DE, Why Bother?

[mooty]

Originally Posted by Dell

Fatih, I stopped posting regularly in the racing/DE forum over 2 years ago for the very things I stated above. This place (GT2GT3cup.org) for us to share info reminds me much more of the 996GT3 subforum on Rennlist. There is an immense amount of repsect and commraderie amongst the guys. You rarely ever see a smackdown there. The racing/DE forum it is a daily occurrence and just makes you not want to visit.

Just 3 short days from now I'll be on my balcony watching the climbing esses with a cold beer in my hand!

the racing forum on RL is the most useless forum there is. a few post real content, the rest made no sense to me. the best is just to chit chat when ppl meet on track. but if i was racing, i dont have time to chat.

[mooty]

reter, you should really visit CA and talk some sense into me.
i think you are very right, no, not the renegade tractor part, but racing is a job....
maybe i will quit after 2011 heehee...

[SH || NC]

Originally Posted by FTS

I just want to drive and want the car to be reliable not to mess with it. The social aspect of a DE as well as instructing makes my weekend every single time.

+1

Originally Posted by Dell

Just 3 short days from now I'll be on my balcony watching the climbing esses with a cold beer in my hand!

+cold beer

One of my favorite shots when I first went to VIR with the local guys in my 996 C4S.

[Dell]

Great shot and that one was one awesome weekend!

[KJinDC]

Unfortunately over the past 2 years I haven't been able to do as much of either race or DE as I would like. I both race and do DE. And I enjoy each for different reasons. I'll agree that DE is like a vacation and racing is going to work. However, for me, I guess it's like having a job you enjoy. I find racers to be just as social as the DE crew. Maybe I am lucky that a fair amount of people that I DE with are racers as well.

I'm not going to be the next Nigel Mansell so I don't need to pore over data for hours after the practice or qualy session when I race. My race car is out of class and certainly not optimized so I have little chance of winning (NASA GTS3 and PCA I). But, i'm usually at the sharp end of the grid and I have fun safely racing those around me. Maybe I'm the aberration since I don't care if I win so long as I am competitive. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I optimized my car to chase that last tenth of a second. I also realize if I put Pobst in my car, he'd probably pull of a win. so it's really not the car holding me back. I love the competition and truly dancing with the car on that edge and I miss that at DEs.

I love the relaxed nature of DEs. Often i go with my mother (60+ y/o and a transplant recipient!) and I enjoy the bonding. At the DEs, I can skip a session if I want or I can ride with other instructors and pick up tips or I can spend extra time talking to my student about what they are doing and why i do things a little differently perhaps. The lack of intensity throughout the overall event is refreshing.

I'll continue to do 5-10 DEs a year and hopefully race more than the 2-3 times a year (win or lose) I've done lately. Both types of events bring their own rewards.

-KJ

[Crazy Canuck]

Originally Posted by Dell

I started my DE career and was immediately hooked. I had no idea such a thing existed where you could take your car to a race track (like the pro racers do) and legally participate in such a dopamine and adrenaline rush.

Going to a DE is almost like going on vacation where racing is like going to work. The stress level at the DE is almost non existent.

Feel the same way.

I like hanging out with my buddies. BBQing at lunch. Drinking beer at the end of the day and I like that I can go out and blast for a session or just pass and repass my friends for fun. It's amazing what can be learned by constantly driving offline.

I've thought about racing but I don't think I'm all that committed to perfecting setup. I can drive around almost anything. That is why a Lemons type race appeals to me. Minimal $$$ outlay and loads of fun. What's not to like? It is very doubtful you will see me in a CupCar anytime soon. If I took the $$$ from better places I could find a way but I just don't see the point for me. I'm too busy at work and I like to do other things as well. Racing at a high level is another job. A job I have to pay big $$$ to do. Something I really don't need right now although a part of me does see the appeal. Unlimited budget? Different story.

My GT3 is modded. Not because I wanted to go faster. More that I got bored and wanted to try something new. I figured it was cheaper than buying a new car. And it was. And Mooty was a bad influence. I'm like him though I typically use all my tires until they cord. Then I can't believe how much stick a new set of tires has.

I like that I can blow off a session at a DE if I'm not into it or ride with another instructor. At an open day I like arriving mid morning and going until I'm tired and think I've had enough.

I enjoy DEs.

[Larry Herman]

I love to race - period. Give me a choice between a great DE venue and a so-so race, and for me it is not a choice at all. Take everything that you get from driving at a DE, and that is just a small part of what it takes to race. Tweaking the car in practice to get it working as best as possible. Getting that perfect lap in qualifying. And in the race, trying to stay in front of the car behind, while trying to pass the car in front, while planning on how to deal with slower cars, while driving for all you are worth on autopilot is what makes it for me. Passing a car because you can, not because they let you. Plus it gives me the opportunity to only worry about myself for the weekend, something that I get very little time to do at a DE or otherwise. And who can resist those $10 trophies!!! That is why I race.

[FTS]

Originally Posted by Larry Herman

And who can resist those $10 trophies!!! That is why I race.

[SH || NC]

Originally Posted by Larry Herman

Tweaking the car in practice to get it working as best as possible. Getting that perfect lap in qualifying....trying to stay in front of the car behind, while trying to pass the car in front, while planning on how to deal with slower cars, while driving for all you are worth on autopilot is what makes it for me. Passing a car because you can, not because they let you. Plus it gives me the opportunity to only worry about myself for the weekend, something that I get very little time to do at a DE or otherwise.

That's my DE weekend right there....

[Larry Herman]

Originally Posted by Larry Herman

Tweaking the car in practice to get it working as best as possible. Getting that perfect lap in qualifying. And in the race, trying to stay in front of the car behind, while trying to pass the car in front, while planning on how to deal with slower cars, while driving for all you are worth on autopilot is what makes it for me. Passing a car because you can, not because they let you. Plus it gives me the opportunity to only worry about myself for the weekend, something that I get very little time to do at a DE or otherwise.

Originally Posted by SH || NC

That's my DE weekend right there....

Really? I guess that I haven't been attending the right DE's lately. I always thought that you needed a passing signal. Plus the one big thing that I left out was that you are running against relatively similar cars, and it mostly comes down to the driver, not the guy who spent more money on his car.

[jenk12m]

pboc super solo group, no point by required

[TRAKCAR]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUGjvEXdNz8

Long, but fun to watch I think. No point by's lot's of blocking..SuperSolo DE

[Larry Herman]

It's not racing.

[TRAKCAR]

No, it's relaxed.

You see me shift? you shift faster om your way to the supermarket :-)

[jenk12m]

not racing but still fun. getting the free beer from someone else is our 10$ trophy