Skip Barber experience - impressions
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Joined: August 18, 2004
Posts: 2,187
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From: Virginia
Skip Barber experience - impressions
DAY 1 - We broke the class of 17 people into three groups. The groups went to the skidpad, threshold braking exercise, and vehicle dynamics class. We went to the skidpad first, and all classes rotated through all three activities.
Keeping the skidpad wetted down, the instructors worked us around the pad, had us come off the throttle, and would randomly pull the parking brake, sending us into skids. They taught us skid "CPR" - correct, pause, recover.
In the vehicle dynamics class, we discussed loads on the suspension from acceleration, deceleration and cornering. Then we factored in driver input at the throttle, brakes and steering wheel.
They had a great way of demonstrating that with a steering wheel that had a string attached to it, and a loop at the bottom that went around your right foot. With your foot up off the pedals, you can apply 100% steering. As soon as you put your foot down on a pedal, the string tightens and you have to give up some steering. It effectively explained the relationship between them, which came in real handy on the threshold braking, and especially the second day activities.
In the afternoon we did more of these exercises, including an on-track exercise on heel-and-toe-downshifting. I learned why I was having so much trouble with it - I had the last part of the sequence on the pedals wrong. Now I gotta break that habit!
DAY 2 - We split up again, between "brake and turn" maneuvers, skidpad (with turn ins, apex and turnout targets), and class on the autocross, focusing on figuring your line and using the cars' energy to max your speed on the course. We rotated through these in the morning.
In the afternoon we rotated through driving responsibilities and safety (a dynamic lecture on the subject the likes of which most people have never had), the "champagne slalom", emergency lane change, and the autocross.
The champagne slalom had us driving school cars through a course with decreasing radius turns, compromise turns, increasing radius and a chicane, as well as specific gates. On the hood a bowl was attached magnetically, and a tennis ball was attached to the bowl with a string. (OK, so it was a tennis ball slalom.) We worked in driving teams of two, and you had to lap the course as fast as possible without taking out any cones (2 second penalty) or dumping the tennis ball out of the bowl. If you did, you had to stop, unbuckle, get out, put the ball back in, buckle back in, and finish the course. So losing the ball was basically death to your time.
In emergency lane change, your first tossing one lane, then two, into cone boxes separated by about 50 feet, from about 35-37mph. The taught us "toss, recover, brake." Even though instinct tells you to go for the brake, you HAVE TO use 100% steering to make the maneuver, then threshold brake into the second box.
The autocross, was of course, the best. Instructors ride with you, talking you through the line and encouraging you to push the limit harder and harder. You drive like you never thought you possibly could (at least I did!) First this was in the Neons, and then in the Vipers.
The Viper. It listens to everything you tell it, and will do EXACTLY what you tell it to do. You tell it to do good things - it does them REALLY WELL. If you tell it to do bad things - it does those REALLY WELL too. Extraordinary brakes, and very fast steering. Acceleration - well that goes without saying. An incredible car.
Then it was time. We signed the waiver, and ran the course in the Mustang. We had upped the tire presasure to 40PSI that morning, so she was ready. With the instructors taslking us through the line, we both drove her like we stole her. And she did incredible stuff! The Mustang has a MUCH higher handling limit than I imagined. Overall performance was absolutely terrific. Weakest point, as I expected, was the stock brakes. They slowed us just fine and didn't fade through the laps we did. But we worked the ABS hard, and the stock pads would not have put up with that for very long. Steering was good, and acceleration of course was right on the money. It was a short enough course that you simply remained in second gear (in all the cars) and focused on the vehicle dynamics.
It's not cheap. But I cannot recommend the experience strongly enough. Just incredible.
Keeping the skidpad wetted down, the instructors worked us around the pad, had us come off the throttle, and would randomly pull the parking brake, sending us into skids. They taught us skid "CPR" - correct, pause, recover.
In the vehicle dynamics class, we discussed loads on the suspension from acceleration, deceleration and cornering. Then we factored in driver input at the throttle, brakes and steering wheel.
They had a great way of demonstrating that with a steering wheel that had a string attached to it, and a loop at the bottom that went around your right foot. With your foot up off the pedals, you can apply 100% steering. As soon as you put your foot down on a pedal, the string tightens and you have to give up some steering. It effectively explained the relationship between them, which came in real handy on the threshold braking, and especially the second day activities.
In the afternoon we did more of these exercises, including an on-track exercise on heel-and-toe-downshifting. I learned why I was having so much trouble with it - I had the last part of the sequence on the pedals wrong. Now I gotta break that habit!
DAY 2 - We split up again, between "brake and turn" maneuvers, skidpad (with turn ins, apex and turnout targets), and class on the autocross, focusing on figuring your line and using the cars' energy to max your speed on the course. We rotated through these in the morning.
In the afternoon we rotated through driving responsibilities and safety (a dynamic lecture on the subject the likes of which most people have never had), the "champagne slalom", emergency lane change, and the autocross.
The champagne slalom had us driving school cars through a course with decreasing radius turns, compromise turns, increasing radius and a chicane, as well as specific gates. On the hood a bowl was attached magnetically, and a tennis ball was attached to the bowl with a string. (OK, so it was a tennis ball slalom.) We worked in driving teams of two, and you had to lap the course as fast as possible without taking out any cones (2 second penalty) or dumping the tennis ball out of the bowl. If you did, you had to stop, unbuckle, get out, put the ball back in, buckle back in, and finish the course. So losing the ball was basically death to your time.
In emergency lane change, your first tossing one lane, then two, into cone boxes separated by about 50 feet, from about 35-37mph. The taught us "toss, recover, brake." Even though instinct tells you to go for the brake, you HAVE TO use 100% steering to make the maneuver, then threshold brake into the second box.
The autocross, was of course, the best. Instructors ride with you, talking you through the line and encouraging you to push the limit harder and harder. You drive like you never thought you possibly could (at least I did!) First this was in the Neons, and then in the Vipers.
The Viper. It listens to everything you tell it, and will do EXACTLY what you tell it to do. You tell it to do good things - it does them REALLY WELL. If you tell it to do bad things - it does those REALLY WELL too. Extraordinary brakes, and very fast steering. Acceleration - well that goes without saying. An incredible car.
Then it was time. We signed the waiver, and ran the course in the Mustang. We had upped the tire presasure to 40PSI that morning, so she was ready. With the instructors taslking us through the line, we both drove her like we stole her. And she did incredible stuff! The Mustang has a MUCH higher handling limit than I imagined. Overall performance was absolutely terrific. Weakest point, as I expected, was the stock brakes. They slowed us just fine and didn't fade through the laps we did. But we worked the ABS hard, and the stock pads would not have put up with that for very long. Steering was good, and acceleration of course was right on the money. It was a short enough course that you simply remained in second gear (in all the cars) and focused on the vehicle dynamics.
It's not cheap. But I cannot recommend the experience strongly enough. Just incredible.
Thread Starter
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: August 18, 2004
Posts: 2,187
Likes: 142
From: Virginia
Here's the video finally!
Here, finally is the teaser video I cut. Just a small hint of the fun we had!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...64338182898501
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...64338182898501
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