Zak77

I'm a new C5 owner, having had my car for just under 3 weeks. In the pas I owned Miata's, an S000, 3000GT, 300ZX etc but nothing like the C5. I promised myself I would try to actually use the vette for racing and took it out this past Sunday at the Philly SCCA event. What one hell of a great time!!!!!! Day was brutal hot but I have not had that much fun in a long time. Biggest disappointment was only having 4 runs. I could do that all day long.

I was quite a humbling experience though. Seeing miata's, mini's, VW bugs, and even a beat up 92 Sentra with bald tires beat my Pax score was hard to take. I finished pretty terrible, getting 11th out of 20 in the novice class. I did manage to drop my times by almost 10 seconds though. Keeping all that power under control in an autocross course is a workout, but at least I can hang my head high in that I finished each run, did not hit a single cone nor do any 180's.

The best part though was meeting Tony Savini and his codriver Jeff. I actually ran into him on my way to the event and met up with him once I was there. What great guys! Gave me a lot of pointers, showed me a thing or two but the best was getting to ride in Tony's C5 during a run. That was an intense 58 seconds!!! Though I need to get Tony's email somehow as he has some parts I'd like to buy.

I'm pretty addicted now. I find myself looking around at my other hobby stuff seeing what I can sell to fund tires, trailer, etc and seeing when I can get on the course again. I'm looking at hitting Dover this Sunday though my wife is not happy with that choice. It's fathers day after all and I should do what I want right???

I'm also looking for HDPE. If anyone knows of schools in the PA/NJ/DE area please let me know as thus far I have not found anything yet. Love this C5 more and more everyday.

amallano

Corvettes are better in HPDE, in my opinion. Very different when youre on a 1.8 mile course w/ a 1/2 mile straigth. Forget about the time and enjoy the ride!

http://www.hookedondriving.com/home.cfm
http://www.scda1.com/

rayk

If you like autox, you'll love HPDE's. A lot more seat time and less sitting around. I went from drag racing to autox to get more seat time and then found HPDE's. Way more fun.

JiminVirginia

You are lucky getting a ride from Tony Savini, the best instruction you could ever hope for.

It's an intense sport.

Jim

Zak77

I think the best part was watching Tony climb into the truck of his FRC, and wiggle up to the drivers seat to back the car off his trailer. Took me a few seconds to figure out what he was doing!

Such an incredibly nice guy. He gave me a few tips/pointers while he was making his way to the start line then told me to just sit and watch during the run. It was hard not to giggle like a little girl while being flung around that track in his FRC.

argonaut

For HPDE there are plenty of opportunities in the area. Tracks include Watkins Glen, Pocono and New Jersey Motorsports Park (also Monticello, but that is a private track). A little further away you have Summit Point, 2 hrs west of DC. All these tracks have driving events of some sort most weekends and several weekdays. Many of the events are put on by clubs and promotors including SCCA, NASA, Trackdaze, Chin, SCDA, Hooked on Driving, etc. Plus many marque clubs do events, most commonly BMW and Porsche clubs.

You can find events in several ways:
- Frequently mentioned on forums like this one or Bimmerforums.com is a good source (Track and AX section)
- Motorsportsreg.com
- Go to the website for a particular track and find the club racing calander
- Go to the websites of each promoter. You can google for the Porsche and BMW clubs in the region, they all have event calendars. trackdaze.com, chinmotorsports.com are two popular track day promotors.

I started performance driving in Autocross. The best way to get more seat time is to attend a school or a test and tune event. The DC region of SCCA runs an outstanding AX school every spring. While it is an absolute blast I tired of standing around all day ******** cones and only getting 4-6 runs at a typical event, so I switched to HPDE. It costs a ton more money and is much harder on the car but its also a lot more seat time and the thrill of high speed and deep braking is hard to surpass. Look into the Trackdaze.com event at NJMP on Jun 23-24 on the Lightning course, I'll be there.

ltborg

Congrats on your first event, autocross is a lot of fun. You picked a really good person to learn from. Tony is a top notch driver. It's a lot of fun racing with him at the national level. Stick with it, it takes a lot of time to learn how to get these wide cars through the tight course. Lots of smaller courses favor the small cars (Miatas, S2000s, Lotuses, etc).

I wouldn't worry about all the go fast parts just yet. Spend your money getting some seat time and getting comfortable with the car in an autocross setting. After that, you'll be able to appreciate the differences of the new parts more. You'll also learn how to drive better on the lower level parts. Sticky tires tend to hide driving errors.

Zak77

Just checked Trackdaze's website and the Novice group is full for this event. Bummer as I would have signed up for that.

RDnomorecobra

Honey Brook? You are 10 minutes from me in Chester Springs. I have been running with BMW CCA Delaware Valley and NJ chapters recently for HPDE. $200 per day and very well run. Can't beat that price. They run NJMP and other eastern tracks. Check 'em out online. And give Joe a call @ Phoenix motorsports in Phoenixville and get a tour of his shop. Will really wake up this new bug you've caught ... PM me we could hook up there one day. My car is due for some service anyway.

Zak77

Small world! I worked in Eagle View for almost 5 years so I know Chester Springs well.

I'd love to head out to Phoenix Motor Sports sometime. I work from home and am available most times. Though I should leave my wallet at home that day!!

RX-Ben

Unless you have Hoosier A6s on your car, don't expect to finish anywhere near the top.
Auto-x has a bit of learning curve - not just in the car control but simply figuring out.
Also, you are going to have a tough time unless you have Z51 or Z06 suspension.

TedDBere

Glad you had fun. Tony is one of the best and Philly is full of great drivers who will be glad to coach you. If Scott Borelly shows up in his new C6Z be sure to jump into that one too.

Tony buys his parts from Stranoparts so you can contact Sammy there and he'll steer you to the proper parts and set-up for a C5Z.

Good luck and have fun!

Zak77

Thanks everyone, as I've found nothing but great advice and help on this forum.

My 99 has the active handling package. I was looking at a Z06 but when I found this 99 it was such a steal and in such amazing condition I snagged it up. I'd like ot swap out the active shocks for a better system but want to make sure I stay in A Stock for now.

TedDBere: Does Scott have a yellow Z06? There was a new yellow one at the event and it was a stunning car. I chatted with the owner for a few minutes in the lot while he was swapping out his street tires/rims for his track set as I was asking him about his trailer/hitch.

I'm eventually planning on putting Tony's old A6's onto my wagon wheels and using them but want to see how much better I can get with the current car before I start modding it. I'm trying to sign up for the Dover event but the website is acting up on me. I'll be hitting the event this Sunday in Dover then the next autocross for the Philly region is in July and I'll be attending that as my birthday gift to myself.

VetteDrmr

First off, congrats on joining the nuthouse!

I enjoy both autox and DEs. The two groups I autox with locally (BMW and PCA) both get 8-10 runs in per event. I personally don't mind working the course, the entire day is about competing, learning, AND socializing with friends. So, you need to find the venue in your area that gives you the best bang for the buck.

The best thing that autox has going for it that DEs don't is the relatively safe environment to go find the absolute limits of your and your car's ability. Time slips (even if you aren't competitive) show you your performance on a given run. DEs run much higher speeds with the attendant increase (although you get to manage it) risks.

The best things about DEs is, as already mentioned, seat time and a lower mental intensity level. DEs aren't about wheel to wheel racing, they're about having fun! When I'm running a DE I feel like I'm running about 70% at the limits. I give myself margins on braking, high speed corner exits, etc.

And again, DEs are all about learning (not competing) and socializing. You will find there are great folks in both venues, ESPECIALLY if you tell them you're a newbie and just getting your feet wet.

Again, welcome, and have a good one,
Mike

ltborg

+1 for Sam Strano's setup and parts. I've got the Koni yellows he sells as well as his 33mm hollow front bar. He's been a big help for setup info and the car is started feeling like it was coming together in Lincoln. He'll get you all set for AS, which has been growing as a good class in recent years.

hemmerman

Zak
Slow down. Don't let your new found Toy get away from you. This sport can hurt and or Kill you. I've been doing this awhile and I'm as hooked as you are. As others have told you spend your money on lessons and seat time. I've seen to many guys buy all the go fast stuff and destory their beautiful car before they learn how to have fun and go fast.

Zak77

Very good advice Gents. It's hard to not get totally sucked in but I'm laying out a plan for what I'd like to do with the vette and how to get there. I'm planning on sticking mainly stock for a while get in at least 4-5 autocrosses before I start changing things. Mainly just looking at shocks, tires. Nothing to the engine as I don't think I want to go into any of the mod classes. I would not mind putting a header and intake on it but for now I'm going to use all my extra funds for classes/events.



With the magnetic/active handling package I'm sure the shocks will blow out on me sometime as they are original and have 94K miles. After they go, then some new shocks or look into switching it to the Z51 suspension.

VetteDrmr

BTW, Active Handling is not the same as adjustable shocks. Best I can determine the F45 option was only available on the '99 'verts. I'm guessing you might have the Z51 suspension, which works quite well.

You can check this by looking in the glove box (IIRC) which will give you the list of options on your baby.

Have a good one,
Mike

NOSLO6

For autocross seat time and exceptionally high quality instruction, it's nearly impossible to beat the bang-for-the-buck that the Evolution School provides. Take a look-- they're coming to the Philly area in July. Pat Salerno for one won SCCA titles in a C5Z06, loves the cars, and is an exceptionally talented teacher, as are the rest of their staff. I had a blast with them when I bought my old C5Z06.

If you decide to try a track day at NJMP, I've had great experiences with the Schattenbaum PCA chapter-- well organized events, great and friendly instruction. No knock of other groups, but I think these folks are particularly great.

Good luck and have fun. Keep her stock for as long as you can.

Zak77

Does the Z51 have the **** to select what shock settings you want or is that the adjustable shocks? I have the **** next to the Active Handling button on my center console. Honestly I don't really feel that much of a difference between Tour and Performance. I leave it on Performance.