Zone One 48 Hours at the Glen

Almost 500 miles of Track Time, Whee!

 by Russ Radcliffe

Watkins Glen is generally regarded as Zone One's premier track, and I always look forward to a session there. But the Glen is about 510 miles from my house, over 8 hours of trailering, so hauling all that way for a 2-day event is a bit much. Last year I went for four days over the July 4th weekend, and this year I decided to go for five days, the first two with Metro New York and the following three with Zone One.

Not being an instructor, I expected that I would have a free day in the middle, the track open only for instructors and instructor candidates on the Friday in the middle of things, May 24 to May 28. This year, DER members Joe Thrift, Steve Atwell, Linc Avery, and Sally Sprafka also made the trek over for the three-day event. If you're considering trying the track, the Glen is a must. Join us. 

So with the usual assortment of spare parts, tools and tires, I drove over to mid New York state (in the rain) on Tuesday May 23, and up to the track (still in the rain) early Wednesday, May24. But the weatherman was kind, and by mid morning the track was drying and ready. I am preparing a video of this summer's track activities for the club's annual meeting, and my first run is set to show, wet spots on the track and all. 

Although the Zone One event typically draws nearly 200 drivers, only about 80 showed up for Metro New York. Consequently, LOTS of track time in light traffic was the order of the day. Without endless concern about passing or being passed, refining your line becomes your only focus. Part of Driver's Ed is learning the limits of your vehicle and your own skill, and an off-track excursion (yes, I had one) is a much safer mishap when you're not in heavy traffic. Humbling, too!

But then things changed! George Beuselinck invited me to be an instructor candidate and drive with the instructors on Friday. All of a sudden my rear-view mirror became very important. There are some serious cars and drivers in that group. But what a thrill: Instead of three or four 20-minute sessions a day resulting in maybe 90 miles a day, the lightly attended Friday session offered half an hour, every hour--all day long.  That's about 180 miles of serious driving time, which can really test your stamina. Because I was one of the last instructor candidates accepted, I was not tested for instructorship -- not enough testers. Next time. But what a great day.

And then, the usual Zone One 48 Hours at the Glen driving event followed on Saturday and Sunday. This event was packed as usual, so there was even more traffic to contend with--yes, all part of the full DE experience--and still more track miles. All told I accumulated 485 miles on the track in five days. That's enough to polish off a set of brake pads, grind up a pair of front tires, and in my case, cook both front rotors, too. 

But experienced trackies will tell you that the only way to really advance your skills is "seat time" - time in the driver's seat. I think it's a safe bet that I advanced my skills for driving the Glen more in these five days that I did in the previous years, generally just two days at once. Hmmmmmm .. wonder if I can do a WEEK next time?.

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