Gee; can I use that? Or do I need to pay you royalties?
Seriously, I forgot you had the Mini. Join BMW CCA if you have to, but get into your local club's driving schools. Sears Point, Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, or whatever - it doesn't matter what the venue is. The Golden Gate Chapter's instructors (I assume that if you have the time to get to Dinan so often, you're close by - and that means GG Chapter.) are excellent. I don't recall whether it is that chapter that uses only paid professionals (like Skippy School instructors), but regardless, you can learn from them. And you should. Some day, you, too, could be a Smartass=A9 hotshoe like me!
Ah, yes. I did Skippy's three day race driving school at Lime Rock 7 or 8 years ago. I forget the instructors' names now but I could look them up if I had to. A couple of them were mentally unstable, one in particular was very proud that he'd more than once been pulled over by multiple police cars after chases on the road, and in particular the last time it happened, the cops approached his car crouching, and with guns drawn. He was an older guy, perhaps you know him?
ROTFL! Not off the top of my head, but if you get me a name, I no doubt know someone who knows him. I tend to avoid situations where any more than one car with disco lights is after me and I *especially* avoid having to deal with officers who have drawn their weapons in anticipation of dealing with me. Not that it's never happened.
To foreclose all the snide remarks, here's the short story:
While visiting my folks in Ohio at Xmastime, I borrowed my dad's Big Damn Buick=A9 (a '79 Electra 225). As I drove into our small town late one evening with one headlight burned out, I noticed a police car coming out of a cross street behind me and it followed me for over a mile while in town. I was making damn sure I wasn't doing anything wrong except piloting a car with a burned out headlight. A few blocks from my folks' home, I made what appeared to be a suspiciously evasive second left turn in 2 blocks in order to go to a discount drugstore to
*buy* a headlight for the damn Buick. As I pulled into the parking lot, he 'lit 'em up' and a *second* patrol car in full disco array pulled in as well! I ran the window down and they told me to "Freeze!". Huh? All this for a burned out headlight? After a moment or two of radio chatter I couldn't hear, they came over to ask me for ID. I gave them my WI driver's license and my WI Bar card to prove I'm a lawyer (not that this *ever* gets me a break - but at least it's some level of credibility since they know I'm an 'officer of the court'). I didn't know where the registration is since it was not my car and I told them I was there to buy a headlight since I had just discovered that night it was out (all true).
After an inordinately long time spent checking me out, they snippily explained that there had been a burglary following a pattern in the south side neighborhood I drove past and a 'suspicious' car described as a light-colored older GM (like dad's Bilious Lime Green Buick) had been seen in the area. I happened along at exactly the *wrong* time. =3D8^0 I apologized for looking suspicious and for not having a trunkful of loot. I expected an apology in return, but all I got was sarcasm ("You're going to buy a headlight *here*?" I *think*, but do not *say*, "Of course, you moron. They *sell them* for about $7 inside!") and a warning threat as he walked back to his car: "The ticket for that headlight could cost you $80."
So there you have it. Not much of a 'car chase' (all at or under the speed limit of 35) and no weapons actually pointed at me, but I *did* have multiple cops chasing me down!
Yes, I'm sure. I also know racers who know him, I just haven't bothered dragging his name back up. Plus, there's no need to embarrass him. There's nothing to prove here.
Lime Rock is a great little track though. Just the right combination of skill and speed, including uphill and downhill curves, enough to be very demanding. I've had a couple of monster spins there, including one in my Caterhan Seven that went into the dirt and had two wheels in the air. Both of them on the same side of the vehicle. Clean underpants, though.
I did not find the left particularly tricky; it's pretty flat and smooth, or used to be. Big Bend with double apex and its bumps at the first apex was moderately tricky. But since it was very like how the exit from the Taconic State Parkway to Route 84 west used to be (right down to the bumps at the first apex!) and I drove that exit daily at the time, it wasn't too tough.
The right hander that turns uphill partway through at the end of the short straight, though, I found very tricky. It's just Not Right to turn in that late as you look at the armco come up directly at you in the windshield at that speed. Unnatural, I say! ;-)
The tricky part is the turn in to it and the line through it. It ain't natural, it's a compromise caused by the right turn you just came out of and the speed you are carrying. But it's OK when you're used to it.
You're talking about my favorite turn on that track. If you don't get a little airborne at the crest of the hill, you didn't take that corner as fast as you should have.
Cars *without* windshields are much more fun on the track:-)
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