- Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:44 pm
#12765
In the spirit of getting some racing/DE conversation going, I'll post my personal feelings about both. Kinda long, but bear with me.......
As background, I raced in SCCA for nearly 20 years with a National Competition License. Won many Nationals (now called Majors), won the June Sprints at Road America and set a class track record in the process, and raced at the Runoffs twice. I've raced a number of cars including Formula Ford, Continental and Atlantic. I stopped racing after a near life-ending accident and was away from the track for over 10 years.
But as you guys know, once bitten by the bug, it doesn't go away regardless of age or time. I returned to the track doing DE's, and have done those for the past 7 or 8 years in the advanced run group. I've gotten bored with DE's for a couple of reasons and find I'm just not enjoying them anymore. Why?: first, it's not racing, and it's not supposed to be. If one enjoyed the wheel-to-wheel competition of racing, DE's just don't cut it. Second, I found myself getting frustrated being on track with all the current level of technology. Specifically, in my comparatively slow track prepared 996, I would drive the proper line (sometimes the racing line, sometimes the DE line) yet I see most drivers of new Porsches miss apex's, use bad lines, etc., yet they will blow by me simply due to the power and technology that allows them to drive any line regardless of whether it's the right line or not.
Now, some might say it's sour grapes on my part, and maybe there's some of that. Perhaps I should take pleasure that with my 996 (Tip w/hand controls, BTW) I keep up with and pass most manual 996's and similar cars. I attribute that to my years of experience, not the car. Maybe I shouldn't care what others are doing and just enjoy being on track, but I guess the competitive streak in me gets frustrated when I'm passed by a prep'd Cayman S or GT3 driver that wouldn't know an apex if it bit him in the ass. Some will say I should go racing again, but I think those days are over for a couple of reasons.
That's my frustration. Everyone pile on and tell me what you think. I've got thick skin and can put on my nomex undies......that I would wear with a driving suit even at DE's..........fire doesn't know if it's a race, a DE, or a track day.
Cheers. :)