|
It was a dark and stormy night . . .
Actually, the "All in One" three day
driver's school at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Georgia started
on a cold and drizzly day. Most of Friday and Saturday were drizzly,
while Sunday finally saw the sun again. Sunday also brought gusty
winds early in the day and cooler temperatures as the day wore on.
The appeal of finishing all of the SCCA school
requirements in one weekend, the early date in the racing year, and
Savannah's central location in SEDIV combined to produce a great
turnout for the event. I am told that around 125 prospective race
drivers entered the school. The total vehicle damage accumulated by
the group over the weekend was very low, especially considering the
large number of novice drivers.
I guess by now I am getting to be a career novice
since this is the third time I have gone through the process of
earning a Regional Competition License from scratch. This time I drove
an ITB Volkswagen Scirroco that I rented from Mike Ogren of Protech.
The car handled predictably, pulled strongly on the straights, and
never missed a beat. Mike was always checking to be sure both car and
driver were running well, and I certainly recommend his services to
anyone who needs to rent a car. (Check his ad on the Buccaneer Region
home page)
As with all SCCA driving schools, the first morning
was filled with classroom lecture about the meanings of flags, rules
of the road and basic race craft. The audience of mostly inexperienced
drivers listened attentively as the representatives of the various
specialties did an excellent job of explaining what to expect and what
to do to during a race weekend. From my own experiences, though, I
thought more time could have been devoted to explanations of how to
prepare yourself physically for racing (dealing with heat in the
summer, not eating a heavy meal before driving, staying hydrated,
etc.) and some of the physics of high speed driving (such as the
friction circle).
The balance of the first day was spent on track.
First we went on foot, then "station wagon tours" with
instructors, and finally we graduated to driving our own cars with
full safety gear at reduced speeds behind a pace car. The purpose of
these exercises was to demonstrate the proper driving line around the
course and familiarize the drivers with where the flag stations are
located.
The schedules for Saturday and Sunday were
essentially identical to each other. Both days were filled with
sessions that alternated between driving on the track and discussing
techniques with our instructors in the paddock. Each day was scheduled
to finish with a five lap race for each group.
The biggest disappointment of the weekend came at
the end of the last day. What was supposed to be two practice starts
and a five lap race deteriorated into fairly complete chaos for the
race group I was in. The first practice start went well enough as
everyone made it through turns one and two without incident. The
problems started when the rocket pilot (though certainly not rocket
scientist) on the pole never slowed to pace lap speed after having
been shown the double yellows commencing at turn three. Since everyone
had been fussed at on the previous day about not keeping up during a
pace lap, the drivers in the first few rows were torn between dropping
back and trying to stay with the pole sitter. Naturally, since there
was nothing remotely resembling a paired starting grid, the next
practice start was waved off. Finally, after the pole sitter still
kept his right foot buried, the group received a black flag all about
mid way through the next lap. The group was brought into pit road and
an impromptu drivers meeting declared. A golden opportunity was missed
when, instead of invoking the relevant sections of the GCR and
assessing appropriate penalties, the group was simply fussed at and
dismissed.
As much as I hate to say it, I came away with very
mixed emotions about the school as a whole. On the plus side, the
instructors, workers and officials I came into contact with were
generally very knowledgeable, professional, and enthusiastic about
sharing their knowledge and encouraging newcomers. On the down side,
the pressure to get the required track time logged in a three day
weekend meant some important issues may not have gotten the attention
they deserved. And, as I mentioned, the procedure of handling of an
obvious infraction in other than the GCR prescribed manner sets a tone
for new drivers that concerns me.
-- Art Thompson
|
