The Porsche Club of America: Maverick Region
Street Driver Converts!
By Gabriel Garcia-Angeli
Having just recently updated and rebuilt the engine on my 1983 burgundy 911 Targa, it was time to test it, and where better than at an autocross. During a Sunday afternoon browsing of the most recent Slipstream issue, I noticed that during the weekend of May 1 and 2 the Maverick Region of the Porsche Club of America was having one of its series of autocross competitions at the track in Mineral Wells. Although I didn't know what to expect and hadn't been able to attend the Drivers' Ed class held the weekend before, I decided to venture out and see for myself whether autocross was for me and my Targa.
Having attended the Pre-race Tech Session, the morning of the autocross I drove to the MineralRing track, where I was greeted to my surprise by a great collection of over 40 Porsches and other lesser godly carriages, all of them preparing to go on the track. Lanean Hughes and Wendy Shoffit greeted me upon my arrival at the organizing trailer. At that point I realized that it was the prefect moment to confess my auto racing inexperience. Upon my confession, they immediately took it upon themselves to ensure that I went through all the hoops (ie. sign the insurance waiver, register, have a fitted helmet, get a car racing number on the windows, and have a tutor show me around).
Lanean introduced me to John Sandusky, a fellow member with many years of driving experience both on the road and track. John immediately gave me a general briefing of the event and offered to ride with me on the track to get familiar with the circuit that we were running that day. This was important as the course is marked with strategically placed cones, which made it difficult to follow at times. The first lap was a bit heart wrenching and emotional. As a novice, I was not sure of my abilities to control the car and the power ready to unleash from under the hood. Our first lap was at a moderate speed, to allow for paying special attention to the curves and the open areas allowed for coming out of a curve, and the areas where the beast must be tamed down. It was just then when the power of engine rebuilding unleashed.
Having run the first lap without any major incident, I thought at that point I was ready to go on the track with all the 911s, 996s, and 914s. Before the competition started, Bill Dugan held a briefing for all drivers. Race-day rules were reviewed and housekeeping news of the club shared. At the end of the briefing, Brian Scudder, Region President, informed the group that Gregg Murrell, a young member of the club, had passed away that morning. Losing one of the members was a sobering moment, especially when informed about Gregg's great personality, lifetime achievements, and his friendly attitude on and off the track.
Once all the cars were divided into the A and B groups and all posts for corner workers were assigned, all cars participated in a parade lap, and then the racing started. On the entry onto the track, there is a monitor that controls and announces the cars about to enter the track. Those 2 minutes waiting to go on the track have to be one of the most emotionally charged moments of the race.
When you start your car and get in line to start your first set, the first thing you notice racing is your adrenaline! It had been quite a while since I had felt that sense of competition, anxiety, and awareness. Everything is going through your mind...will this be my best time for the day; will I catch up to the 911 Turbo that is in front of me, or will I impede the 914 behind me or even worse - wipe out?
Once you get the signal to go on the course for the preliminary lap, your mind clears out everything and concentrates on controlling the "beast". You realize that you have cars behind you and the clock is ticking in front of you...it is your race! it is right during the warm-up lap that you want to get your momentum going for the 4 timed laps to follow. The first official lap felt pretty good; the surface was dry, the car was handling the track well, and the engine felt just like what it was rebuilt to be.
Once you go around for the preliminary lap and cross the Start/Finish line, the clock starts running, at which time you must prove yourself. My first curve was a bit tight but I made the gates and managed to get a pretty close turn. Oh, it felt like I was ready to go on the NASCAR series, as the car felt energized and I was in control.
Then came a short straight that ends on a 90 degree angle leading to the longest stretch of course. With all the anxiety built in, I stepped on the gas and saw the tachometer race up to the 5000s, which allowed me to go into the start corner and attempt to get out of the curve. Yes, it was only an attempt as I realized that I was going to fast to come out of the curve without missing the gates at the end of the curve or tailing. At that point I tried to slow down by taking the foot off the gas pedal and shifting down. Very soon I realized the reason for the bigger size of the rear tires on 911 Porsches. The car tried to slide out, but I managed to correct it. However, I corrected too much and before I knew it I was spinning a full 360 degrees. I guess at that moment I was automatically welcomed to the select club of the 360 on my first lap. Now, that is full-membership benefits!
At that point, I realized there is a long road to autocross driving. Once the race day was over after the 2 sets for each driver, it was wrap-up time for everyone. A friend with much more experience handling cars and curves, Luis Marquez, subtly offered some advice: During the weekend of May 27-29, Drivers' Ed will be held in Hallet, Oklahoma.
When the day was over, I knew I was no longer just a street driver, but now I was also an autocross driver and a member of the select 360 Club. Hope to see many of you at the upcoming autocross events and should you not care to join the 360 Club, I suggest you join us in Hallet later on this month.
Happy Porsche drivings!