<Misc>Death at the Glen

["Marc Plante" <marc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, there was a death at Watkins Glen last week...It happened in a second
day afternoon session (as usual). I was following behind some yahoo In an
integra GSR tearing down the chute at Watkins Glen

...Poor little woodchuck ran out into the line never knew what hit him.
That shiny white GSR had to duck into the pits for an obligatory once over.
The critter even had the decency to crawl out of the line while taking his
last breaths.

Other than that, the mid week school at the Glen was quite a success. No
incidents in the two day session, (which is a sight better than the 4 wrecks
at Trackmasters the day before).  We had a little sprinkling on the first
morning which kept people honest, then wide open sunny conditions for the
second day.  Yes, the Glen is nice and smooth.  Yes, you tend to wish you
had more horsepower climbing up the back straight and hauling your ass up
the hill out of turn 7.  The armco is not nearly as bad as I would have
thought.  Only really thought about it when deciding how hard to charge
through 11 back onto the main straight.

The track is fairly long (3.37 miles), though it only has 11 turns.  Still,
a number of newbies felt a little lost, and I was very thankful to have had
a video of the track to get oriented before starting.  The Glen is not as
much of a rhythm track as some of the tighter tracks in the Northeast, but
it's still a blast to drive.



It's also a tough ticket to get (at least with the BMW club).  This years
schools (including Oct) were all booked earlier this spring, so get your
boxtops in early folks.  Thanks to Jim Dresser and all the other Genessee
(sp?!) chapter folks for putting it on, and, as usual, all of the  wonderful
instructors who strap themselves into cars with random drivers.

The Turner carbon pads I had worked very well.  They took full sessions
without fade, holding up better than my R1s, which tended to go away a bit
in the last couple laps of each session.  Looking at pad wear after three
track days (1 at Summit Point's big track, 2 at the Glen), I'd say I'm about
1/3 of the way through them, projecting to about 50%-75% more life than the
Ferodo pads I was running before.  These pads also have a little more bite
than the Ferodos did and they definitely keep the pedal firmer through
sessions.  Unlike Hawk pads, they are not harsh on wheels, though they do
squeal like hell at street speeds on the way home.


Hopefully the next school will be a little safer...

Marc Plante
E36 325i, 107k
Alexandria, VA
mailto:marc@domain.elided

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