WOW... We had an absolute blast! The weather couldn't have been better. Mid 50's and mostly sunny. Our class wasn't "full", so we had 2 groups of 4 and one group of 3 cars (max is 15). Nobody died
, nobody went offroad, and nobody hurled... The instructors were extremely patient and professional.
I promised to pass on any secrets earlier in the post, here's the biggest surprise to me - We drove the M5, M3 & <<<<<<<< 1M >>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!
The 1 was used for the wet oval & figure 8 sessions as well as training for the lower part of the track (new section). "Heel & toe" training is back
.
The other surprise is that the memory stick provided for video on the 2nd day is already formatted for use on any PC. That means you take it with you (no waiting for a DVD in the mail!). Unfortunately, I didn't clam any top honors, but wasn't sucking hind %*@ either. I started 1st in our group and presented a target for the others to match/better. When .003 seconds determines the winner it's all good! All of the students were car enthusiasts 1st and cheering on the "slower" guys in the group was the rule for both days. All I can say to those who haven't visited the PDC is, DO IT! Jim, Jim, Tommy, Johan, Allison & Mike were very helpful toward everyone. They seemed to know when to make constructive "hints" and when to just let you drive. They do take safety very seriously yet also realize that there is only so much you can absorb when the adrenaline is flowing. After watching my full track videos it's very obvious where I gave up time and where I was getting everything just right. Now comes my <cough, cough> admission... I am a 6MT guy BUT, the DCT in the M3's we used for the track sessions was flawless. In my mind the scales are definately more balanced than before. The other comment I have is this; After being chauffered around for the last several days it was a pleasure to get back in my own car. It really does seem that everything is now moving in slow motion. That is a good thing. The appreciation for what our cars are actually capable of (driver being the limiting factor) and how to make the most of their abilities is what makes this class "priceless". Let's see, when is the next open session... Yes, I will most likely go back for Round 2!