Revved, ready, roar at Lime Rock
Behind the wheel - a red Viper’s wheel -
at Skip Barber Racing
by Jim Gordon
I’ve always had an interest in sports and exotic cars and I’ve been to Lime
Rock Raceway in Lakeville, Conn., many times. So when my editor called
and interrupted the evening news with “Are you available to cover a story at
Lime Rock about Skip Barber’s Racing School?” You know the answer.
I hung up the phone and saw that the cable weather guy was predicting between 3 and 4 inches of rain for the weekend, but he had a little sunny icon posted for Monday. I knew immediately that this was a positive sign that the racing gods were with me. It may have been a few years since my last trip to Lime Rock, but I had clear memories of the smell of burning rubber, the roar of the screeching engines and the beauty of the sleek cars speeding around the track. But, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the day would come with me behind the wheel, pedal to the metal, rounding “the downhill - turn 7”, heading for the finish line at more than 100 miles per hour.
The track at Lakeville is in the northwest corner of the state. One hundred miles from New York, and the same distance from Boston, it’s about 50 miles from Hartford. Any department of tourism would have a hard time finding a more picturesque drive in more beautiful country. This is truly New England and Connecticut at their best.
The 1.5 mile track opened in April 1957 and has played host to nearly every great race driver and road racing series for the past 48 years. Carroll Shelby to Roger Penske and Mark Donahue; the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Regionals to midget racing; Trans-Am, American Le Mans series and NASCAR stock cars, Lime Rock has seen it all. And now me, not Jeff Gordon, not Robbie Gordon, but Jim Gordon.
On the Track
I entered the grounds, signed my first waiver, and proceeded down the winding road in search of the paddock area where I had been told to report. Soon I was in front of the start/finish line where the action was about to begin. Fellow students were arriving in their own personal driving choices: a Mercedes SLK 350 - a well worn, rust-colored Chevy pickp truck and me in my Ford Escort, the field was certainly diverse.
(Man, I’m thinking . . . I wish I had one of those bumper stickers that says “my other car is a Ferrari” or something). We’re standing around in front of the clubhouse introducing ourselves to one another and trying to explain why we are here. I met a few of my future, fellow classmates: Craig the mortician, Charlie the chef, and Jim the tourism director, who are among the early arrivers. The guys in the matching red jackets and jumpsuits are obviously our hosts.
I’m also looking for Dan Bolognani, director of sales and marketing at the nearby Interlaken Inn Resort and Conference Center. He’s my “unofficial” tour guide and the person that set this adventure. Dan told me that the 100-plus year old inn serves as the “lodging partner” for Skip Barber School of Racing and Lime Rock Park. It’s located on 30 pristine acres with all the trappings of a great country inn and the amenities of a modern, big city hotel.
The Interlaken acts as a facilitator for corporate programs by providing meeting space and additional programming components that complement the racing/driving experience. They are able to make a “race track’ event into a team-building or leadership development program that has bona fide business objectives, but accomplishes the objectives in the most exciting package possible.
He asked me if I liked great food and great dining and recommended “Morgan’s” - the restaurant at the inn. It has a reputation for the finest cuisine and the most innovative chefs in the area. The Interlaken is where tired “racers” go to eat and rest.! Bolognani is a great host, with a great smile and a good person to call a friend.
He is also the chairman of the Northwest CT Convention & Visitors Bureau. So if you need to find your way anywhere around the Northwest Hills of Connecticut or Lime Rock Raceway, Dan’s your man.
Driving 101
It’s 8 a.m., time to go to work. Bob Green, our head instructor, introduces
himself and passes out the second set of waivers for everyone to sign. (Now
I’m starting to be concerned about why my wife asked if the life insurance
was paid up.) Green is a widely respected auto safety expert and race car
driver, as well as an accomplished speaker on driving safety for adults and
teenagers. Besides that experience, Bob is also a great speaker and a
genuinely very funny guy. He has a few “old’ jokes that he manages to work
into his presentation, and if you’re a little slow on the uptake, you won’t
get them.
And . . . if there’s one thing you never want to be at racing school . . . it’s slow. Bob took the time to introduce several of his fellow instructors and explain the agenda for today’s “One-Day Combo” program. Many parts of the “skull” session are things that we have probably heard before and maybe long forgotten, but Bob explains “driving school is for everyone, from the novice to the experienced driver, whether your focus is on accident avoidance or you just want to enhance your daily commute.”
John “Skip” Barber has operated an integrated system of racing schools, driving schools, corporate events and special projects from coast to coast. He started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard University and is one of few Americans to ever contest Formula One. In the mid-1960s, he won three SCCA National Championships, finished third in the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship and later went on to win consecutive Formula Ford National Championships. When his racing career ended, Barber’s energy was channeled towards developing an affordable racing school.
In 1975, with two borrowed racing cars and four students, a new career was launched. Today the Skip Barber School of Racing has grown to become one of the nation’s largest. Cars and parts are maintained at any one of five base locations around the country, from which the largest racecar fleet in the world, transporters and school staff are deployed to tracks nationwide. Barber remains active in motorsports today and is the owner/operator of Lime Rock Park.
Hit the Road
School’s out. Morning class is over, and now we hit the asphalt on the autocross practice track. Dodge is a major corporate sponsor of the racing school, and every vehicle on the track is a Dodge, from quad cab trucks for steering and skid control, to the Neons in which we practice braking and handling. Then there is the Viper SRT-10; I forget what we practiced, but remember that they were very fast. And finally to the 2.0 Liter Formula Dodge racecars that we drive in the afternoon session. They're all Dodge and they’re all red. I’m sure these cars probably come in other colors, but I sure didn’t see any.
I jump into the Dakota with my second instructor, Stephan, another young racecar driver, who demonstrates how to handle the car in a skid situation. I paid close attention to what he was saying while observing “this looks like fun!” But it really wasn’t. Do you think a pickup truck with no weight in the back and racing slicks for tires is the best vehicle to practice not losing control? When my turn comes I’m informed that I have “slow hands.” I haven’t heard that since my Little League days and the last time was . . . well never mind. But now I remember why I always thought a “Hail Mary” was the first thing to do when you start skidding.
Next we head over to the “braking pit.” We are now driving Dodge Neons. These cars are equipped with ABS brakes and a toggle switch to inactivate them. The first exercise has each student driving down to the other end of the straightaway, turning and accelerating down the strip as fast as possible. When you reach the other end Stephan raises his hand and you hit the brakes as hard as possible. The ABS brakes grind, but bring you to a straight stop. After ABS 101, we flick the switch and now we are about to try it the old-fashioned way. Just stand on the pedal and see how quickly you can stop while controlling your skid. A half hour later and I have mastered “threshold braking.”
Now we head back to th autocross practice track with our Neons. We are taught cornering techniques - how to brake coming into the turn and accelerate going out of the corner while steering as close as possible to the orange cones for the fastest time. After taking out several cones, Ryan, our third instructor, re-explains that the idea is to come close, but not run the cones over. We all get to practice many laps with our instructors and when they think we have a handle on it . . . they bring out the “heavy equipment.”
The Vipers are Dodge’s 500 horsepower answer for a sports car, which you can buy your own for about $170 dollars per horse. These Vipers certainly look the part - fast! These are indeed beautiful styled, high-performance machines. (I wonder how fast you can pile up speeding tickets on the regular roadways. “But officer I was only in second gear.”) After driving the Neons, the step up with the Viper is, to put it mildly, unbelievable. This car is tight, sleek and powerful and really fun to drive. This car is fast, but my Ford Escort has more room. Then the real jaw clenching begins. We switch places with our instructors. They drive, we watch (which can be hard to do with your eyes closed). We accelerate, we brake, we corner - smoke is everywhere. I don’t know how fast the instructor can make the Viper travel around the track, but I do know that he’s going at least twice as fast as I feel comfortable with. Call me old-fashioned, but 80 on the highway has always been good enough for me. The morning session comes to a close and we brake, I mean break, for lunch. Everyone needs the rest. The driving is much more intense than I had ever anticipated. It feels good to get out of the cars and stretch a little. My new best friends, Craig, Charlie, Jim and I hang together and recap our morning experience. We find out we have much in common, an interest in cars, and we all smell like gasoline and rubber.
Back to Work
Lunch is over. Time for more classroom instruction, explanations about the racecars. Every element of the morning training now comes into play. As I look beyond the instructor, I see the racecars all lined up at an angle, ready to take me and my pals to the fast lane. We are handed our racing suits and helmets. Red again, of course! I need help figuring how to put the helmet on my large head and keep my eyeglasses pointed forward too. Sounds easy . . . but it wasn’t.
After I mastered the positioning of my glasses, I shut my helmet visor and ta-dah, instant fog! I raise my hand and Bob Green approaches. He laughs, tells me to crack (bad choice of words) the opening. I’m not really looking forward to driving around the track with the visor half open, but it seems like a more logical approach so I can see where I’m going. Now my seatbelt. Left shoulder, right shoulder, left hip, right hip and crotch. I won’t have to worry about falling out of this puppy. Then I begin the task of making myself feel comfortable with the pedals. Yes . . . 6 inches is close for all three pedals. But I know I can master this. The gearshift is located by my right side, different, but really the only place where it can fit. If you’re left handed, I guess that you must have to ask for an automatic!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
Holy _ _ _ _! We’re about to enter the race track. Our instructors lead the way. We’re told that we will determine the speed of the cars by how closely we follow the pace car.
If we get close, he will accelerate, and if he pulls too far in front, he will slow down. We are taught the proper way to pass on the track and we are shown how to signal that we are pulling into the pit. Then we’re let loose! We start out slowly. We increase our speed with each lap. Wow . . . that really does work, brake before the turn and power going through the corner. I would pinch myself to see if this is real, but there’s no way I’m taking my hand off the steering wheel. The track is fantastic. Faster . . . I’m the lead car now, but the instructor gives the signal for me to move over and let my partner pass. Now we’re going faster again. I’ll have to show Jim who’s faster when it’s my turn to lead again. This is fun. I’m screaming as I approach the last curve. Faster! There’s no stopping me now. Whoops . . . I’m starting to spin. What am I supposed to do? By the time I react, (about 540 degrees later) I’m facing in the wrong direction parked in the middle of the infield. Put it in first and start all over. That’s what it’s all about. Two minutes later I’ve caught up with Jim and my instructor but I have the feeling that maybe I’m not going as fast as I was before. Another valuable lesson in life and racing learned. Soon we all get flagged into the pit and we are informed we have to wait for the track crews to retrieve Craig who is parked upside down on the backstretch somewhere. We’re told that he’s fine, just a little shaken up. A half-hour later another race car shows up (this one’s silver) and there’s Craig, all smiles, ready to go again. We make up for lost time and get to race for another 20 minutes before the racing comes to a close.
We pull into the pits. I think it probably took me about 10 minutes to “slip out” of my car. It was a little tight, and I was a little less limber than when I started. We get out of our racing gear and report back to the classroom. Everybody is there, including Craig. After a few insults we make sure that he’s okay.
When he says he’s going to sign up for another course we begin to wonder. My other teammate, Charlie the chef, says “the best thing for me was driving the formula cars. The overall package was spectacular, and I really enjoyed riding in the Viper with the instructors. It was impressive to experience how much control these guys have over the machines they drive. I’ve never really been a NASCAR or formula fan, but I am considering it.”
Graduation Time
We had a fantastic day, and I know that we would all sign up again. Maybe the next time the boss suggests a company golf outing, you might want to say “how about driving school instead?” I’m sitting here admiring my Skip Barber Driving School graduation certificate, and I have to think that getting this diploma was a lot more fun than the last one that I earned.
Resources: www.skipbarber.com
www.limerock.com
www.survivethedrive.org
