Minnesota Check In

[LeeMaster]

Originally Posted by thealtaholic

Alright, if you own one of these I can now officially say you have no clue how awesome this car really is until you put it on the track. PDX at DCTC today was was worth every penny! I suppose if I'm entirely honest, there isn't quite enough room out there to really find the edges of what the car is capable of but I did manage to get the tires complaining around many of the corners. I am now certain that I will be taking the BRZ up to BIR for at least one of the proving grounds events. It will be great to see what 4th gear is like.

I will say ayau has the right program going with a set of track tires. After the third session I can definitely see that the Michelins are not really going to tolerate much 'spirited driving.' I will also say it was great to see him on the track with that blue beauty of his! I rather wish we'd been in the same group. I suppose I should have rolled out for one of the open sessions and followed him around but I'm dog tired. Next time for sure!

Were you still on stock pads? If so, how well did they hold up per session? Any noticeable brake fade?

[thealtaholic]

Originally Posted by LeeMaster

Were you still on stock pads? If so, how well did they hold up per session? Any noticeable brake fade?

Yes, I am still on stock pads. The first session out we did a threshold braking exercise. It was difficult to trigger the ABS, I got one little bump coming down from 50, and a slight shutter coming down from 60. Coming down from 70 to make the corner (not a complete stop) with very late, hard braking and I got a little fade in the next braking zone. It was entirely manageable though on the very short course at DCTC. I don't think they'd be an issue for autocross either. Though, I think after a few laps at BIR braking into 11 is not going to be kind to the stock pads. Before I run it at BIR I will absolutely be upgrading the brake fluid and pads.

[ayau]

No fading whatsoever on the xp10. Definitely upgrade to track pads if you're planning to track it. It's one less thing to worry about.

[Black Tire]

Stock pads and stock tires will not fade a DCTC, the speeds are not high enough and the stock pads are quite good for OEM units.

[Starscream15]

We made it into the C&C Recap on our way in, Ryan. No other Shots of FR-S/BRZ's though.

http://alexbellusphoto.com/blog/88

[Chupacabra]

@ayau ; @altaholic -

I would've loved to see you guys run yesterday but I was slammed doing housework. I heard from a few of my car club amigos y'all did great.

I also heard there were a ton of chump cars there

Not that it's a problem, but I'd rather be surrounded by licensed cars that have more to lose and have more invested in their cars than beaters.

[ayau]

Originally Posted by Chupacabra

@ayau ; @altaholic -

I would've loved to see you guys run yesterday but I was slammed doing housework. I heard from a few of my car club amigos y'all did great.

I also heard there were a ton of chump cars there

Not that it's a problem, but I'd rather be surrounded by licensed cars that have more to lose and have more invested in their cars than beaters.

Speaking of chump cars, Jason H. (STI owner) easily beat a BMW chump car when he was driving my BRZ.

There was a blue turbo Miata with some very meaty tires. The Miata couldn't keep up in the corners, lol.

It was such a nice feeling being in a zen mode and able to drive the car closer to its limits. I was able to flick the steering wheel to induce a little oversteer even with the super sticky DII tires. I still need a lot more experience manipulating the car's contact patches for better rotation.

I could feel a little too much body roll and the overall car just felt a little "floaty". Stiffer springs and proper dampers should fix that though.

[neutron256]

A big box of fun just showed up...

[GrimmSpeed]

Originally Posted by Chupacabra

@ayau ; @altaholic -

I would've loved to see you guys run yesterday but I was slammed doing housework. I heard from a few of my car club amigos y'all did great.

I also heard there were a ton of chump cars there

Not that it's a problem, but I'd rather be surrounded by licensed cars that have more to lose and have more invested in their cars than beaters.

For what it's worth, I know a few of the chump car guys that were out there. Between parts, investment and time, those guys all have an easy $20-30k into their race cars. They probably push harder than most because they need to work kinks out of their cars before the race, but don't be fooled into thinking those are $500 cars to them. They may not all be licensed racers, but their cars are very safe and you can bet they've all got more track experience than just about anyone at a DCTC event.

Awesome (but not surprising!) to hear that the BRZ/FR-S held its own! Hobbs is one of the fastest local autox'rs, so whatever he was doing in the car sets the bar pretty high for the rest of us!

Also excellent to hear that Taras (blue miata) couldn't keep up in the corners; he's a buddy of ours, so we'll definitely be giving him a hard time!

Matt
Engineering

[Chupacabra]

Originally Posted by GrimmSpeed

For what it's worth, I know a few of the chump car guys that were out there. Between parts, investment and time, those guys all have an easy $20-30k into their race cars. They probably push harder than most because they need to work kinks out of their cars before the race, but don't be fooled into thinking those are $500 cars to them. They may not all be licensed racers, but their cars are very safe and you can bet they've all got more track experience than just about anyone at a DCTC event.

I'm a tad confused then as to what qualifies as a 'chump car' vs other race series cares. I have always been under the impression they aren't able to be more than $500 which explains the intention of my statement.

Either way, I've never entered or run at a PDX and was planning to this summer. I hope all of us can be a part of an event this summer. Maybe @GrimmSpeed could sanction a competitive series for the twins...

[GrimmSpeed]

Originally Posted by Chupacabra

I'm a tad confused then as to what qualifies as a 'chump car' vs other race series cares. I have always been under the impression they aren't able to be more than $500 which explains the intention of my statement.

Either way, I've never entered or run at a PDX and was planning to this summer. I hope all of us can be a part of an event this summer. Maybe @GrimmSpeed could sanction a competitive series for the twins...

They all have similar rules. The idea is that the value of the car is less than $500, but that excludes safety equipment and a lot of teams are good at fudging it. All I'm saying is that most of them aren't junkyard cars by any stretch. Most of them turn faster laps on the track for hours on end than I'd ever hope to in my 500whp+ sti. Helps that many of them are piloted by driving instructors or current/former professional drivers.

I don't know about sanctioning a series (you guys have done an excellent job of keeping our hands full with design/manufacturing!), but if you're going to be doing much autox, you should get in touch regarding sponsorship opportunities!

Matt
Engineering

[DMDZK]

Originally Posted by GrimmSpeed

For what it's worth, I know a few of the chump car guys that were out there. Between parts, investment and time, those guys all have an easy $20-30k into their race cars. They probably push harder than most because they need to work kinks out of their cars before the race, but don't be fooled into thinking those are $500 cars to them. They may not all be licensed racers, but their cars are very safe and you can bet they've all got more track experience than just about anyone at a DCTC event.

Awesome (but not surprising!) to hear that the BRZ/FR-S held its own! Hobbs is one of the fastest local autox'rs, so whatever he was doing in the car sets the bar pretty high for the rest of us!

Also excellent to hear that Taras (blue miata) couldn't keep up in the corners; he's a buddy of ours, so we'll definitely be giving him a hard time!

Matt
Engineering

I was out there this weekend as well and had a blast in my first track outing. I was driving the grey Cayman that rolled in with Blue Miata, Blue Vette, and Grey STI.


It wasn't the chump cars that get me nervous, they were definitely among the better drivers. the only car that scarred me was that Mercedes that couldn't stop or turn, but knew how to mash the gas in any straights.


Taras seemed to be pretty fast when I rode with him, the lack of traction aids in that Miata are apparent in the tighter corners but that always makes it more interesting since you get to break loose.


Also, best in show track rat of the day:

[GrimmSpeed]

Haha, the slugworks civic. That car does pretty well at all of the chumpcar races!

[DMDZK]

Thought I'd post up some of the Video I have from that day, so anyone who didn't make it out can see what was missed. Definitely a great time and well worth the money. Didn't get much footage of the all the FRS/BRZ's that were there but I did get a bit of Ayau in the clip below.

Video Description has links to the parts featuring the Miata/Slugworks Civic/BRZ sighting


Obligatory: "Be gentle it is my first time."
[ame="http://youtu.be/vlNGc54RO2E"]http://youtu.be/vlNGc54RO2E[/ame]