Not that most people around here care about using steering wheels or brakes...nor do they want to spend big bucks and wear out expensive parts on their cars doing so...especially while ditching work on a weekday...and getting up hella early...but FYI:

Oregon Porsche Club of America (PCA) has a track day (Driver's Ed they call it, or simply "DE") on Wednesday, May 24th, 2006 at Portland International Raceway. If you are interested, you can visit http://oregonpca.org/ and dig through their confusing and non-linkable frames site and find info on it. This season you have to sign up for a free account at http://www.driverregistration.com to sign up early (before May 17th). Otherwise you can show up at the gate with cash in hand and you can probably get signed up...but signing up late is significantly more expensive.

Everyone who attends will get to see what the other 1.75 miles of track is like at PIR I just looked and a guy with a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale signed up in my run group. Should be interesting to watch/hear it as it screams by me! Those things shift so fast it's incredible. 150ms gear shifts, 400hp, $10K carbon brakes, etc. etc. basically everything you would want in a track monster...

If you've never been on the track, there are free instructors to help you get the basics down. If you just want to watch, it's free. There are usually some interesting enough cars and/or people there to make it worth the trip.

 

If I didnt have to work I'd be there, and if I didnt just start a new job. I'd take the day off.

 

Yeah weekday track days are a PITA but it seems most of them are on weekdays

 

You gonna go?

 

Sounds like a blast! I'll see what I can do to get off of work.

I did a track day with the Alfa Club earlier this year. Can't wait to get out there again.

 

Yep, I'm on the roster running in the "Pink" group. For whatever reason, pink is the color for the advanced group. You even get to put a big pink polka-dot sticker on your windshield to impress your buddies .

 

The Alpha Club is chill I really liked that group when I went last year. Only thing I don't like about them (as well as some other clubs) is they normally insist you pass on the LEFT on the front straight at PIR...effing ridiculous! Every time they say that's going to be the rule at the driver's meeting I know I'm in for a long day...it means every time you want to pass on the front straight, you have to wait for the guy in front of you to realize you are there, pass the cones, then pull to the right and wave you by...and if it's a somewhat fast car you can't get a run on them off the last turn because if you do, and they don't realize you are there and never pull over, you damn near smack into the back of them. It's much easier (and safer) when they just allow the car overtaking to go offline (which means passing on the right on the front straight) and let the slower car just maintain its direction and speed. Otherwise, you have two people coordinating the pass instead of one, which of course makes the pass a full order of magnitude more difficult...and that much more dangerous. Add to that people in cars like certain Lotus Esprit V8 twin turbos tend not to "notice" you right on their *** because they don't want to get passed in front of their friends by a 4-door japanese 4-banger, so they conveniently hold the line, and the corner workers never give them a flag because they just assume that car just passed the little ricer with the big wing lol. It makes for a long day. I think I was on that guy's *** for 2-3 laps, with him crowding me out on the back straight, and then never getting over on the front straight...and when I finally flashed my lights, honked my horn, and squeezed by him on the back...the corner worker on the last turn gives MEEEEEEE a damned blue flag So yeah, can you tell I hate the "only pass on the left" rule hehe. Their reasoning is they believe people are more comfortable because that's how they do it on the freeway. I have news for them, in Europe yeah nobody passes on the right on the freeway. But this is America, and Americans pass all over the damned place lol.

 

haha well said. does pca pass on the right. the bmw club passes on the right. makes sense to me, for the same reasons you stated. just seems safer.

 

I feel you on that one. When I went, there were few guys like the Esprit V8 guy you spoke of. It really feels like your session is wasted when that happens.

 

HEHEHE hopefully this season is better than last. The answer is YES...and NO...

I can remember one day they decided the first session was to have passing on the left only, then the 2nd session was to have passing on the left if you were beginner or intermediate, and passing on the right if you were instructor or advanced. Then all afternoon sessions were to have passing on the right except the beginner group. Needless to say, that was a damned scary day...people were confused as hell, passing wherever, whenever, and no amount of explaining the stupid *** rules over the PA system did any good...I think after that it's been pretty much passing on the right though, but it really depends on what they pull out of their a$$ at the driver's meeting...

EDIT: That particular day might actually have been at the tri-club track day, I can't honestly remember for certain. I THINK it was the PCA club day though...

 

Ummmm.. Sounds interesting, I'll see if I can make it.

 

I'm actually not going to make this track day now, I'm going to a private one the day before that should be more fun!!!