Here we are at the end of CVR’s 2021 DE season. It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for CVR’s first event of the season at Lime Rock Park. Time flies.
On November 6 we completed our final DE Event for 2021 at Lime Rock Park. We had a chilly start but the day warmed up beautifully. When everyone started arriving at LRP, the sun hadn’t even started to come up. We needed headlights aimed under the Tower to start the registration process.
During the morning Driver’s Meeting, we handed out our annual DE awards. Congratulations to Peg Mayer for being named the 2021 Instructor of the Year, David Lee for being named the 2021 Enthusiast of the Year, and Mark Lewis for receiving the Spencer Cox Driver Education Award for 2021.
Peg Mayer has been instructing for a long time. She comes to events with the 1972 911 she shares with her husband Charlie and sometimes she comes to events without a car, just to help out. And the students love her calm demeanor.
David Lee started with CVR DE back in April 2019, in a Cayman GT4. He has attended every CVR DE since then, not missing an event. That’s dedication. We knew he was hooked when he bought a trailer. This year he upgraded to a Cayman GTB1 track car.
Mark Lewis earned the Spencer Cox DE award because of his dedication to the CVR DE program. Mark started DE back in 2012 and has been the CVR DE Registrar since 2018. If you have done a DE in the past 4 years, you have interacted with Mark. The two previous winners of the Spencer Cox DE award were Todd Pajonas and Rick Canter. Todd accepted the award on Mark’s behalf.
The enthusiasm that Peg, David, and Mark (and of course, Todd) have for the CVR program is fantastic.
Thanks to everyone that brought food (or cash) for the food drive to benefit the Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville CT. It’s always nice to see PCA members stepping up to help others.
With the end of fall and the onset of the winter months ahead, this is the time of year when you should be thinking of those improvements you want and/or need to do on your car. I get asked by many DE newcomers if they should do this or that to their cars i.e., more power, data, suspension, etc. There is no set answer, but in my opinion, there are several things to take into consideration assuming you are starting with a mechanically sound and good car. Of course, more power is nice to have but not an item that will make one a better or faster driver.
I always try to guide someone in the direction of safety equipment first. Many of you that started DE this year ended up buying your own helmet and I’m sure you saw the prices range from ‘say $350-$2,000 plus’ and some might ask “why would I need a 2,000 dollar helmet?”. You don’t, but an all carbon fiber, custom fit helmet sure is nice. Will a lower-cost helmet do the job? Sure, as long as it has a certification of SA 2015 or newer. But, there is a difference between a lower-cost helmet and a more expensive one – features like radio communications built-in, noise cancellation headsets, lightweight, form-fitting, ventilation, and other options. As our old friend Spencer use to say “how much do you value your head?” Kinda makes you think. So the cost choice is yours. All SA-rated helmets perform the way they should, but by the end of the day, some will leave you feeling like you wore a bowling ball on top of your head all day and some will leave you with just a bad hair day.
When you get to the stage where you’ve decided you are going to keep on doing track days, I highly recommend, all at once, a bolt-in roll bar, proper seats, 6 point harnesses, a Hans device (required if you have harnesses) and if you don’t already have them, proper driving shoes. After that, a driving suit, in due time.
Many who have a newer car are apprehensive about making these changes to their car and I get it. However, the aftermarket parts manufacturers have made it easy for us as most of these components are bolt-in, and when you are ready to sell or upgrade, you can just unbolt and remove, no drilling required. So, if you ask me what you should do to enhance your track driving experience as you progress, the answer will always be “it’s all about safety, safety, safety”.
Remember, all of the local shops that support CVR’s DE program can tailor a program that fits you, your needs, and your budget, but please don’t wait until February to do the upgrades. Start early so your shop can get your car ready for the track for the springtime. Contact any of our excellent shops/sponsors: Automobile Associates of Canton, Speedsport Tuning, Daniel Jacobs LLC, Musante Motorsports, European Performance Specialists (EPS), or Danbury Porsche.
If you tow your vehicle to the track, remember to keep up on the maintenance of your trailer. If you want a professional to check out your trailer, give Bobby at Elm City Trailer a call. You don’t want to miss a track day because your trailer wheel bearings froze and you couldn’t tow the car to the track.
Your 2010 helmet will expire at the end of 2021. PCA granted a 1-year extension at the end of 2020 but will enforce the use of SA-2015 and SA-2020 helmets going forward. Don’t wait until April to buy a new helmet. You don’t want to miss a track day because you didn’t buy a new helmet.
If you have everything prepped and ready, you have no excuse to miss a CVR track day – unless your family or boss tells you that you have to miss the event. And that’s a whole other story.
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Dave
