Alfa trackday event ramblings

I first joined the Alfa time trial club (of southern California) back in the mid-1980s. Back then we all seemed to run 10-20 year old cars and did most of the work ourselves. Life got in the way, I sold my Datsun 1200, and time went on.

In 2007 I built a mid-engine Mini ("Kimini") but sold it before having a chance to run it at an Alfa event. The next car, "Midlana", was completed this year and was signed up for its first track event, an Alfa trackday at Willow Springs in SoCal this last weekend.

I had a great time - for four laps - until fuel pressure went to zero; it's either the pump, regulator, or a plugged line. In those four laps I was able to get an idea of the car's handling, getting it up to 132 mph down the front straight, and learned that it corners like crazy... but that's not what this is about.

It was interesting to reflect upon the changes in the car club since they last time I was part of it:

1. There seemed to be a little less comradery, which I guess is a normal consequence of no longer running a majority of a single brand car. The people who were best buddies were ones I recognized as being part of the club 30 years ago - that's commitment!

2. Because there's now more brand variation, people didn't seem to talk to each other quite as much, which I guess makes sense. If you have a Ford and your pit neighbor has a Vette, there's not much to discuss involving mechanical issues, especially if neither works on their own car.

3. I got the impression that far fewer people work on their cars these days. That makes sense as well, since all modern cars are computerized. Now days it seems like people go buy a Porsche, Vette, or BMW and either run it stock, or perhaps modify the suspension a little. I guess it's a tribute to new cars that they can be run on track without overheating or breaking down.

4. With only four laps for the weekend I watched the other cars and was impressed. The mid-60s Mustang GT350s sounded like they were going about 200 mph; they were really reving the engines. The aluminum bodied Cobra was even faster, but none of them were as fast as the 10-year old BMW M3! Every time I see one of those on track I'm always very impressed by how well they do. Might have to get a ride someday.

Sorry for the literary wanderings.

I ran a couple of Lotus club events in Nocal. I probably shouldn't spill the beans, but they're the most reasonably priced track days I've seen. Nice enough people, but not a lot of camaraderie either. Very loose oversight RE: skill levels. A newbie could walk up, claim to have done a bunch of track days and be turned loose with the fast group. NASA runs a much tighter ship in that regard.

Shelby Club has great camaraderie, but half the drivers think that they're doing parade laps, and you pay dearly for the experience.

There's a pretty strong division between modern cars (Fuel injection and CPUs) versus the carb-and-points crew. A lot of that is a product of the reliability. The newer Elise's run like dishwashers, whereas everyone with a Sevenesque, Elan or similar high-maintenance car tend to know each other out of necessity as well as similar mind-sets.

One of the things that really struck me at NASA events is the extent to which people help each other out. I had a failure at Thunderhill that required a run into town. I'd driven my track car to the track, so had no backup vehicle. A complete stranger handed me the keys to his $50k truck and said "go for it"! Another time at Sears Point, I needed to borrow a welder. None of the vendors shops had the time to drop what they were doing, and wouldn't loan me any tools (understandably - no knock on them). Finally I went up to the biggest, snootiest-looking trailer in the lot and asked the Porsche mechanics if they'd loan me a welder. They jumped right in, welded up my piece and wouldn't take any money. They said it was no problem, that they were bored because nothing was breaking on their cars.

Yeah to be clear, I wasn't jumping on the Alfa guys at all. They're a great group to run with; I was just saying that I guess it's a combination of human nature with "likes sticking together" crossed with the ECU vs. carb crowd. That'll be the same regardless of club.

I ran with the Lotus group when I ran Kimini at Laguna Seca and had a great time. However, I know what you mean about assessing skill level. In their own defense I'm not sure how hard a group is obligated to dig into a driver's past. If they want to run with the big boys and lie about it to do so, okay... just don't take anyone else out!

What strikes me is the extinction of the track rat. Whereas ten years ago, track days were filled with Miatas, Civics, MGs, etc, I don't seem to see any track rats any more.

Fleets of M3s, Roush Mustangs, C5+ Vettes, etc.

Out of 70-80 car fields, my MR2 is in the top 5 crappiest cars at any given HPDE. I guess as a hobby, lapping days have moved upscale.

Exactly; it's as though the do-it-yourselfer-on-a-budget has either given up or caved in and bought an M3/Vette/Porsche. Where are all the "Honda kids" with their lowered Civics? Now, it seems to be a bit more of "lets see how fast a car I can buy" versus how it used to be, "Let's see if these mods I'm adding to the car will make it faster." Oh, and I forgot to mention how most everyone used to camp out or had a local motel room, but now a lot of RVs show up. I guess it's not good or bad, it just is.

I think what happened is that we are currently experiencing a huge wave of popularity. We will look back on this as a "golden era" in it's own right. New tracks. Tons of students. Instructor shortages everywhere. If I was retired I could literally instruct and drive every single day of the week for a different club on different tracks. They have to turn away applicants because they can't fill the right seats.

The same track rats on a budget are all still there - they are just surrounded by lots of new blood and they are all just getting acclimated. The old hats wait until one of the new hats isn't so green before they start talking. I know new guys get excited talking about what they learned that day but... I'm tired of noobs by 5pm. I've been listening to them thru a headset since the morning and I need to cook some meat over a fire and catch up with my own old buddies. The new guys might be a little intimidated by our 50' bonfire, drunken sing-alongs and cars that look like they came from Mad Max. We will make friends as soon as the addiction drives us beyond our own little spot in the paddock looking for a hit of something we can't get for ourselves. Like "Hey, new guy... can we borrow some of that beer ya got there if I show you how to change your own brake pads?" :)