Time To Race - Chicagoland Sports Car Club

The Downshift - Page
Melissa Hitzke - Behind The Balaclava
By Melissa Hitzke
I had been thinking about driver’s school since last year, when I bought the Miata. It
had been autocrossed by a previous owner, so it came equipped with a hard dog roll
bar, front sway bars and an ACT clutch. However, the car still needed some general
maintenance and new tires, which were first on the list. Before winter hit, we tackled
all the fluids and upgraded the brakes.
Over the winter, the goal was to get all the safety equipment a bit at a time. First
came an Ultrashield seat from Advanced Autosports, along with tow hooks. Next, the gloves, helmet, shoes, belts,
and arm restraints.
Before you knew it, April was here and everything was ready to go. I attended the classroom session the week prior,
which is not required for autocross but recommended. It was definitely helpful to know what to expect during the day
of the drivers school. Friday arrived and it was off to Blackhawk Farms to get registered and go thru tech. The process
was pretty easy, and having read thru the tech sheet before, I knew what to expect. The Miata passed and as
I pulled out of the tech barn, it was pouring. Glad to not be camping this weekend, I was happy to have somewhere
warm to stay and a garage for the Miata only a few minutes from the track.
I tried to get a good night’s sleep, but was too excited. I woke up to a lovely day of light rain and hoped that would be
the extent of the weather for the day. But it got heavier on my way to Blackhawk, so it looked like I would be running
top down in the rain for most of the day. I parked and covered the Miata before I headed off for the 8:00 a.m. drivers
meeting. All students and instructors were paired up and we gathered under the bridge for a morning review of rules
and flags.
First off were “station wagon runs”, in which we ended up taking the Miata out on track for the first time just to learn
the course and the corners. After that, we began the first of three 4-lap practice sessions. Cones were out to learn
turn in point, apex and turn out points. My instructor, Tom, was really helpful in teaching braking and shifting points
in regards to the racing line. The track was wet as we started and began to dry out a little as the morning sessions
progressed. After each session, we got out and went back to the bridge and had a group session with our instructors.
In these group sessions you are only know by your car number and color, in my case I was 25 blue. It was mostly to
discuss the track conditions and to proceed with caution. The stewards were there to warn that if you do go off track,
you aren’t going to be able to stop on wet grass. If there was ever a day to learn car control, this was it.
After running back and forth from practice sessions in the car to meetings at the bridge, it was time to break for lunch.
You relax a bit, the adrenaline subsides and you realize just how tired and hungry you are. I grabbed some lunch
and was able to take my Dad out in the car for the touring sessions. I think he was a little worried at the speed, but
I was taking it pretty easy.
After lunch, it was time to start our afternoon practice sessions. I was feeling comfortable in the car and relaxed as
corners 2 through 6 were flowing pretty well. This is when it began to snow and things got a bit messy. I was coming
out of 5 and carrying too much speed into 6. I went to downshift into 3rd and as soon as I let out the clutch I could
feel the rear wheels lock up and we were spinning. It was only a 180 and I managed to keep it on track. To be safe, I
pulled into the grass until the corner workers motioned a break that I could re enter the track. Once you spin the first
time, you know what to expect and how to handle it safely. I utilized my instructor for the rest of the practice sessions
in order to get corner 7 right and to resist my urge to turn in early at corner one.
We had a chance at the end of the day to get in one timed run. No pressure our instructors said, but if you go off
track during the timed runs you will mess up the timing for anyone behind you. Well at least it had stopped snowing!
The timed run was my best of the day and
I ended up midpack overall. I had to slow
up on the straight as the bridge was waving
caution, so I lost speed there. A driver had
gone off in corner 1 at the end of his hot lap,
so you have to be aware at all times and
pay attention to the flags.
Overall, it was a day of learning, especially
what the car can and can’t do in those conditions.
You don’t realize until you step out
of the car how exhausted you are, and on
that day how cold it was.
It was a great experience that will keep
me coming back to the track for autocross
events. In fact, I have already signed up for
the 1st one over Memorial Day weekend. I
can’t wait and see you at the track!