VIR high performance driving event

No, nothing is quite as excited as spinning through an intersection! This one was close though.

Here is my recap of the day:

5:00 AM - Why the hell am I awake so early? Oh, right, track time!
7:00 AM - Arrive at VIR. Why don't I see anyone else awake yet, even though Tech is supposed to start at 7? Hm.
7:15 AM - Signs of life.
8:00 AM - Just about everyone has arrived, and is ready for tech inspection. I think we had around 16 total Eliges present. LOD had one tech there, who had never done tech before. I was starting to think we wouldn't be on the track for a while. The track was still very cold anyway, I told myself.
8:15 AM - Tech inspections start.
8:45 AM - Driver's meeting. I'm nervous. I can't stop shaking, and it's not because of the cold. I was one of only 2-3 people without any track experience. We were split up into just two groups, novice and then intermediate/advanced. There were about 9 cars in each group.
9:15 AM - Tech inspections are finished. Novices are in class first, inter/adv on track. The head instructor, Chuck, really knows his stuff. I'm impressed and eager to learn. He goes over some of the basics. Smooth inputs. Slow in, fast out. Turn-in points. Apex.
10:00 AM - Holy SHIT, it's time to be on the track. I strap on my new helmet, slide on the gloves, and I'm the first in my group to go out. Hm, why is the first corner worker giving me a yellow? Guess that means I should go slow. Oh wait, the second corner worker is giving me a yellow too. Oooo, this must be the warmup lap! I was glad that I had seen a glimpse of the track on Sunday, so I didn't feel totally uncomfortable on the first lap. I drove slow, and worked on getting the engine and brakes heated up. Even though I was nervous and shaking in class, I was surprisingly calm and collected on the track. I even noticed that I was breathing normally through my nose.
10:05 - 10:20 AM - I progressively get faster as I learn a little about the track, how the car behaves on a track, and how to actually drive on a track. I get passed by pretty much everyone in our group. No matter.
10:25 AM - I pull into the paddock to lower my tire pressures since the tires are hot now. I could feel them slipping on the last lap. Ahhhh, back to 25psi should do nicely.
10:30 AM - As I'm pulling back onto the track, I see one of the advanced guys (Don with a Cup 240, aka dmh on ET) in the pit with his helmet. I motion him to come ride with me. He wants to drive 2 laps with me as a passenger first. Cool.
10:31 AM - Holy SHIT, this guy can drive! And wow, I didn't know my car could do that!
10:37 AM - We switch, I drive and he rides. He's showing me when I should be braking, where to turn in on a few turns I'm having trouble with. I'm gaining confidence, but still getting passed by most other cars.
10:45 AM - Back to class to review initial impressions. More on apexes, braking, and staying smooth.
11:30 AM - Back to the track! Feeling more confident, I get more aggressive. I brake later (LOVE the Pagid blue pads) and carry a bit more speed through the turns. The results are noticeable. I'm starting to pass a few people, and not many are passing me. I catch up to one unnamed driver at one point. I follow him closely for a few laps, having to slow down in several places. He never lets me pass. I get irritated and pull in the pits for a stop & go. I go back out to see that he has spun off into the grass at Stevie Wonder later that lap. Whoops.
12:05 PM - I take a sharp turn and notice that the engine hesitates. That's odd. I check the gauges. Oh, I'm almost out of gas. I'm an idiot. I take the rest of the lap pretty easy and pull into the pits to refuel for the next run.
12:45 PM - Lunch. Yum. Yawn. Less talking, more driving.
2:00 PM - Back to the track! I continue to improve. I only remember getting passed by the Exige S in our group, and maybe the occasional instructor-driven car. I'm starting to get the hang of this. This was probably my best overall run of the day.
3:00 PM - Class time. Final thoughts for the day, and track-specific questions. I ask about a few turns that were giving me the most trouble.
4:00 PM - Time for the last track session of the day. I'm smart and fill up on gas BEFORE the run this time, so I'm a few minutes late going out. I see Don on the pit wall again, so ask him to ride along. He drives first again. He's super fast, but says my car is understeering some. I will have to look into loosening up the front suspension for next time.
4:15 PM - I'm driving now, Don is riding. I tell him where I'm having the most trouble, and he offers suggestions. The suggestions help and I get even faster. I get passed by only the Exige S and I think one instructor driven car. I drop Don off in the pits. He asked me how much experience I had. I told him none, unless Gran Turismo counts. Sadly, he had never heard of Gran Turismo, but he said he was impressed nonetheless. He told me to keep at it, and be safe...
4:30 PM - I'm on my own now. A few laps later, it happens. I pass a slower driver, and the Exige S is on my tail, driven by the head instructor Chuck I found out later. I make it through Stevie Wonder more quickly than I had all day. Then on the very next turn to the right, the back end comes around. Time stands still. Bad thoughts go through my head, especially with the Exige S right on my tail. Oh please god, let him stop in time. Two feet in, off the track I spin, and then I roll backwards slowly back on. The Exige S stops about 10 feet from me. Wow. I start up the car and limp to the pit. I talk with the pit guys about what happened. I'm still not 100% sure what happened. Chuck said it looked like I lifted. I don't specifically remember lifting, but it's possible. I did notice a few laps later that I was hitting the 2nd cam right around that area. So perhaps I hit it mid-turn, it threw the balance of the car off & away I spun. Anyway, thankfully nobody was hurt and neither was the car, just my ego. I went back out for the final 20 minutes of the session. I was timid at first, but built my confidence back up by the end.
5:00 PM - Pack up car.
6:00 PM - Solicit suspension advise from Don.
6:30 PM - Dinner, drinks.
7:30 PM - Drive home.

All things considered, I couldn't have asked for much more from my first event!

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