[flash]

OK GUYS! this is your chance to get out and there and have some fun before the winter hits



THE WHAT:

time for a track day - this is a great track, and the event is put on by probably the best known packager of these kinds of things



this is the infield course of the california speedway - definitely a fun track - we will be running clockwise



THE WHEN:

saturday october 27

check in from 7:00am - 7:45am

driver meeting at 8:00 am



HOW MUCH:

$260 for the day

instructors are available for an additional small fee

timing is available for an additional small fee



SAFETY:

convertibles are allowed with rollover protection



helmets are required - SA95 or newer - M90 or newer with permission

helmet rentals are available for $30



here are some links to cheap helmets:

http://www.saferacer.com/gforcehelmets.html

http://www.newenough.com



closed toe shoes with cotton socks - no sandals

cotton shirt (long sleeve recommended)

cotton shorts or pants (pants recommended)

no synthetic fabrics

leather gloves not recommended



passengers allowed, but must meet the same safety requirements, and be at least 16



MISC:

race gas available on site

tow hook required

numbers required (tape is ok)

tech form required (attached)

no leaks and good working order (see tech form for details)

tires must have 1/32 tread minimum

3 point belts or better



here is a link:

http://www.speedventures.com/events/even...spx?id=139



these things fill up fast, so don't delay



a few of us are going to rendezvous at my house and caravan up - dan and trevor are actually coming down from the bay area and staying at my place



this is going to be TONS of fun



i am not sponsoring this event, nor organizing it, or in any way affiliated with those who are, but i am attending, as are some other nuts from this board who just love to drive fast



i am working on having instructors available to us as a group, at a reduced rate - film at 11



come join us!



if you have any questions that can't be answered by the website, feel free to email me (no pms please)



here are the tech form and checklist:

tech.pdf Size: 63.56 KB  Downloads: 7

trackchecklist.pdf Size: 53.45 KB  Downloads: 7

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

Count me in ! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

man, it sure seems like an endless list of prepping - i hadn't really thought about how much i wanted to get done before i took it back out on the track - some of it will get done - some won't



the good news is that i finally got rid of the rattle in my rear suspension



more good news is that i am finaly getting the clear bra done



the bad news is that i discovered that the clown who did my latest exhaust put in the wrong size tube from the muffler to the tip - i wanted to change the resonator size anyway, but i was going to just run what i had for this event and deal with it later, but now i think i need to go get it done all over again - arrrrrgh



i don't think i will have time to remove the header, wrap it, and reinstall it either, primarily because i also want to weld on a bung for an A/F meter



the other bad news is that i probably won't get a chance to run a new mod i've been dying to install, because one part won't be done in time



and then there is the list of things i need to get done to the trailer that i have been putting off since i had it built



oh well - better knuckle down and get busy



T minus 6 days and counting

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Mark]

Speed Ventures puts on a good event- highly recommended from my S2000 days.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

my preparation is mostly coming to terms with driving the entire day on friday to get to Bob's house

( approx. 7 hrs to reach the north LA city line and then dealing with a miserable 3 to 4 hour gridlock, snail pace trek to Laguna - those of you that haven't experienced greater los angeles southbound traffic on a friday afternoon/evening might have a hard time visualizing the nightmare that takes over every single corridor heading in that direction..or any other compass point for that matter.. ) then having to concentrate on driving the car flat out in the event the very next day, only to face the looong drive back home the following day on sunday, though the absence of gridlock will be a welcoming, albeit minor comforting factor. and as much as i enjoy every moment in the 968, this is just an insane amount of driving in the span of a weekend.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

leave early enough and you'll miss the traffic

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[FRporscheman]

As I learned last week: NEVER underestimate LA traffic. I was headed south towards Flash's house at around 3:30pm on Thursday and, well, it didn't feel like a Thursday, it felt like a Doomsday.



I knew I'd be busy this weekend so I won't be there, but have fun and don't get cooked.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

temps were supposed to drop down as low as 70 by Sat, now the latest indicates 83. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

guess it would have been too good to be true.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

yeah - i'm pretty pissed - i could very likely be sitting it out and watching if it gets too hot - oh well - i'll get some morning runs in though, before it gets hot

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

[quote name='flash' post='42882' date='Oct 25 2007, 02:28 PM']yeah - i'm pretty pissed - i could very likely be sitting it out and watching if it gets too hot - oh well - i'll get some morning runs in though, before it gets hot[/quote]





unless we're in groups 3, 4 or 5... ( ref. email we just got from Speed Ventures ) in which case we're screwed because we have to wait at least until 1 pm. nothing I can do about it at this point I guess, other than watching the temp needle ( as well as my body temp tolerance needle <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ) and if it starts getting ugly I'll bow out after a couple of laps. that'd make for a very expensive per lap event, but hey, it's only money and 1000 + miles to be driven in three days so who's complaining <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

no worries - it will be ok



been scrambling all week to prep - i was so busy on other projects i pushed back way too much of this - some stuff just isn't going to get done - on top of that, i ran into a couple of major snags that almost kiboshed my whole weekend - i'm going ot be loading the car pretty late tomorrow - NOT what i wanted to be doing

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Mark]

Have fun today.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[94SilverCab]

Hey guys I just came to and realized that today is the day....have a great time!!!



Doesn't one of you California guys own a digital camera? Seems we never get to see pics of your events...



Regards,



Jay

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

ok - recovering today - forgot how much work it is - pretty stiff today - still haven't even unloaded the trailer



had a blast though - the weather decided to cooperate and was a LOT cooler than the previous days



dan and i got there bang on time at 7 and started setting up "camp" - eric showed up shortly thereafter and lent a very welcome hand all day (thanks eric) - dj rolled in just in time for the driver meeting, and after a short bit of car prep, we were off



i had 2 goals for the day - see how the setup was working, and try to shake off some of the 20 year old rust in my skills - i was determined not to drive anywhere near the limits of me or the car



the first session showed me exactly what i expected - the car's setup is good now, but i am VERY rusty - i kept struggling with early apexing on 2 turns - they were really big 180 degree turns - one of them was a compound turn that really required settin up for an extended near drift condition to really get the line



but the car was definitely quick, and a lot less body roll than the M030 sways - this is probably as good as it is going to get in street trim (time for a dedicated track car if i want more) - zero chassis flex - very controllable mild oversteer - excellent over the burms and rumbles - fantastic weight transfer - might consider more rear brake bias, but not sure yet



after dropping 2 more lbs of air in the tires, the second set was more about me working out those 2 troublesome turns - finally nailed them, and started having some fun



then came lunch - we all got a chance to sit around and compare notes - we were all having a blast, and it was fun to see dan's excitement



after what had been a pretty hard week, i decided to sit out the third session - i was feeling like i was getting faster, and didn't want to make any anxious mistakes from lack of focus



the fourth session was the real deal though - i was focusing on the line, just trying to be smooth, and not worrying about speed or time - but, my speeds were definitely increasing - i never really looked at the speedo, but i was doing a bit under 6k in 5th at the end of the back straight, compared to a bit over 6k in 4th on the previous set, and i was a gear higher on a couple of other turns



on the last full lap, i heard and felt a "pop" on the right rear suspension - the car then felt different, but didn't seem too out of whack - when i rolled into the paddock and parked, i took one look and guessed what had happened - a phone call to pete on the way home comfirmed it - the camber adjuster slipped - my right rear wheel suddenly had a LOT of negative camber - i was done for the day - apparently this is not uncommon when you are really pushing the car - it seems these cars do not maintain their rear alignments well when pushed



so, that was it for me, and i had to bag the fifth set - still, all in all i had a great time and glad i went - i should have pics for you soon



i'll let dan tell you about his exprience

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

well worth the 1,000 mile round trip drive and the money spent. it's not that I could not have done this much closer to where I live but the bonus was getting together with several friends in socal ( must mention again the many thanks owed to bob & ayn , who always roll out the red carpet every time I'm at " b&a's b&b inn" <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ) so definitely a great time all around.



now for the event - it was a blast ! the instruction was extremely valuable to a track novice such as myself ;I learned exactly when and where and how to turn with the least amount of effort, discovered what this car is capable of ( amazing ! ) and left the event with even greater appreciation for the 968, improved skills, though one can hardly imagine being better than I was in the first place .. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

also realized on the drive back how much more dangerous the highway is than the track; way too many idiots at the wheel <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



but the perfect weekend did not end without a bit of a scare; I thought either the clutch or the differential or some of sync gears might have fallen victim to the track stress: after the last run, as I pulled into the pit parking spot and came to a stop I heard a shuddering / clanking "metal" rattle . after some speculation regarding the possible culprit we let the car cool off for about 1/2 hr. and took it for a lap around the parking lot, came to a stop and ... all quiet ! i was cautiously optimistic, but still very concerned the peace and quiet is probably a fluke, and it's just moments from impending doom.. nonetheless since everything felt smooth, ( shifting in all gears, turning, stopping ) we left for bob's house some 70 miles away, with fingers crossed.



stopped briefly to get gas, was encouraged by the continuing lack of the clanking/rattling, drove on to the house, pulled into the garage and noooo problem. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> at that point bob gets out of his car and says: " had to be your brakes " overheated at the track, and at 95,000 miles those pistons are not what they used to be, so i'll let bob explain what made contact with what to cause that metallic sounding chatter, but can't tell you how relieved I was knowing i can return back home the next day. obviously overheated brakes were the cause, in that I drove the 500 miles back and never heard the sound again. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



now waiting for event photos and the experience will be complete.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.