I was reflecting back on the past 13 months since I got my 68 Camaro back on the road with all of the v3.0 upgrades sorted out and realized just how many events I was able to attend, how the car performed and it really got me stoked.
Between late October 2014 and the beginning of December 2015 I:
- put over 9,000 miles the car
- attended 6 Open track days
- attended two Optima USCA events
- attended my first SCCA autocross
- attended around 25 different days of autocross total
- all done without trailering the car to the events
I embarked on the upgrade path to make the car more fun to drive at the track and autocross which was a 100% success. The car is indeed so much more fun to drive now and also so much faster. Four of the road coarse tracks I attended this year, I had attended in previous years and at each of them I dropped my lap times considerably. I won my first autocross and went on to win a few of them and even more top 3 / podium finishes.
ha ha you guys crack me up. Maybe my ability to handle the "upright" seat is the fact its a fairly comfortable seat. Compared to some of the seats I sat in and especially the aluminum seats I probably wouldn't of been able.
Tom, I like your photo choice. Gee I wonder why you picked those two cars ha ha. I'd like to start the season off strong but Sunday will be a game time decision. I should know for sure Saturday but I won't know before then :/
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...
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
& "Warhawk" 
which my pocket book and current storage capacity don't need...
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