:: Car Adventures ::

:: 22.9.01 ::

Theres a track day going on today at the Streets of Willow course. I would've gone if it weren't for the fact that I don't have enough money for tires. Thankfully, there'll be another track day coming up in two months. Hopefully I can save up some money for new tires and cheap track rims.


:: dck47 10:54 [+] ::
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I hope to purchase Kumho Ecsta 712's soon. 255/55-16.
I think I'm gonna get some cheap rims from Pep Boys for them.
Hopefully I won't spend more than $500 for everything.


:: dck47 00:24 [+] ::
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My First Track Day

Its official, I'm a confirmed track driving addict. I'm trying to figure out ways to acquire additional "fundage" to provide for my track addiction.

Okay, let me tell you how this all began. Occasionally, due to my line of work, we'll be out at a road course testing something or other. During the course of the day, there are various lulls that allow me to go out and make futile attempts at driving my car as fast as I can. Usually, I have no clue what I'm doing. I just do what feels right.

Anyway, while I was out learning how to rock-climb with my ex-roommate, shooting buddy and good guy all-around BarnYard, I get a phone call. It's my co-worker, hell-raiser and good guy all-around Minime.

"Dude, my pops and I just finished a track day with POC (Porsche Owners Club) and you need to come out."

"But I don't have a Porsche."

"I talked to the lead instructor, Rich, and he says its totally cool… you need to come out!"

"When?"

"Tomorrow at seven"

"Um… okay."

The very next day, I'm out at the Streets track getting my car teched and paying my registration fees. They hand me a transponder and wish me on my merry way. I hook up with an instructor and head out when they call my run group (yellow).

I've driven on the Streets track before, so I'm familiar with the 1.5 mile-long circuit. However, I'm not familiar with driving my car at its very limit. Let's just say I need new tires.

Session Recap

Session One*
Getting Faster...
My first run was spent getting comfortable at speed. My instructor taught me a new way of handling a car. Instead of crossing your arms while turning the steering wheel, "walk" your hands across the wheel as you use slight movements to slide the wheel through your hands. I found that this aided my mid-corner corrections. The steadily dropping time reflects my increased car handling skillz as well as familiarity with the course.

Lap Time
1 1:35.495
2 1:35.878
3 1:36.209
4 1:32.444
5 1:32.187
6 1:30.695

Avg. 1:33.818


Session Two*
Dust Showers...
During the first lap of the second run, I spun out on the last corner (skidpad turn) before the front straight. The skidpad turn is a right hand turn that has numerous entry, mid-corner and exit points. I used an early apex turn and ran over the bumpy stuff located on the inside of the corner. This, combined with enthusiastic application of the throttle, ended up causing a horrid oversteer condition. I tried correcting it, but ended up over-correcting and sending it into another oversteer condition, this time the other way. This happened two more times before I just gave up. Off the track and into the dirt we went.

The other laps were uneventful as I still had confidence in my tires. I completed three good laps, and on my fifth lap I spun out again. This time it was purely my fault. There's a chicane in the track and most of the fast guys go over the curbing at the apexes. I tried it and found out my suspension and tires don't enjoy that kind of treatment. What made it worse was that I attacked the chicane faster than I usually did. This caused my car to be very unsettled. So unsettled, that I couldn't recover it from the spin out. We went off the track sideways but ended up pointing the right direction.

Lap Time
1 Spin out
2 1:32.111
3 1:31.290
4 1:31.250
5 Spin out

Avg. 1:31.550


Session Three
Pracktiss, praktice, practice...
I did the third session solo. I found the car to accelerate quicker, but it was more nervous going through the sweepers and not as planted through the slower corners. I need to get my car corner weighted and properly balanced. Combine that with my lack of confidence at my tires and the times begin to make sense. Instead of going for outright fast laps, I chose to work on consistency. I discovered a certain speed range where my tires wouldn't object too much and chose to work on car placement and braking points.

Lap Time
1 1:33.699
2 1:34.173
3 1:35.513
4 1:35.629
5 1:34.469
6 1:34.159
Avg. 1:34.507


Session Four, Time Trials
Consistency...
For the time trails, I really put all the stuff together to come up with those two laps. They're not very fast, in fact they were the slowest of all the time trail guys out there. I just wanted to be consistent. Oh well. I never said I was a fast guy. Just for comparison, Minime did a 1:21.62.

I can't wait till the next event!

Lap One 1:33.64
Lap Two 1:33.67
Avg. 1:33.655

* = Driving with instructor
:: dck47 23:04 [+] ::
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