What's Chuckwalla really like?

[Dave Diamond]

I'm thinking of trying the Chuckwalla event for at least one day at the end of Oct. Haven't been to one of these farther-away events (Willow, Spring Mountain, etc) before because of distance, time required, mortal fear (more for car than for me), etc., but I have comp permit now and would like to try these out and get some further instruction at a track besides Fontana. What do you all think of Chuckawalla --- is that a good one to start with, and how does it compare with the others? (esp for someone not extremely experienced on these yet?). And, just as important, how many of you drive the car you will run to such events? Don't know whether people drive to and run boxsters at these. Don't want to bang up (or blow up) the car 200 miles from home, with no trailer, etc.

Any advice from all you veterans?

Thanks.
Dave Diamond

[SDGT3]

Dave.

Chuckwalla would be a great place to have your first far away event. First of all, it's safe. No walls, no loose dirt if you go off track to dig into. The top speeds are lower than Buttonwillow, but overall, Chuckwalla has a lot of medium speed corners. It was be run in either direction as well.

Because this is a new track, most of the participants will not have the experience they have at other track and that includes the racers, instructors and students. We're all in the same boat.

I've driven my GT3 to 99% of all my events and have only trailered 3 times ever to those tracks that are furthest away. It's by far the easiest way to go if your not bring up a 2nd set of wheels.

[rshon]

Dave -
Not a lot of us have run at Chuckwalla, as it's a brand new track. What I can tell you is that POC uses Streets of Willow (SOW) for it's Performance Driving Series Clinics, as this track is tighter with slower corners, making it more like a big autocross. Incidentally, PCA GPX is having a DE/AX at SOW on Monday 10/4. Spring Mountain is also a good track with reasonable cornering speeds, but also some challenging bits. When you get into tracks like Buttonwillow, Fontana (big road course), and Willow Springs (big track), the corner entry speeds on the high-speed corners are getting up there.

There are a few of us who drive our cars out to the track (the most common being street Boxsters and Caymans, and a few GT3s). Driving your Porsche on a road trip to/from the track is a blast (provided you haven't removed the AC). We've covered some of the reliability issues with the newer cars (Boxsters, Caymans, and Carreras) in the Technical section, but I'll say that the big Fontana Road Course seems to take more than its share of engines (a lot of hard braking and left-hand turns).

If you drive to an away event, you basically have three issues:
1) If you're running special tires, you either drive out on them, or figure out how to transport them (friends are always helpful). I would also bring a full sized spare, in case you develop some tire issue (it will fit in your front trunk).
2) You have to be pragmatic about how hard you're going to push the car on the track; anytime you go off the track, you run the risk of creating some issue which could affect your ability to get home, from rocks wedged in a rim to something being broken.
3) I would recommend that you boost your AAA (or other) tow coverage to cover a 100- or 200-mile tow, just in case. There are several Porsche shops in Las Vegas, over the hill from Spring Mountain, and Willow Springs is fairly close to LA/OC.

I've driven my Boxster out to 14 Time Trials, and besides melting the fitting on my power steering reservoir at the first one, the engine did 12 events before letting go at Fontana in April (probably due to oil starvation). On my current engine, I've got the X-51 oil pan and an Accusump, which is what a lot of the Boxster Spec and Cayman Spec guys use. I also adapted an oil catch can between the AOS and the throttle body to prevent any intake oil ingestion when the AOS burps. (p.s. If you're going to track your Boxster I would also recommend that you get a Brey-Krause Roll Bar Extension. You can sometimes find them used on eBay, or on PCA or Porsche bulletin boards.)

When you drive your car hard at the track, whether it's a race car or a street car, there is always going to be the possibility of running into some issue. It happens to almost everybody. You just prepare the car the best you can and try to be prepared to handle the less major issues (tires, brake pads, fluids, etc.) while you're out there. Also, if you've never driven the track, it's always helpful to have an instructor who knows the track for at least the first day you drive.

But I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Driving a Porsche on a race track is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, and that's only because they won't let you do it with your clothes off!

[Greg Phillips]

I'm thinking of trying the Chuckwalla event for at least one day at the end of Oct. Haven't been to one of these farther-away events (Willow, Spring Mountain, etc) before because of distance, time required, mortal fear (more for car than for me), etc., but I have comp permit now and would like to try these out and get some further instruction at a track besides Fontana. What do you all think of Chuckawalla --- is that a good one to start with, and how does it compare with the others? (esp for someone not extremely experienced on these yet?). And, just as important, how many of you drive the car you will run to such events? Don't know whether people drive to and run boxsters at these. Don't want to bang up (or blow up) the car 200 miles from home, with no trailer, etc.

Any advice from all you veterans?

Thanks.
Dave Diamond

As mentioned, this track is new to most of us but it looks like a safe wide track with lots of runoff. But as with any track event, bad things can happen.

But in general, it is reasonable to drive to the track and get home safely, especially if you are driving a basically stock car and street tires. The more modifications, the more likely you are to stress the system and have problems.
But if you do have problems, one of the advantages of running with PCA is the help you can get from other club members who will help get your car home. I have had my car trailered back by other members on a couple of occasions in the past who were kind enough to drive their cars and put mine on their trailer (thanks Jad & Stacy).

Greg Phillips

[Dave Diamond]

Thanks for all this input. The experience and wisdom in this club never ceases to amaze me. If I can interest my wife in a day or two (by herself) in Palm Springs, maybe she'll bring my somewhat-better tires in her car. 'Course, depending on the shopping and spa treatment bills, it could be cheaper to have AAA just tow me there AND back...

[SC Tailgater]

Highly recommend a trailer. Your life will be so much simpler.
The more you drive, the greater the opportunity for failure. The price of a trailer is insignificant to the aggravation of breakdown and the logistics to transport. I speak from experiance.

Best of luck.

[Greg Phillips]

Highly recommend a trailer. Your life will be so much simpler.
The more you drive, the greater the opportunity for failure. The price of a trailer is insignificant to the aggravation of breakdown and the logistics to transport. I speak from experiance.

Best of luck.

I would disagree. I drove my cars to the track for several years and had a great time. Yes I did need help a couple of times, but the vast majority went well.

The trailer step is much more than just the price of a trailer but also a tow vehicle and a place to keep the trailer along with ongoing maintenance costs and tires for the trailer.

Some days I miss the simplicity of driving to the track. Don't give it up too soon.

Greg

[ChuckS]

Dave,
One of the great things about PCASDR - There is always an extra trailer available if you break at the track. You may have to drive a non-AC, stiffly suspended, NO-radio, etc. car home that WAS on the trailer that yours is now on, but you won't be left stranded.

[kleggo]

Highly recommend a trailer. Your life will be so much simpler.
The more you drive, the greater the opportunity for failure. The price of a trailer is insignificant to the aggravation of breakdown and the logistics to transport. I speak from experiance.

Best of luck.

the trailer is the easy part, other than finding a place to store it when you're not using it = 98.95% of the time
The tow vehicle is more challenging SSSSSSSSSS

as rshon says "You have to be pragmatic about how hard you're going to push the car on the track; anytime you go off the track, you run the risk of creating some issue which could affect your ability to get home, from rocks wedged in a rim to something being broken."

drive there, drive 80% while there, drive home, have fun

Craig