BMW CCA L.A. 2-Day HPDE @ Spring Mountain, Dec. 28-29 2013

[admranger]

Good day today! Bit of a slow start due to some logistical issues, but once the track went hot things went really well. Exceptional weather, lots of space out there (for the most part) and no 'offs' that I am aware of (no confessions please -- Sgt. Shultz time!).

I expect an even better day tomorrow, though I need to bring my welding hood to look at Triple M's car! Kind of a bright orange there (I was the guy who handed you your Longacre case this morning).

Saw USC's beasty.

The E46M3 (imola) held it's own out there, succumbing to an instructor driven GT3 (I never lifted on the back straight and he just flew by me), and a nicely prepped E36M3.

Had two E92M3 students today. Both really great students. Hopefully, they don't hate me after beating on them all day! Great job Terry and David!

Looking forward to more tomorrow.

[aus]

Great day yesterday. Bitch of a track to learn. Hopefully the CCA will come back. Not looking forward to the drive home. Hopefully the Vegas crowd is staying through the New Year.

Just wondering what the guys new to the CCA events think if it? Some hate the instruction and others really like it.

.

[Triple M]

Originally Posted by OC3

Looking good!

Thanks Randall. Still working getting it right on the 3.4

[Triple M]

Originally Posted by aus

Great day yesterday. Bitch of a track to learn. Hopefully the CCA will come back. Not looking forward to the drive home. Hopefully the Vegas crowd is staying through the New Year.

Just wondering what the guys new to the CCA events think if it? Some hate the instruction and others really like it.

.

Loved the instruction. It's one thing to get the lines, and go fast, it's something else to be able to learn tire management, how to cut down heating issues, easiest way to learn a new track fast etc. Came away with so much info, and best of all, just bunch of great guys. It was definitely really nice to put faces to some of the names. Hope to do this more.

[aus]

Triple M was hauling ass out there. The stable of cars you brought were also amazing.

BIG thanks to HACK for putting on a great event, and for the ride. A BUNCH of us are REALLY hoping we'll be coming back next year!! I could easily get used to this country club track thing... if I won the lotto.

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[The HACK]

Originally Posted by aus

Triple M was hauling ass out there. The stable of cars you brought were also amazing.

BIG thanks to HACK for putting on a great event, and for the ride. A BUNCH of us are REALLY hoping we'll be coming back next year!! I could easily get used to this country club track thing... if I won the lotto.

.

I can't take all the credit, most of it goes to the professional staff supplied by the track, and all the volunteers from L.A. chapter and Sin City (by the way, Sin City provided 4 volunteers on a very VERY short notice when I emailed them Friday morning), and the instructors who braved the cold and the holiday season to join us.

Hopefully those of you joining us (BMW CCA) for the first time wasn't too put off by being placed in the wrong group(s), once we have some record and seen you drive personally I think most got moved quickly to groups appropriate for your skill level and speed. At the next school in our region you should be placed in the appropriate group based on feedback this weekend.

All in all a good weekend. Thank you all for joining us for a nice weekend to close out the year, and as soon as I decompress from the weekend I will be emailing the track to see if we're invited back for a future date.

[Longboarder]

This was my first BMW CCA event.

I have to be honest that the first day for me was not fun. My instructor did not have a headset and it was impossible to hear anything as my car is just too loud to hear over. As a result, I wasn't learning the line and I'm sure I was doing many things wrong. In addition, my instructor was not comfortable with my car at all. He had never been in a car with this much HP and was scared of it. So he was having me accelerate like it had 200 HP.

Day 2 was completely different. I had a new instructor who had a headset. He knew the track very well and was fine with my car. I learned to hit almost every line in my first session and this made the instructor very comfortable with me and had me push it while focusing on smooth inputs and other technical areas. Only issue on Day 2 was getting hung up in traffic however it allowed me to learn to see through the cars and focus on my line.

Was extremely pleased with Day 2 and will definitely sign up for another BMW CCA event. Thanks Hack!

EDIT: oh my what an incredible track and facility. Very professional and courteous staff and overall just a very well organized event by BMW CCA. Thanks.

[admranger]

Great weekend. I was in charge of the sunshine, so I came through.

Gave a few rides and no one hurled, so I guess the rides were ok.

I know Chuckwalla is March 29-30 with the San Diego chapter running that school. Last year was clockwise, so we'll likely be counter clockwise this year (they like to alternate directions).

[tlp]

Just got back and reality sucks!!!


Venue/Facility:

What can be said, I can only compare this to Buttonwillow and Laguna Seca. The track & facility as a package is awesome. The circuit is demanding and very challenging. With so many turns I found it difficult to put together a perfectly clean lap but I am sure that it will keep me coming back for more. The track surface is very smooth and clean similar to Laguna Seca. It really does have country club feel. I stayed on-site in the condos which was a profound luxury compared to the Motel 6 @ Buttonwillow. The price of the condo was reasonable as well. When the compound is your base everything is nicer/easier. I would definitely go out my way revisit this destination. I hope that BMWCCA folks can secure this again in near future. I wouldn’t change a thing. Perfect destination!!!

This was pretty much a new venue & facility to just about everyone. Things were a little shaky the first part of the day which was to be expected. After lunch everything appeared to be on track (no pun intended).

Day 1:

I was fortunate enough to have admranger as my instructor. His knowledge of the track and input was invaluable. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that he owns a e90M3 and a e46M3 as well. We spent the first two sessions honing in lines and the basics. This is the third circuit that I have ever tracked on. Learning this track @ 3.4mi with 18 turns was pretty daunting and intense at first. By the third session we focusing on smooth turning (transitions), braking and throttle application. Admanger effortlessly articulated areas/habits that needed improvement in such a way that it was very easy to process and then make subsequent corrections in my behavior. I would highly recommend admranger without hesitation.

Day 2:

I lucked out again and got “The Hack” as my instructor. This day was more about the finer points. Cleaning up things up and recalibrating some of the braking points to come on initially harder and later. The Hack encouraged me to brake deeper and start to blend in and induce trailbraking into some of corners. Having a 2nd instructor with a different perspective is a great idea. I don’t generally memorize markers or cues. I am more of a feeling guy around the track. The Hack pointed out some markers that really helped me connect some of the dots on turn 12. After working through the game plan I did a solo in last session and tried to put it all together. Things were going great and I was dicing with a new Corvette Stringray for a few laps until I ran out of gas in the middle of the session. This was probably a good omen. No hesitation recommending The Hack as well.

I also took a ride in admranger’s car (e46M3) during the instructors session. This experience really put things in perspective. I now had the bandwidth to process the things that he was saying and doing while was he was behind wheel without the fog of learning a new circuit. I picked up a half of dozen areas to approach differently with this experience. Thanks for the ride!!!

The classroom sessions were very good as well. I was in the B group and the classroom instructor "Steve" was very knowledgeable. These sessions really helped put things together. He did a good job modifying bad behavior based on his observations in the session.


Also, it was great to see old friends and to put names on many of faces around here.


On another note. My Dad joined me to this event with his 2014 Cayman S. This was his 2nd HPDE ever. 1st was a PCA event at the Pomona Fairplex earlier this year. He loved the BMWCCA format and structure and would definitely do it again.

I will post a video when I get a chance.

[aus]

Originally Posted by admranger

Great weekend. I was in charge of the sunshine, so I came through.

Gave a few rides and no one hurled, so I guess the rides were ok.

I know Chuckwalla is March 29-30 with the San Diego chapter running that school. Last year was clockwise, so we'll likely be counter clockwise this year (they like to alternate directions).

We could have used a little more sun in the morning when it was in the low 40's!!

You Cali guys notice how cheap gas is in Nevada?? More than $0.50/gal when compared to where I live.
Planning for Chuckwalla now.

.

[tlp]

Originally Posted by aus

We could have used a little more sun in the morning when it was in the low 40's!!

You Cali guys notice how cheap gas is in Nevada?? More than $0.50/gal when compared to where I live.
Planning for Chuckwalla now.

.

I topped off in Primm on the way home to take advantage of that.


I see Chuckwalla in my future

[USCTrojanMan29]

What a great weekend. Going back to Spring Mountain brought back some great memories. The place has changed for the better since the last time that I visited, especially those onsite condos and nice clubhouse. So nice to be able to say at the track. The first few sessions were just trying to get the lines down and be smooth with the help of my instructors. After lunch, the line was coming back to me with the exception of the bus stop which took many sessions to get down right. There were some awesome cars out on the track and it was nice meeting everyone out there. The best part of the weekend was during the last session of Sunday trying to keep up with one of the instructors who was flying around the track in modded 996 GT3 (I got it on video and will post up later on).

BMW CCA puts together some great events and I'm looking forward to Chuckwalla in March, especially if we are going to be running counter clockwise.

[FTS]

I am sorry guys, but enough with the torture. We in Mid-Atlantic and NE are under freezing weather, all tracks are closed and you guys are just having track fun where we only dream we will too in 3 months!!! So, please post some vids, and we can continue our dreams. Thank you!

[USCTrojanMan29]

Originally Posted by The HACK

I can't take all the credit, most of it goes to the professional staff supplied by the track, and all the volunteers from L.A. chapter and Sin City (by the way, Sin City provided 4 volunteers on a very VERY short notice when I emailed them Friday morning), and the instructors who braved the cold and the holiday season to join us.

Hopefully those of you joining us (BMW CCA) for the first time wasn't too put off by being placed in the wrong group(s), once we have some record and seen you drive personally I think most got moved quickly to groups appropriate for your skill level and speed. At the next school in our region you should be placed in the appropriate group based on feedback this weekend.

All in all a good weekend. Thank you all for joining us for a nice weekend to close out the year, and as soon as I decompress from the weekend I will be emailing the track to see if we're invited back for a future date.

Thanks for putting together a great event again! Hopefully the BMW CCA will make it out to Spring Mountain in 2014.

[tlp]

Video from yesterday....

[aus]

Nice driving tlp. That Stingray was pretty fast already.
What's up with the Viper going that slow?? He FLEW buy us on HWY 127 Friday night when we were driving in.

There are areas where you were flat and I wasn't close and other areas where I was flat and you weren't, so there's more speed for you to gain... but then you ran out of gas and I still had 1/4 tank left, so you were on the loud pedal a lot more than me!!
I did go up the tower straight flat past the curve right before the braking zone once... and my balls shrank a little. After that, I kept lifting a little like you did at the bend. Your brake meter must not be showing full braking either.

[USCTrojanMan29]

Here's a video of my trying to keep up with an instructor driven modded 996 GT3 on Sunday...

[tlp]

Originally Posted by aus

Nice driving tlp. That Stingray was pretty fast already.
What's up with the Viper going that slow?? He FLEW buy us on HWY 127 Friday night when we were driving in.

There are areas where you were flat and I wasn't close and other areas where I was flat and you weren't, so there's more speed for you to gain... but then you ran out of gas and I still had 1/4 tank left, so you were on the loud pedal a lot more than me!!
I did go up the tower straight flat past the curve right before the braking zone once... and my balls shrank a little. After that, I kept lifting a little like you did at the bend. Your brake meter must not be showing full braking either.

Thanks Aus.

The Vette was very fast on the straights. Not sure about the viper, as expected it was very tail happy.

Yep, I left lots of time on the table all over the place.

As far as the brake meter is concerned I didn't update the gauge to show full braking based on the maximum amount of pressure that I applied that day. I was working on smoothing out the braking with feathering at the end of the braking zone.

[Fooshe]

TrojanMan....Great to have you out there this past weekend. Nice work shleping that Grape Ape around the track.

Love the video and would like to get a copy of the clip. I can use it at the next school.

Keeping up with Joe in his "CLS2CUP" wagon is NEVER easy. But I admire the effort. I guess you weren't being "held up" on those laps. Hope the class tips helped and glad to see you enjoyed your time.

[Fooshe]

tlp...watching your clip gave me some good ideas for the next school and some topics to cover. Thanks!

[aus]

Fooshe, if you're who I think you are, my friend has video of you TAILGAITING a Stingray around that track in your loaner 328i with runflats. Awesome driving. It just goes to show all the crap we mental masterbate and spend money on around here for a few HP doesn't mean crap when the driver isn't upgraded first.

USC, you were really fast out there and should have been in A from the first day!! It's interesting on how you guys with lighter cars with super sticky tires all take a totally different line around turn 1/2, hugging the inside of the track all the way around.

.

[Fooshe]

Originally Posted by aus

Fooshe, if you're who I think you are, my friend has video of you TAILGAITING a Stingray around that track in your loaner 328i with runflats. Awesome driving. It just goes to show all the crap we mental masterbate and spend money on around here for a few HP doesn't mean crap when the driver isn't upgraded first.

USC, you were really fast out there and should have been in A from the first day!! It's interesting on how you guys with lighter cars with super sticky tires all take a totally different line around turn 1/2, hugging the inside of the track all the way around.

.

My cover has been blown....you found me out.

As for the Stingray, that wasn't tailgating...I was presenting myself in non-passing zones. I think we actually talked about what I was doing in the classroom.

You know, that is statement about "upgrading the driver" is so true. I say that not to pat myself on the back, but to point out that driver improvement is THE biggest part of going faster. Part of that is not just going to track days to run around the course, but to have evaluations from those who are able to recognize short comings and not only communicate how to correct those flaws, but share how to eliminate them. I noted it in class....Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent. So you may as well develop good habits. I truly believe that the cadre of instructors the BMW CCA has makes their events so worth while.

I was reading earlier where a student seemed to be reluctant to having an instructor in the car. These are the students I like most as they tend to be really capable drivers that could use the second set of eyes to help refine their driving and find the extra 10th's they are loosing on track. As I said, I ALWAYS like having a coach in the car or someone to help evaluate what I am doing; it only makes me a better driver. Hell, even F1 drivers have driving coaches.

As for USC and Joe's damn cup car in disguise, they can get away with running those tighter lines for a number of reasons and can save a ton of time by taking the shorter routes. However, there are times that they may not want to take the lines that they used. Having driven a GT3 for years, I can tell you that there are a few places in USC's video that I would modify my line a bit to maximize my throttle points. There were a couple of other adjustments I would make that would help the car be a bit more stable in different turns so that he could carry a higher maximum speed through the turns. Now these are small refinements, but I think they would yield noticeable returns against the clock. That being said, I still think USC did a fine job out there and drove fairly well.

Thanks for coming out and I hope to make it to Chuckie.