Confessions of An Aspiring Speedracer

Feb 22, 2015,12:37 PM
 

Lamborghini Beverly Hills sponsors a "trackday" at The Thermal Club




The fascination with racing transcends time and culture. There is something about pushing a high performance machine to its limit that evokes a natural high. We are oragnically conditioned to want to go faster; we are conditioned to upgrade, customize, and flex our muscles, whether with the bodies we are born with or with the racing machines we create.

In the past, this fascination was lived vicariously through the documented lives of professional racers whose exploits on international tracks were nothing more than dreams and fantasy.

Recently, beyond the glamorous fantasy of living a successful racecar driver’s life, a new emphasis on the grueling training and driving technique behind the profession has developed. Take, for example, the movie Rush where actors Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl display the riveting rivalry between Formula 1 racers James Hunt and Nikki Lauda. “Downshifts” and “trailing brake oversteer” were terms for techniques that used to mean little to the average sports car fan but have now become a natural and relatable aspect in portraying racing in current media and art. A new clarity now replaces the sense of mystery behind the wheel, almost persuading the common viewer that anybody can drive at speeds upwards of 100 mph on beautiful curves like those of Mulholland Drive.

Where pop culture goes, "real life" often follows, and in recent years, high performance driving and racing have gained new momentum, borne out by the widespread increase in sponsored "trackdays" and driving experiences. So much so that such events for even the freshest of novices are now part of any serious car marques’ marketing strategy book. Even small bleeding edge supercar maker Automobili Lamborghini has gotten in on the game, creating a comprehensive global Esperienza program, as well as sponsoring the single make Super Trofeo series in Europe, Asia, and now the US. 

I recently had the chance to participate in a "track day” experience sponsored by Lamborghini Beverly Hills.




A panorama of the beginning/end of the 4 part track

Driving into the entrance of the private membership Thermal Club located in Thermal, California was like entering a boxing arena. With solid beige walls surrounding the track and villas in progress dotting the surrounding area, there was an ominous quiet. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I drove down the palm tree lined driveway. Having been to professional motorsports tracks before, I expected to spend the day on the sidelines as I was surrounded by such a high performance selection of cars and such an experienced group of people. But as it turned out, this would be a driving experience unlike any I had experienced before.

A couple years ago, I participated in the AAA driver’s course at the Auto Club Speedway. Going into the workshop, I expected a refresher in the basic braking and safety laws. Instead, I burned through my brakes, tested my Mercedes E500’s capability to handle hairpin turns, and developed a natural reaction to a slide out. For this purpose, I highly recommend anyone going to the track for the first time to participate in one of these safety courses. There is a level of comfort attained only when you’ve tested the vehicle yourself. The numbers, demonstrations, and verbal confirmation of the cars look fantastic on paper, but it is only when you yourself know how much your car can handle that the gut feeling of skepticism about a seemingly impossible task finally settles. Such knowledge and experience at the edge even has clear benefits to the average driver that diligently follows every traffic law in the books; one never knows when a rain slicked road will drop the thresholds of roadholding physics unexpectedly to well below even posted limits...

As I drove further into the grounds of the Thermal Club, more and more things revealed themselves. Complete with go-karts, autocross track, skid pad, and a four-sectioned track, it was a veritable Disneyland for cars. I began to hear the distant throbbing revs of performance engines warming up, bringing their lifeblood and other fluids to optimum operating temperatures. When we finally met up with the rest of the group, the wide variety of cars was like a display from a sports car fan's paradise. Ranging from an AMG SL65 Black Series to McLarens, track prepped Porsches and Ferraris to the new Lamborghini Super Trofeo, cars from all over Southern California were brought out to be tested and pushed to their limits.

We started off the day with an introduction of the instructors we would be working with - most from Lamborghini driving programs. These experienced drivers would be coaching us and leading us through a series of activities to push our cars’ boundaries as well as our personal limits. Drawing guests from all over California and beyond, including Bruce and Kendall Jenner, the day got underway with an initial split between the experienced track drivers and the guests experiencing track driving for the first time.



Kendall Jenner on a test drive. Credit: Kendall Jenner's Instagram @kendalljenner

The first station I went to was the main track, as I tagged along with the more experienced drivers. With safety as our first priority, drivers were asked to line their cars along the track for inspections of oil, tires, brakes, etc. We then pulled into the track in order and began practice runs to familiarize ourselves with the track. Following the lead of Paris Mullin we began our familiarization drive….

My favorite part of the day came after lunch, at the autocross station. The stage was set up with two Porsche Caymans, one blue and one orange. Walking up to the circuit, I cockily assessed the small track - straightaway, double S curve, tight hairpin, easy weave, short straight, last hairpin, and easy end inside a stop box. Simple. 

Once I actually got into the car, nervousness suddenly overtook, making me ask driver Miles Maroney to show me the course first. I couldn’t have my first run on this track be a scene from Driving Miss Daisy. Unfortunately, having a professional driver show me the track both sparked my competitive side and gave me a false sense of capability. Being in the passenger seat, we finished the course in 28 seconds. Sounds easy right?



Brittany Gruning and Miles Maroney about to go for a run on the autocross

With a big grin, Miles got out of the car and joined the little group I had gained in watching me from the sidelines. As I sauntered over to the driver seat, there was a little loop playing in my head of how cool drivers looked when they got in their cars prior to a race. That same cool factor when they get behind the wheel and know they’ll have a hell of a race. I got in, cool as a cucumber, adjusted my seat for the proper performance driving position, adjusted the steering wheel, practiced my leg shift from gas to brake and back again, and silently recited a glorious verse of Kenny Loggins as pump up for what was about to be the most epic first run, ever...

I would love to say I flew past the finish line and stopped in the stop box with a triumphant grin of victory while looking at the timer display reading 27 seconds, but sadly, that couldn’t have been further from what happened. 

33 seconds later, yes, a whole six seconds slower than I had aimed for, I cruised into the stop box. 

How and why was I so slow? 

The first problem was how hesitant I was to power out of the turn. Another problem was using too much of the track during the turn. In the initial more gradual curves, there is a tendency to use the brake during them, which is absolutely not the correct maneuver for a beginner, even if it is intuitive. When the brakes are used mid-turn, the car’s momentum coupled with braking will tend to throw the car's rear end around and cause the tires to lose traction with the pavement, resulting in oversteer or at best, a four wheeled push. 

In the second run, I was accompanied by driving coach Bryce Miller. He explained that the second the rear of the car clears the turn and you are pointed where you want to go, my foot should fully be pressing on the gas. That way I reach my fastest speed at the beginning of the straight away following the curve instead of midway, shaving off precious partial seconds. Addressing my second mistake, I was hugging the inside of the turn leaving no room for the back of the car of clear when I went around the following curve. Although instinctually when faced with an s-curve, one might want to shorten the turning radiuses by clipping the inside of the curves for more of a straight line, I was actually sliding out. By staying in the middle of the track, I was able to come out of the s-curve with more control and speed because the individual curves were not as severe, but more of a straight line.

I finished my second run in 30.83 seconds – more than two seconds faster, but still not good enough. I had to break 30 seconds. Going around the third time, I felt a difference in my comfort level with the car. I had driven a Porsche Cayman before, so the car was not a complete stranger to me. What this run gave me was the comfort that I knew how the car would respond to me when pushed. To raise my comfort level, I asked Bryce to drive the course in the same car. Having only driven an autocross once before with the Lamborghini Aventador, a car not ideally suited for autocross, there was a promise that I would really know how much the car could handle.

The trick to the autocross course was aiming for the butt of the car to tap the cones. Once I felt that motion, the course was mine and it became a matter of how much I personally could handle. As I pushed myself to the point where I felt like I was practically abusing the car, I finally made it past the finish line in 29.6 seconds. My excitement was unparalleled. It was at that moment that I got my first real taste of the competitiveness and hunger to be behind the wheel, pushing the limits of tires and physics.

My passion for the autocross course would not have been as great without the finely tuned sportscar I drove. The Porsche Cayman felt almost like an extension of my body. Incredibly responsive and tight, the car was tuned to react as instinctively as a catcher’s mitt to a baseball. Flooring the gas to begin my trial run, the car did lag a bit, but once the rear wheels achieved hookup, the acceleration was powerful and a force I could definitely feel in the small of my back. I did a couple of laps without the TRS on and the difference was very obvious. There was a lot more slipping and sliding and quick corrections by the driver between the gas, brakes, and steering were required. Depending on your mindset, the car was either much more alive and pure without traction control, or more stable and predictable with it on, though in a controlled, artificial way. 

Next up was the skid pad. We switched gears to the BMW M3 sedan, its burnt orange paint subdued by half a day of skidpad residue. For those who are unfamiliar with a skid pad, there are a circle of cones or an outlined circle in the middle of a wet part of the track. The water is mixed with soap to make the surface slippery. With this slippery surface and sudden surge of speed, the cars begin to slide out causing the rear of the car to whip around. The lesson of this course is to help drivers understand that instead of the instinct to use the brake and turn the wheel in the direction of the turn or even to straighten out the wheel, the driver must turn the wheel in the same direction the back of the car is spinning at to catch the momentum, otherwise known as "dialing in some opposite lock to catch the spin." 

Only after you catch the spin do you apply the brakes.



Participants take different BMW models out for a familiarity lap

I cruised into the skid pad at around 20-30 mph and as I almost completed the 180-degree turn, I was told to stomp on the gas for a solid 3 seconds. Initially, my instinct to pull my foot off the gas was too fast to actually cause a slide out. After my third time around, I felt the shift of the car and managed to catch the car. Having learned this at a previous course, this maneuver came naturally and even saved my life during a rainy night on the onramp of the 405 freeway.

What I did gain from this particular experience was the trust in BMW and specifically, the 3 series. I cannot emphasize how important and eye-opening testing a car is. When you are allowed an opportunity to safely push the boundaries you have mentally put up regarding how far and daring you would push your car, it is only then that your car has the chance to prove itself to you. 

Many buyers love a car and purchase the vehicle based on a test drive around the parking lot or around the block and their faith in the car is never truly tested. It is only when they are faced with a freak occurrence or completely out of the ordinary moment that they become afraid of the car and panic. What if the brakes don’t stop the car in time? What if the wheels don't grip enough and the car pushes into the wall? What if the car flips over?

These are the fears I have begun to conquer through these courses. I do not advocate unsafe driving or putting other drivers who are not as experienced in danger. I do however believe in preparing for the worst and when those moments do happen, such as a freeway onramp hairpin turn in the rain, I know how to handle it and I have full trust in the car to handle the situation. This knowledge, experience, and confidence has saved my life at least once...



Safety first

We finished the day off with more laps around the big track. Drivers were allowed to take their cars out and around the track at their own pace. As the sun closed in on the horizon, drivers were all invited to drive the latest M4's and M3's.

With the desert sky showing off its range of orange and pinks, the track turned into a private area for professional drivers who were practicing for their next race. This gave time for participants to really take in the cars of other guests, as well as examine the Lamborghini Aventator, Gallardo, and Huracan. Lucky guests were allowed to test drive the cars around the track earlier in the day but unfortunately, the cars began to get a little shaky at the end.

All in all a most glorious day for a new aspiring speedracer.

 
























Sunset at the Thermal Club


More posts: AMGAventadorBlack SeriesBMWCaymanHuracanLamborghiniMercedes-BenzPorsche

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Comments: view entire thread

 

Thanks for sharing with us your driving experience

 
 By: AnthonyTsai : February 23rd, 2015-14:02
Looks like a lot of fun and pressure :) Cheers, Anthony

So Much Pressure!

 
 By: ampurist : February 25th, 2015-18:30
I had to show them a little competition ;)

Thanks!! [nt]

 
 By: ampurist : February 25th, 2015-18:31

Cool driving experience at Thermal

 
 By: ED209 : February 23rd, 2015-17:59
Nice pics and thanks for sharing your experience at Thermal. Regards, ED-209

Thank you!

 
 By: ampurist : February 25th, 2015-18:32
I hope you enjoyed the read. The track really brought out that competitive side :)

Looks like a really fun day.

 
 By: JerryW : February 23rd, 2015-21:14
Thanks for sharing. JerryW

It was one of the best experiences!

 
 By: ampurist : February 25th, 2015-18:33
Truly a once in a lifetime experience

Wow! That's quite an experience!

 
 By: patrick_y : February 24th, 2015-00:55
What was the biggest eye opener? Was there a specific vehicle you were in love with? My advice to you is quit while you're ahead. Or else you'll spend a large amount of your life pursing those last 1/10th of a second. It's a madness! Welcome to the madnes... 

It truly was!

 
 By: ampurist : February 24th, 2015-19:24
The biggest eye opener was spending time with two Porsche Caymans on the autocross. Same model, same body just different colors. The difference in lap time was a whole two seconds even though I drove both with the same technique. The faster of the two car... 

This is

 
 By: SwissBrands : February 25th, 2015-23:23
Definitely an extreme experience !