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stripethree
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I did not see a thread for legit motorsports shenanigans: autox, rallyx, track days, and whatnot. Not interested so much in car setup discussions and what you are putting on a car, but what you're doing with the damn car. So post that shit up.

Attended Track Night in America at COTA yesterday. Been to TNIA before at Harris Hill (S Austin) and Heartland Park (Topeka). This was, as you could guess, way more crowded. Ran the S2K in the Intermediate group.

The Good:
- track is phenomenal, best and most challenging I've ever driven (others include VIR, Shenny, Buttonwillow for context); did not realize so many corners were so blind, which made things fun and also caused some mild pucker
- track is also YUGE as we ran the full circuit; was a little concerned with 35 people in Inter, but traffic wasn't bad. Group has everything from stockish NC Miatas, to a V* NA, to a god damned McLaren
- flirted with 3 min lap times (3:00:26 was best IIRC) which I thought was okay for a stockish S2K and I know some of my lines sucked

The Bad:
- all three of my sessions were cut short: first session, some E46 (I think, defo 3 Series BMW) overheated or popped a coolant line: black flag. Second session, C4 Poorvette race car catches fire on the main straight. Didn't hit anything, just caught fucking fire. Red flag. Third session: off somewhere near 10 that needed a tow. Black flag. Was supposed to be 3, 20 minute sessions, probably lost a total of 15 mins of that. Data shows a total of 10 full laps at ~3 mins a lap for the evening.

The Ugly:
- third session car stopped wanting to go in gear on the back straight, shoved it in gear (not recommended but, track day bruh no fucks given) while aforementioned McLaren was closing at light speed; finish session, car still not wanting to go into first while running. Fine after cool down, got a little weird but not early as bad on 20 mins ride home. Hoping it is just air in the system, fluid also is not the best color. S2Ki research indicates it could be as simple as this. Fingers crossed.

If I get a shot at this again, I want to take the R. I think it would be even more fun, but I ran out of tires and time to have it ready.
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Fix it, Drive it, Break it.

:sad:
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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Track Night (bro) in America sounds fun as hell. I just found out about this today. Local tracks have these nights with the SCCA. I've never done something like this doe, I guess I'd need a helmet and would probably run in full novice :derp: group.
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stripethree
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I have never made assertions that I am easy on vehicles. I almost started a shit I need to fix post in my rides thread but the list for the R especially was too long.
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5/7 thread. (Last trackday notes are in Half Car)
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stripethree
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Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:54 am Track Night (bro) in America sounds fun as hell. I just found out about this today. Local tracks have these nights with the SCCA. I've never done something like this doe, I guess I'd need a helmet and would probably run in full novice :derp: group.
Do it. It's the best balance between being casual but firm about fuckery in terms of track days I've been to. It's very fun. Find a used helmet or borrow one from a friend if you don't want to drop that coin to try it. Better than autox (no work) but not as cheap ($125-175). If you have questions, please ask 'em, I've been to half a dozen TNiAs now.
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Melon wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:51 am Fix it, Drive it, Break it.

:sad:
:dat:

I'm still on the fence between another shifter kart for wheel to wheel racing or an F600 for autox as the medium-term :stig: goal since those are fast and still affordable to fix/tow. I'm not tracking a street car again, especially not one that's gotta be driven home.
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stripethree
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Oh, and I've got video w/data from yesterday too. I'll try not to be a lazy ass it putting some together so y'all can make fun of how slow I am. I shoud have some great footage of a blue C5 (local autox-er I know) just blowing by me on the back straight. Fuckin'muerica. Need more VTECs yo.
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troyguitar wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:20 pm
Melon wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:51 am Fix it, Drive it, Break it.

:sad:
:dat:

I'm still on the fence between another shifter kart for wheel to wheel racing or an F600 for autox as the medium-term :stig: goal since those are fast and still affordable to fix/tow. I'm not tracking a street car again, especially not one that's gotta be driven home.
Time for :truk: and trailer!



:hue:
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stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:17 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:54 am Track Night (bro) in America sounds fun as hell. I just found out about this today. Local tracks have these nights with the SCCA. I've never done something like this doe, I guess I'd need a helmet and would probably run in full novice :derp: group.
Do it. It's the best balance between being casual but firm about fuckery in terms of track days I've been to. It's very fun. Find a used helmet or borrow one from a friend if you don't want to drop that coin to try it. Better than autox (no work) but not as cheap ($125-175). If you have questions, please ask 'em, I've been to half a dozen TNiAs now.
Fun even in novice class? Or do you feel held back? I.e. can I have more fun just on a back road or is this better.
How long until you can (or would want to) advance to the intermediate class to open it up more?
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Got my C5Z as a weekend driver, fast fun machine, and slowly changing it to be as maxed out as I can in the CAM-S class in autocross. I've done a couple of the road race things with the Ferarri 458 and a Porsche GT3, and it's fun, but the road race stuff doesn't really appeal to me as much any more. It's a little harder on parts than Autocross, and definitely harder on tires and brakes. I'd need an oil cooler, and to address some of the heat issues. Autocross is more violent and less forgiving. I find for AutoX you have to drive TO that limit, but you can't go over it. On road racing you've got a little more play with being wild, but the higher speeds sway me away from it as I've gotten into a couple of things on my motorcycle and that loss of control isn't very appealing to me. SOme people don't like standing around all day for 5 minutes of driving, but for me, I love printing out the course and laying out my lines and completely dissecting a new course each event. For track stuff, you can master it and learn to take the same corners better. For AutoX, I love the spontaneity of it, and it's a LOT cheaper.

So my Z06 is more of an Autocross specific vehicle now that's still streetable. Not that it's undrivable in town, more of the fact that I kind of ONLY drive it for Autocross. The weather is constantly raining down here (hurricane season, rains daily).
That's my plans for now. Future plans are to possibly get a Miata for the fiance to drive/race, and possibly camber out my car pretty aggressively and maybe start trailering my Z06 to events.
Next year will be when I make all of these automotive changes when the wedding is done and I can put more finances towards racing.
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Acid666 wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:26 pm GAutocross is more violent and less forgiving. I find for AutoX you have to drive TO that limit, but you can't go over it. On road racing you've got a little more play with being wild,
I would say the oppsite is true.


I should write up my /M Tack days experience.
brain go brrrrrr
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Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:25 pm Fun even in novice class? Or do you feel held back? I.e. can I have more fun just on a back road or is this better.
How long until you can (or would want to) advance to the intermediate class to open it up more?
It's been 10 years since I ran in Novice at a track day so I can't help much w/direct experience. Last year I got a friend to come out in his well prepped NC. He previously ran FSAE and autox but ran in Novice because he'd never done a track day. Had a blast. Didn't get held up too much, esp. because it was a smaller track and less people (Harris Hill) so I don't recall him feeling held back at all. They preach to treat it as a team effort: don't hold people up. They also make use of dem blue flags.

I have little desire to run Advanced. Passing is much more open, still with a point by, but some people in that group think their shit really don't stink. I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call it dangerous but it makes me more nervous than Intermediate about things out of my control. I've seen the most offs, and the worst offs, in the most Advanced groups. Granted, some of that is a natural "if you're going faster then when shit goes wrong, it goes wrong MOAR".

$.02: do Novice, ask the instructor how you are doing. Solicit feedback on what you could do better; that's the key, if you go in with the attitude that you want to improve and aren't out there to drive flat out for your Instagram followers with zero fucks given, you can learn and easily move up. If the feedback is good and things feel good, do Inter next time (it's self-assigned BTW).
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:37 pm I should write up my /M Tack days experience.
Yes please :fuckyeah:
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stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:24 pm Oh, and I've got video w/data from yesterday too. I'll try not to be a lazy ass it putting some together so y'all can make fun of how slow I am. I shoud have some great footage of a blue C5 (local autox-er I know) just blowing by me on the back straight. Fuckin'muerica. Need more VTECs yo.
LS1 Intensifies
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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stripethree
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Melon wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:57 pm LS1 Intensifies
Best :melon: text EVAR.
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stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:44 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:25 pm Fun even in novice class? Or do you feel held back? I.e. can I have more fun just on a back road or is this better.
How long until you can (or would want to) advance to the intermediate class to open it up more?
It's been 10 years since I ran in Novice at a track day so I can't help much w/direct experience. Last year I got a friend to come out in his well prepped NC. He previously ran FSAE and autox but ran in Novice because he'd never done a track day. Had a blast. Didn't get held up too much, esp. because it was a smaller track and less people (Harris Hill) so I don't recall him feeling held back at all. They preach to treat it as a team effort: don't hold people up. They also make use of dem blue flags.

I have little desire to run Advanced. Passing is much more open, still with a point by, but some people in that group think their shit really don't stink. I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call it dangerous but it makes me more nervous than Intermediate about things out of my control. I've seen the most offs, and the worst offs, in the most Advanced groups. Granted, some of that is a natural "if you're going faster then when shit goes wrong, it goes wrong MOAR".

$.02: do Novice, ask the instructor how you are doing. Solicit feedback on what you could do better; that's the key, if you go in with the attitude that you want to improve and aren't out there to drive flat out for your Instagram followers with zero fucks given, you can learn and easily move up. If the feedback is good and things feel good, do Inter next time (it's self-assigned BTW).
I need to do a car track day. Sounds like the "I" group in cars is much different than "I" for motorcycles. For motorcycles the "I" group tends be the most sketchy - Full of people trying to or should be riding in Advanced, and guys that should be running around in Novice.

The track day this weekend was full of this assholes in "I" - Looking through GoPro vids this morning, I got very few clean laps in due to significantly slower riders.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:37 pm
Acid666 wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:26 pm GAutocross is more violent and less forgiving. I find for AutoX you have to drive TO that limit, but you can't go over it. On road racing you've got a little more play with being wild,
I would say the oppsite is true.


I should write up my /M Tack days experience.
The thing is, on the road course if you miss your apex, you just ride it out. You've got like 5 seconds or more some times to play that off. Autox? Lol, you fuck that apex up, you're run is worthless.
After doing the Xtreme Experience I really didn't feel satisfied. It's not boring per say, I guess I just get a lot more out of autocross and that style of racing.
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Acid666 wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:35 pm
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:37 pm

I would say the oppsite is true.


I should write up my /M Tack days experience.
The thing is, on the road course if you miss your apex, you just ride it out. You've got like 5 seconds or more some times to play that off. Autox? Lol, you fuck that apex up, you're run is worthless.
After doing the Xtreme Experience I really didn't feel satisfied. It's not boring per say, I guess I just get a lot more out of autocross and that style of racing.
eh, agree to disagree. The consequences for royally screwing up on the big track are severe. Also, an error in one turn causes you to loose time and takes ~2 minutes before you get another shot at it.

In autox you live in the NOW. Miss an apex? adjust your line, whats done is done.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:52 pm In autox you live in the NOW. Miss an apex? adjust your line, whats done is done.
^ This. Autox is an exercise in selective short term memory loss. On a track, I feel you want as much recall as possible.

While I've seen some autox incidents, the penalty for a fuck up is much lower than any track day. I've had both of #teambluecar on agricultural excursions at track days with nothing more than a bruised ego and some missing or damaged undercarriage plastics. I consider myself lucky there.
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stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:44 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:25 pm Fun even in novice class? Or do you feel held back? I.e. can I have more fun just on a back road or is this better.
How long until you can (or would want to) advance to the intermediate class to open it up more?
It's been 10 years since I ran in Novice at a track day so I can't help much w/direct experience. Last year I got a friend to come out in his well prepped NC. He previously ran FSAE and autox but ran in Novice because he'd never done a track day. Had a blast. Didn't get held up too much, esp. because it was a smaller track and less people (Harris Hill) so I don't recall him feeling held back at all. They preach to treat it as a team effort: don't hold people up. They also make use of dem blue flags.

I have little desire to run Advanced. Passing is much more open, still with a point by, but some people in that group think their shit really don't stink. I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call it dangerous but it makes me more nervous than Intermediate about things out of my control. I've seen the most offs, and the worst offs, in the most Advanced groups. Granted, some of that is a natural "if you're going faster then when shit goes wrong, it goes wrong MOAR".

$.02: do Novice, ask the instructor how you are doing. Solicit feedback on what you could do better; that's the key, if you go in with the attitude that you want to improve and aren't out there to drive flat out for your Instagram followers with zero fucks given, you can learn and easily move up. If the feedback is good and things feel good, do Inter next time (it's self-assigned BTW).
Yeah I was just watching some youtube vids of this and :shock: you go pretty fast even in novice. Intermediate seems to be more than enough to push past your car's limits too. This would be hella fun to do.
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Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:58 pm
stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:44 pm

It's been 10 years since I ran in Novice at a track day so I can't help much w/direct experience. Last year I got a friend to come out in his well prepped NC. He previously ran FSAE and autox but ran in Novice because he'd never done a track day. Had a blast. Didn't get held up too much, esp. because it was a smaller track and less people (Harris Hill) so I don't recall him feeling held back at all. They preach to treat it as a team effort: don't hold people up. They also make use of dem blue flags.

I have little desire to run Advanced. Passing is much more open, still with a point by, but some people in that group think their shit really don't stink. I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call it dangerous but it makes me more nervous than Intermediate about things out of my control. I've seen the most offs, and the worst offs, in the most Advanced groups. Granted, some of that is a natural "if you're going faster then when shit goes wrong, it goes wrong MOAR".

$.02: do Novice, ask the instructor how you are doing. Solicit feedback on what you could do better; that's the key, if you go in with the attitude that you want to improve and aren't out there to drive flat out for your Instagram followers with zero fucks given, you can learn and easily move up. If the feedback is good and things feel good, do Inter next time (it's self-assigned BTW).
Yeah I was just watching some youtube vids of this and :shock: you go pretty fast even in novice. Intermediate seems to be more than enough to push past your car's limits too. This would be hella fun to do.
Get all of the instruction that you can! It's super cheap to get at events like this and so many people try to rush away from it because they think they are :stig:
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stripethree
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Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:58 pm Yeah I was just watching some youtube vids of this and :shock: you go pretty fast even in novice. Intermediate seems to be more than enough to push past your car's limits too. This would be hella fun to do.
Re: Intermediate, you're spot on. On new-to-me tracks with the S2K, I leave the electronic nannies on. I find them to not be overly intrusive and it keeps the car pointed in the right direction when I approach full-retard. Even with the shocks/FSB setup, the tail will still come roundy round. Definitely had a moment or two in turn 12 yesterday where VSC kept me pointed in the right direction. For reference: VSC always off on autox, so gives more credence to my views on the higher penalties for fuck ups autox vs. track.

Re: pure speed: I was flirting with 120mph yesterday in Inter with tiny motor Honda. I'm absolutely sure there were other cars pushing 150 on the straights, such as dat C5 that said haaaaaaaaaaay buh bye. See also: McLaren. COTA is a big track, but I think I was flirting with triple digits at Harris Hill also. You can go plenty fast.
Apex wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 3:08 pm Get all of the instruction that you can! It's super cheap to get at events like this and so many people try to rush away from it because they think they are :stig:
^ This this this.
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Johnny_P wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:58 pm
stripethree wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:44 pm

It's been 10 years since I ran in Novice at a track day so I can't help much w/direct experience. Last year I got a friend to come out in his well prepped NC. He previously ran FSAE and autox but ran in Novice because he'd never done a track day. Had a blast. Didn't get held up too much, esp. because it was a smaller track and less people (Harris Hill) so I don't recall him feeling held back at all. They preach to treat it as a team effort: don't hold people up. They also make use of dem blue flags.

I have little desire to run Advanced. Passing is much more open, still with a point by, but some people in that group think their shit really don't stink. I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call it dangerous but it makes me more nervous than Intermediate about things out of my control. I've seen the most offs, and the worst offs, in the most Advanced groups. Granted, some of that is a natural "if you're going faster then when shit goes wrong, it goes wrong MOAR".

$.02: do Novice, ask the instructor how you are doing. Solicit feedback on what you could do better; that's the key, if you go in with the attitude that you want to improve and aren't out there to drive flat out for your Instagram followers with zero fucks given, you can learn and easily move up. If the feedback is good and things feel good, do Inter next time (it's self-assigned BTW).
Yeah I was just watching some youtube vids of this and :shock: you go pretty fast even in novice. Intermediate seems to be more than enough to push past your car's limits too. This would be hella fun to do.
I've done one track day (in my :turboyaris: ) and it was probably top 10 most :fuckyeah: /fun things I've ever done. I was in novice and it was plenty fast/aggressive, you can pass people. I went pretty hard and had a blast. I want to do it again, but so many things holding me back, money, I only have one car, time...
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I keep trying to get into autox and it's just always so meh. I get more enjoyment out of running karts at GoPro Motorplex ( http://www.gopromotorplex.com/ ).

Place is :fuckyeah: and I get 30 minutes of seat time in an hour or two for a similar price as an autox.
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