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      07-21-2011, 10:20 AM   #1
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BMW CCA L.A., California Speedway infield course, September 19th 2011: $225!

The one day format in June worked so well, the L.A. chapter has secured another date at Auto Club Speedway in September for local enthusiast and members alike.

Event info and registration is here.

Price of entry is a reasonable $225 before the August 20th deadline. I believe it's $250 after.

A couple of house-keeping notes, if you've been to one of our driving schools before, you will need to be a BMW CCA member to continue to attend our driving schools. If it's your first time, we're like crack dealers...First hit is "free". Also if you sign-up to BMW CCA using the following membership number as your referral, 182861, you (and I) will be entered into the drawing for an ///M Performance School at the Spartanburg facility.

We've also secured the use of the parking lot outside the course (not the auto-cross lots, if you're familiar with AX as well) to be used for wet skid-pad exercises as well. In addition to your 4 regular run groups, you will also get the opportunity to sharpen your car handling skills on the wet skid-pad. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY! Turn DSC off and go have some fun with little repercussions besides a dirty car.

If you're not familiar with the infield layout, it is literally a different track, or will feel like it, if you've only driven the Roval. It's short, compact, and relatively technical compared to the Roval. The back side of the track where you re-enter onto the Roval splits to the right and there's some combination, multi-apex turns and spits you back where turn "5" used to be for the Roval. It's a fun configuration and great layout for learning, because unlike the Roval where it'll take you 2 minutes plus change to complete, and with the way CCA sets up the chicanes you will likely only get 8 laps out of a full 25 minute session, the infield you can easily get 12-15 laps in that same span of time. Meaning it's a great opportunity to fine-tune and correct your lines and master the course. And there's still some very high speed sections between the decreasing radius 180º turn affectionately known as the "tip of the phallus."

Take a monday off and spend it having fun rather than in front of a desk working!
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      07-21-2011, 08:33 PM   #2
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So it's free for the first timer who becomes a new CCA member?

Is there still classroom time? If so, when will the skid pad time be?
Are there garages?

Thanks.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      07-21-2011, 09:37 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aus View Post
So it's free for the first timer who becomes a new CCA member?

Is there still classroom time? If so, when will the skid pad time be?
Are there garages?

Thanks.

Membership fee requirement is waived for a first time participant who's not a CCA member. For previous participants that are not CCA members, a membership is now required to attend future CCA driving events.

There will be classroom time like a normal CCA school, but one of the classroom time, or one of the breaks between run sessions, will be on the skidpad. That particular detail hasn't been completely ironed out yet, but I was informed that skidpad time will be "mandatory," whatever that means...
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      07-28-2011, 02:40 PM   #4
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So the skid pad session is a car control or drift event???
That would be kind if cool if they're going to allow some attempts at drifting!

.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."

Last edited by aus; 07-29-2011 at 08:58 AM..
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      07-29-2011, 08:30 AM   #5
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So the skid pad session is a car control or drift event???
That would be kind of cool if they're going to allow some attempts at drifting!

.

Yes. We'd like y'all to get the Tokyo Drift out of your system on the skidpad rather than on track.
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      08-12-2011, 11:13 PM   #6
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registered. can't wait.
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      08-15-2011, 01:40 AM   #7
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registered. can't wait.
Aren't you going to Laguna Seca for 3 days too???!!!
By the time Brian got his schedule, Laguna was already full. Now he's trying to get this date free.

.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      08-15-2011, 02:54 PM   #8
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REMINDER: Early bird sign-up ends this Saturday August 20th.
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      08-15-2011, 11:40 PM   #9
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Quote:
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Aren't you going to Laguna Seca for 3 days too???!!!
By the time Brian got his schedule, Laguna was already full. Now he's trying to get this date free.

.
Yup! Got time off in Sept, what better way to spend it than at the track.
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      08-19-2011, 11:04 PM   #10
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Signed up before the deadline for reduced pricing.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      09-19-2011, 11:08 PM   #11
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LOTS of E9x M3's there today.
Who else was there?

I really liked that infield course and skid pad was pretty cool to learn what to do when you lose the back end.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      09-20-2011, 12:15 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aus View Post
LOTS of E9x M3's there today.
Who else was there?

I really liked that infield course and skid pad was pretty cool to learn what to do when you lose the back end.
Debrief me later

I think I want to do the next event.
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      09-20-2011, 05:59 PM   #13
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Will do. I'm ready to finish the 335's coding when you have time. Had the fuel pump changed out.

Can't believe no one else is here. Black Mamba must be here. There was Space Grey or Sparkling Graphite that I parked next to at the end of the garages. A white one with red wheels. Drift instructor had his E90 and gave us a ride- that shit is difficult!!! I have a lot more respect for those drifters.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      09-20-2011, 10:25 PM   #14
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Had a good time. However, a little disjointed due to relative lack of instructors (had 3 different instructors for the day since a few had to leave early ), so a little tough to really improve, since each instructor had a different line and technique. Will probably stick to multi day events.
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      09-20-2011, 11:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radsmd View Post
Had a good time. However, a little disjointed due to relative lack of instructors (had 3 different instructors for the day since a few had to leave early ), so a little tough to really improve, since each instructor had a different line and technique. Will probably stick to multi day events.
My suggestion would be to use that as an opportunity to explore different lines taught by different instructors. As you progress, you will come to find that most of what we tell you will vary a little bit from instructor to instructor. For example, I like to "double apex" the "tip" turn in my MZ4 Coupe, while the WRX with its softer springs require a wider approach to the turn. Since nearly every single instructor drive a different car, you'll find that quite a few will have different preferences for certain turns. We're all told to teach a specific line, but even I have found a couple of different "approaches" to certain turns throughout the day that works better than others. So on a day like this, your goal is to try out each instructor's lines and figure out which one works best for you, and share that feedback with your instructor. It's a way to self analyze your own driving, which is a vital part of your progression as a driver.

A single day event like this also forces you to find your groove quick. It requires more of your concentration than a 2 day event, where you know if you didn't have the greatest session by session 3 you still have one more day left. While it's certainly not ideal, the economics of the day have forced multiple chapters into the same format (Golden Gate now only holds one day schools at Laguna Seca, for example). So for one day schools like this, I like to do some extra home work the week before, and review my past videos, or find old track notes, and get myself familiarized with the track before I go to sleep the night before. This is where being "mentally prepared" comes in very handy.

Lastly...If you guys REALLY like the infield that much, I can potentially convince the board to do a 2 day infield only school for next year. It will certainly make California Speedway a little bit more affordable. I believe it's $9,000 per day vs. $16,000 per day between the oval and infield course. Although, part of the 1 day decision is mostly driven by economics. The chapter limits its liabilities on room and board for the instructors when it's one day. The vast majority of the instructors will opt to drive from home if it's a single day format, thus making a pricing of $225 possible.

But I feel your pain about switching instructors. I recall one of the last schools I attended as a student, I was passed from instructor to instructor to instructor. And I distinctly remember not being all that pleased about it. But thinking back...That was one of the more eye opening experiences I had, because on that day I had two professional BMW racers (and by professional, I mean they race at the HIGHEST level of competition in the land) as my instructors and in hindsight, it was exactly what I needed, to see different perspectives from guys who has won races on the big stage, and to see how each of them actually offered different insight into the art of driving.
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      09-21-2011, 01:11 AM   #16
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radsmd's frustration stems from being fast, but it was his first time there, so he was in C group. Then he had an instructor who wouldn't let him engage MDM and he was feeling his DSC limiting him. Then he got different instructor the next 2 sessios, who obviously didn't know him, so he didn't get a chance to gain their trust and let him go as fast as he felt comfortable going.

I had the opposite experience. Martin was slowly pushing me to go faster in certain parts of the track because he had all the sessions with me and I had shown him that I knew the track and gained his confidence.
I've done AAA about 7 days now and was still able to gain considerable speed this time because of all the laps we got in and because Martin was really telling me where I could go faster. That only happened because he felt I was up to it because of all the sessions together.

That's the one thing about the CCA events. Some instructors are much more conservative than others, while some push you after a few laps of seeing how you drive. I can't blame the more conservative ones; they have some HUGE cajones to sit right seat with a total stranger and tell them to drive around a race track. I thought Martin was crazy when he was telling me to go flat out from the exit of the penis turn through the front chicanes, but it worked, and felt great.

.
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      09-22-2011, 01:17 AM   #17
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Will do. I'm ready to finish the 335's coding when you have time. Had the fuel pump changed out.
No problem at all.
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