The Skip Barber Experience

Wrapped in fireproof coveralls, gloves and a full-face helmet under the July sunshine at Indianapolis Raceway Park, sitting in a Skip Barber Racing School open-wheel race car, the dimensions of which make the Miata seem like a stretch limo, my immediate thought was: "What the HELL am I doing here . . . ?!?"

Twenty-eight of us . . . 27 guys and one gal . . . ranging in age from high school to me (the school was a gift from my family for my 60th birthday) . . . a heavy equipment operator from Indiana, contractor from South Carolina, ophthalmologist from Indiana, financial advisor from Ohio, automotive newspaper writer from Mexico, business owner from Salt Lake City, high school kid from Michigan, a father & son team from Indiana . . . quite a gathering! First, we were broken into two groups of 14, then each group was broken into two groups of 7. We were then paired up to share a car. Jeff (a young, new father, who had been diagnosed with cancer recently and was "fulfilling a dream") and I would share a beautiful white #35.

Some "ground school" from Steve, Kenny and "Duck", our (very patient) instructors, and we were off to get into the race cars. First exercise . . . finding out how to get in--putting them on is really more descriptive--and fastening all the belts. Then off to learn how to run a slalom of cones . . . and finding out that lifting off the gas while turning would get "trailing throttle oversteer" and immediately show you where you have been!

After lunch, things got more interesting. With the front bodywork of the car removed (that was cooler!) so the instructors could see our feet, we learned to downshift. Clutch in--shift to neutral--clutch out-- rev the engine with the right side of your foot (the left side was hard on the brake pedal)--clutch in--shift down--clutch out--off the brake and on with the power. Around and around an oval--up to 4th, down to 3rd, down to 2nd, around the corner and up to 4th again, then down again. Lessons in "thresh-hold" braking (man, will those little cars STOP) rounded out that session. With that mastered(???), and after a van trip around the 2 ½ mile 15-turn course, we were ready to roll.

Four 20 mile sessions per day! When we weren't driving we were observing our team-mates from out on the course. When the other group was out on the track we were either in the classroom or getting ready to go out. At a required stop on the front straight, our instructors gave us critiques (and occasional praise) by radio about our performance. Each successive session they would allow us to use a few more "revs," and introduce additional shift-points. On day one, we had five gear changes per lap. By day three, we were doing twelve per lap and our feet were desperately trying to keep up with our hands! Speeds had increased dramatically, and for the final two sessions, the mandatory stop on the front straight was removed and we were allowed to run unrestricted down that straight, hitting well over 100 mph before braking for the third gear turn at the end.

There was NO downtime during the three days and none of us had any trouble sleeping at night. Did I have a good time? Well, I'm still working to get the smile off my face!!!. I'm also still trying to assimilate all the things they told us (information came in a steady stream). Was it scary? Not really, since things were introduced gradually(?), given the amount of time we had to learn new things. For a muscle-tensing, pulse-raising, sweat-soaking, adrenaline-pumping, gut-wrenching, mind-blowing, exhausting but FUN three days, I heartily recommend the Skip Barber Traveling Circus. I do remember the final comment made by "Duck" at the graduation ceremony (yes, I did graduate) . . . "Use your new powers for good, not evil!"