

 

Great site. For those that haven't been there, Tally really is a totally different track in each direction. It's a blast and a half. When I instruct there I usually give everybody a few minutes in the skidpad, it helps them sneak up on the limit, and play at and over the limit. Do you want any more instructors?

Scott

{5-line signature deleted by moderator}

 

I tried to do a track day at this track back in March with the Integra Type R club. It was open to anyone that paid and I was going to drive my Jetta. Everything was set up and I was on the way to the track early in the morning and I went over a railroad track (no, I was not trying to imitate the Dukes of Hazard; I had slowed to under 20 mph in what was a 55 mph zone) and my car bottomed out and the next thing I knew there was 6 quarts of oil on the ground. It was a total disaster and ruined my weekend and of course was costly to get it fixed. It would have been awesome to do so I would reccomend it. I did make it there and was able to watch and ride a long. So just a word of warning...Rural Alabama roads can be hazardous so be extra cautious!

Not the greatest pics but thought I'd share:

 

Coming home from the TGPR track through Rainbow City I did the same thing and cracked the front spoiler on my 308QV. Thankfully they've fixed that spot in the road since then!

Mike

 

Tommy Cosgrove is the one to talk to about that. You can reach him through the contact info at
www.fca-se.org

 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll give him a shout.

Thanks,
Scott <><

 

I went ahead and got a set of the Nady Communicators. WOW!!! That is so much nicer. I can't believe I did so much instruction without them. I can sit normally (don't have to lean toward the driver) and whisper and he can hear everything I'm saying. Even more interesting is that now I can hear all the things they're saying. I the louder cars, most students were not able to talk back to me intelligibly. Not that I wanted them reducing their concentration on the track to talk, but sometimes they would try and say something, or ask a question, and we would have to wait until a long straight for me to be able to hear. Now I can hear everything.

Thanks a bunch for the tip.

Scott <>< www.siegelracing.com

 

My pleasure... it's the only way to go. As you said, once you've used one, you don't want to try instructing without one.

Are you going to TGPR on Sept 4?

 

I have called Tommy Cosgrove a few times and no response yet... Maybe he's out of town. I know he's looking for "high-end" instructors. Granted I'm not a big-time Ferrari racer or anything, but I'm not sure there are many people that have more time on Talladega Gran Prix in the last 4 years than I do. We used to rent it for days to do data acquisitioned motor developement. Obviously when you are datalogging you get to know the small things about a track. Now my schools are over there...

Anyway, I know it's super-late notice, but there are a few automotive small business owners meeting at Caribou Coffee on Johnson Ferry at 8. Sorry about the late notice.

Thanks again, I hope to be able to instruct at Tally,
Scott <>< www.siegelracing.com