I wanted to write about the positive impact that quality professional driving instruction has done for me.
I've been tracking my '91 NSX for a couple of years now. I bought it for the same reason most of you have... It's a cool car! I took it to the track one time and got permanently hooked. I probably have about 20 days under my belt and wish I had more. My car has progressed over the years as follows:
1. Bone stock.
2. Upgraded pads (Carbotech xp8's), stainless brake lines and high temp fluid, Cantrell intake, Comptech header, Taitec lightweight exhaust, no cats (sorry ozone layer).
3. Brembo BBK (front only), non compliance toe links/rear beam and front clamp, Dali brake ducts, R compound tires (RA1's)
4.Type R suspension from SOS (amazing performance!), Type R chassis bars, aggressive alignment,
5. Penske double adjustable dampers (built and setup by Erik Messley), camber plates, aggressive alignment
I'm amazed at how quick the car is compared to cars with double the horsepower. I love the car!
I've been running HPDE's in the advanced group for about the last 10 events. My times are competitive with most. However, I've been a bit frustrated lately because my lap times have not been getting any quicker. I was pretty sure the car was still a lot faster than I was, so I knew I needed to improve my driving skills.
I've been acquaintances with Nor Cal professional motor sports driver Andrie Hartanto for a few years and know that he is very knowledgeable and fast (as well as a previous NSX owner). I found out he was now offering professional driving instruction as well. I couldn't wait to take him up on the offer. I got my first hint at the benefits of this at a Redline Time Attack this past April at Buttonwillow (configuration #13 CW). I entered the Modified Rear wheel drive class and was turning 2:08's. I had a quick opportunity for Andrie to hop in the passenger seat (and later Billy Johnson). With their help, I was able to cut my lap times down from 2:08's to 2:05.38 in one session! Needless to say I learned a lot.
The following month I had the opportunity to do a two-day event at Laguna Seca. This was the first time that I had ever driven this track. Since Andrie was a Nor Cal native, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to work with him to improve my skills. I wanted to spend the first day by myself getting to know the track. I had a local Trackmasters instructor with me on every session the first day. This proved very informative and useful as I learned the new track. I was able to get to consistent 1:54's, but no better. Andrie arrived on the second day and gave me pointers on the line and my technique. He coached me where and how to go faster as well as how to do it safer. I learned more about car control in that one day than I had in all of my previous track experience. Andrie helped me cut my lap times from 1:54's to 1:48 in four sessions!!!! He said there was a few more seconds if we could do a few more sessions, but I had to drive back to LA and cut it short. This opened my eyes about how to go faster in addition to safer. Why had I waited so long to hire professional help? The answer is ignorance. I wasn't aware of the positive impact of professional help.
I was at Buttonwillow again a few weeks ago. I was fortunate to run into Billy Johnson. He was there instructing for an S2000 driver and was kind enough to hop in my passenger seat for two sessions to show me a few things. He gave me some pointers on the line and was able to help me cut my lap times by 2-3 seconds. I asked him to drive my car to see what he thought about the setup (he said it was very well balanced). Wow, I was blown away at his car control. He wasn't going 10/10ths yet was able to show me how he's able to toss the car and put it exactly where he wants. I didn't know my car could handle like he made it handle. I'm looking forward to spending more time with him and learning better car control.
If anyone is interested in improving their lap times and thinks the car is the problem. I would strongly recommend hiring either of these professionals before spending any money on mods. As the saying goes, "your best performance investment is on the nut behind the wheel". I wish it didn't take me so long to learn. I'd be a lot faster by now. Oh well, it's never too late for me to start now. I hope to work with Andrie and Billy again soon!
Andrie Hartanto's profile:
http://www.prima-racing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=2
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/member.php?u=3706
Billy Johnson's profile:
http://www.grand-am.com/koni/drivers/driver.cfm?did=1087
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/member.php?u=16531
Ryan
I've been tracking my '91 NSX for a couple of years now. I bought it for the same reason most of you have... It's a cool car! I took it to the track one time and got permanently hooked. I probably have about 20 days under my belt and wish I had more. My car has progressed over the years as follows:
1. Bone stock.
2. Upgraded pads (Carbotech xp8's), stainless brake lines and high temp fluid, Cantrell intake, Comptech header, Taitec lightweight exhaust, no cats (sorry ozone layer).
3. Brembo BBK (front only), non compliance toe links/rear beam and front clamp, Dali brake ducts, R compound tires (RA1's)
4.Type R suspension from SOS (amazing performance!), Type R chassis bars, aggressive alignment,
5. Penske double adjustable dampers (built and setup by Erik Messley), camber plates, aggressive alignment
I'm amazed at how quick the car is compared to cars with double the horsepower. I love the car!
I've been running HPDE's in the advanced group for about the last 10 events. My times are competitive with most. However, I've been a bit frustrated lately because my lap times have not been getting any quicker. I was pretty sure the car was still a lot faster than I was, so I knew I needed to improve my driving skills.
I've been acquaintances with Nor Cal professional motor sports driver Andrie Hartanto for a few years and know that he is very knowledgeable and fast (as well as a previous NSX owner). I found out he was now offering professional driving instruction as well. I couldn't wait to take him up on the offer. I got my first hint at the benefits of this at a Redline Time Attack this past April at Buttonwillow (configuration #13 CW). I entered the Modified Rear wheel drive class and was turning 2:08's. I had a quick opportunity for Andrie to hop in the passenger seat (and later Billy Johnson). With their help, I was able to cut my lap times down from 2:08's to 2:05.38 in one session! Needless to say I learned a lot.
The following month I had the opportunity to do a two-day event at Laguna Seca. This was the first time that I had ever driven this track. Since Andrie was a Nor Cal native, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to work with him to improve my skills. I wanted to spend the first day by myself getting to know the track. I had a local Trackmasters instructor with me on every session the first day. This proved very informative and useful as I learned the new track. I was able to get to consistent 1:54's, but no better. Andrie arrived on the second day and gave me pointers on the line and my technique. He coached me where and how to go faster as well as how to do it safer. I learned more about car control in that one day than I had in all of my previous track experience. Andrie helped me cut my lap times from 1:54's to 1:48 in four sessions!!!! He said there was a few more seconds if we could do a few more sessions, but I had to drive back to LA and cut it short. This opened my eyes about how to go faster in addition to safer. Why had I waited so long to hire professional help? The answer is ignorance. I wasn't aware of the positive impact of professional help.
I was at Buttonwillow again a few weeks ago. I was fortunate to run into Billy Johnson. He was there instructing for an S2000 driver and was kind enough to hop in my passenger seat for two sessions to show me a few things. He gave me some pointers on the line and was able to help me cut my lap times by 2-3 seconds. I asked him to drive my car to see what he thought about the setup (he said it was very well balanced). Wow, I was blown away at his car control. He wasn't going 10/10ths yet was able to show me how he's able to toss the car and put it exactly where he wants. I didn't know my car could handle like he made it handle. I'm looking forward to spending more time with him and learning better car control.
If anyone is interested in improving their lap times and thinks the car is the problem. I would strongly recommend hiring either of these professionals before spending any money on mods. As the saying goes, "your best performance investment is on the nut behind the wheel". I wish it didn't take me so long to learn. I'd be a lot faster by now. Oh well, it's never too late for me to start now. I hope to work with Andrie and Billy again soon!
Andrie Hartanto's profile:
http://www.prima-racing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=2
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/member.php?u=3706
Billy Johnson's profile:
http://www.grand-am.com/koni/drivers/driver.cfm?did=1087
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/member.php?u=16531
Ryan
