Open BMW/PCA HPDE & Autocross Weekend 10/5-6 at PIR

[speedy]

Excellent pictures, thanks! It's neat to see the cars in action. They look even better on the track

That last session was unreal. I think we got about 25 minutes. I only saw 2 cars the entire time. @Decay107, and the little white car that came on midway through.

I had about 15 laps, all right at PR pace. What kills me is I realized afterward that I'd left the air-conditioning on! I don't know how much that cost per lap, but I'm sure I'd have set a personal best if not for that.

Aside from the first session of the day which sucked (I only did 4 laps before coming off track), every session beat my PR (set on Saturday ). Fastest lap was 1:38.10 in the third session when @torqdork and I were playing fox and hound. Never could shake him. Top speed on back straight was 112.4, and on front straight 110.7. The new tires (Direzza II) made a huge difference in the corners, and the new pads (RC6 + RC6E) let me stay on the throttle well into the braking zone on the straights. Of the two, I'd say the tires made the bigger difference, but the extra longevity of the pads will be very nice.

I really appreciated having a bunch of nearly identical cars there. Great tips from both @torqdork and @jblmr2 on gear and line selection, and I hope that @Decay107 and @thehapaone are officially hooked

Next year I really want to focus on improving turn 7, and getting more consistent on 10/11. There's so much happening there (very high speed, downshifting, watching for flags, planning line) that my entrance speed on 10 is all over the map, from 68 - 82. My fastest laps are always when I can hold 80+ through 10/11, and come into 12 slightly hot.

Thanks guys, had a great time.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by torqdork

Anyone up for Laguna Seca November 14th?

http://www.mazdaraceway.com/calendar/2013-11

You serious about laguna seca? I'm tempted... I have some unused vacation days this year.

[torqdork]

Originally Posted by thehapaone

damn I must have been driving wrong my car was reading 8.0MPG after the 2nd 3 runs and I got around 12 for the first 3. and I was still slow

Hmm, now that I think about it the average was on the full tank but the first quarter was street driving the day before and slow morning drive to the track. Next time I'll fill at the Jantzen Beach Chevron and zero the meter there before the first stint.

[torqdork]

Originally Posted by speedy

You serious about laguna seca? I'm tempted... I have some unused vacation days this year.

Still in talks with mrs. torqdork. I'd like to bring her for a scenic drive either before or after to Santa Barbara on Hwy. 1 partly to justify the $1,500+ food, gas, lodging and entry fee.

I was talking with Ron (red Cobra Daytona, yellow Mustang, red RX-8) about it too. He and his wife go to a track day about every two weeks somewhere on the West Coast. He might be in but said that time of year can be snowy over Siskiyous Pass. He thought ORP with it's 200' elevation change gave much the same thrills without the crowds.

But Laguna Seca has the history and Corkscrew that someday I have to drive.

[FRSfan111]

Glad u guys had fun! I've been busy working and picking up parts. Grocery retail management means I have no free time till January :/

[torqdork]

Originally Posted by speedy

...Next year I really want to focus on improving turn 7, and getting more consistent on 10/11. There's so much happening there (very high speed, downshifting, watching for flags, planning line) that my entrance speed on 10 is all over the map, from 68 - 82. My fastest laps are always when I can hold 80+ through 10/11, and come into 12 slightly hot.

Yeah, I only nailed T7 correctly twice but it paid off down the straight.

T10-11-12 gave me fits. I tend to think braking with a 5-4 downshift, drifting under power inside out to set up for 11 then brake and downshift to 3rd entering 12 might be the fastest way but like you said there are three different ways to take that section. I tried all of them but don't have any data to review, just butt dyno and dicing with you during a couple of stints. It's not the place become overly brave, though, what with walls waiting to welcome you on the outside. Reminds me of Montreal:

[jblmr2]

Please help a clueless noob....how do you thank someone without actually replying?

Back to the thread. Torqdork couldn't agree with you and Speedy more about T7, 10 and 11. 7 has to be the most important turn on the course for us. I came in to the day thinking getting turn 7 down would be my priority. I did better, but I didn't get it down. Still debating the value of a downshift to 2nd prior to entry. I started doing the downshift to 3rd between 11 and 12 rather than prior to 10 during the last two sessions. I'm not sure I was any faster but I know my entry in to 10 was faster and more consistent because I has less to do before getting there. As Speedy said it's a very busy 2 seconds.

Speedy, for God sakes you ran all day with the AC on? The rest of us wouldn't stand a chance with you had turned it off. Tell me about your brake pads. Brand? Are you running them on the street as well as the track? If you are running them on the street, how are they performing? I've been trying to find a pad that can do double duty. So far no luck.

[torqdork]

I recall reading that you need XX posts (thought it was 10+) before the "Thanks" button appears in the lower right area near the "Quote" button.

Every PIR Instructor I've had says T7 should be taken in 3rd and T10 in 4th whether in an IS300, MR2 Spyder or FR-S, then downshift to 3rd just before T12 entry. Championship winning rice_classic posted a PIR hot lap racing video here and that's what he did in his Civic, so there must be something to it. To me, it feels slightly boggy but that's most likely b/c I'm not going fast enough due to any number of errors like improper line, not trail braking, not looking ahead enough, etc.

Good luck finding double-duty pads. They won't be Carbotechs.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by jblmr2

Please help a clueless noob....how do you thank someone without actually replying?

Apparently you need 10 posts, at which point you'll start seeing a little 'Thanks' button show up.. Just started working for me yesterday

Back to the thread. Torqdork couldn't agree with you and Speedy more about T7, 10 and 11. 7 has to be the most important turn on the course for us. I came in to the day thinking getting turn 7 down would be my priority. I did better, but I didn't get it down. Still debating the value of a downshift to 2nd prior to entry. I started doing the downshift to 3rd between 11 and 12 rather than prior to 10 during the last two sessions. I'm not sure I was any faster but I know my entry in to 10 was faster and more consistent because I has less to do before getting there. As Speedy said it's a very busy 2 seconds.

I talked with my colleague (the guy in the yellow Esprit) yesterday about T10/11. He said that he doesn't downshift before 10, and just stays off the gas through 11, then goes from 5->3 before 12. I'm not sure the 2-3MPH I get accelerating between 10 and 11 are worth much, so if I get another day in this fall/winter, maybe I'll try that. Though 5->3 seems like a recipe for missing a shift...

During the last session I accidentally went 5->2 going into 10, but noticed before I let the clutch all the way out. Yikes.

Speedy, for God sakes you ran all day with the AC on? The rest of us wouldn't stand a chance with you had turned it off.

I only had it on for the last session. I was noticing that my 3->4 shifts were coming late out of both T7 and T12, and couldn't figure out why...

Tell me about your brake pads. Brand? Are you running them on the street as well as the track? If you are running them on the street, how are they performing? I've been trying to find a pad that can do double duty. So far no luck.

I got the CL RC6 for the rear and CL RC6E for the front. They weren't cheap, but the advertising claims that they'll last a lot longer than some other pads.

They were super loud at the track. Lots of scraping and squealing. But even with my stock brake fluid I never had any fade. The last couple days on the street they've quieted down. Brake feel is good, so I'd feel perfectly comfortable leaving them in for street use and I suspect they'd last a long time.

That said, I'll probably put the stock pads back in if I get the car on a lift. Mostly because I want the practice swapping things out. I'm always impressed when I see people in the parking lot at the track swapping brake pads; seems like a useful skill

[torqdork]

Originally Posted by speedy

...I only had it on for the last session. I was noticing that my 3->4 shifts were coming late out of both T7 and T12, and couldn't figure out why...

Yeah, I figured out later that's what happened on my last stint when the water temp shot up to 219°F, the first time I saw a number that high and thought it was related to the misfire, but wasn't.

[jblmr2]

Originally Posted by speedy

I talked with my colleague (the guy in the yellow Esprit) yesterday about T10/11. He said that he doesn't downshift before 10, and just stays off the gas through 11, then goes from 5->3 before 12. I'm not sure the 2-3MPH I get accelerating between 10 and 11 are worth much, so if I get another day in this fall/winter, maybe I'll try that. Though 5->3 seems like a recipe for missing a shift...

I had an instructor at the July NASA event that chastised me for skipping gears when downshifting. He said just what you did, great opportunity to miss shifts and blow up engines. He was a racer with a 30 year resume which included Can-Am and many years as a GM test driver.

[torqdork]

@speedy, what app and device do you use for data logging?

[speedy]

Originally Posted by torqdork

@speedy, what app and device do you use for data logging?

My setup is RaceChrono + [ame="http://www.amazon.com/BT-Q818XT-Qstarz-10Hz-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B003YCZINA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381322873&sr=8-1&keywords=qstarz+818xt"]Qstarz 818xt GPS[/ame]. Right now I'm not using an OBD-II logger; I have a bluetooth dongle, but don't want to complicate things by trying to tie it all together.

I just ordered a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Portable-GLONASS-Receiver-Vehicle/dp/B00AYAZENY"]Garmin GLO [/ame]to replace the Qstarz. About the same price but also locks onto GLONASS and looks to have better build quality.

I keep looking for a nice 7" tablet mount to use for gauges and timing, but no luck yet. Might end up with a ghetto velcro solution...

What about you?

[torqdork]

Nice setup. I've been wondering how to mount a my Nexus 7 too, but haven't found anything practical yet.

I have an OBD-II logger, an Ultra Gauge using their supplied windshield mount.

http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/