So many things were flying through my head, but I kept coming back to: Have Fun and Stay Out of Trouble. It was a hot, windy and clear blue day of racing at Thunderhill in Willows California. I could feel sweat pouring out of my body. My once-used race suit wasn't uncomfortable, but it doesn't feel like any other piece of clothing. Sliding the side net into place. Rocking my head from side to side to get used to the HANS device. Once over the gauges. Being ready for your first race isn't something you'll ever be. It is something you get after you see checkers that first time.

Practice and qualifying had gone by without much incident. Jim Foxx, joining us from down south, and Ken had separate bits of end-swapping adventures, but other than that our session with the PRC was a blast. Masuo, race director of the PRC liked to keep things very tidy. You'd think racers would know this, but he reminded us that we'll turn faster laptimes if we keep the cars on the track and keep dirt off it. If you have a problem with someone or a near miss, go talk to them. Communicate. Work things out. Since they were all running 911s there was a pretty big speed differential from us, but their rules are to respect the other racers. Give room for battles, don't use slower cars for picks.

This being my first event weekend, I was still working out when I should give room and when I should stay on-line when a faster car was closing in on me. I can't say I got it right every single time, but the faster classes were more than kind waiting behind me through the cyclone or the esses and I made sure to stay tight so they could swing out around when I finished my turn.

My singular goal was to get signed off for two races on my Provisional License. This was the first time I had run my car in anger and Saturday was a mechanical check. I knew a car that didn't have Spec suspension or a rear swaybar wouldn't run good laptimes anyway, so I wasn't pushing traction limits at all. The Hawk Blues up front had a lot of bite, and I grabbed them a bit too hard a couple times into Thunderhill's turn 10 and turn 2, noting the back wanted to step out a tad. It was also my first time on the R888s, so I took a guess at tire pressures, which I steadily dropped throughout the weekend. The feel I got helped my braking confidence. The R888s talk to you more than the RA1s but the prevailing feeling from drivers running them was a lack of stick compared to the old tire. I also haven't been to Thunderhill in nearly two years, so a bit of rust, my first race day, and a new car that wasn't fully done all equalled low expectations. I was just going out to have fun.