I got interested in auto racing when I bought my first sports car, a used 95 Miata, in 1998. Everyone told me I had to try autocrossing it so I did and had a blast. Autocross got me interested in track driving so I decided to go to a driving school to learn about driving on a track and to, hopefully, boost me out of last place in Novice class in autocross. After I bought the RS I knew I'd end up on the track with it sooner or later. Here are my experiences with track driving.
My first track experience was at the Bob Bondurant School in Pheonix, AZ in 1998. I drove the Mustangs there and had a blast on the track there. Firebird, below, was a fun course to run and after 3 days driving there I knew I would be back on the track some day. Here's the course...
We ran the Maricopal Oval on Day #2 of the course and finally on Day #3 we ran the Lake Loop and Carousel combined as one course.
Here I am with my Mustang. Note that I kept 61 as my number for autocross too...
We organized a Subie track day at SIR in July of 2000 for my first local track experience and getting to take my own car out on the track. It was a blast and we had quite a few RS's there running including one turbo charged STi clone. The course we took was through ProFormance Racing School which consisted of exercises in the morning and lapping all afternoon.
Here's the course...
The track was very fun to drive. Turn 1 is taken at full-speed which could easily be at full-out in an RS. Turn 3 is quite fun, having to downshift into 2nd gear and coming out hard onto the back straight through the "Valley of Death". Turns 5 and 6 are done at moderate but steady speed before really moving again into 7.
Here I am coming through turn 5B trailing another RS...
I finally got SIR down much better on my 2nd visit to the track for an afternoon lapping day. Here's my notes, at least for an Impreza, we'll start on the straight-away.
Turn 1 - just keep on the throttle all the way in 5th gear and turn slightly in right at the cone. You almost aim for the wall since you can't see the Turn 1 apex cone at first. This is rough roadway so you need to stay on the throttle even though it can be a bit unnerving. When learning it get used lift a bit before the turn-in and keep steady through the turn. The RS can easily take this turn at 110 mph, probably more if you were a bit braver and carried more speed into the straight than I did. You want to come out between the white line and the seam in the pavement going into the turn 2 brake zone.
Turn 2 - keep on the throttle until just before the first braking zone cone, then lift. Brake hard at the first cone and start a 5->4->3 downshift. Be in 3rd by the "gate" and back on the gas moderately. Follow the seam in the roadway. Around the time of the dotted lines on the inner edge you get a bead on the apex cone, turn to it and squeeze back on the gas hitting full throttle by the apex. The car will drift out wide to the exit cone. Shift 3->4 just past the exit cone and keep it floored to the turn 3 braking zone.
Turn 3 - Brake HARD. Downshift from 4->3 on the straight, 3->2 as you begin the turn. Turn in to the 3A apex just between the last 2 brake zone cones and get on the gas through the apex which will pull you out to the exit and you slide back to the outer edge of the track towards the 3B turn-in cone. Brake and turn just before the cone aiming to the 3B apex cone. Again, be on the gas and full on by the apex cone. Unwind, shift 2->3 and hit the exit cone. Keep going hard up the slight hill and 3->4 shift. Stay right and just head to the Turn 4 cone.
Turn 4 - no brainer, just hit the cone and keep going strong. When you get down in the Valley of Death brake a bit and downshift to 3rd and back on the gas before you hit the 5A "gate".
Turn 5 - since you've already slowed and are in 3rd just drive through this. I started out doing this section at about 55 mph and easily got up to doing it at 65 mph and slightly faster. Just keep the throttle steady through 5A and 5B.
Turn 6 - at the turn-in cone start back on the throttle and be on it full by the apex cone. I stay in 3rd all the way up the hill and shift 3->4 right at the turn 7 turn-in cone.
Turn 7 - get very close to the apex cone and then head to the outside edge of the big sweeper asap to straighten the car out.
Turn 8 - brake hard at the start of the braking zone, 4->3 downshift. By the "gate" be turned to apex and back on the gas. Have it floored by the apex. This will pull you way out and back in to turn 9.
Turn 9 - head to the "8" lane then a slight wheel adjustment takes you into the "10" lane. I shift 3->4 around this time and head to the 2nd set of Bud signs on the wall. Line up on the straight, shift 4->5, relax and keep the accelerator down.
There was one other RS there for the day along with a wide assortment of cars. Video coming soon, I taped most of my laps.
On August 1 I went to Portland with the ProFormance School for an Advanced Lapping Day on PIR with about 30 other drivers from Seattle. I was the most underpowered car in the field, the next closest being an Integra Type R that already had the course wired so I spent much of my time on the straights getting passed by 911s and M3s. It was fun though and I learned a lot. I pieced the track together in the first two sessions, got tired and totally frustrated the 3rd session, rested and linked it together on the 4th session and finally felt pretty good on the 5th session. All in all I did about 150 miles on the track, put what looks like 20,000 miles of wear on my Kumhos, wore out quite a bit of brake pad, and used an entire tank of gas.
Here's the PIR course map:
The course runs counter-clockwise which was odd. You go down the front straight and need to brake hard for the "Festival" turn which has a 90 degree turn-in and a second 53 degree chink. I had a hard time setting up and exiting right on this one until the 4th session, you turn in very late after a 4->3->2 downshift and then go a bit above the 2nd apex, turning into it and squeezing on the gas so you pull out to the driver's right edge of the track all the while shifting back up 2->3. I came into turn 1 in 3rd and braked pretty late setting up in mid-track on a seam then making the turn to apex and squeezing on the gas. This turn angle drifts you out to Turn 2 where you briefly get straight, brake slightly and turn just a bit into 3. I had this line pretty much wired from the start. Turn 4 was fun, you were in mid-track along a seam after 3 and just as you saw the Turn 4 apex cone I'd brake, turn and get back on the gas letting the car drift wide to driver's right then back in to parallel to the driver's left side of the track at the Trun 5 turn-in. Brake pretty good, turn and squeeze on again through 5 and 5A shifting from 3->4 somewhere by 5A apex cone. Then onto the back straight where a few cars would pass me. You pick up some speed on that stragiht, I was at 95 pretty easily and thus coming into Turn 7 you brake very hard during the whole braking zone and downshift 4->3. The turn in was just before the 0 mark on the brake zone and then you set the wheel, squeeze the gas and just flow through 7 and 8 drifting to the driver's left edge of the track to set up for 9. I'd brake when the car was straight and could do a 3->2 downshift here though I stopped doing that on the 2nd session, I could keep enough speed in 3rd through there. Brake hard, turn in and hit the gas which takes you through the apex and along a dotted line towards the wall. This part was a bit unnerving, you are accelerating, shifting from at least 3->4 and possibly 2->3->4, checking your mirror for a 911, checking the flag station and looking at the quickly approaching wall all at once. Pull onto the straight, get right if needed to be passed and just squeeze to the floor. It was pretty easy to get to 100 on there, I was afraid to go much faster. Exiting 9 wide enough and coming into the wall the way they wanted was hard for me but I started getting it in the last two sessions, especially if I had the track there to myself and didn't have to worry about setting up to be passed.
It was a long day but very fun and I'd consider doing Portland again. It seems safer than SIR in many respects.