PEC LA - Any Advice?
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I did PEC ATL. The best thing you can be is a good student and LISTEN to your instructor. I did a base Cayman and a Carrera S. Doing different cars was a blast. I really enjoyed the 911, more so than I thought I would. But I ended up buying a Cayman S. But you’ll have a blast experiencing the cars in their natural habitat. ?
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I'm looking forward to hearing about it. My main goal is to get some experience with the car as it starts to slide.
As I slid sideways off the tail end of a hairpin turn at the end of my first laps of my first DE, I can tell you that you'll be so mad at doing it on the track that you won't have mental room to be scared. So you have a great plan to slide under controlled circumstances! It is no fun washing a lawn of cut grass from a Cayman's underside! Also, if it wasn't for all the grass stuck to the car, and the wailing of the tires, it was kind of fun in a weird sort of way. You will see what I mean.
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Yes, I saw the pic of your car with grass
That’s partially why I decided to head to PEC before my first DE (at Sonoma nonetheless). I know NASA coaches aren’t going to let me get near that, but I’ll feel better when I do having had some time on the low friction circle.
Well, I hope to do what you are about to do sometime in the near future. What a great way to learn how you and the car interact on a skid pad, and all the other things you will get to do!Yes, I saw the pic of your car with grass
That’s partially why I decided to head to PEC before my first DE (at Sonoma nonetheless). I know NASA coaches aren’t going to let me get near that, but I’ll feel better when I do having had some time on the low friction circle.
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Just some thoughts about our experience at the Atlanta PEC.
-Make sure you do the simulator. Each car is surrounded by TV screens (in the front) and the car adjacent to you is appropriately visible on the screens. My GF and I were able to interact as we drove the track. I had never driven on a race track before and I had an incredibly satisfying/fun experience learning the track and markers etc. as I went so I did not spin out at every turn.
-The real track with the professional driver in the right seat was over the top with respect to having a good time. I would certainly not brand myself as a competent high performance driver so I was a bit intimidated prior to getting out there. The driver was very pleasant and respectful, instantly was able to assess to my abilities, and very skillfully coached me to truly maximize the experience both in terms of just raw fun and learning. The only disappointment with this was when the time came to end the session.
-Part of the track experience is an 800 Ft straight stretch of track to demonstrate how well these incredible cars brake. I was told to floor it and not let up until told. At one point on the first run when starting to approach the end of the 800 ft stretch my pro driver/host correctly sensed I was getting ready to brake so he told me to "just stay on it". An instant before the point I made a decision to brake no matter what he said, he told me to brake hard, which I did, and the car just came to a totally controlled stop quickly, under full control, and without drama. We did it a few more times to demonstrate what an incredibly wonderful drug Adrenalin is.
-We stayed in the hotel that was part of the PEC complex. They only had valet only parking so the PEC volunteered to keep the car in their garage overnight. At 0600 the next morning I found the car parked in the massive featureless concrete garage in a large display area appropriately painted and lit just like my new Boxster with 11 miles on it was on display at a car show. It was just a really nice touch at the end of a very memorable experience.
There was much much more to this very pleasurable experience from the personalized menus in the restaurant to the pomp and circumstance associated with the unveiling, when they pulled the silk drape off the car in a private room.
Hope this little preview ratchets up the excitement a little for you.
-Make sure you do the simulator. Each car is surrounded by TV screens (in the front) and the car adjacent to you is appropriately visible on the screens. My GF and I were able to interact as we drove the track. I had never driven on a race track before and I had an incredibly satisfying/fun experience learning the track and markers etc. as I went so I did not spin out at every turn.
-The real track with the professional driver in the right seat was over the top with respect to having a good time. I would certainly not brand myself as a competent high performance driver so I was a bit intimidated prior to getting out there. The driver was very pleasant and respectful, instantly was able to assess to my abilities, and very skillfully coached me to truly maximize the experience both in terms of just raw fun and learning. The only disappointment with this was when the time came to end the session.
-Part of the track experience is an 800 Ft straight stretch of track to demonstrate how well these incredible cars brake. I was told to floor it and not let up until told. At one point on the first run when starting to approach the end of the 800 ft stretch my pro driver/host correctly sensed I was getting ready to brake so he told me to "just stay on it". An instant before the point I made a decision to brake no matter what he said, he told me to brake hard, which I did, and the car just came to a totally controlled stop quickly, under full control, and without drama. We did it a few more times to demonstrate what an incredibly wonderful drug Adrenalin is.
-We stayed in the hotel that was part of the PEC complex. They only had valet only parking so the PEC volunteered to keep the car in their garage overnight. At 0600 the next morning I found the car parked in the massive featureless concrete garage in a large display area appropriately painted and lit just like my new Boxster with 11 miles on it was on display at a car show. It was just a really nice touch at the end of a very memorable experience.
There was much much more to this very pleasurable experience from the personalized menus in the restaurant to the pomp and circumstance associated with the unveiling, when they pulled the silk drape off the car in a private room.
Hope this little preview ratchets up the excitement a little for you.
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I forgot to say above it is impossible to feel uncomfortable on either of the two skid pads, at least at Atlanta. The first straight one is where you approach it at 20 mph and a hydraulic ram kicks the rear tires. If you recover from the rear breaking loose it is satisfying, if you don’t, the spin is a lot of fun. On the other wet circular pad the idea is to demonstrate oversteer and understeer so you will be intentionally placing the car out of full control. Again, no matter what happens, the ride is exhilarating. You can’t do wrong and not have a great experience and the pro driver with you will coach you at every step. I certainly have no high performance experience and not once was I not fully enjoying the experience.
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I drop off my car in the morning to have my wheels painted platinum silver and have my rocker panels touched up before I PPF them (I have a 1/4 PPF already). Then head to the airport. I'm curious to se if I retain anything from Tuesday's session on Wednesday's session. I hate short trips, but I'm sure this is going to be worth it.
I went to PEC LA for the first time on Saturday. It was a pretty cool experience for sure.
I have never been to a track with a car before, however I have been many times on a motorcycle and had some intensive coaching/instruction as well.
At PEC LA there are several different tracks/modules. The main "track" and acceleration straight (and replica Karosell corner) are fun ( could have used way more laps on the main track personally) and the driving dynamics area (essentially just a flat lot with cones to swerve through, simple corners, and practice fast stops) were good.
The main learning actually takes place at very slow speeds on the low friction areas - the dry/floured polished concrete, wet circle for drifting, ice hill and kick plate. These are all designed to get the car really loose and be able to recover quickly. These are things you really cant get anywhere else that I know of.
The overall experience of the display cars, race shop, store, restaurant, etc was all pretty cool to check out as well.
I would recommend it for sure. Every Porsche owner should go at least once.
For me personally, I am not sure that I would go back myself, however now that I have gone, I have a few friends who are interested in going, and I will certainly return with them for the fun (of course it is only a 45 minute drive for me to get there, which factors in)
I have never been to a track with a car before, however I have been many times on a motorcycle and had some intensive coaching/instruction as well.
At PEC LA there are several different tracks/modules. The main "track" and acceleration straight (and replica Karosell corner) are fun ( could have used way more laps on the main track personally) and the driving dynamics area (essentially just a flat lot with cones to swerve through, simple corners, and practice fast stops) were good.
The main learning actually takes place at very slow speeds on the low friction areas - the dry/floured polished concrete, wet circle for drifting, ice hill and kick plate. These are all designed to get the car really loose and be able to recover quickly. These are things you really cant get anywhere else that I know of.
The overall experience of the display cars, race shop, store, restaurant, etc was all pretty cool to check out as well.
I would recommend it for sure. Every Porsche owner should go at least once.
For me personally, I am not sure that I would go back myself, however now that I have gone, I have a few friends who are interested in going, and I will certainly return with them for the fun (of course it is only a 45 minute drive for me to get there, which factors in)
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Back from two sessions. The first day was mainly the low friction circle, kick plate and then the majority on the track circuit. I was in a Cayman GTS both days since the suspension on it is more similar to mine than a base C (PTV, PASM and SC). The circle was my highest priority as I wanted to feel the car loose traction. I picked it up pretty quickly and had so much fun. I think a big part is vision, kind of like making a putt. Keep a big view and concentrate on where you want to go, not right in front of you. The kick plate was only partially functional, so it wasn't't a big deal after sliding around the circle.
I told my instructor that I have my first DE next month, so we spent a lot of time on the track with that in mind. I learned a lot. That's an understatement. I did lose traction a couple of times somewhat intentionally, giving a bit too much throttle too early coming out of a turn. But... I was very comfortable and it was fun, although maybe not technically correct. Really cool.
Day two, new instructor. We started on the low friction circuit. The big takeaway was feeling the weight transfer and learning the dance. I could've spent all day on that. I'm more comfortable with oversteer rather than understeer, but got a good sensation of manipulating the weight of the car. This is a big deal. We then hit the track, and this instructor had a little bit different approach. All in all, I think it was good to have a different instructor who focused on different things.There was one set of corners that he was very different on handling than the other instructor, so that was good to get a different mindset.
I've got to work on easing my braking and acceleration. I understand why - weight transfer and keeping the car smooth.
I want to go back again. It was so much fun but I learned so much. I think anyone who doesn't have track or HPDE experience, this kind of experience is really incredible. I really learned about how the car works. I've got a ton to learn, but now I see and feel what's going on. Even if you don't like pushing straights and corners, the low friction modules will really teach most a lot about the car, weight transfer and maintaining traction.
For anyone going, I'd recommend having a list of priorities of what you want to learn. The instructors will suss your abilities quickly and lead you through it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I told my instructor that I have my first DE next month, so we spent a lot of time on the track with that in mind. I learned a lot. That's an understatement. I did lose traction a couple of times somewhat intentionally, giving a bit too much throttle too early coming out of a turn. But... I was very comfortable and it was fun, although maybe not technically correct. Really cool.
Day two, new instructor. We started on the low friction circuit. The big takeaway was feeling the weight transfer and learning the dance. I could've spent all day on that. I'm more comfortable with oversteer rather than understeer, but got a good sensation of manipulating the weight of the car. This is a big deal. We then hit the track, and this instructor had a little bit different approach. All in all, I think it was good to have a different instructor who focused on different things.There was one set of corners that he was very different on handling than the other instructor, so that was good to get a different mindset.
I've got to work on easing my braking and acceleration. I understand why - weight transfer and keeping the car smooth.
I want to go back again. It was so much fun but I learned so much. I think anyone who doesn't have track or HPDE experience, this kind of experience is really incredible. I really learned about how the car works. I've got a ton to learn, but now I see and feel what's going on. Even if you don't like pushing straights and corners, the low friction modules will really teach most a lot about the car, weight transfer and maintaining traction.
For anyone going, I'd recommend having a list of priorities of what you want to learn. The instructors will suss your abilities quickly and lead you through it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Color me green with envy; looking forward to your feedback after your PEC visit. I'd be interested in trying the Bay Area DE you've found, perhaps you can PM me with more info?
Edit: @vhs update got posted at the same time as my post. WOW, PEC LA sounds like a must visit, thanks for the update!
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From our interactions, it's a must do. I think you'd love it. I'll PM you on the DE.
Well done @vhs ! What great experiences, and how timely with your first DE coming up to have the proper basis for appreciating what you will learn additionally there. I did a bunch of reading and studying before my first (and only) DE and while it did help me understand what my instructor was trying to tell me, I should have take the advice of @nineball and other experienced DEers to just relax, reinforce the basics, don't overthink and try to feel the communication with your car about what is happening on the track, AND have fun! And although I'm still reading (currently "Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving" by Skip Barber instructors) I'm determined to turn my next DE into kind of Zen experience and take the advice above. Hopefully, what we've learned will manifest itself without us thinking about it!
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It was a lot of information to process in two days. By the end of the second day, I was losing my line, trying to think of all of the other things I had learned. I think I was more relaxed on the first day because I was going off the chunk of info from that day. Ideally, I would've had a day or two in between the sessions, but I didn't plan it that way. I also spent too much time sliding the car instead of correcting it. It wasn't drifting school. My main goal was to be comfortable with the car losing traction, and I accomplished that. Before buying my 718, my only mid engine experience was with my father's 308 GTS. I had that go on me once and wanted to learn how to handle that, and I accomplished that. PSM in Sport mode seems to be the sweet spot for handling for me, and I learned a bit about how to engage with PTV.
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