ErnieN85

NCM HPDE
Tech Sunday evening at the Holiday Inn express (headquarters hotel)
Track opens Monday 7:00 no parking along entrance road so don’t get there early!
Drivers meeting 8:00 all participants have an instructor until signed off, beginner, novice, intermediate & advanced.
My instructor was……………. Tom Wallace (chief engineer for Corvette). Wow what a honor, Track school then one session in my car with Tom. Next session it’s Toms car C6 Z06 and Tom can really drive SCCA GT1. This thing is awesome especially in the hands of some one who knows how to use it. First session me driving I got into turn 7 a bit hot and had to drive off track, with Tom’s help we fixed that problem and by the end of the day it’s under control. Seems you need to almost park the car, then turn (second gear ) sharp right straighten up and hard on it.
Our next session after a few hot laps (Tom’s car) we lost the brakes going into turn one at the end of the straight. Tom took a perfect racing line (past another car in the corner missed him too) down shifted and scrubbed off speed. And made the next corner also. Great example of how to do it in a bad spot! We Pitted and later found out one of the front pads had come apart.
I had two more sessions in the afternoon with great help from Tom.
Tuesday am classroom session then one session in the C6Z06 with a Local racer who really knew the track. Let me tell you That car will go! Next a session with Tom in my car with more pointers I’m getting much better (on this track)
Three sessions in my car after lunch the first Two with Tom He tells me I’m doing very well and he wants to go along the second to see if I improve again as in the previous ones. After the second afternoon session Tom says I’m going solo on the last as He is happy with my driving. (make you feel good to know your not BSing yourself).
Last session I’m having fun rocking & rolling, coming through the carousel I’m having trouble cant get it to go faster, cutting out a bit, It might be traction control, but it doesn’t want to disengage (over 70). Next trip through I notice the gas is at 1/8 tank time to pit and next to last lap any how. I guess maybe that was part of my problem.
BTW air temps in the low eightys, coolant about 230, and oil topping out at 295. so I have had to short shift and go to a higher gear. Brakes well DRM spindle ducts, Z06 stock pads and Stoptech aero rotors (two piece)
Start of session pads 7/32 end of sessions slightly less 6 3/4/32. seems that the DRM ducts make an amazing difference

TRAYC7

Just got home... totally wore out... whew.... I will write more about my experience later...

Danny Popp was my instructor... OMG he is amazing.. learned so much... thanks Danny for pushing me its so unreal what the car can do that I havent tapped into yet.... Hope to spend more time with you in the future...

Want to thank Roc, Adam, Tom B, Larry B., Instructors, volunteers.. who helped make this possible... and to all the GM folks there..

Will write more on my track stuff later... gotta get some sleep and a 5-point harness.. ...

provette67

I was there for the NCCC events on the Saturday and Sunday before and as luck would have it my tow vehicle broke down so I could not leave on Sunday so I was forced to stay.Dany Popp tells me there was this event happening the next day would I be interested in staying around to be an instructor.Danny introduces me to AU N EGL,the lead instructor and a really nice guy.I end up knowing a bunch of the other guys.Let me see.I am broke down and I have to stay anyway and I can play with Corvettes .What a tough choice.I had a blast.I got drive a great car and meet some super nice people at a very well run event.I hope to be so unlucky all of the time

Short-Throw

I hear you Tracy! 2am and I just unhitched the trailer.





You meant to say 6 point........right?

ReddyZ06

Short-Throw,
Since you were the last one to leave Putman, did you remember to turn out the lights?

Mike

ERND IT

Man! Sounds like you all had a blast! I reluctantly cancelled my reservation 3 months ago b/c of a conflict in getting to Putnam Park in time to race, but I really hated to do it. Hopefully, someone else got my spot and was able to experience the fun for the first time!

Tracey - I KNOW Danny Popp must have been a fantastic instructor Wish I could've been out on the track with you again this time... but maybe in October at CMP!

Also - Pancho - way to pinch hit! You were in the "right place at the right time" even if your truck broke down... and I'm sure your students definitely benefitted from your instruction, especially my buddy, Art

AU N EGL - Roc - Sounds to me like you all have this stuff down to a science now - from what I can tell it was another well run, safe and really memorable FUN event for everyone! Keep up the great work

Can't wait to see some photos

96GS#007

More later, but suffice to say a great time was had by all. I had a couple great students to work with. In addition to being nice people, both showed improvement each session and were willing listeners.

I enjoyed myself as well, especially after I corded my two fronts and was forced to drive GM Z06s all day on Tuesday. Here's one of the four that I drove...

Falcon

We should have known you'd get the one one with the GS hash marks!

Short-Throw

Jim,

You poor baby!

Mike

robvuk

I was forced to drive the Z06's all day, both days. My powerbrake booster went out on my car after the second session on Monday. The part I hated most about driving the factory Z's was when they needed brake pads and gas. I kind of missed pulling out my wallet.

C5 XTC

HPDE 2 was everything I had hoped it would be. I was able to build on HPDE 1 (I think). Had an absolutely fantastic instructor, Eric Meyer; he really helped to bring me along. Came out at 0700 on Tuesday and walked the track with me and one of the guys I was parked with at the track. That is truly going the extra mile (actualy more like 2.7).
Thanks to Roc, Rock, Adam, Tom and the rest of the NCM crew. It was particluarly nice to have the GM guys there....nice touch. Hope I can get my "order" in soon enough for HPDE 3 and hope I get paired with Eric again.

V8 Juice

The other side is I hope to be so lucky and get you for an instructor again! Tom, Roc, Adam, Froggie and the crew work hard and make things come out right, but the weather and student/driver chemistry are large part luck. The weather cooperated and provette67 proved he truly was a pro in both the driver and passenger seats. We students learned more than we thought possible from Pancho, Eric, Dave, Danny, Gib, Tom and others both on and off the track. Whether planned in advance or a last minute Tom-twisted volunteer, the instructors were generous in time, teaching and taking students around the track in their cars to see how it's done.

The track itself is a joy to behold. First impression of the manicured lawn and white fences at 7:00 AM is a Kentucky thoroughbred farm until the first rumble of Dave's '72 Old Glory rips the sky like an F-14 breaking the sound barrier. Whether in line at the staging area or at Lilly Pad for ham and cheese, the excitement builds until your turn arrives. The action on and off track is so fast the only break we get is taking turn 7. Corvette fever runs high and I predict that Larry will someday come out of the closet, admit his true orientation and drive a car with all the Corvette letters, not just the two T's. My past predictions have not fared well, however:
1. You'll never see Tom Boehlmann dressed in a jacket.
2. Tracey will quiet down once she starts the car.
3. The next NCM HQ hotel will have 24 hour room service and serve cold beer.
4. You'll never see a yellow Porsche at an NCM HPDE.
5. GM is cutting expenses, you'll never see Corvette engineers at an Event. Oops, maybe Detroit doesn't know!
6. A black Z06 will be slower than a Monty Red coupe with paddle shift.
7. Nobody will run out of gas on the track.
8. A fully-optioned Merceds AMG is so heavy that if its also lowered, the suspension won't work right.
9. RAFT will catch on as a slogan for the religious right.
10. CMP is too slow a track to actually crash a car.

Bravo and thanks to all who participated and made the three days a great time to share the Corvette experience. Donna, we missed you; hope you can make it to CMP.

Bob will trim up the pictures, we'll put them somewhere and post the location on the Forum.

ERND IT

You have a real way with words, my friend Awesome write up!

...and I especially love this one...
9. RAFT will catch on as a slogan for the religious right.

C ya at CMP!!
Donna

ReddyZ06

Jim,
Thanks, for your efforts. I didn't get a chance to talk to you after the last run. When the sky clouded up the tires came back and hooked great.

I wish there were words enough to thank everyone at GM and NCM who worked so hard for us all to have this great event. It's wonderful to have the support from Mr. Wallace as well. This is a very great moment in time for the Corvette faithful.
Mike

TRAYC7

Donna I sure missed you at this event... you are one of my benchmarks so I love running with you...

I really enjoyed this event... I really felt I continued to learn alot about proper apexes, braking and rapid acceleration unwinding out of turns..... even the "late" ones.. sometimes they work better that way ... made up so much track time there doing that... What's cool about these events is that you get to have some classroom time with awesome experience drivers as instructors.. then immediately go practice and try to understand it... and Danny just knowing you had confidence in me even when I was pushing it helped me feel that much better... *****Danny knew the car's limits and would know right away when the line was off... amazing... hopefully I can get to half that knowledge and I will feel good....****

What was cool is that Danny really pushed me and that allowed me to learn alot... which now has increased my personal limits with the car... the car is still able to do more than me even stock... but Im getting closer... Thanks Danny...I hope to continue the learning..... hope to get to Cincy....

Enjoyed everyone there... made new friends... and caught up with others.... more than anything the people make the events... its like we are a small family watching out for one another.. I dont believe there is one thing that someone wouldnt do for you if you needed something... makes me feel good to be around all of you all....

I hope to make it to CMP this fall... and continue to learn "the science" of driving... its very intriguing to me and I just want to get better... and an added bonus is Im a safer driver on the real road the more I do this....

Thanks again to Tom, Roc, Adam, Larry, other NCM staff for putting this together and continuing to see how much we are getting addicted...

L98Terror

Sounds like you guys had fun, I was the Sat & Sun for the NCCC event. 3 days would have been to much.

robvuk

I would like to add that I had two fantastic students. Both were doing a great job. Colonel Dave had a paddle shift that impressed me with it's speed and response. I never thought an automatic could work that well. He came a long way from day 1 to day 2 and did a great job. My other student was Mike Robinson from GM. In my opinion he was the star of the day. I even overheard the corner workers during their break, talking about him on the second day about how great he looked out there. I ended up bumping him from the green group to the blue because he was just passing everybody. And it was his first time ever on a track!

varkwso

All vehicles should come with the hash marks.....

rhshinn

Donna, I don't know if it was your spot I got, but I was wait-listed and luckily ended up getting someone's spot who cancelled. So, we can just assume that it was thanks to you.

And yes, I was able to experience the fun for the first time! My driver's side tires may be thinking that I had a bit too much fun...

Ditto the thanks to all who helped with this event.

Rand

96GS#007

It's a conspiracy I tell ya!

Btw....all were impressed with my display of Big Pine Key apparel.