First Rain Event

Two weeks after the Meadowlands event with NNJR SCCA, the NNJR Porsche Club became the first club to actually run at the Meadowlands Lot E. We were all excited to try the new grip but were instead faced with torrential downpour and very slick conditions. It did end up drying a bit in the afternoon but there was plenty of standing water earlier in the day. I had autocrossed in the rain many times before but this was my first time doing this with a rear wheel drive car and it took a lot of smooth inputs to keep her pointed in the right direction. I was very happy with how well the Dunlop Z1 Star Specs performed in these conditions. They were definitely quite manageable even with about an inch of water covering the surface.

Torrential downpour
NNJR Porsche Club of America - 8/22/2010

Eventually it stopped raining and things got better
NNJR Porsche Club of America - 8/22/2010

It really sucked getting this wet but the lessons learned in car control during these conditions would prove to be immensely useful later on. Braking earlier and smoother, applying just the right amount of throttle with no help of traction control, having a lighter touch on the wheel for quicker responses and feeling the car as it was about to hydroplane were all crucial skills to have even outside of racing. I had Mark codrive with me to give me some pointers which were very helpful and I ended up going faster than him. I think that's the way it's supposed to go...eventually students have to becomes faster than their instructors or we all just get slower with every generation :-D

NNJR PCA - 8/22/2010

Meadowlands, NJ