09/29/09 Our final trackday for the year is a two-day event at ORP. There has been a lot of stress for weeks trying to get the dp4 done, then a wedding to attend on Saturday from which we drove straight to the track. With nearly twice the number of attendees of our previous events Sunday was a lot to manage. Manage it we did but that took a lot out of us.

A few people made mistakes during the day and two of them suffered the consequences, having to be transported by helicopter to a hospital. It is a sobering reminder that at speed it is better to err on the side of caution and work up to the limit gradually. I address this in the drivers' meeting at every event but having made on-track mistakes myself I know how it can go - get into a pace, start feeling pretty good, get confident, try to push further.... And then some combination of factors puts you over the edge. Often in that situation it is just a matter of luck whether you're going to come out OK or pay a heavy price.Having someone reign you in before it's too late can be a very good thing, I know this firsthand. Corner workers generally do a good job of telling us about anyone getting over-excited but it is the fellow drivers/riders on the track who have the best view of how everyone is doing. Since our PM Club is now developing into a community I need to keep reminding everyone to watch each other's back and say something if you see another person pushing too hard - before something happens.

Anyway, because of all the excitement neither M nor I got to run at all Sunday. Fortunately Karl was able to drive the Atom extensively. Monday was a lot more laid back with mostly just our core group in attendance. This is how we want our events to be. So we're going to lower the number of signups for next year to 20 cars and 20 bikes maximum, not because of crowding on the track but to reduce the pressure on us and everyone else.

With the more relaxed day M and I were finally able to get out on the track for a couple sessions. Dave lent me his 1098 again so that we could ride together - I think this is the first time we ran side-by-side on the track. I led her for a few laps then followed to watch what she was doing.

After all the stress M was quite tentative and cautious out there, especially not having ridden in a very long time. Still it was fun and she was starting to get more comfortable towards the end. Hopefully next year we'll find a way to more fully participate in the events we put on. It was good to get out on the track and at least shake some cobwebs off.