I just experienced the most amazing two days I have ever had with my NSX. I had previously had two days of instruction at Spring Mountain at the NSXPO in Vegas, and since then spent about 10 days at my local track, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.
With Coz’s encouragement I joined NASA and went to the NASA-AZ event that they held this past weekend at no other than…Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Wow. My car, my track, professional instruction. Never having been at a NASA event before, my friend Patty and I were quickly welcomed by NASA staff, instructors and other members. Everyone was simply so friendly, helpful, and importantly, encouraging.
With Jim’s instruction and direction, I moved from HPDE 1 to HPDE 3 in two days. I am a guppy in the Ocean of HPDE 3, but without Jim’s instruction to unlock the talent I had, who knows how long it may have taken. All but one of my classmates were able to at a minimum progress to HPDE 2 and another one moved to HPDE 3 before I did. This wasn’t a freebie upgrade to get rid of students; it was filled with check-rides from other instructors and final sign-offs from the group you were moving into. Jim watched and instructed me in the car, many of the other available instructors watched trackside, so I had NASA staff that I had never met until that moment come up to me and say “you’re doing really well out there, keep it going”. NASA is an organization I’m now very proud to be member of. The credit to this goes to the entire NASA-AZ org, not simply Jim. He had a tough weekend as described here, but he still took generous time to guide me and later Patty around the track.
I learned a very important fact from Jim that most of you guys probably have known for many years:
You go smooth to go fast.
In HPDE 2 I was reeling in a Porsche GT3, BMW M3, Nissan 350Z and a Mustang GT in like a professional fisherman. I wasn’t trying to catch them. I was driving MY car not THEIRS. I was USING momentum instead of wrestling with it. Next thing you know the gaps just fall, and I’m waiting for the point-to-pass so I can move along. I do, and will always have very much to learn. This was very simply proven as I easily expected (and then experienced) when I was the one doing the point-by and was probably passed by almost every big-bore car in HPDE 3, including what I think was an Alfa Romeo 33, that I was waiting to belch out a plume of smoke and explode at any moment, as Alfa’s are prone to do.:wink:
I’ll finish this book of a post by saying one last bit. I love my NSX. It’s why I bought one, it’s why I like Prime and the community we have. I can say that I have never loved my NSX as much as have this weekend. I’ve done suspension mods over the past few years to make a difference, and now I can drive the car well enough to really leverage and experience the difference my upgrades have made. As I left for work this morning I walked by my baby, wheels black with brake dust, track dirt on her, I laid my hand on the roof and smiled. I think she smiled back and sighed, “finally…” :smile:
With Coz’s encouragement I joined NASA and went to the NASA-AZ event that they held this past weekend at no other than…Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Wow. My car, my track, professional instruction. Never having been at a NASA event before, my friend Patty and I were quickly welcomed by NASA staff, instructors and other members. Everyone was simply so friendly, helpful, and importantly, encouraging.
With Jim’s instruction and direction, I moved from HPDE 1 to HPDE 3 in two days. I am a guppy in the Ocean of HPDE 3, but without Jim’s instruction to unlock the talent I had, who knows how long it may have taken. All but one of my classmates were able to at a minimum progress to HPDE 2 and another one moved to HPDE 3 before I did. This wasn’t a freebie upgrade to get rid of students; it was filled with check-rides from other instructors and final sign-offs from the group you were moving into. Jim watched and instructed me in the car, many of the other available instructors watched trackside, so I had NASA staff that I had never met until that moment come up to me and say “you’re doing really well out there, keep it going”. NASA is an organization I’m now very proud to be member of. The credit to this goes to the entire NASA-AZ org, not simply Jim. He had a tough weekend as described here, but he still took generous time to guide me and later Patty around the track.
I learned a very important fact from Jim that most of you guys probably have known for many years:
You go smooth to go fast.
In HPDE 2 I was reeling in a Porsche GT3, BMW M3, Nissan 350Z and a Mustang GT in like a professional fisherman. I wasn’t trying to catch them. I was driving MY car not THEIRS. I was USING momentum instead of wrestling with it. Next thing you know the gaps just fall, and I’m waiting for the point-to-pass so I can move along. I do, and will always have very much to learn. This was very simply proven as I easily expected (and then experienced) when I was the one doing the point-by and was probably passed by almost every big-bore car in HPDE 3, including what I think was an Alfa Romeo 33, that I was waiting to belch out a plume of smoke and explode at any moment, as Alfa’s are prone to do.:wink:
I’ll finish this book of a post by saying one last bit. I love my NSX. It’s why I bought one, it’s why I like Prime and the community we have. I can say that I have never loved my NSX as much as have this weekend. I’ve done suspension mods over the past few years to make a difference, and now I can drive the car well enough to really leverage and experience the difference my upgrades have made. As I left for work this morning I walked by my baby, wheels black with brake dust, track dirt on her, I laid my hand on the roof and smiled. I think she smiled back and sighed, “finally…” :smile:
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and yes, even though you were amazed at the speed of DE3, you handled it like you belonged out there. Your skills will no doubt continue to improve and you will continue to advance as time goes by and you get more seat time.
