Krisko

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I attended the two day advanced high performance and lapping school at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last week. While I have some track experience with driver's ed groups, this was my first racing school. The cars used were Acura RSXs, initially I thought I would find those cars boring but my mind would be changed. Very quick car especially in the corners, 200 hp and weighing 2700lbs. The only modifications are carbon brake pads, sway bars, Goodyear F1s, and changed the ratios slightly on the 6 speed gearbox.

I am very impressed with the materials you recieve before you even get there. You get a notebook explaining in detail the line you need to follow and what kind of braking you can expect to make at certain points of the track. It also explains in detail the various elevation changes in the track and how that hurts and helps you.

There is a high performance day that I missed. Mainly it's autocross and skid pad, excersises designed to show the importance of balance. While I probably would have benefitted, I felt like I would enjoy the lapping more.

The advanced high performance day was very interesting, moreso since it rained the last half of the day. They start with a 1.5 hour classroom study reinforcing what was learned on day one and going over the lines. Then they brake up the track into three stations, each with 5 turns. You then do a lead/follow on your station trying to copy the line of the instructor. The instructor will get into your car and critique your line and offer advice. After about one hour, you move onto the next station and do it all over again. This was extremely helpful, I found the time on each station was just enough to get a handle on things. It's a lot easier to learn 5 turns at a time at a controlled speed than to learn 15 at a high speed.

We broke for lunch, which was surprisingly good, and the rest of the day we did some coached lapping. It was hairy at times with the rain. While I was pretty fast, I was also out of control at times. I didn't dial it down much for the wet conditions, and it almost cost me. After passing 3 cars going into turn one, I was going too fast trying to turn in and promptly spun out. I was able to stay on the track, which was a bad thing as I almost got creamed by 3 RSXs. One guy was forced into the gravel, he got into my face after the session. I merely informed him that we were at a school and that I was trying to learn. I did learn a lot and would only go off track one more time the next day. While I goofed, others had bigger goofs more on that later. While I didn't care for the rain at the time, I know I'm a better driver for seeing it.

The conditions for the lapping day couldn't be better, in the 50's and dry as a bone. The day started with walk around on the track. We didn't walk the whole track, we'd drive between corners in minivans. It was educational to see how the instructors kept the minivans in balance and still got pretty fast. We got to walk right on the line we were supposed to drive on and see up close visual references to help. You could really get an appreciation for the elevation changes and what that does to the balance of the car. When I first heard about this, I figured it was a waste of my track time. In the end, it just made the track time more useful.

We then did a 45 minute session on the full track before lunch. This was an entertaining session, it was our first crack at the track without instructors and things got a little out of hand. One guy flipped his RSX, another tapped a wall with the back end, another RSX just stopped working. I asked the lead instructor, Calvin Fish, if he had ever lost 3 cars in an hour and he said he's lost 3 cars in one incident!

After lunch, we were chomping at the bit. We had all settled down and were ready to turn some serious lap times. With each 45 minute session, our lap times dropped a couple of seconds. I started out with 2 minute laps, then got to 1:58s, eventually got to a best of 1:55 flat. I feel pretty good about that since the instructors turn 1:51 to 1:53. It's surprising as you come up to the start line, you can guess your lap time within a few hundredths of a second.

I had the second fastest lap of the day, behind a student who is a veteran of several driver's schools including this one. It wasn't a part of the program, but the top 4 drivers lined up for a 10 lap race and I was able to come out on top by a healthy margin.

The Mid Ohio track is simply awesome to look at and breathtaking to drive. It is in perfect shape, with concrete patches that make easy references to the line. The facilities are first rate and the landscaping is beautiful. It is also a very dangerous track, two turns in particular (8 and 11) almost beg you to track out into the wall. You can easily wad the car up almost anywhere on the track. That said, if you follow the line and balance the car it is a complete joy to drive. I plan to go back for a lapping day at least once a year, and I wouldn't even mind taking the school again. I came away knowing I've mastered one of the hardest tracks in the east and I feel like I can apply the lessons learned to anywhere I might race.

ryoung

Sounds like you got your money's worth. Thanks for the write-up.

BTW: Though the lack of run-off makes the walls of Turns 8 and 11 intimidating (especially 11), I think I've seen more cars hit the inside wall of Turn 1 more than anything else. A car runs over the vicious exit curb alligators, fights to get back on the track, the front tires get grip first, and with the tires pointed left, the car loops into the inside wall.

Krisko

too early and you hit the pit exit curbing, too late and you slam into the painted curb and go off into the gravel. To me, turns 8 and 11 are the scariest I've seen on the 4 tracks I've been to. Especially 11, you've got that off camber exit off turn 10b into 11. If you don't have a near perfect line and hit a good apex, you'll go sailing over that little ridge into the wall. Granted, it'll be a glancing blow so you won't kill yourself but you'll ruin your day.

Turn 12 before the carousel was probably my favorite turn of the track. I made sure to keep almost on full throttle after a short squeeze of the brakes and made up a lot of time on people in front of me. I found that I could be a 100 feet behind someone going into 12, but if I nailed 12 and nailed the carousel I'd pass them on the front straight every time.