Skip Barber at Sebring 27 March to 1 April

Well I just finished the 3-day school at Sebring today. I've got tomorrow off and then I start the 2-day advanced school on Tuesday.

I'm glad I did it. I pick up more stuff with every school (this was my 3rd racing school but first Skip Barber) and I had a great time. I recommend the open wheeled cars. THis was my first school in an open car and while working on braking stuff (no ABS) it was educational to see the wheels lock up and feel how much pressure it took to lock them up in the braking zone. What was educational was just how that pressure changed with changes in the surface and the speed.

On a food note (and what talk about racing would be complete without food and beverage?), I've been to the Wild Turkey and to the Inn on the Lake Chicanes Restaraunt. I had a decent Filet at Chicanes and the Prime Rib at the Wild Turkey was pretty good from what I understand. Wild turkey isn't for the fient of heart though. I'm sure any women there (other than the lovely ladies we came in with) had many teeth. Which is good and bad I suppose.

Cheers,

Trevor

 

Ha ha. I like the pic.

I've given some thought to racing. in a few years I may just do the Skip Barber season. Right now, I'll probably jump on a Race weekend one of these days to get my regional or National license. Then do a race or two a year to stay current. However, the reason I do these driving schools has little to do with a desire to go racing. I do enjoy the experience though.

 

Ha ha. Yeah, I have been racing once and it was certainly fun. I might go racing someday, but right now I'd rather do an occassional trackday.

The instructors on the Open Wheel side were Keith Watts, Jonatan Jorge, and Fernando Licopoli for the 3-day. In the Two day we had many of the names mentioned above plus Bruce McGinnis.

I really enjoyed the 2-day as it was essentially a lapping session with pros. I learned a lot by chasing a rabbit.

 

Cross post from another site I frequent, but I thought some here might enjoy a lap around Sebring.


Thanks guys. It has been a great Spring break, but the vacation has to end someday, might as well be tomorrow right?

Sebring is a great track. It is historical and has not been repaved in a long time. So long in fact, that you are actually driving on the same pavement that Fangio drove on.

It was about 84 degrees today and sunny. That made each lap nearly identical to the one before it. What a great way to spend a day. Tearing around a 3.7 mile 17 turn road course. That said, let's take the car out for a lap shall we?

The car is a 2.0 liter formula car that weighs about 1100 lbs before my fat but sits in the c0ckpit. They generate about 150 bhp and about 400 lbs of downforce.

Were screaming into turn 17 at about 117 mph. Wait, wait. Now, turn in hard, get the car rotating, straighten the wheel a little bit and...down shift, BING BING 4th 3rd gear turn. Trail the brakes, rotate the car, add power. Full throttle, shift to 4th at the exit point. Heading down the front straight away now. Shake the hands, check gauges, point the car diagonal across the track so that it is pointed to the turn in point at the other end of the straight. Flying lap now.

Shift up to 5th at the painted start finish line. Full throttle. Full throttle. It is a sequential gear box so no clutch on the up shift and really fast Jackie Chan feet on the downshifts. To up shift we just grab the gear level, add rearward pressure and quickly release throttle pressure and jump right back on it.

Were doing about 105 right now. Zinging the car under the bridge, light brakes down shift YUNGA to 4th. Trail the brakes in. Easy does it, that wall is really hard over there to the right. Add throttle. Hear the tires whine. Add throttle. The tires are mad. oh. oh. Slipping...bumps...add throttle. APEX FULL THROTTLE. Drifting...sliding catch it. the car goes light...drifting up on to the paint at track out. Wheew, we made it through turn one. I think I just saw someone tuck behind the wall at turn 3. We can catch em!!

Sail through the bend that is turn 2. Coming up on a flowing section for turn 3, 4 and 5. We're mid-track, the engine is wound up to the end of 4th gear. POP POP POP rev limiter. Brakes, hard, hard, lock up on the left front, ease off a little pressure. its rolling. Carrying a lot of speed into turn 3. Trail the brakes, rotate the car. Back end is loose, let it rotate. ON power. add throttle. Full throttle Through turn 4. Lining up the right side. Lift! Light brakes turn 5. On power, full throttle. Coming down to the Hair pin. The car up ahead is red. We'll get him by turn 14-15. That's our goal.

Full throttle down the "not-so-straight" straight away into the Hairpin at turn 7. A hard first gear right hander.

Brake cones coming up, 5th gear. Full throttle. Full Throttle. 400 ft marker, Full throttle. 350 FULL THROTTLE. 300 BRAKES BRAKES. No loch up. YUNGA, YUNGA, YUNGA, YUNGA. First gear. Snap the steering wheel in and pop off the brakes. Good rotation. Pointed, throttle. Full throttle. BING 2nd gear. Full throttle through turn 8. BING 3rd Gear. Full throttle. BING 4th gear before Turn 9. Turn 9 Full throttle. Coming up on 10, 11 and 12.

400 ft
300 ft

BRAKES HARD!! lock up on the right front. Give it the kind of pressure relief that only God and I know about. Its rolling. YUNGA, YUNGA..2nd gear, still hard on the brakes. Turn in hard right, Trail the brakes, Add throttle, full throttle. Left for turn 11, left for turn 12, both at Full throttle. BING 3rd. BING 4th. Coming down to turn 13. Good deep banking. POP POP POP Rev limiter.

BRAKES! YUNGA 3rd gear turn. Toss it in at a speed that seems WAY WAY WAY too fast but it will stick. Trust in the grip. Drifting out to the exit. We are flying now. The downforce is working hard. The wind is violently buffeting our head and trying to rip off our helmet. You can feel the vibration of the car in your shoulder blades. This ROCKS! The red car is about 5 car lengths up and we are closing fast. They must not have trusted in the grip at turn 13. Our helmet quites down. Slip stream. You feel the heat of his exhaust. 2 car lengths.

Turn 14 "Bishops Bend" is a very fast left hander. We make it one big left hand 5th gear turn. The Red car sees us. His hand comes up. VICTORY. we pull out of the slip stream and the increased drag on his car pulls him back. We slip by and tuck in front of him back on the racing line.

Coming into turn 15, "Gendebien Bend". Hard on the brakes YUNGA YUNGA, down to 3rd gear. Trail the brakes. Squeeze the throttle. The back tires are screaming in pain. Pitch the car back to the left for "the Kink" before turn 16. The LeMans Curve.

Turn 16 is a fast right hander leading onto longest straight. We give a light brake and turn in smoothly. On the throttle. Slide the rear a tad...FULL THROTTLE. BING 4th gear at Exit. FULL THROTTLE. Check gauges, shake the hands and wrists, deep breath. Check mirrors. There he is. The red car just got on to the back Straight away with us. BING 5th gear.

Carry the speed deep into the braking zone for 17.

400 Full Throttle
300 Full Throttle 118mph
200 Turn in hard, Full throttle

Pass the Flagger at the Apex and HARD on the brakes. YUNGA, YUNGA 3rd gear. Trail the brakes, turn. Add throttle. Drift the car out to the track out point. Good lap!

I just finished 5 days of this, lap after lap, after lap. Big thanks to the boys at Skip barber for honing in on my skill level and giving me things to work on that have made me a far far better driver than I was last week. Time and Money well spent.

The karting kid (the red car) even shook my hand after the session. Good kid and actually a very good driver. He was faster than me yesterday.

If anyone is game for doing an Advanced 2-day course at another track someday, keep me in mind. Probably not this year but maybe next year I'd like to do a new track. I have a personal goal to do 2 new tracks a year.


Cheers,

Trevor