RedHotBolt

Who all is going? This will be my first time on the new section of the track.


Jerry

C6400hp

I am not going, just have too much stuff going on right now...

You will love the new section of track it is a blast and makes MSR alot more challenging and fun. Just be careful until you get a good handle on the new section.

yellow01

I'm skipping too... hit my budget for the year

the new section ROCKS. Most fun I've had behind the wheel in a long time.

Have a great time!

VetteDrmr

Going to be out of town this weekend, but hope to budget in a weekend with TDE at MSR next year.

forhamilton

Leaving Friday morning. See you guys there!!

Chris Hamilton
129

mcintex

I'll be there.

hisvett

Just finished loading up.

rhneff

So what was the general concensus of the weekend? Typical of TDE, better, worse, or ?? Compared to other events at MSR? This was my first event at MSR with TDE, just curious and trying to "calibrate" the event.

The 3.1 is certainly an interesting and fun layout that seems to reward patience and late apexing, and the new section has some harsh penalties for driving too deep into several corners. My only issue was it seemed like it also promoted "trains" of 4, 5 or 6 cars that made passing nearly impossible. But, the new section's downhill run and the blind crest after the hairpin were terrific!

Now if they could just do something about those Mini's .

yakisoba

I enjoyed the weekend. Yellow had a couple of short sessions though, which sucked. Lots of offs, especially in big bend.

The event was pretty typical of TDE events, I guess. I've heard that TDE runs a tighter ship than some other clubs, and is looser than others. For example, TDE doesn't penalize spins.

What group were you running in? I was chasing around a silver C5 quite a bit.
--Yak

RedHotBolt

It was a normal TDE event except for some reason even in red I got behind a few trains. I don't know why anyone would not let a faster car go by in 10 seconds. Pull up behind be and I will point you by at the first passing zone. I love the new part of the track. I does take a little getting used to though.

Jerry

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

There were a lot of cars, and people out there, sorry if I didn't make it over to meet everyone out there but it was great meeting some new and familar faces. To bad I didn't know about it sooner or I would have been out on the track with you guys, fills up quicker than I thought.

If anyone has any questions about their Corvette from the weekend don't hesitate to contact one of us.

Mojave

What group(s) penalizes spins, and what is the penalty?

yakisoba

Porsche Club of America DE rules #21: There is a mandatory Black Flag pit stop for all spins or 2 (or more) wheels-off. Two Black Flags for these or other driving infractions in a day are grounds for expulsion from the event. Flagging assignments must still be fulfilled.

Not ragging on the PCA, as they run safe fun events. You wanted an example, so there you go. They are strict in that two wheels off is a black flag trigger.
--Yak

mcintex

Since I am the noobie at this stuff I will give you some blatant observations...

1. TDE is concerned about safety and is usually run tight.
Example/reference: I have been out twice with them and only mechanical issues have arisen. (No one hurt.) Classes and discussions focus on safety (at least at the lower levels).
2. A different instructor can vary your line and your class.
Example/reference: Another corvette driver was using a different line that was acceptable to his instructor, but when another instructor rode with him for re-classing, he objected to this particular line (for safety's sake).
3. The determination of class (green/blue/yellow/red) appeared to be based on speed.
Example/reference: Another corvette driver went from blue to yellow-solo this weekend. Major change and major challenges. Was his experience level on par for these challenges? He handled it well. Will the next person/car?
4. Yellow run group was over-crowded and had more issues than other run groups.
Example/reference: A group of corvettes and drivers seemed to be packed into the yellow group. Green always has trains. Blue less so. Yellow seemed to be the same way as green. Red was better. Yellow seemed to be trying too hard and having problems. Both last time and this time, most of the mechanical and off-track issues occurred in yellow.

Just my .02

RedHotBolt

Two wheels off at a TDE event and you should be black flagged and go to the hot pit to have your car checked out and to be talked to about what caused the event. Even if you are not black flagged you should go in. Two off and the rule is go to the hot pit.

Yellow run group is where people usually think they belong in red and so they drive over their heads. Certainly not all of them but I hated yellow. Almost as fast as red but wild! Red had it's moments this weekend. One red driver told me he had seven offs (at least two wheels) on Sat. alone. I won't say who it was but he may chime in later.


Jerry

rhneff

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Rick put me in the Blue group because I'd never run with TDE before, nor had I ever run the 3.1. Made things challenging because my car is set up pretty well and I was on 710's so the car (silver Z06) was faster than most in the group once the driver figured out the track. I managed to be first on track all four runs Sunday and that helped a lot, at least for the first 3-4 laps .

The silver Z06 you were chasing in Yellow is a good friend of mine and an excellent driver, national-level autocrosser. Rick was going to move me up to Yellow Sunday so he and I could dice together but as noted the group was just too crowded. Turned out I was glad he didn't, I got four relatively good sets in with no yellow/black flags.

yakisoba

Agreed. It may be that that should be the rule, but it's not enforced. If you go all the way off, or spin, you will likely be black flagged. If you go two off you will virtually never be flagged in, save if a corner worker sees something dangling or leaking. It's not totally consistent, because of what gets seen and so on, but I can say that I've never been pulled in for two wheels off at any track event TDE has run. I like it that way, as it results in more track time. Most of the time, two off hasn't hurt my car.

I'm a conservative driver though, so rarely put it in the weeds. Likely why I'm running in yellow and having fun. It is a wilder group than red, so it keeps me on my toes. It was quite crowded this weekend though, esp. Sunday. More cars == more likely to have a shutdown, which is exactly what happened twice on Sunday.

mcintex

But my favorite was "hisvett" doing a BIG off at bigben. Made the rest of us feel "human".

hisvett

Thanks Cliff! I'm happy to see that someone got a out of it!

Jerry, what are you driving (white C6)??

I have to with the safety of TDE, I think that are one of the best in the country.
Mike

forhamilton

Redhotbolt - Nice to meet you Jerry!
Yakisoba - Good seeing you!
Anthony - Thanks for coming out and helping!!

hisvett/mcintex - Did we meet? What is are your names and what were you driving?

As far as offs, I had two. One very minor and one where I dropped a tire just before turning into big ben causing me to take the shortcut through big ben. Not fun. I will have the car re-aligned.

TDE has always appeared to me to keep safety in the forefront. While they do not punish you, they will pull you aside if your driving begins to endanger anyone.

As far as the "guy" that had 7 offs.....The best one was at big ben where it appeared that he never let off. I was behind him and it was quite entertaining. Looked more like a power boat with an 80 foot rooster tail.