TD in DC
02-21-2006, 01:14 PM
Here is a video of the start of my first (sorta) start with 44 cup at VIR. This race was the Sprint on Sunday, which was very cold but dry. I started the race on Saturday in the snowstorm. It was slick as snot, I was slipping and sliding even on the pace lap, and several cars went off. On the third lap, I went off at T17 and slowly slid down the hill into the tire wall. No major damage, but I got stuck in the mud and could not regain the race. As such, I received a DNF. The results of that race were used to grid the race on Sunday. As such, I was gridded at the back of the pack, with only those who did not attempt to race on Saturday behind me.
Since I did not finish the "snowfest" race, my primary goal for this race was to finish cleanly, because I was concerned that it would become an "issue" for me if I did not finish my first two races. As such, I drove very conservatively.
I had been doing very well in all of the practice starts, but in this race, I pulled a rookie error: I didn't realize the green flag had dropped until long after everyone else took off. This was a weird start because all of the cars came to a complete stop in roller coaster, and then, as the video shows (the video starts right after we started rolling again), everyone basically stayed two by two even after the green flag dropped, which confused me because in all of the practice starts the cars go nuts when the green flag drops. I thought something had gone wrong with the first start. Eventually, I figure it out and catch up by T1.
The video, particularly when viewed on the computer, does not do justice to the chaos. When we came around the corner, there were cars stopped. When I realized they were stopped, I aimed just right of them, which put me only two wheels off. There were two cars to my right and people squirting off everywhere.
The same thing happened going through snake and up the esses. There was dust and cars going off, and at the top of the esses there was a car stopped right in the middle of the track.
It was a lot of fun, and I learned that the traffic doesn't bother me a bit. I finished mid pack, behind the fast group and ahead of the slower group, which was OK with me given my goals for the race -- to finish cleanly. I must say, though, that it was a little difficult to focus during the middle of the race because nobody in my class was near me, so I was driving with cars from faster classes zooming past me. My goal for the next race is to hang with the faster guys so that it will be easier to focus.
You know the drill: right click save as.
http://homepage.mac.com/porschenosubstitute/FileSharing21.html (http://homepage.mac.com/porschenosubstitute/FileSharing21.html)
Since I did not finish the "snowfest" race, my primary goal for this race was to finish cleanly, because I was concerned that it would become an "issue" for me if I did not finish my first two races. As such, I drove very conservatively.
I had been doing very well in all of the practice starts, but in this race, I pulled a rookie error: I didn't realize the green flag had dropped until long after everyone else took off. This was a weird start because all of the cars came to a complete stop in roller coaster, and then, as the video shows (the video starts right after we started rolling again), everyone basically stayed two by two even after the green flag dropped, which confused me because in all of the practice starts the cars go nuts when the green flag drops. I thought something had gone wrong with the first start. Eventually, I figure it out and catch up by T1.
The video, particularly when viewed on the computer, does not do justice to the chaos. When we came around the corner, there were cars stopped. When I realized they were stopped, I aimed just right of them, which put me only two wheels off. There were two cars to my right and people squirting off everywhere.
The same thing happened going through snake and up the esses. There was dust and cars going off, and at the top of the esses there was a car stopped right in the middle of the track.
It was a lot of fun, and I learned that the traffic doesn't bother me a bit. I finished mid pack, behind the fast group and ahead of the slower group, which was OK with me given my goals for the race -- to finish cleanly. I must say, though, that it was a little difficult to focus during the middle of the race because nobody in my class was near me, so I was driving with cars from faster classes zooming past me. My goal for the next race is to hang with the faster guys so that it will be easier to focus.
You know the drill: right click save as.
http://homepage.mac.com/porschenosubstitute/FileSharing21.html (http://homepage.mac.com/porschenosubstitute/FileSharing21.html)