Car Control Clinic

Today was my first venture in the car that involved a bit of closed track action - the learners starter place known as the Car Control Clinic. This is a mandatory (I think anyway, if not, highly recommended) prior to the driving school I'm going to in a couple of weeks (I got my helmet yesterday).

Of course, it was all brand new, so I was a little scared, but after easing gently into the slalom, I gradually got faster and kept it all under a semblance of control. After slalom was the skid pad - two large circles next to each other - one wet, one dry, just so you could feel the difference in grip. I think it was my favorite part of the day - getting the tail to lightly drift out as your pushing it was a lot of fun.

Finally was the emergency braking section - stop as quickly as you can, first in a straight line, and then as you're turning. ABS obviously makes this a lot easier than it used to be, but it was still fun. Unfortunately, during the braking, the car started making some weird scraping noises, so I pulled out before the end, and a few of the very helpful staff there took a look and gave me a hand working out what was going on. It all turned out fine in the end - I had a small rock stuck in between the rotor and caliper, and it managed to pop out as we were driving home, with no damage done. I think I turned white before I knew what it was though - obviously imagining the worst, and wondering if I'd even get home.

Anyway, still recovering now - the clutch leg is a little achy, and the face is definitely sore from all the grinning I've been doing. Heidi took lots of photos and vids, so I combined all the slalom ones for your viewing pleasure below. And can I just say in my defense (before you get started with the abuse brothers), the first couple I was told to go pretty slow....