Time Trial Drivers' Handbook

Porsche Club of America - Golden Gate Region

2003 Edition

Henry Watts and Brad Maker
© 2003 Henry Watts & Brad Maker

This material may only be used for personal use, and not sold or distributed as part of an event without prior permission.

 

Introduction

This Handbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the Drivers' Education and Time Trial Series offered by the Golden Gate Region of the Porsche Club of America. The events that comprise the series have traditionally been among the safest and most fun track events available to explore the performance capabilities of the Porsche automobile and to improve driving performance.

The first part of the Handbook provides a general introduction to the events, and then a complete rundown of the way the event operates during the weekend. After this comes a section on the process and etiquette of driving the track. Further sections deal with preparation requirements, car maintenance issues, a discussion of safety equipment, a brief primer on essential aspects of performance driving and an introduction to the GGR instructional program. Instructor editions include a complete track instructors' guide.

The second part of the Handbook is devoted to detailed driving guides for each of the tracks normally used by the event series.

A brief note about the safety equipment requiments: The GGR DE&TT series has much stronger requirements for safety equipment than most drivers' education events either within PCA or as conducted by other organizations. This should not be interpreted as meaning that these events are less safe than the events conducted by other organizations. Indeed, GGR has a safety record that compares very favorably with the typical safety record of such events. Rather, these requirements are a reflection of GGR's strong commitment to driver safety.

This Handbook is the first major revision in a number of years. Thanks are due those who helped in its preparation. More thanks, however, are due those many dedicated and diligent people who, over the 24-year history of this series, have worked so hard and so effectively in so many ways to make the series as good as it is.

What is Time Trialing?

Perhaps you have just acquired your first Porsche. Upgraded from a lesser car. And now you just know that you’ll want to drive fast, the way your car is designed to be driven. Maybe you’ve searched out some back roads for a little spirited driving, and come away thirsty for more. Much more. But you know you’ll eventually find trouble in one form or another with the self-taught, trial and error, back roads approach. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be on the other side of the fence at Sears Point or Laguna Seca as you’ve watched the professionals drive by.

Or maybe you’ve been actively autocrossing for a year or so, enjoying the company of excellent people, the competitive aspect and the skills you’ve been developing, but find yourself hungering for more seat time.

In either case perhaps time trialing is for you.

A GGR Time Trial event is both driver’s education and a competitive event. The focus for the first day and a half is on driver’s education. The objective is that people can learn and practice precision and performance driving in an environment that has been made as safe as possible.

Cars are divided into run groups with similar lap times, giving everyone an opportunity to practice with their peers on the course. Thirty or so cars practice at a time for four to five sessions of about 25 minutes on Saturday and 2 sessions on Sunday.

The time trial portion of the event is held on Sunday afternoon and provides an opportunity to compete via individual timed runs. This competition is similar to the qualifying rounds of professional racing, where the winning car in each class is the one with the fastest single lap time in its class.

Getting started

A thorough reading of this handbook will give you a solid grounding in the information needed to time trial with the Golden Gate Region. Additionally, please consult the time trial page on this website. There you will find current schedules, current contact lists for the TT Chairperson, Registrar and Chief Instructor, soft copies of much of the material contained in this book, current track records by class, a full copy of the time trial rules and much more.

Goals and attitudes

The time trial driving program offered by Golden Gate Region of the Porsche Club of America was developed by and for people who want to explore the limits of their Porsches in the environment where these studies belong - on a race track. Time trialers seek a controlled environment where they can learn high speed driving skills while minimizing risk to themselves and their cars. These are not wild-eyed speed demons playing bumper cars, but sensible people who share a common goal - to get the most from their Porsches by learning to drive at the limit, and to share the Porsche experience.

Club environment, driver's education, competition

Camaraderie runs high at a GGR time trial event. In the midst of adrenaline-charged driving sessions there is a strong family spirit. People share laughs, food, car parts, and even cars. Newcomers are quickly welcomed, meeting the veteran members as in-car instructors through the mandatory student program. In-car instruction is always available to any driver. In fact, instructors are commonly seen teaching each other a new line or technique.

It is key to understand that this is a club undertaking, not a professional enterprise. Rather than offering track-time in exchange for entry fees, the basic foundation of the Time Trial series is an assembly of club members who are working together to create an opportunity to learn and have fun. Because of this, the new entrants should focus on what they can contribute and how they can help the event run smoothly, rather than being focused on what others should be doing for them. When you observe the many jobs and roles necessary to make the event function and realize that essentially everyone doing the various jobs is a volunteer you’ll have a clearer perspective on the importance of trying to help as much as possible. You will also find that being fully engaged in the event enhances your overall experience as well.

Emphasis: safe, fun, and then fast

The primary objective of the time trial program is to provide a safe environment for high speed driving. This is obvious from the requirement of attending the ground school, the in-car instruction provided, the presence and use of track safety personnel and vehicles, the driving safety equipment, and most of all from the attitudes of the members. But the safety concerns rarely get in the way of a good time, and the secondary objective - fun - is usually easily attained. The third objective - developing fast driving skills � is a key reason for time trialing, but is pursued within the boundaries of safety and fun.

Note that it is absolutely not required that drivers attain any particular speed or lap time objectives. All drivers should always drive within personal comfort levels (and within levels demonstrated to be safe by allowing the driver to stay on the track at all times). There are drivers who routinely attend the time trials and drive laps that are, compared to the capabilities of their cars, rather conservative. These drivers are as welcome as anyone at the events, as long as they remain safe and have fun. It is important that the beginning time trialer not feel pressured to step beyond his or her reasonable comfort level, no matter what that level is.

Who time trials?

Driving through the gates and into the paddock on the morning of a time trial, you will be amazed at the magnificent array of beautiful Porsche automobiles. It is porschephile heaven, with representation from every model. You will find everything from $5k 914s to $125k 996 Turbos fresh from the dealer showroom. There are frequent appearances by Porsche racecars as well, fielded by some of the club’s more "lucky" owners. The paddock is a great place to gather information about virtually any aspect of Porsche cars. Examples of the latest performance parts and accessories abound. And everyone - barring an occasional driver having a "bad car day" - is happy to discuss Porsches and trade advice. The paddock at a GGR time trial is not filled with bumped out, welded-up stock cars heading out for another round of sheet metal bashing, but with beautiful, lovingly prepared Porsches. And each of these Porsches, be it 914, 996 turbo, or something in between, is cherished by its owner.

A moment’s reflection on the types of cars assembled will again reinforce the expectation that time trialers drive within their limits at all times.

Serious business, real risks

Despite strong efforts towards assuring safe events (and an excellent safety record over the recent years), time trial driving can be dangerous for both cars and people. While is it much safer than attempting driving-at-the-limit on public highways, the increased speed and desire to extend the limits of one’s ability involve the possibility of off-track excursion and/or impact. Every time trialer has his or her own rationale for participating in spite of the risks.

Given that the potential for disaster is obvious there is a strong effort to minimize the frequency of even minor "incidents". As a result, very few serious incidents do occur, again a tribute to the discretion and skill of the individuals in the club. However it is not entirely uncommon to see a wrinkled fender or bumper from time to time. These incidents are usually single car affairs, where a driver momentarily looses concentration or pushes a bit too hard. Occasionally they are due to a mechanical failure. On the extremely rare occasion where an incident is caused by over-aggressive or dangerous driving, the driver is asked to leave. Foolishness, carelessness, and machismo are not tolerated on the track.

In light of the danger involved, every driver on the track has entered into an implicit contract to keep your head in the game, which means that it is essential and imperative that each driver absolutely maintains a clean focus on the matters at hand while on the track. Inattention, even for a moment, is not tolerable. This matter of constant attention to immediate events is a skill that, like other skills, can be learned and it is important that all drivers understand that they are responsible for learning it.

Learn car control first - Autocross

One way to minimize risk at a time trial is to first develop good basic performance driving skills. Autocrossing is an excellent way to do this and the GGR Autocross Series is an especially effective and enjoyable venue. GGR time trial instructors recommend a full year of autocross experience before beginning time trials. Although not a requirement, the autocross experience builds confidence and driving skills that reduce risks in time trial events.

Autocross events are lower speed time trials conducted on a temporary course laid out with pylon cones in a large parking lot or airport. Sound too tame for you? Think again. Although speeds rarely exceed 50-60 mph, cars routinely slide, skid, and spin as they navigate the course. Drivers learn how to apex, slalom, brake, and chicane at (and beyond) the limits of their abilities, all at the expense of the orange pylon cones rather than Porsche sheet metal. Although autocross may not seem as daring, romantic, or exciting as time trial driving, it is great fun at very little risk to driver or car. The greatest danger in autocross is the chiding a driver may receive over the PA system as he performs a 360 degree spin and cones go flying, usually to the delight and cheers of the other drivers.

And while the number of minutes spent driving is not great (compared to a day of time trialing) the minutes are intense in focus and learning.

Autocross driving builds experience in low speed car control that does translate directly to the big track. Turns 11 at Sears Point, 11 at Laguna Seca, and 12 and 14 at ThunderHill are all driven at Autocross speeds. During the first few time trial events at these big tracks, it is reassuring to find a corner or two that feels familiar and can be driven with confidence using autocross skills. Through autocross a driver can build instinctive reactions to potentially dangerous situations. These instinctive reactions are extremely valuable at time trial events, where the time to contemplate your reaction is a rare luxury. A good example is the infamous 911 lift-throttle oversteer condition, which causes the rear of the car to slide as the driver lifts off the throttle or applies brakes in a corner. Correct reactions to these extreme driving conditions, which are difficult to develop in street driving, can be safely (and legally) learned at autocross.

GGR driving events are organized into season points contests for both the autocross and time trial series. GGR autocross events are scheduled roughly once per month, and enough other events are available with other Northern California Zone 7 Regions to make autocross driving available nearly every weekend during good (and sometimes bad!) weather.

Key Roles

In order for the time trial events and series to function properly there are a number of specific roles and responsibilities that are undertaken by club members. You will interact with these people in the normal course of beginning time trialing. The names of the current key people along with contact information are available here

Time Trial Chair

This person is responsible for the overall functioning of each time trial and the series as a whole. All key TT positions effectively report to the chair. Should be the final resolution point for all issues, contingent on applicable rules and GGR board policy.

 

 

Chief Instructor

Responsible for assuring the quality of instruction provided by selecting and training appropriate instructors, assuring an effective ground school and scheduling instruction as needed. Should be the final resolution point for all instruction-related matters. Co-responsible, with chief steward, for enforcing appropriate on-track behavior.

 

 

Chief Steward

Responsible for track operations, including grid, communications, flagging and emergency response. Co-responsible for insuring that all driver on-track behavior meets event expectations.

 

 

Registrar

Normal first contact for first-timers and continuing time trialers registering for each event. Assures complete processes for preregistration and at-track registration.

 

 

Tech Inspection Chief

Responsible for the tech crew that performs annual full inspections and at-track safety inspections.

 

 

Grid control

Controls the flow of cars into the grid area.

 

 

Safety Worker Coordinator

Responsible for scheduling and coordinating the safety crew. The safety crew is often the first worker position undertaken by time trialers who with a worker position.

 

 

Competition and Safety Director

GGR Board of Directors position, responsible for guidance for all GGR competitive events and series

How to use this Handbook

This Handbook follows the logical flow of learning about time trials and what you need to do. The first chapter covers the schedule of events so you can see what you’ll be doing. Next the process of driving the track is covered; this is not a chapter on performance driving, but rather the procedures for being on the track, attendance to flags, passing, warm-up laps, cool down laps and the like. Then we turn our attention to preparing for the event followed by a brief primer on basic car maintenance. Required safety equipment is covered next, followed by an introduction to the essentials of performance driving. The final section of the introductory handbook reviews the basics of the instructional program. The rests of the presents detailed descriptions of the best approaches to driving each of the tracks we normally visit.

Schedule of events

First a general disclaimer, which applies to the schedule of events, the passing rules and any other rules governing the events. There is an official GGR Time Trial and Autocross Rulebook, available on this website and sometimes in preprinted form. The rulebook is updated annually, whereas this Time Trial Handbook is typically updated much less frequently. Wherever there is a conflict between the official rules or the procedures legitimately established for events by event administration, the rulebook is the governing document, not this handbook. Nevertheless, the vast bulk of what you read here should be taken to be reasonably accurate and current.

This section, "Schedule of events", discusses the general order in which things happen to orient the reader to the flow through time of time trial activities.

Yearly schedule

The time trial series typically includes only five or six events per year, visiting tracks such as Sears Point, Laguna Seca, ThunderHill and Buttonwillow. These latter two tracks, both of which may be run in either direction, are wonderfully forgiving to off-course excursions, and are recommended to new time trial drivers. In particular, the delightful ThunderHill track offers 15 turns of pure pleasure, with examples of nearly every type of corner found on a pro circuit. The only barriers available for fender tuning at ThunderHill are the pit walls along the front and back straights. Much more on track layouts can be found later in this manual.

Event schedule

You can see a typical GGR time trial event schedule, a copy of which is included in each driver’s registration packet. It is obviously a full schedule designed to maximize track time for all drivers. Drivers are assigned to color-coded run groups, which cycle onto the course as indicated in the schedule. Over the weekend, each driver will typically receive six practice sessions of 20 minutes or more, for a total of about two hours of driving time.

Friday

Many drivers arrange to arrive at the track on Friday in preparation for a Saturday/Sunday event. While this is in no sense required it provides a more gentle rhythm to the weekend for those whose schedules permit the extra day being devoted to the time trial

In some cases drivers who already have a GGR certificate may, for a fee paid to the track, run the track for a half or full day on Friday in open practice sessions. Note, if you elect to do this, that Fridays are normally run by the tracks, under their rules. Although open to PCA-GGR drivers, these practice days are not PCA-GGR events. The sessions may be open to a very wide variety of equipment, including open-wheel cars, SCCA racers, track-trucks and such. Procedures normally provide for open passing. Be sure you’re comfortable with the rules in effect before signing up for a test day. Signup is normally not in advance, but at the track when you arrive.

Friday late afternoon and evening

Some drivers arrive on Friday simply to get a head start on the weekend. They can find a preferred spot in the pit area, unload their cars (either by removing the stuff they’ve brought in the car or by taking the car off the trailer upon which it was transported to the event). Any remaining preparation can be completed.

By about 4:30 on Friday the time trial at-track safety tech (done each event) will be open, allowing this to happen before the small time window provided for tech Saturday morning before the driver’s meeting. Registration will also be open, so drivers can sign in and get their event packet (which includes a great deal of information for the specific event) and sign the release form.

Badges

Starting when you get to the track and continuing until the end of the event it is highly polite and reasonably strongly expected that you wear a name badge. Each PCA region normally makes such badges available to members and, absent some better approach, the regional badge is the preferred route, but any clearly readable badge is acceptable. The badges are a way for people to learn your name and address you by name when talking to you. You will quickly appreciate how nice this is as you meet so many new people.

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning is a very busy time for everyone, especially students. Gates open early, often before 7:00, and a long line of cars is usually waiting. Upon arrival, drivers find a spot in the paddock to park and unload their cars. The first task is to prepare the car for track driving by removing all loose items from the interior, such as carpet, glove box items, spare tire, and other items from the trunk. Next, track equipment must be added. This includes applying protective tape to the headlights and any other glass (not plastic!) lenses, applying car numbers, and possibly changing tires and adding other track-only accessories. Most drivers will also adjust the seat from the normal highway-cruising position to be more upright and somewhat closer to the steering wheel. Drivers who did not register and tech on Friday then proceed to registration and tech inspection stations.

Registration

Whether you do it Friday afternoon or Saturday morning before the driver’s meeting, you must register. When you sign the release (in addition to the one you signed at the entry gate) you’ll get your packet, which you should review very carefully. Included will be the event schedule, a list of cars, drivers, and run groups, student/instructor assignments (a key item if you have an instructor for some part of the day), a track map, and often a registration form for the next event. There may be special enclosures as well.

Note that there will not be a packet (nor will you be participating) if you did not register for the event. Advance registration is required, and should be done early to ensure a spot at the event. A mail list available on the website provides drivers with timely announcements as to when registration opens for each event. The opening of registration is normally 4-6 weeks before the event.

Following registration, a "safety tech" inspection is required at each time trial. All drivers must bring their cars and all safety equipment to the designated tech inspection area. This inspection covers only safety equipment - helmet, driving suit, car numbers, harnesses, fire extinguisher, wheel bearings, throttle cable, etc. Passing safety tech earns each car a tech sticker, which allows access to the starting grid. Safety tech inspections take only a few minutes, and are typically available either Friday night or Saturday morning.

Drivers meeting

All of this activity takes place before the Saturday morning driver’s meeting, which, depending on the schedule for the day, begins somewhere between 7:45 and 8:30. This mandatory meeting covers flags, etiquette, and local rules of the road. Passing zones are indicated and passing rules are reiterated. Passing is generally allowed only after the lead car signals out the window, and only on a straightaway. At some tracks open passing is allowed on the main straight. Passing in the corners is never allowed.

Orientation session

After the driver’s meeting, the first driving session is for students and drivers who are new to the track. This is a short session run under yellow-flag conditions; it does require full safety gear (helmets, 5-point belts, driving suits for those required to wear them). Since all drivers who are new to a track (or track direction) are provided instruction, essentially all of the cars in this session will have instructors. The instructor normally drives the student’s car for at least the first few laps. This is not a matter of the instructor showing the student what the car is capable of. To the contrary, the pace will be relatively sedate.

What is being taught is the driving line, with specific techniques and visual cues demonstrated at each corner. This session particularly focuses on turn numbers, flag station locations, shift points, and offers the student an example to follow when he or she takes the wheel for the first time. As this session is typically the first opportunity for a student to experience the track in real life it is helpful to not have to drive while learning the turns.

Practice sessions

The next day and a half are filled with practice sessions. Before the event, based on lap times from previous GGR events, cars are divided into five color-designated run groups: Yellow (students and slowest), White (next fastest), Green, Blue, and Red (fastest). These groups of 25-30 cars each cycle onto the track for a series of 20-25 minute driving sessions. As soon as the first group takes the track, the next group is called to the starting grid. As the last car takes the checkered flag and reenters the paddock, the first car in the next group receives the green flag. In this way, drivers have roughly an hour and a half of rest time before heading to grid for their next session. Surprisingly, perhaps, this is usually barely enough time to rehash the session with the other drivers in your run group, clean your windshield, have a snack, and calm your nerves. The time trial events are fast paced!

Practice sessions are normally paused for a lunch break and for two short worker breaks mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

It is normal procedure for the first lap or two of the first practice session on Saturday to be run under a full-course yellow flag which means that passing is not allowed and speeds should be reduced. Normally this does not indicate any problem. It is simply a way to give the drivers who haven’t seen the track in a while a chance to get reacquainted with the track for a few minutes before the intensity of the driving increases.

During the practice session’s drivers may not take passengers. The only time there will be two occupants in a car is when one of the people, either the driver or passenger, is a certified current GGR Time Trial Instructor. Instructors have both official instructor name badges and bright-colored instructor tags to clearly identify themselves as instructors. There are no exceptions to this rule and failure to comply would be deemed an extremely serious offense.

Saturday evening

Once the practice sessions are done for the day a different mood takes over. As long as there are no immediate car-related challenges that must be met, drivers get out of the driving gear and enjoy a little social time. After a while there is normally an organized dinner, signup for which was available on the original registration form. The dinner may be at the track or at some other suitable local venue. In recent years the vast bulk of the registrants have elected to attend the dinner. Its an excellent way to have the time to get to know the other time trialers without the hustle and bustle and time requirements that are present during the day when the practice sessions are running.

During the time after the practice sessions conclude and before the group dinner is an excellent time to walk the track. Depending on your walking speed this will take, at most tracks, 40-60 minutes. Be sure to secure permission for this from the Time Trial Chairperson or Track Steward, as track maintenance vehicles may be on the track and need to be informed of your presence. Even though you’ve seen each part of the track 30 times or more each full day of practice, the slower pace of walking the track will show you surface features, turn camber and track surfaces in ways that just don’t seem to happen when driving at speed. This is highly recommended, at least once for each track you drive.

Timed runs

While Sunday morning runs pretty much as Saturday did, with rotating practice sessions (though often the sessions are a little shorter), Sunday afternoon is for timed runs.

It is important to understand that taking timed runs is not mandatory. They are fun, challenging and offer a few additional laps of the track, and are the competitive part of the event. However, a fraction of the time trial entrants, perhaps 25% or so, normally opt not to do this, preparing their car for the trip home, perhaps hanging around a bit to visit with people, perhaps heading back early to beat the traffic and get home in time to be ready for the ensuing week.

Before the timed runs there will be a drivers meeting that is mandatory for those who will be driving the timed runs. The meeting is used for last-minute announcements, presentation of driving certificates to newly certificated time trialers and to review the timed run procedures, both general and specific to this event.

The timed runs are the actual time trial portion of the event. Timed runs are normally organized to allow one practice lap followed by two timed laps. The better of the two timed laps is used for scoring.

To help prevent overtaking, cars with similar lap times run together. Saturday afternoon all drivers who will be time trialing submit a best estimate of their single lap time. Based on this "estimated time", drivers are assigned a spot in the starting grid sequence. This ordering of cars according to lap time allows several cars to be stagger-started onto the circuit at once. The effect is that there will be five or so cars on the track, but they are spread out around the track and will normally not even see each other.

If an incident occurs during the timed runs which will hinder a driver’s performance, such as debris on the track, the entire group of cars will receive a black flag. Cars then proceed to the head of grid to be restarted.

Cars that suffer a mechanical failure during timed runs may have the tech station verify the failure. The driver then has 15 minutes to correct the problem and be ready for a rerun. If this time limit is exceeded the rerun will not be allowed. Any times aleady "in the books", say a first-lap time, will count. If there are no times in the book the driver will be recorded as DNF (did not finish). Running out of gas is not considered a mechanical problem.

In may sometimes happen that, during the timed runs, a car catches another car. This can be because one of the drivers has seriously mis-estimated his or her normal lap time but is more frequently because the car ahead is having some sort of difficulty. The only fair thing to do is to give the following car another attempt at timed runs.

To become eligible for a re-run, the faster car, once it is close to the car ahead, must signal with an arm raised out the window until acknowledged by a corner worker. Failure to signal an impede will forfeit the chance for a re-run. Once the impede signal is acknowledged, the faster car will enter the pits at the first opportunity and proceed to the head of grid for the rerun. If the impede occurs during the second timed lap, the first lap counts as official, and during the re-run (which will be a full three laps) only the second timed lap will be scored. In this case the driver may waive the re-run if he or she is satisfied with the first lap time.

Driving The Track

This section covers the proper procedures for driving the track, rather than the techniques for achieving fastest lap times.

After all of the preparation, orientation sessions, and familiarization rides, new students finally get down to the business of learning to drive the track. A cautious approach is mandatory, starting with safety issues and working toward driving lines and techniques. Faster lap times ultimately follow.

Key terms

A couple of key vocabulary items are needed at this point.

Grid: This is the area adjacent to the track’s start/finish straight, and separated from the track by a barrier wall. At our events cars gather and organize themselves on the grid before going out for practice sessions.

Pits or paddock: This is the part of the track where cars are parked between sessions and includes offices, classrooms, fuel service and meeting areas.

Preparation

Before heading onto the track be sure that you and your car are ready. In addition to appropriate general car preparation, be sure that your seating position is comfortable, that you have all the required safety equipment (including helmet and gloves), that you are snuggly belted in and that the interior and exterior mirrors are adjusted so that you have good vision to the sides and rear.

Grid, grid speed and entering the track

A 5 mph speed limit is appropriate and enforced in the paddock and on the starting grid. This may seem like a snail’s pace, especially with all of the safety equipment you will be carrying and wearing, so a conscious, determined effort to keep your speed down is required. The reasons for this caution is that there are other drivers, friends and families, children and pets in the paddock and on grid. They are not expecting a speeding car.

Once on grid, pull up into line on the proper side of the pit lane and park behind the other cars in your run group. While on the starting grid, watch for cars entering the pit lane from the track and proceeding all the way to the front of grid. These cars may have been called in by a black flag, or perhaps are looking for a clear window in traffic within their group. Such cars are in the middle of their practice session, and should be given the right-of-way as they move through the grid.

When you gain some experience in driving the track and some knowledge about the cars in the group you normally drive with, you’ll know that some of the cars tend to be faster than you and some slower. It is good practice to try to position yourself on the grid behind cars that are faster than you and ahead of cars that are slower than you. If you tend to be one of the faster cars in the group (and this doesn’t necessarily mean you should be in the next-faster group . . . every group has to have a fastest car) you should come to grid as soon as the previous group heads out onto the track so as to be at or near the lead position in your group. If you tend to be one of the slower cars in your group you should either delay coming to grid until shortly before your group is to go out, or, if you come to grid earlier, park at the back of grid and waive other cars by. Most of the advanced groups are able to do this with surprising success and it reduces the amount of passing and sorting out that otherwise has to happen in the first few laps.

While on grid, stay near your car and be attentive to the starter at the head of grid. The starter will signal two or three minutes before the green flag to allow time for final preparations. You will also usually be able to see the flaggers at the start/finish line using a signed paddle to signal the cars on the track: two more laps, one more lap, and finally the checkered flag lap. By this time you should be belted in with all safety equipment in place and your car warmed up to operating temperature.

Raise your hand

When it’s time to enter the track, raise your left hand out the window forearm pointed up, hand closed, to signal the starter that you are ready, and then watch carefully. This hand-out-the-window signal is used in several cases during track driving. In this case it is used to signal that you are ready. It is also used when you exit the track, beginning 50 to 75 yards before you exit, to signal to other drivers and course workers that you are going in. Finally, if your car is partially disabled and you are slowly driving around the track to come in, you would keep your arm out and up during that entire time, to indicate to overtaking cars that you are disabled and should be passed, carefully. Even under yellow-flag conditions it is permissible to pass disabled cars.

As the green flag waves and cars begin to pull forward, move slowly and steadily, allowing some space between the car ahead of you. Do not spin your tires as you leave the grid, as this blasts grit into the paint job of the car behind you. Watch the starter as you approach, and you will be waived onto the track. Acknowledge with a thumbs-up and proceed in a measuredly increasing speed onto the track.

Worker stations, flag acknowledgment

See figure for a description of the flags used at GGR time trials. The first lap of a session is often run under yellow flag - all passing is prohibited, alertness to traffic and flaggers is increased, and speed is reduced. This is a good time to review the locations of each worker station as you pass. Make a mental note of the section of the track each station is protecting, since flag stations are typically located near blind corners and hills. Some drivers try to develop a habit of glancing toward the flag station at some point during their approach to the corner, while others watch for the color and motion of a waving flag using their peripheral vision. Once aware of the location of a flag station most drivers will notice a waiving flag even if all current attention seems to be focused on driving the line.

When passing a worker station where a flag is displayed, it is good to acknowledge the flag in some way. If possible, a thumbs-up sign or waive will let the flagger know that he or she has successfully signaled your car, and they can turn their attention to the car behind you. Even a subtle gesture such as a raised finger or nod of the head is easy for a flagger to see, and should not disrupt your driving.

Passing

Open, contested passing is not allowed at GGR time trial events. Passing is never allowed in corners, nor when the lead car is braking for a corner. Passing is generally allowed on the straights between turns, but only after the lead car signals by pointing his arm out the window. Once the lead car gives a passing signal, only one car may pass. A second signal must be given before a second car may pass. There are generally one or two straights per track where open passing is allowed, but signals are still appropriate and encouraged. In some cases, passing is only allowed on a specific side of the lead car, but generally passing can happen on either side. These local rules vary, and are described in detail at the driver’s meeting.

Passing discipline is a very important issue. The topic of letting people pass is often discussed among drivers and at drivers meetings. It is a featured topic at the ground school which every new time trialer must attend. If cars turning slower laps do not cooperatively let other cars by, the drivers of the blocked cars will have a much less effective and enjoyable weekend than they should have. It isn't enough that "some" or "most" of the drivers understand and obey the passing rules. We must all do this. Any driver who does not let others pass promptly is degrading the quality of the other driver’s weekend. A few general rules for passing are as follows:

Being passed

1.      The proper signal is with the arm fully extended out the window, pointing towards the side on which the following car should pass.

2.      Drivers should never assume that hand motions inside the car are a signal to pass. Passing signals are given outside the driver’s window. Initiating an unexpected pass when the driver was only adjusting cockpit controls or gesturing to an accompanying instructor may seriously surprise the car being passed and can easily lead to car-to-car contact.

3.      Likewise, it is not appropriate to expect the following car to respond to barely-discernible gestures with parts of fingers outside the window. This leads to drivers making ultra fine distinctions about what was or was not a signal, again leading to the possibility of car-to-car contact.

4.      If there is a car behind you that wasn't behind you a while ago it’s not because Scotty beamed it there; that car drove a faster lap than you did and you should let it by at the first safe opportunity.

5.      By rule, drivers not letting others pass will be black flagged [GGR Rulebook, 2.5T (e)]

6.      It does not matter if you can pull them down the straight. The fact that they catch you soon enough in the turns, despite whatever led you achieved during the straights is clear proof that they are turning faster laps.

7.      If they catch you and fall back and then catch you again, this is not an indication that they are unsure about passing. It means they caught you TWICE.

8.      All the time they are behind you, they are losing lap time. They would be going faster if you were out of the way. Which is to say, they would be pulling away from you and getting out of your life. And having a good time doing it.

Passing another car

1.      You are not required to accept a passing signal. If you aren’t comfortable passing at the point you are signaled to do so, simply waive off the pass (waiving your hand from side to side inside the car works OK for this). The driver should soon give you another opportunity at a spot you may find more suitable.

2.      Do not anticipate getting a signal to pass. Do not pull up along side a car hoping for a passing sign. It is very easy for the driver of the car in front to decide that he or she wishes to be passed on the other side. What will happen is the driver will give the signal and pull over directly into your car. Wait behind the car until you get a passing signal.

As a student, passing as many cars as possible should not be a concern. Instead, look for opportunities for clear sections of track for practice. These can usually be found by letting a few faster cars pass as soon as possible. It is common to be able to arrange your car in traffic with 100 yards or more of clear track between you and the nearest cars.

If driving becomes congested a little logic suggests that, since so many of the cars in your group are here with you, there must be other sections of track that have almost no cars at all. You can get to that section of track. Simply raise your hand out the window as you approach the pit lane, exit, drive (slowly!) to the head of grid, and ask the starter for a "window". When cars become bunched together, a clear section of track is certainly available, and the starter will waive you back onto the track away from traffic. Ask the starter to be sure to let you sit for about half of your normal lap time, or you may catch that group again quickly.

Passing problems

The open passing areas - long straight always - are perfectly adequate for relatively powerful cars to pass cars that have limited acceleration (all the 914 1.7 drivers can easily attest that people who need to pass can drive by at will on the straights.) However, it is often the case that the lead car is strong in acceleration but the car/driver combination is somewhat slower in the turns. In those cases the straights don't help the following car to get by.

In a majority of cases, when passing problems are discussed in the pits after a session, we discover that the blocking car is driven by someone who is a good-hearted soul and is honestly surprised by the accusation that they didn't let someone by. Even though they had another car behind them for most of most laps, they didn't realize that they were blocking. They thought that by pulling ahead a little on the longest straights that meant they weren't blocking. They just didn't understand.

So, if you see a car that falls back, and then is on your tail for a while, then falls back, then closes again, this does not mean you're going about the same speed. It means that during the fallback and catch-up cycles you're averaging the same speed, but all the time he/she is behind you, they are being held up. If you see the same car behind you at more than one place around the track, you must let them by.

It is truly stunning how ill understood this concept can be among otherwise reasonable people. One gray area. If (and ONLY if) you believe the only reason they caught up with you is that you, yourself have been held up for a while, you may want to pass the car in front of you before letting the car behind go by. On the other hand, if the car behind was gaining on you when you were both running free, you should let them by before you deal with getting around the car in front of you.

If you are being blocked

1.      Try to solve the issue, but try not to let it get to you. Challenges are a part of life. Misery and frustration are optional.

2.      Drive closely enough that the driver and the turn workers can see that you would like to pass, but do leave a decent space between your car and the one in front.

3.      You may turn on your lights, if you have lights, to get the attention of the car in front. Do not flash them, just turn them on and leave them on until you get signaled by. Be sure to turn them off thereafter.

4.      Remember the car number of the blocking car.

5.      You may come in for an open window of track. This will not always work out well, but sometimes it will.

6.      Try very hard to line up in front of the offending party on grid. Then, each session, it won't be a problem until you lap him/her.

7.      After the session, talk to the blocking driver. Ask an instructor or the chief instructor to accompany you to this chat if you like. Be calm and polite, listen to the other driver's perspective, then make sure the driver understands your perspective and the extent to which you were being held up. Wait long enough that you've had a chance to cool off, but not so long that the other driver won't remember the session.

8.      Remember what the experience felt like and don't ever do it to another driver.

If you want wheel-to-wheel racing, venues exist for that. You won't have to point or let people by. They can either get by or not, their problem. That is not what is happening in the GGR time trial series. For the practice sessions to work, we must cooperate with each other. This is not optional. And it is important.

Marker pylons and the late apex line

As you drive the circuit, you will notice orange pylon cones at some turns. These mark the entrance, the apex, and/or the exit points for the turn. For the first few laps try to drive rigorously "to the cones": Position your car on the proper side of the track and brake as you approach the corner, begin to turn at the entrance cone, reach the inside of the track at the apex cone, and drift to the outside of the track at the exit cone.

The cones are placed to indicate a conservative "late apex" driving line. This line is conservative because braking is done early, before turning into the corner. The car can then be accelerated through the turn. This allows a driver maximum opportunity to correct or avoid unexpected circumstances. With the late apex line, the driver accelerates to build speed through the corner rather than struggling to scrub off excess speed carried into the turn on an early apex line.

For a number of reasons the cones may not mark the exact perfect entry, apex or exit for you and your car. To the extent that this is so, use them as reference marks, but drive to the points you have selected. Over time most drivers will gravitate towards slightly earlier turnins and apexes (though, for most turns, the apex will normally be neutral or slightly late) than the cones show. This is an adjustment that should be made very slowly and only after substantial experience.

Note also that cars with extreme acceleration capability (the 911 Turbo most notably among them) will tend to stay on very late apex lines as the ultimate optimal solution.

Learn the line, then experiment in small changes

The first order of business for every new student (and for every driver at a new track) is learning the driving line. This means memorizing the sequence of turns and where to position the car in each section of the track. In some places, the car should be on the extreme left or right edge of the track, others the middle is best. The proper driving line should be accurate to is a matter of a very few inches. A fundamental objective for every driver is first to learn where the driving line goes, and then to drive it consistently. During your very first laps, this will probably mean driving from one pylon cone directly toward the next, in a connect-the-dots fashion. Later, smoother arcs will develop as you transition between corners.

Consistency is the key concept here. It may seem easy to follow a particular path on a paper track map, but in a Porsche at speed things are very different. A good lap for a first-time student may only include one or two corners that were actually driven correctly - on the driver's intended line. Frequently one substandard corner leads to several more as your rhythm is broken. But gradually certain corners will emerge as "easy", and throughout the event this list will grow.

As consistency begins to develop, the in-car instructor becomes tremendously helpful. Instructors will offer suggestions and mental or visual queues to help you develop a good overall driving line. This can be the most rewarding experience of student driving, as an instructor finally finds the right set of queues to add another corner to your "easy" list.

It may require several events before every corner in a course can be confidently driven at speed. Once confidence and consistency begin to develop, you can experiment with variations on the recommended driving line. Enter a corner with an additional 100 rpm on the tach, or a few feet deeper into the corner. Whatever changes you make must be made cautiously, in very small increments. In-car instructors are a huge help at this stage as well, pointing out good spots for experimentation.

Driving off the track

Some drivers go for years without an off-track incident (in GGR, at least one driver survived six years without going off, obtaining numerous class lap time records in the process.) With a cautious, patient approach, you can do the same. Driving off the track is bad, both for your car and potentially for yourself. Nonetheless, you must be prepared with the knowledge of what to do if the situation arises.

The best approach is to recognize early that going off the track is inevitable, and then deliberately drive off. Viscous spins and worse can result from fighting too long to keep your car on the pavement. Once a tire drops into the dirt, its traction will be virtually lost. This includes the tire's ability to provide lateral force. In the common case where a rear tire drops off first, the rear of the car will tend to spin quickly off the track. To avoid snapping around and heading back across the track backwards, the correct countermeasure is to give up trying to stay on the pavement and steer the car smoothly off into the dirt.

It may not be necessary to take all four wheels off into the dirt, but be prepared to do so in order to prevent a spin. Once off track, be patient and regain complete control of the car in the dirt. Serious spins can be initiated during the transition back onto the pavement by attempting to re-enter the track too fast. In cases where your car does spin or stop off course, stay in your car and signal to a corner worker that you are OK. Then wait for their direction before driving back onto the track.

When re-entering the track, watch for traffic and prepare to receive a black flag for an inspection and conference at the head of grid. The chief steward will discuss your driving incident, and his safety crew will inspect your car for damage. In general, the chief steward will be doing most of the talking.

Be prepared for unexpected events

While driving the track each driver needs to be ready for any number of unexpected events that may occur. To be able to respond effectively drivers need to maintain complete focus on the events at hand at all times. Events that may happen (have happened at one point or another in events like time trials) include

Most of these events are actually handled more effectively and safely than you might imagine, but it is essential that you be ready for surprises.

Cool down lap and the Worker Waive

At the end of each session the checkered flag will waive at start/finish, signaling cars to exit the track. Since the start/finish is beyond the exit, this gives each car one final lap. Although not mandatory, it is strongly recommended to use this as a cool down lap. Concentrate on staying off your brakes, allowing the airflow to cool them before parking. Another common courtesy is the acknowledgment of each corner worker with a friendly waive. During this lap, watch for other cars trying to run at full speed, and waive them by when necessary.

When you get near the track exit, raise your left hand outside the car, closed hand up, to indicate that you are exiting.

Brake components can reach their peak temperatures after parking in the paddock. At this time, cooling airflow is removed and heat dissipates from the pads and rotors into the calipers and bearings. This can cause brake fluid to boil, and adhesive balancing weights to drop from the insides of wheels. The cool-down lap is designed to give drivers an opportunity to reduce these problems. Once the cool down lap is complete, park your car in gear but without using the parking brake.

Preparation for the Events and Requirements Summary

This chapter reviews the types of preparation that are needed or useful before the event. The week prior to a time trial event is often very busy. Take care of as many tasks as possible before the event, allowing your full concentration for driving rather than last-minute problem solving.

Read the rules

The first order of business is to insure that you comply with all of the GGR rules and will be allowed to participate in the time trial. Read the rule book (available on-line or as a PDF). It doesn’t really take all that long to do so. Pay particular attention to the safety equipment section. Cars require approved 5 or 6-point safety harnesses, properly mounted fire extinguishers, and car numbers. Driver’s need approved helmets and gloves, and in some cases a good close shave (those with facial hair require use of a balaclava). Students are allowed to drive two events before purchasing an approved driving suit. Several other safety requirements apply, depending on your car.

Classing the cars

The rulebook lists car classes. Cars are grouped first by model, then by level of modification. As modifications increase, additional safety equipment is required. For example, adding stiffer torsion bars will put most cars in the third or "production" performance category, where approved roll bars are mandatory (by the third event). Students are allowed some exemptions, so check the rulebook carefully and avoid Saturday morning surprises.

Registration

You must register for the event. Registration forms and instructions are available on the website. The GGR-Announce email group will give you prompt notice when registration forms are posted on the site.

On the registration forms you will find a student fee. This fee covers GGR�s direct costs for first-time students such as materials and the ground school. It needs to be paid only once, no matter what.

Worker positions available

A time trial event requires a fantastic amount of work to be successful. In spite of this, you may never witness another event of any kind involving 120 participants which runs so smoothly. Cars reach the starting grid at the correct times, instructors and students synchronize driving schedules, worker crews form and disband, some every 20 minutes, and everything flows more-or-less according to schedule without argument or confusion. This efficiency is a direct tribute to the caliber of each individual Porsche participant. Though there are hired people at the event (such as the medical crew, the tow truck operator and the professional turn workers) every event also includes several pre-assigned worker positions. These include registration, instruction, tech inspection, flagging, and safety crew.

All drivers are required to support the work effort. This can be done in one of three ways. You may sign up for a worker position (if there are positions available), you may bring a friend to the track (minimum age 18) to work for one of the two days or you may pay an extra fee (currently $75) to pay for one of the hired workers.

Don’t underestimate the possibility of bringing a friend. He or she will only have to work one of the two days and have the rest of the time to enjoy the event. On the other hand, by the time you pay for the worker’s hotel, meals and other treats you might find it’s not necessarily a lot cheaper than paying for a worker.

Attend ground school

Each student must attend a ground school before their first event. These schools are typically held two weeks prior to each time trial. The course covers in detail much of the material presented in this handbook. Most students find the course entertaining and useful. More details about the ground school can be found here.

Car numbers

Among the safety preparation items for you car is the requirement that your car have numbers on it for the event. These need to be on the doors, hood and rear of the car. Consult the rulebook for required dimensions. Graphics shops can supply magnetic material that allow numbers to be repeatedly put on the car and removed. In such cases the leading edge of the magnetic material should be taped to prevent the number from peeling off at speed. (A list of numbers that have already been assigned is available here.)

Technical inspections

All cars are required to pass a comprehensive "full tech" inspection before the first event in the car and at least once per year thereafter. See the Tech Inspection Checklist Form. The car is raised on a lift and thoroughly examined. The Tech Form shown nearby lists the items that are checked during the full tech. This inspection must be completed prior to the first time trial event of the year by an authorized inspection facility. Inspections are recorded in a driver logbook provided by the club. There are usually opportunities for free full tech inspections at the start of the season during club sponsored tech events at several Bay Area Porsche shops. Contact the technical chairman for a schedule and list of these facilities. Other Porsche-oriented repair facilities are authorized to do technical inspections at any time, but may charge for this service. See the website for a downloadable copy of the inspection form.

Generally, full inspections are not done at the technical inspection sessions at the track on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The at-track inspections are a separate and different inspection, verifying logbook status and safety equipment. If you have a special need for technical inspections, contact the current Tech Chief (contact information available on the website).

Driving on track in a high-speed environment adds considerably more stress on your cars components than street driving. Consequently it is advisable that your car be thoroughly checked often during the season for the items noted on the tech inspection form; the check should be performed by a qualified inspector (experienced tech reviewer or qualified shop). It is your responsibility to make sure that your car is properly maintained.

You don't have to be a mechanic

Porsche cars are very durable, and well suited to time trial driving. As a result, you can expect very few mechanical problems from a generally well-maintained car. There are always examples of drivers (and their mechanics) wrenching on cars in the paddock, but these tend to be more highly modified cars running in advanced classes. If your car is in generally stock condition, it is not necessary to travel to the event towing your car and a trailer full of tools. Instead, bring the tools necessary to perform simple tasks you’re able to do; a tire pressure gauge, perhaps tools for brake bleeding. In the rare case where you experience a breakdown, you will usually find help arrange to get your car home. We can’t recall anybody ever left stranded at the track on a Sunday afternoon.

Packing for the event

Since the week prior to an event is typically busy, making a checklist of what to pack for your event is an excellent idea. You can download an example checklist. If you are driving rather than towing your car to the track, space for equipment may be limited, so test-fit the larger items beforehand to avoid surprises. At the track, weather conditions can be variable and are often windy, so, if you have room, one or more large equipment containers are handy to keep your stuff together.

While Porsche club members are certainly trustworthy, the paddock is generally open to the public, so covering your equipment pile with a small canvas or car cover when you are driving enhances security as well as visual appeal.

Lap timing systems

As a new driver in the time trial series lap times should not be your most major concern. You should be focused on learning the line, learning to stay focused and learning to manage your car through a time trial weekend. However, as you build experience with driving you will naturally want to see your lap times improve. In earlier years it was common for drivers in different groups to agree to time each other with hand stopwatches, showing times with large boards held up near start/finish or reviewing them later from log notes or memory-equipped stop watches.

However, the availability of affordable in-car timing systems makes previous approaches obsolete. A popular system is the "Hot Lap" timer, which consists of a receiver and display module mounted in your car, and a tripod-mounted transmitter aimed across the track. Your in-car system notes the exact point at which you pass the timer each lap and shows you the lap time. It also remembers previous laps, up to 50 or so. Enough members use the Hot Lap system that you can be assured of finding a transmitter already set up at each event, so you need only to buy a receiver/display unit. The sender is usually placed on driver’s right at an apex where there will not be passing, so you should mount your receiver on the right side of the car. However, other clubs sometimes use the left side, so you may want to mount the receiver such that it would not be too much trouble to switch it to the other side for an event, if necessary.

GGR has recently been moving towards using car-mounted transponders for timed runs. These are mounted under the car so that they have an unobstructed view to the pavement. The timing system consists of a sensor embedded in the track surface and a computer that recognizes each transponder individually. Some clubs use these for timing practice or qualifying laps. In these cases you can often get a printout of all your lap times immediately after the practice or qualifying session.

Movie cameras

Another popular in-car electronic system is a movie camera. Surprisingly high quality video and audio can be obtained with standard hand-held recorders mounted to your harness or roll bar. You will likely be shown one or more of these in-car videos during the ground school, and will see that in addition to being a valuable instructional aid, the movies can be quite entertaining. Affordable lipstick camera units (that plug into modern video recorders) can be taped on the car windshield or bumper, providing an excellent view of the track and the laps.

If you’re selecting a camera, look for debounce capabilities and the ability to plug in remote video feeds and a remote microphone. Despite best efforts to mount the camera in a stable manner, most cameras have a tripod mount of metal set into a plastic body and are designed to sit quietly on a tripod or be hand-held. They are not designed for the kind of bouncing around that will be provided by a car with hard suspension being driven aggressively on even a relatively smooth racetrack. So be reasonable in your expectations or use a remote lipstick-cam, which easily can be mounted quite securely.

One other caution: your friends and neighbors, despite what they say, will likely be weary of watching in-car footage after the first three or four hours.

Bras

One of the effects of traveling around a racetrack with other cars close by is that a fair amount of track grit and debris is raised by the car in front. This can accelerate paint chipping on the front of your car. It is more an issue in the advanced groups, but of possible concern to anyone with a pristine paint job. The use of a car bra to protect the front paint can be an effective solution.

Summary of Student Entry Requirements

This is only a summary of key requirements covered in the rulebook. The rulebook provides more complete explanations of the requirements and is the governing document.

Ground School

You must attend our mandatory ground school. This is a classroom event without driving exercises. You do not need to bring your Porsche. Schools are normally scheduled two weeks before each Time Trial. Contact the Chief Instructor after you receive your entry information. You must have a current Driver’s License.

Tech Inspection

Your car must pass tech inspection. There are annual tech inspection events held before the beginning of each season at various locations in Northern California. After the season begins, new time trailers must take their car to one of the approved tech inspection locations, normally a Porsche-oriented service and repair shop. There is normally a fee for this service.

In any case it is your responsibility to insure that your car is safe and in top mechanical working condition and that you conform to the GGR competition rulebook at every event.

Safety Equipment

Helmet

Snell-95 is the minimum rating for helmets. DOT certification is not sufficient. M-class helmets are acceptable for GGR events but may not be acceptable for other clubs. Drivers of cars without windshield must wear full-face helmets.

 

 

Clothing