NE Track Day/Autocross/Racing Reports

[snid]

I'm fairly certain I kept it on the pavement during the whole trip, but I could be wrong. It seemed to take much longer in person. Well, the second half of the spin was really quick, but everything else seemed to take forever.

After softening up the rear swaybar, things were back to controllable and I started driving like the old me again.

[jwardell]

Quote: Originally Posted by blalor (original)

Hope you made it through today with all your (and your car's) body parts intact!

Just got this email; I'm planning on going.

I got that too..though they don't mention it is track time, is it just the autocross school they have at nhis?

I've got nothing planned and nothing to do for monday. Sure would be nice to go. But I have to sit home and stare at the floor because I still have not got my tax money.

[LePew]

An SCCA "PDX" is an on-track event similar to a BMWCCA High Performance Driving School "HPDE". More information here:

http://www.ner.org/rr/07/07-PDX-12-S.pdf

[snid]

SLMP I registration is open:

Sports Car Club of Vermont :: View topic - SLMP I - June 23-24, 2007 - Registration is open!

SLMP is the time trial event run by the Sports Car Club of Vermont in (way) upstate New York. This event is June 23-24. $100. Follow the link for details:

Sports Car Club of Vermont :: View topic - SLMP I - June 23-24, 2007 - Registration is open!

[snid]

Here's my video from NHIS on May 24:

NHIS_-_May_24_-_2007.mov - Google Video

[GadgetGav]

Looks like fun. I need to get back on the track..!

[blalor]

Couple of videos from Monday:
Rage Against The Mac » Blog Archive » More Memorial Day NHIS Videos

And one of the drive up:
Rage Against The Mac » Blog Archive » Driving to NHIS

[snid]

Damn you, Brian!

Taking out the front straight, it looks like you were still about a second faster than I was - timed from the pavement change going into 1 to the bump on the right in 11.

No cones? A blessing and a curse. No turn in / apex / track out markers, but you could cut the corner more on turn 3. I was bummed that the cones were set where they were when I was there. I like to put the whole car on the rumble strips on 3, but the cones were in the way.

What are you running on Scrat again? Alta intake, Wilwood brakes, Yoko ES100 tires(?) and the rest stock? I would have thought you'd be slower. Or I'd be faster.

I'm still tracking down my handling issue. It looks like the rear suspension bushings are pretty good, but the front driver's side lower control arm bushing isn't quite up to snuff. MoP wants 4.5 hours (at something north of $100/hour) plus parts. I'm taking it to a local independent garage on Monday for them to give me an estimate. Or, I might head down and see meb (from NAM) and have him help. Or, more acurately, have him do the work while I watch. He's changed front LCA bushings enough by now that he's an expert.

Oh, and there might be a slight catch to SLMP. We're thinking about having the registration be "SCCV members only" for the first week. If the event fills up with SCCV members in the first week, I might have to ask non-members to pass on attending. The checks don't get cashed until after the event happens, so you won't be out any money. Since I didn't announce this "members only for the first week" ahead of time, I guess that would be voluntary. It might not even fill up in the first week, so it might not matter. If the event isn't full after a week, the regs that were already sent in by non-members would be accepted. Or, throw us another $20 and become a member... There seems to be lots of interest from club members, and I don't want to **** them off by having non-members take spots away. Cool?

[GadgetGav]

Quote: Originally Posted by blalor (original)

And one of the drive up:
Rage Against The Mac » Blog Archive » Driving to NHIS

Carnage..!

What camera mount do you use..? It looks rock solid... or is that just that the time lapse effect takes out the jiggle..?

[blalor]

I'm using the CruiseCam mount. It goes for about $50. It's not perfect, but I'm still very happy with it. I use it on the driver's seat, so I'm not having to worry about the view changing when an instructor or passenger sits in the passenger seat, but I'm ending up with more of my helmet in the shot than I wanted, especially with the wide-angle adapter I got recently. Oddly enough, the excess helmetage looks nearly identical between Jason's video and mine...

Yeah, the lack of cones was kind of frustrating, especially for the instructors. There are some red marks on the curbs that I was trying to use, but they're kind of hard to see. For most of my laps I *was* completely on the rumbles in 3, but I don't think that was the best approach, as I think that made the transition to the up-hill section a more acute angle, which made it harder to put the power down.

Watching the video is interesting because I can hear what the instructors were *really* saying. My first instructor (I had two, one for the first session, and a diff't one for the remainder) told me to put the "inside wheel on the rumbles", but I interpreted that as putting my ENTIRE CAR inside the rumbles (what you were describing, and what I did most of the time). I've got this bad habit of not thinking and basically blindly following instructions, which makes for some interesting results when I mis-interpret the instructions...

Despite that, I do feel pretty comfortable and fairly quick on the track. I think David was having trouble keeping up (and he knows the track better) and I frustrated some faster cars. I *really* wanted the kid in the RS4! I was reeling him in, but one of those little Mazdas got on the way. And what the heck was that GT3 doing in my run group?! Did we *need* a rolling chicane? He was driving like a novice, I thought... Nothing wrong with that, of course, I just thought he was outclassed in intermediate.

You're just about right on my setup. 11.75" Wilwood kit, -1.25º fixed camber plates, 17" Kosei K1 Racing wheels with 205/45/17 ES100 sneakers, and the Alta intake. I'm done with these tires and want to get something stickier. I don't have the money this year for another set of wheels, so I'm eyeing the Kumho Ecsta MX tires once the Yokos are gone. I feel like the brakes were constantly overpowering the tires (hence the squealing on braking going into 1, 3, 9 and 11).

I think I'm ready to start quantifying my skills, at least relative to some other people. I'd love to turn some laps in your car (or vice versa) and compare lap times. Hopefully we can do that at SLMP! I understand wanting to make the event more accessible to your members (and I think that's the right thing to do), so I should probably just join. I was a member of 2 MINI clubs and 3 BMWCCA chapters when I lived in Indy; I need to get those numbers back up.

Pete Eames may be able to help you with your worn bushings, too...

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by blalor (original)

For most of my laps I *was* completely on the rumbles in 3, but I don't think that was the best approach, as I think that made the transition to the up-hill section a more acute angle, which made it harder to put the power down.

I have less power and hence less problem getting the power down. Are you saing the hill is steeper when you go that way, or that the turn is sharper? I think in either case it's a sign that you're turning in too late. There's definitely less room for error when you put the whole car on the rumble strips, but when done right you still wind up way over on the left at the uphill transition.

The BMWCCA PDF of driving instructions for NHIS says

Quote:

Turn 3
This is one corner where I can promise most people,
at some time or another, a gain of a solid half second
per lap (though not by a method officially sanctioned
by either the WMC or by NHIS). If you come into
Turn 3 and see an array of cones up against the
rumble strip, you’re in luck. Hit the cones. Run right
over the things. Next time through, after all the cars
behind you have scattered the cones off the track, you
can apex Turn 3 so that all four wheels go inside the
rumble strips. This depends somewhat on where
NHIS chooses to drop the jersey barriers, but
generally there is room. If you can do this, it’s good
for a half second per lap. Otherwise, drive a line that
allows you to go to power early and hard.that the world was round.

Quote:

You're just about right on my setup. 11.75" Wilwood kit, -1.25º fixed camber plates, 17" Kosei K1 Racing wheels with 205/45/17 ES100 sneakers, and the Alta intake. I'm done with these tires and want to get something stickier. I don't have the money this year for another set of wheels, so I'm eyeing the Kumho Ecsta MX tires once the Yokos are gone. I feel like the brakes were constantly overpowering the tires (hence the squealing on braking going into 1, 3, 9 and 11).

I guess I feel a little better after realizing you've got camber plates too.

Quote:

I understand wanting to make the event more accessible to your members (and I think that's the right thing to do), so I should probably just join. I was a member of 2 MINI clubs and 3 BMWCCA chapters when I lived in Indy; I need to get those numbers back up.

Cool.

Quote:

Pete Eames may be able to help you with your worn bushings, too...

Yeah, I guess I should give Pete a call after I get the second opinion / estimate on Monday.

[blalor]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid (original)

I have less power and hence less problem getting the power down. Are you saing the hill is steeper when you go that way, or that the turn is sharper?

That the turn is sharper. Or that's the way I was feeling. Maybe you're right about turning in too late. I was trying to clip the inside curb at the apex, but I don't think that's necessary, now. The track's pretty wide there, and speeds are low.

Quote: Originally Posted by snid (original)

The BMWCCA PDF of driving instructions for NHIS says

Quote:

after all the cars
behind you have scattered the cones off the track

That's obviously not the chapter on good sportsmanship and courteous driving!

Quote: Originally Posted by snid (original)

I guess I feel a little better after realizing you've got camber plates too.

Huge improvement, but I still think there's some understeer to be dialed out...

[snid]

The guy who wrote that PDF (Ed Valpey) wrote in fairly tongue in cheek, but he knows what he's talking about. I've had him as an instructor, and he's really really good.
The document in question is linked to on this page:
WMC - Learning

Some of the other SCCV members got back from Calabogie earlier this week. The Miata I used to measure myself against destroyed my time. A 2:55 for me, and a 2:40 for the Miata. Of course, the Miata is now on r-compounds and coilovers.

I need some new, slow people to show up so I can feel fast again.

[blalor]

Well, if you don't exclude me from the event, I'll be both new *and* slow!

[snid]

Someone else has picked up the SCCV mail and updated our forum with who's registrations have been received, so it looks like you're in. Unless you **** me off. But, from the looks of things, you're not going to be slower than I am.

That's why we need to trade cars... see who can best who in each car.