This is a description of my recent track day at Lime Rock with the Connecticut Valley Region of the Porsche Club of America.
I recently purchased an 89 944 Turbo, and I was looking forward to a Driver Ed event so that I could explore the car's (and my) performance in the proper environment (no police, speed limits, idiots behind the wheel, etc). A driver's ed event is the perfect place. The CVR had an event, and I was ready to go.
First of all, getting there was very interesting. I live on Long Island, NY, and I was meeting one of my friends at his mothers' house, which is only 45 minutes from the track. Since his wife was taking her own car there, my wife and 8 month old daugher were going with me. My wife would go to the track with his wife in a separate car. That led to one VERY packed 944. I remember someone asked it is was possible to fit a baby seat in a 944 - it is. I also had a stroller, play pen, and my track equipment. There was not room for anything else. Of course it rained the entire trip to Kingston, but at least the track day was dry.
This was my first track day of the year, and fourth
total. I did three days last year in an 86 normally aspirated 944, but
I was looking for a car with more performance, so I sold the 86, and bought
an 89 turbo. For those of you who are not aware, the 89 Turbo is the same
as the 88 Turbo S, and includes a
247HP engine, really BIG brakes, and a stiffer
suspension.
The day started with a nice drive to the track, with my friend John in his 85.5 944 following me to the track on some nice winding backroads. A very nice way to warm up your mind and car for the track day. At the track, it was time to check in, and go through tech inspection.
Since I am still a novice, I had an instructor with me on the track, and we met before the first run, to find out how much experience I had. When he found out that I had car for only two weeks, and that I had 3 days track experience, he got a little nervous, and starting mumbling something about high performance cars, and the importance of being smooth. After a few laps where he could see that I knew at least a little about what to do, he relaxed, and the fun began.
There is only one word to describe the performance of the car - AWESOME. There is just so much power and brakes available at all times. ABS really comes in handy. It makes finding the braking limits very easy. I was a little worried about turbo lag, and the sharp power delivery of a turbocharged engine, but it turns out there was nothing to worry about. At track speeds, you are always turning such high RPMs that there is zero lag.
My instructor drives a 911 SC, and he was very impressed
with my car. There were more than a few instances where I made mistakes
that he said would have put his car off the track, but the 944's balance,
brakes, and suspension saved me. Since my instructor didn't know about
944s, I got a ride with
another instructor, who races 944 Turbos in PCA
club racing. This way I go to learn the 944 Turbo line around Lime Rock.
I discovered a few turns that I was taking wrong, and I even changed one
shift point. That dropped my lap times about 2 -3 seconds.
Some other things I noticed: Catching and passing
other cars was a breeze. In my 86 944, I really had to work to catch and
then pass other cars. Unless I was right behind going tinto the straight,
the higher performance cars were able to walk away from me down the straights.
Even though I would be faster
in the turns, I could not pass very easily. With
the Turbo, I could catch anyone, and passing was just a matter of waiting
for the passing signal, and putting my foot to the floor. The only cars
I could not just fly by were a new 911 (993), and a 928 S4. The car ran
great all day, and I did about 80 miles of track driving.
Now I have one very dirty car and I can't wait until
my next track day. Due to my schedule, that won't be until the end of May.
At least my car will be clean by then.