Photo Gallery: Racing Experience

A random Groupon that coincided with my birthday led to one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had in my life. It started when I received a Groupon for a Formula Driving Experience at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia.

I was familiar with the track because it was one of the places I considered going for my bachelor party – to race go karts. I shouldn’t really call SPMP a track; it’s a road racing and driver training complex. It has four tracks – three for car racing/driver training and a fourth for go karts.

It was about an hour drive, and the Groupon was 55% off, so I told Nadia I was thinking about buying it. She offered to get it for me for my birthday, and it was on!

There was some initial confusion with my registration and confirmation due to employee vacations and lost emails, so I called the racing school. They did not receive my registration, but they took care of it over the phone. Unfortunately, when I called they only had 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. available on Saturday. I opted for 8 a.m. so we could do other things that day. I also asked about size restrictions and I was well under the thresholds.

Later that night I received my confirmation package. It contained directions, an insurance explanation, a car selection/contact form, and track rules and instructions.

I read the packet about four times… not because I didn’t understand; it was because every time I did, I would get super amped about racing around the track.

There were even instructions for Nadia. Those basically said that if “your driver” seemed to be getting passed by everyone out there, don’t worry, they’re still having a good time. They also said to move if the track officials tell you to and to follow directions.

The instructions for me focused largely on telling me to stay hydrated and to wear light clothes due to the driver suit. Dress for the weather.

The Friday before my Experience, I hydrated religiously because I wanted to make sure that I could be at my best for my laps on the track.

This desire also led me to scour YouTube for every video of laps around the Jefferson Circuit at SPMP that I could find. The problem was that the track is configured to run in both directions and before the drivers’ meeting; I didn’t know what direction we would run.

So, naturally, I watched videos in both directions. I was looking for braking points, turn-in points, apexes, and exit points. After about the 15th time, I was starting to get the hang of it. I actually found myself moving my feet as if I was shifting while watching the videos. I was determined to post respectable speeds.

That night, I got everything ready for the trip up to SPMP – we had to leave by 6:30 a.m. to get there 20 minutes early, as the packet instructed. I was ready, and was pumped. It was hard to sleep Friday night. It was like trying to go to bed on Christmas Eve as a kid.

I had no trouble getting up and probably annoyed Nadia a little because I really wanted to leave. (Nadia was making coffee… wasting precious seconds. LOL!)

We got on the road a little before 6:30 a.m. I was nervous and excited at the same time, and had to remind myself not to speed on the way there.

A little over an hour later, we were driving up to the gate. I told the lady there that I was doing the Formula Racing Experience. She handed me a clipboard. It was a standard release. You know, “By doing this you could die and if you do, the track is not liable. You also waive your right to sue if you get hurt…” I faked like I was reading it – mostly for Nadia’s benefit – and signed it.

Nadia needed to sign it too. She gave it a quick scan and signed too. We proceeded up the twisting road and followed the signs to the Jefferson Circuit. My blood was pumping now…

We parked and went inside the building next to the track and I checked in. When you check in, they up-sell like crazy. “Do you want to purchase extra laps, photos, DVDs, a Formula Car?” (Well, no… they didn’t really ask about that last one.)

The most important thing they try to sell you is insurance. You pay $70 for insurance coverage with a $2,000 deductible. If you decline, you’re liable up to $15,000. This was no surprise, as it was in the packet I received.

I mulled it over and opted not to purchase the insurance – I’d be super careful and plus, racing is just in my blood. I don’t spin. Right?

Then, Nadia went to take some pictures of the cars and the driving class began. The instructor’s name was Mark Ebert. He’s also the owner of Drivetech “because no one else wants to be,” he said.

He instructed us to pick out driving suits. They run small, so pick up a size larger than you wear normally, he said. After we made our way to the back table and got suits, we all just kind of stood there, looking at them.

Only one guy started putting his on. The rest of us watched him but still were figuring out the best way to put them on without looking like idiots. Mark told us sitting down and taking our shoes off would be the easiest way. Mine was pretty baggy.

Minutes later, we were suited up and ready to go. Mark asked if we had ever been on this track or ever drove Formula cars before. No one had. So, he explained the cars to us. They were “perfectly balanced,” which means if you shift incorrectly or brake incorrectly, you WILL spin. About now is when I thought, “Perhaps I should have bought the insurance.”

He explained that you always want to “drive beyond the nose of your car.” That means, look where you want to go, not where you are. This is auto racing 101 – having done auto cross clinics and performance driving events, I knew that much.

He then told us the ideal gear for each part of the circuit. Coming off pit road and heading into turn one (a hard right) you want to be in fourth gear, drop down to third and rev match. If you don’t rev match, he said, you’ll lock up the wheels and SPIN.

Now, I am familiar with rev matching, but have never done it. Without going into all the boring details, it just means that you have to rev the engine while downshifting to ensure the fastest acceleration off of the corner. But the way Mark explained it was uber confusing.

Looking at our confused faces, he was like, “Once you get on the track it’ll make sense and you’ll get it.” Much like (I suspect) everyone else, I was nodding like, “Yeah, I got this,” when I was thinking, “God, please keep me safe and from spinning off of the track and into the trees lining Turn 1.” (By the way, who puts TREES in a corner on a race track with no barrier or tires or something?!?!?!?)

Anyway, he continued walking us through the track map, pointing out turn-in points and apexes. Then, when he got to Turn 5, he told us there would be a double apex. A double apex? None of the videos I watched had the double apex. It’s simple; the first apex is when you want to be the closest to the inside of the turn. The second apex is when you want to move to the outside of the turn to ensure you have the best line heading into the second corner. (Basically, it’s telling you to diamond the corner – NASCAR-watching is paying off.)

The final turn (really Turns 8 and 9) was treacherous, he said. You’ll be coming off the backstretch at full throttle; you’ll go through turn 7 wide open (if you have the guts) and then get hard on the brakes into 8. Eight and 9 combine to make “almost a hairpin,” and Mark said someone would get in too hot (fast) and spin right into the tires. “I just know it,” he said. “Oh why didn’t I buy the insurance,” I thought.

After the talk-through, he gave us instructions on passing. Passing is only allowed on straight-aways. They will instruct you to move inside and lift off and let the other car by. Or, you can point them by, if for some reason your radio is broken. Don’t point them by in a corner.

Also, don’t dart back to the outside if you get passed, as there could be a second car coming. The cars have mirrors, Mark said, but they’ll be vibrating so bad you’ll only be able to make out colors.

Then, he made us put our hands in front of our faces. We extended one hand out and looked at it while keeping the other hand right in front of our faces. He noted that we could still see both hands. So, again, look where you want to go, not where you don’t. If someone spins in front of you, if you watch them, you’ll be pulled to them like a magnet, he said.

If you spin and are facing oncoming traffic, don’t move. He said wait until they give you the “all clear” to move. He implied that if it happened, you should use the time to calm down after you’re done relieving yourself. He said they throw the driver suits away if that happens.

After all of that, he said as soon as we get behind the wheel, we’ll forget everything he told us. We’d start to think, “I’m a bad man! I got this. I was made for this. I was born to race cars.” So, he said, the most important thing is to remember to be smooth and follow directions.

Now it was time for a couple of laps with Mark to see the circuit. He told us we would be in a rental car. He also mentioned that this is exactly why you don’t buy rentals because you never know what they’re used for.

I’ve got to admit, I thought we would cruise around the track with him telling us braking points, turn-in points, etc. Instead, he whipped us around the track like we were driving a Formula car. (Note: Mitsubishis do not handle or ride like Formula cars.)

The tires sang and we leaned A LOT. I was in the back so it was hard to hear over the tires and engine. I managed to make out some of what he said, though. I was ready.

After the rides were over, it was time to climb into the cars. I was the tallest person there, but there was another guy there who was bigger than me. He was broader/wider than me. We would have to share one of their larger-cockpit cars. That was fine because I was still going to get my full, seat time.

The guy climbed in the car but couldn’t get completely in. It was “tight around his shoulders,” Mark said. He said since I was taller (he may have been being nice) he would put both of us in race-prepared Porsche Boxters.

I am pretty certain I could’ve gotten in the Formula car, but I didn’t say anything. Looking back, I should have. But, I didn’t. Part of me knew that I wouldn’t have gone as fast in the Formula car because I would’ve been worried about wrecking without insurance. Still, I should have at least tried.

Mark told me to hop in the Porsche because the big guys were going out first. My Boxter had Tiptronic, which is an automatic that allows the driver override the auto gear changes using a “+” to shift up and “-“ to shift down. I was slightly disappointed not being in a Formula car, but a Porsche would have to do.

I got in and Mark mentioned that all production cars have understeer so I should be prepared for that in the corners.

I got in, posed for some pictures and waited while the track spotters got into position. While I was waiting, it happened. I thought to myself, “I’m a bad man! I got this. I was made for this. I was born to race cars.”

Mark, driving a pace car, led us onto the track. We would do a couple of laps behind him and then he would wave us by and we could go as fast as we wanted. As we slowly approached each turn, I would look for a visual marker so I knew where to brake, just like a real race car driver would.

There was a little access road right before Turn 1, which seemed like the perfect marker. Turn 1, in my opinion, was more treacherous than the hairpin Mark thought would result in a crash, so I really wanted to be sure I hit it right.

The first lap, I was right on Mark’s tail. I was braking a split second after him, and I felt really comfortable. I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest because I was so amped.

The other guy was a few car lengths back, but he was keeping up as well. We both stayed in the racing line and all was good.

Lap 2, Mark sped up a little (we were doing 45 mph) and I still kept up. The car felt good. The Tiptronic was sluggish on the changes, but it was more fun than driving an automatic. (The other guy got the stick-shift.) I looked in my rearview and the other guy was about 15 car lengths back.

Lap 3, Mark got up to about 60 mph. I kept right with him up until Turn 5; I didn’t quite make the second apex so he got off the corner much faster than I did. I chased him down the backstretch and was gaining on him when we hit Turn 7.

It was a high-speed corner and we were supposed to brake after it, right before Turn 8. But, I didn’t have the guts on lap 3, so I lifted. That’s when he pulled away. I caught him coming out of the hairpin and we headed into Turn 1. Again, I stayed with him till I missed the second apex in Turn 5.

Coming off of Turn 5, he ducked inside and waved me by on the outside. It was on! I took off. Turn 6 was my first full-speed approach to a corner. Up to this point, there was always a car in front of me, so there was a reference point of when to brake.

This time, no car, no reference point. Plus, there was a hill so you couldn’t actually see Turn 6, when you were coming down the straight-away from Turn 5. So, I lifted a bit, got hard on the brakes and turned as hard as I could when I saw the turn-in cone.

The tires squealed a bit, but it stuck. I got off the corner really well and got hard on the gas. When there is someone in front of you, it’s easier to know when to brake and to anticipate the corners. When it’s just you, the straight-aways seem to get shorter and the hills get taller, if that makes any sense.

Jefferson Circuit is 1.12 mile track. The straight-aways look long on a map, but are short in real life. And Turns 1, 6, and 8 sneak up on you. It’s a lot shorter than you think.

One second, you’re flying down what looks like a long straight-away, the next you’re barreling down on a corner. In this case, it was accident corner, which also had two apexes.

I did remember Mark’s simple command and I got hard on the brakes, down-shifted, and threw it into the corner. I really felt the understeer Mark was talking about.

When I tried to move outside to hit the second apex, the front tires squealed and I slid up the track. My diamond was not that good for this corner and it really screwed up my exit speed.

The good thing was that I didn’t carry too much speed into Turn 1, so I didn’t need to worry about losing it. Having done driving events before, Turns 2-4 were easy. But, I was on lap 5, and I still had yet to hit the second apex of Turn 5. So, I went for it.

This time, I got closer, and really could feel how much of a difference it made coming off the corner, but I still hadn’t hit it correctly. As I approached Turn 7, I held it wide open deep into the corner, got hard on the brakes and I hit both apexes in 8 and 9. I also was getting faster: hitting about 70 mph on the front stretch.

After several laps, I began to wonder where the other dude was. He hadn’t been in my mirror since lap 3, so I didn’t know if I was faster or if we were running the same lap times. So, I started seeing if I could see him through the trees (a big no-no because of the, if you look there, you will go there lesson…)

As I was coming off of Turn 6, he was coming down the front stretch, heading into 1. I was thinking, “I can catch this dude…”

Every lap after that, I would peek and I would see him later and later. I was gaining on him!!!!!

When I began to think I could catch him, my lap times got faster. I’d like to think that my racing line improved, too. But, I’m not really sure that is the case… but for the sake of this posting, let’s assume I was hitting my marks like I was the Stig.

I was pulling every ounce out of the Boxter that I could. The “brake wear” light was on and the tires were squealing, but I was gaining on him.

On one lap, late in the run, I came off of Turn 9 and was heading down the front stretch at about 82 mph before braking for Turn 1. Much like Turn 6, there was an elevation change, which made it harder to see Turn 1 when you were far away. So, I was looking for the access road (my braking point).

As I approached the hill, I thought I would dive it into the corner, braking AFTER the access road. That meant braking a few feet before the turn-in cone (Just FYI, when cornering, any friction you use for braking cannot be used for cornering. That means if you brake, do it in a straight line and lift off the brakes before starting to turn… Thank you Forza Motorsport 2 for Xbox).

I wasn’t sure if there would be enough time to actually get the car slowed enough for the hard right turn, but I was going to try.

Just as I came over the hill and turned to look at the apex (look where you want to go, not where you are), I got on the brakes H-A-R-D; so hard that the car was on the verge of sliding.

It was at this point that I noticed something out of the corner of my eye to my left. I peeked and it was a groundhog coming on to the track.

Once I saw that groundhog, I became more aware of the understeer in the Porsche. (Understeer is when the back tires have more grip than the front and the car feels like it won’t turn, even though you are turning.)

I though I was going to slide into the groundhog and obliterate it, despite my best efforts to avoid it. I may have actually said, “Sorry, Mr. Gopher…” out loud because I thought I was going to kill him. (I thought it was a gopher, until I Googled pics.) I’m fairly certain his little groundhog life flashed before his eyes. But, down shifting on the Tiptronic pitched the car forward enough to give the tires grip enough to carry me through the turn.

The Porsches didn’t have radios, so I worried the guy behind me might hit it, but I couldn’t warn anyone. On the next lap, I was a little tentative getting into 1, but there was no groundhog or groundhog carcass, so I assume he scurried off without incident. Whew.

A few laps later, I refocused on the task at hand, catching that other dude in the Porsche. At this time, I also started to wonder when it would be over. I felt like I logged a lot of laps and I was getting smooth and fast. I also kept checking the pits for signals that it was over. I didn’t want to keep running and hold others up because I missed a signal to pit.

As I came off of Turn 6, which allows you to see all the way down to Turn 7 and 8, I saw him. He was one straight-away away. “I can catch him!” So I mashed the gas and whipped it around Turns 8 and 9.

As I came off 9, he was pulling into the pits, and I was being signaled to pit.

Blimey! If I had two more laps, I could’ve caught and passed him. But, the session was over.

We got out of the cars and chatted for a minute. He did not see the groundhog. He also mentioned that he got into the Formula car and when they put the shoulder straps on him, he got claustrophobic, which is why he got out of the car… not because he was too big, which is what I was told.

Had I known that, I would’ve definitely tried to get into the Formula car. Again, I should’ve told them I wanted to try. Oh well, lesson learned and it was still fun.

We stuck around to watch the guys run the Formula cars, mostly because I didn’t want to get in the Civic with my adrenaline pumping to the max. They ran considerably slower than I did in the Boxter. It may have been partly because the guys were first-timers and they all seemed nervous (some of them did not buy the insurance), and partly because it feels like you’re going faster than you are.

I think I told Nadia that I would’ve been passing all of them if I was out there. What can I say… machismo.

Mark told us in the class that there was a rev limiter chip in the cars and that no one cares if you hit that chip. “Make ‘em sing,” he said. No one did that, though. It was much slower and more laid back, which I liked. So, if I do it again, I will definitely choose the early bird crowd where the people are more chill and you don’t have to worry about some nut who thinks he is Michael Schumacher driving the Nürburgring.

Another benefit of the early morning crowd is you get first use of the driver’s suits. Once you’re done, you put them back, sweat and all. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to drive in a damp suit and helmet that has been used by other sweaty guys… but that’s just me.

All in all, this was a memorable birthday and it was loads of fun to drive the track, even if it was in a Porsche Boxter. I can’t thank my awesome wife enough for giving me this experience. I can’t wait to do it again! Check out the photos here.