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Working with an Instructor

I needed help to start working on car control, and how to improve my skill. I started working with Scott Dollahite doing the two courses (Foundations and Advanced) at Driveway Austin it was an incredible experience, I got loads of track time. Scott is a very patient, and experienced instructor, and driver it really helped me get comfortable with the Cayman R, which is an amazingly forgiving, and balanced car to drive.

Driveway Austin L3

Additionally, I started working with Courtney Rivers who I met while spending time with Longhorn Racing Academy (LRA) she has really helped me get comfortable with car control. The first thing we started with was trail braking, and we then moved on to data analysis working out at Harris Hill Raceway.

Additionally, I have done a number of HPDE events at Circuit of the Americas both with LRA, and later through the Hill Country PCA. The PCA events have started bringing instructors in as well, and I have taken the opportunity to work with them as well. I think it is really good experience to get as much variety of tracks as possible as you begin learning.

Circuit of the Americas

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Racing License – Part1

I caught the bug bad, I need to race wheel-to-wheel, so I started by getting my novice license, at first glance the two most popular options are SCCA, and NASA, I opted to go the SCCA route as it seemed more straightforward. All the forms are simple,  I went to my general practitioner for a physical, and then got a separate eye exam from a ophthalmologist. Sent everything in with my novice fee, and a couple weeks later, I got really cool packet in the mail.   I have the completed everything up to step 3, I just picked which school I am going to and will post on that later.

Here is the rulebook for 2016, which is what I used to figure out where my car fit in terms of class.

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Driving Calendar

After doing multiple driving events in 2016, I talked to a couple people about what they did to improve their skills, its all about seat time, I embarked upon a goal of doing at least one driving event per month through the year of 2017, currently I have overachieved with some months doing as many as 3 events. I got a calendar, and started putting all the materials onto the calendar as a way to visually reinforce my goal.

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The Birthday Gift

On my birthday last year my sister, and parents got me the coolest gift. A gift card to use with Longhorn Racing Academy and their exotic driving experience. That is where I continued my love of all things Porsche. I drove a Peridot Metallic Green Cayman R, and instantly fell in love. I remember getting out of the car, and telling Varun (the owner of LRA) that I was going to be this car. And after a couple more times hanging out with the LRA team doing an HPDE, and another event, I bought the car:

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Father / Son Project

Air-cooled cars are the best, my Dad went through many “phases” Cadillac, American, German, and has currently settled on being an airhead he loves Volkswagen. He has built Kharmann Ghia’s, Beetles, a Double-Cab, and has a number of Buses. We wanted to work on a car together,  I wanted something with a bit more panache so after 6 months of searching I found the best car I could afford, a 1974 911.  It has taken a couple years to restore, and seems like a project that will not end, but, I love it!!

Here is the “final” result

It took a ton of restoration work, the car sat in California for 30 years, and needed a lot of love this was the car we started with:

I had to fix the entire fuel system from the gas tank all the way back to the injectors with everything in between, new fuel lines, fuel pump, rebuilt fuel distributor, and warm-up regulator, new accumulator, and injectors.

Need all of the safety work, new tires, and brake pads, and rotors.

Then I decided to do a full down to metal, glass out respray in the original factory, and what I think is the most gorgeous color: Copper Metallic Brown

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In the Beginning

In the beginning there were so many cars, I can’t even keep count, the first car that I remember working on with my data was a 1949 Cadillac. It didn’t run, I remember getting under the car, and helping my dad take parts off of the engine: oil pump, fuel pump, carburetor to clean them, rebuild or replace them. When it finally did start using lots of starter fluid, and a mason jar to bypass the gas tank, the backfire shook the windows, and the smoke and debris that shot out of the exhaust was unbelievable. What a memory, the seed was planted but it took a long time to start growing. I grew up moved to New York (not a car friendly town, if you are a poor 20-something), and finally got back to Texas. Once back I started making up for lost time.

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