My first 911 w2w race.

Since this new section is about experiances, I'll share this one for those that enjoy the performance and speed of their Porsches.

Here's a story that appeared in Esses this year, I just thought it might inspire some of the canyon carvers to seek an organized track event. As most know AX or big track events are great places to tune your suspension with sway bar adjustments, discuss set ups with 911 drivers that are running quicker lap times than you and to tune up your own driving skills with meaningful instuction from 911 racers that are also certified instructors. I think it's the POC slogan that goes, Think you're fast, prove it (at the track).

Here's my story from canyon carver to w2w racer.

Racing the early 911 at the California Festival of Speed March 26-28, 2004,
Fontana California.
http://www.pcasdr.org/club/index.html


Above all else I would like to thank the San Diego Region, Vince Knauf and all of CFoS volunteers that helped orchestrate this exciting event. I too attended several Wednesday evening pre event meetings and assisted at Announcer liaison.

Here’s a hobby racer’s recap of his first wheel to wheel race weekend

It amazes me how long the 911 has been raced. The excitement that we all receive from pushing our limits to meet our Porsche’s potential has been enjoyed by Porsche drivers/racers for half a century. I had the pleasure to do this recently during a 1 hour Enduro race. This 1 hour Enduro was held at the California Speedway Roval. A Roval is a long and fast NASCAR straight and steeply banked turn combined with an infield road course.

First a little background

The artwork on my car is similar to Peter Gregg’s 1973 911 RSR. In 1973 Gregg’s car won both the Daytona 24 hours and the Sebring 12 hour races. The rear wing with the raised element seen in these race shots adds helpful down force on tracks with high speed sweepers. I do prefer to install the period correct ducktail when I drive it on the street.

Over the 4 day California Festival of Speed (CFoS) event I stayed and camped at the track. My 47 car run group (one of 4 separate groups following the same format) participated in 5 mandatory driver’s meetings, 5 hours or 300 miles of wheel to wheel racing, warm up sessions, qualifying sessions, practice starts, ½ hour sprint races, and a 1 hour Enduro race. In addition, a Porsche Owners Club Time Trial and a Porsche Club of America Drivers Education were conducted as well.

Time between races was spent conducting routine car service such as air pressures, fuel, oil, sway bar adjustments, tire changes, reloading the video camera and the cool shirt ice chest. This was also a good time to check/resolve a mysterious rubbing noise on the 135mph NASCAR bank. Racing forces all of your senses to work overtime. Seeing a wisp of smoke in the cabin you quickly attempt to diagnosis its origin. These distractions can act as a disruptive force, compromising your attention on your car, the track and your competitors. I experienced tire smoke from the occasional locked brake, oil smoke from a ruptured oil return line and the unique smokey smell of CV grease splattered onto the hot headers. These mechanical issues require quick and sure judgment before your next 130+mph charge through the NASCAR banking. In my 2 previous years of Auto Cross and Time Trial racing, a bum starter was my only mechanical issue. If you saw me Sunday, I was a little tired having replaced two half shafts at 7am.

Hours in the pits were spent on mostly minor repairs helping others or being helped, solitary moments of boredom/exhaustion. Enjoying the company of all the friendly Porsche guys that dropped by with positive reinforcement and bits of pit gossip keeping us informed of what was happening at the event outside our little universe.

Driving the NASCAR oval was a thrill. My early 911 with a 3.2 and close ratio gears was flat out at 7,000rpm and 130+mph nearing the end of the straight. Now slowly set the car for the left bank and continued through the long left bank flat out, never having lifted the throttle until exiting the bank and braking hard for the 35mph second gear entrance to the infield road course. Drafting at 130mph then slingshot passing flat out in 5th on the bank is the fastest I have every driven.

This race weekend was much like others before and after. The difference being this was going to be my first wheel to wheel race.

Saturday Enduro Race results

There was a large turn out of Kevin Buckler’s “Racers Group” Cup cars. Yes, I shared the track (for a moment) with the same blue Racer’s Group #68 that was at the Sebring 12 hour race just a week before. My 1969 911 qualified in the middle of the pack at #32. Qualified in the top spots were a dozen 996 Cup cars, 996 twin turbos, 996 GT3 Cup and two brand new 996 GT3 RSR Cup cars. These cars were driven by about 10-12 guys who are also in the ALMS series, Grand Am, Speedvision, 24 hr of Lemans. It was going to be a meaningful challenge for my first wheel to wheel race. No pressure!

I had a clean start and after a few laps I got into a comfortable zone, passing and being passed.

See Photo regarding the following paragraph.
My only real moment of the weekend happened at the 10 minute mark. The race leader was reeling me in quickly. It was an entry driven by Cort Wagner, his co-driver was Pat Flanagan. My lap times were in the high 1:50s, Cort’s lap times were in the low 1:40's, he ran 1:41 Fast Time Day, so closing speeds were an issue. He was trying to get a good lead so he could turn it over to a slower driver and still be in the chase for the overall win. Down the back straight flat out in 4th at 100+mph I was not aware of all that. I did know a carbon fiber ground gripping road rocket had me in his sights and I did not want to slow his progress. Exiting turn 11 the second chicane I tracked out right as normal, seeing Cort in my mirrors I stayed right and pointed him past on my left. I had thought he would pass me under power on the straight and I could then tuck in behind. We were over 100mph side by side, I was in the marbles with a Cup car next to me on line. Regretfully Cort did not catch me till the end of the straight as we entered the brake zone. Now I was off line, on the right side of the track slowing for a right hand turn. It is likely I did not properly adjust my brake reference point forward which resulted in my brake lock up. Cort was now on my left side ready to come across my front bumper from left to right. Cort completed his key hole rip hitting his inside apex not leaving me a lane through the turn. More drama under braking as I flicked the car to the left attempting to get behind, this caused the rear to step out. This all makes for a great photo opportunity. I’m locked up, sliding sideways, counter steering at 50mph just a foot or two off the leader’s rear quarter. As serious as it may appear we did not touch and I didn’t go off. As intense as it was for a moment, after Cort past the apex my car slid right back on line. It was a surprise to me just how quick it was over and how well my car recovered. It was an important lesson for me, stay on line.

See next post for the last half of the story.

My car handled well during the entire hour. Near the end I did get black flagged and had to take a 2 minute stop in the pits. My infraction was that during the mandatory 5 minute pit I left 19 seconds early. My pit timekeeper was distracted (he was timing 3 of us) and let me go early. No sweat, so anyways the race had started an hour late and the sun was low. Actually the sun went down during the last 10 minutes of the race. Most cars were not prepared for night racing, and the track’s lighting system was not going to come on either. Some of the Cup cars had very bright headlights. As you glanced at the approaching bright lights in your mirrors your scan was quickly forced forward trying to regain your night vision. Then again some of the Cup cars did not have headlights, in the mirrors they appeared as high speed darting shadows difficult to track. So when it was all over, I had finished a respectable 2nd in GT3S class. Just 90 seconds out of 1st in class, my 2 minute black flag penalty was costly. Still no sweat, my first wheel to wheel race, what a kick in the head!
By just over a second, Cort Wagner did win the 1 hour Enduro.

I did receive a very nice and supportive letter from Laura at Hergesheimer Motors, the owner of Cort’s Cup car. She ended her letter with, “P.S. Don't worry about our car just because it is new and fast, we don't think that way. Yours is just as important and precious to you, probably more so. It has more hard labor, sweat, hard to find parts, and heart than the new cookie cutter Cup cars”.

Saturday eve after the race we hurried off to a banquet dinner we were late for. It was not until Sunday morning at 6:30am, John Risvold and I diagnosed the cause of the light smoke my car had emitted during the Enduro. Both my outside CV boots had failed. Sunday morning we did a quick 2 hour repair and replaced both half shafts.

Sunday 1/2 hour Sprint race

Sunday I qualified 10th for my 47 car ½ hour sprint race.
No factory Cup cars in this race. My race was good; I dropped a few spots and made a few spots back. I was running 3rd in class/10th overall at the halfway point. Then I started to experience a noticeable push that really slowed my cornering speed in T 5 and 6. A small pack caught up to me with 2 laps to go and I dropped to 14th overall and 5th in class. 4th in class crossed the line just 4/10th of a second ahead of me.

A serious thanks to John Risvold. He was not racing so over the 3 day event he made himself available as a very dependable resource for our pit group of 8 early 911 cars. He could write a chapter on everyone he helped. One example was his willingness Saturday morning at 4am to pick up a monoball in Long Beach and get it to the track at 6am leaving Jae time to reassemble his trailing arm and make his 8:30am run group. Thank you John. John’s wife Gloria and her friend Sheila treated us to a huge ice chest with lunch and all the fixings too. Thank you ladies.

Mirage International owner Jae Lee provided some exceptional pre event suspension tuning. In the races he did quite well in his heavily modified 911. He and also Dave Quesnel were a great help servicing my car between races.
Thank you both.

Again thanks to all of you that visited our pit area providing us a little more encouragement to push ourselves a little more every session.

I can tell you I have been thrilled with the PCA performance driving experience.
Starting with the parking lot/track AX, DE, TT events to pointing by the best at the CFoS.

I hope my first hand account will motivate others to try an organized track event too.

Thank you for your interest.
Mike Gagen
San Diego Region PCA.
R Gruppe #231

Good write up Mike. Best wishes at the track.

Sherwood

who's the goof checking your tire pressures....???? looks like he's about to tip over....!!!! ;) :D