So it has been a while since I updated this thread so I thought I would catch it up on two events I've attended in 2016.
First up I attended the
Vintage Auto Racing (VARA) University in January. I heard through the grapevine this was a great event and for $400 to take a two day school in my own car i was pretty pumped. I was really looking forward to honing my driving skills. Sadly, I didn't do more research and the event itself left me with mixed impressions. On the positive side, the classroom and in car instructors were all super friendly and VARA goes out of its way to make things safe.
The biggest con for me was that these instructors really only teach very basic fundamentals. If you have the basic line down and aren't a mess behind the wheel there isn't a lot they will teach you. My class instructor finally hooked me up with my 4th incar instructor who really could provide some solid feedback on driving and gave me an area to really focus on (braking zones and some trail braking advise). This has sent me in search of a way to make toe heel shifting possible again. Since moving to manual brakes and changing to a DBW throttle pedal it hasn't been possible.
The other nits I have about the VARA U is that they had a record turn out of 120+ cars and the off track drills were way overcrowded. The on track wouldn't of been too crowded but between period correct (i.e. slow) vintage cars and drivers with zero track experience I was held up in lap traffic all weekend.
The format of the event is:
Saturday
- 5 cone slalom (similar speeds and spacing) to a standard slalom at an SCCA autocross.
- Skid pad exercise where you are supposed to exceed cornering grip and get a feel for what it feels like.
- Braking exercise. Very similar to an Optima USCA speed stop challenge but on a shorter course.
- 2 sessions on the road course
Sunday
- 3 or 4 sessions on the road course
- a couple of practice race starts if you have a race prepped car
Due to the crowds I only got two attempts at the slalom and a single attempt on the skid pad. The brake challenge I could of done more but I only did it 2 or 3 times to dial in my rear brake bias.
If you are new to track driving and are looking to get a solid understanding of the basic fundamentals then the class might be a good fit for you.
Here is video of some laps from the event.
Oh and one other negative, is that I now want to try vintage racing
which my pocket book and current storage capacity don't need...