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^^^Miata: cheap, RWD, handles great, cheap, light, forgiving, and cheap. Great thread. As soon as my Miata is trackworthy I'm doing HPDEs, can't wait. To all of this I would add that if you've never really driven balls-out before or done any kind of racing or track event or money is an issue; go go-kart racing at a good place with fast karts. It's fairly cheap, easy training and kind of blends autocross with having to deal with other people on the track. Perfect place to learn basics like racing lines and such. Experimenting and screwing up will have very low consequences and if the place (preferebly) has lap timing you can easily see how you are doing and see what effect changing your line has. Getting used to driving with a helmet on helps too. Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Jun 16, 2012 |
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Jun 16, 2012 17:21
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I'm jealous of half the people who post in this thread.
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Aug 25, 2012 16:57
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Just got back from my first ever track event. It was a Miatas-only HPDE at Thunderhill. It was raining all day after the first run and was cold as hell. My passenger window regulator decided that THAT loving MORNING was the perfect time to quit working so I had to pull the window out in the paddock. I had a loving blast and I would do it all again. I spent the morning sessions learning the track and getting used to the car with an instructor. The afternoon was spent solo on a colder, wetter track. I did pretty drat well considering my skill level, the weather, and too-tight suspension. Even with all that I was one of the best runners in the beginner group. Big ups to the Yokohama S-Drives, they stuck like glue. There were a number of spinouts and some nice off-track wheel tracks, as you'd imagine, but there was only one semi-serious off-track excursion and it required a winching out of the weeds after turn 3 and the car came in on it's own. http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/chiba_man/100_4166_zps0abc03c7.jpg http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/chiba_man/100_4203_zps2a5b5d3f.jpg EDIT: Part 2; After-event dinner was great too. The Thunderhill CEO Dave Vodden came in to Casa Ramos and gave everyone a track sticker and a shot of tequila! There was like 60 people there! And then he sits right across from us at the table I was at and tries to seriously/jokingly sell us his two track Miatas and just generally be a cool rear end dude. The whole event was basically a birthday celebration for the BAMD head Kaitlyn and she didn't want some frozen Wal-mart cake so Jim at Thunderhill made the drat good cakes and took them to the restaurant. So one of the running jokes for the night was that the premier bakery in Willows, CA is Thunderhill loving raceway. Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Dec 17, 2012 |
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Dec 16, 2012 23:12
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the spyder posted:Figured this is the best place to ask: I need a new helmet. What are you running and why do you like it? I also got the Zamp. If I get more serious into track events I'll definately be getting a better one but it's not as bad as you would think for the price that it is. The visor is the worst part and the SA2010 is the best part after price.
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Jan 19, 2013 02:22
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I was at an event at Thunderhill on monday. I ran 7 20min sessions. My arms and neck hurt all week. Ran mid-low 2:20's though, not bad for my first dry track day though. This may have been stated already but... Thunderhill is in the process of expanding and they had all kinds of earth-moving going on. It's already a fairly long track so it'll be cool to watch the 25hrs of Thunderhill or something on a 4.5 mile course. And they'll have the ability to have 2 separate events east/west too.
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Oct 12, 2013 00:54
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Bumming Your Scene posted:Invaluable limit of adhesion practice? I'd say so. I don't think this sort of thing normally enters peoples minds when they decide to start doing track days. Getting this intimately familiar with your cars handling this easily and safely is a perfect place to start. I'm actually ashamed I haven't done this yet.
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Mar 9, 2014 21:57
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Yep, TrueChaos, I know what you mean. My last track day at Thunderhill was one of those epiphany days. Heel-toe starts working for you consistently and you really start to realize what it actually means to drive 9 or 10/10ths. I gots me some new Rivals and I can't wait to destroy Thunderhill again on Friday.
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Jun 4, 2014 02:10
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On stock springs? drat. I'm on FMs and I'm afraid these 205 Rivals are going to overwhelm them. But yeah, dancing, exactly. Using lift throttle to get the rear to come around and help guide the car through a turn. Part throttle when you think you don't need it, to keep the car settled through a turn. It's truly amazing how much you can get most cars to do, and truly depressing to really know what 99% of Vettes, Ferraris, etc. are missing from their lives.
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Jun 4, 2014 04:45
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Had a (hot) blast at Thunderhill at a combined SpeedSF/BAMD track day. Loving the BFG Rivals, they made up for the high track temps and a sub-optimal suspension setup. I improved my average laps times by almost 5 seconds over the last time I was there, with a best of roughly 2:18 with the cyclone, so that's good. There were a bunch of nice time attack cars there as well as a full-on GT2 looking 911 that I believe was the car that turned in the FTD of 1:56 something I think. We also got to do a parade lap of the full 5 mile circuit, and man that new addition is going to add some much needed lower speed technical aspects and two wicked elevation changes going between the new and old halves.  And this is a small sample of the rubber bits (and brake dust) I scrubbed off my front wheels. Not pictured; all the ones that came off on the highway going home, ones I picked off by hand, and ones that have become part of my tires. By 3:00 there was mucho rubbero all over that drat track. I can hear it being flung off my tires and bouncing off the underside of the car plain as day in the video I took. And yes, that is a toilet brush. And yes, it's new and not for the toilet. It works loving great on my 6ULs.  edit: Giving props to Bill Wang Photography for the track action pics. edit edit: I stopped at about 3:35 because grip from the tires was going waaay down. I put 2 off in turn 6 so I called it a day. Shortly after that a Civic running in the A or B group ended up on it's roof coming down off the cyclone. I guess it must have went sideways coming over the top and slid into the dirt and rolled onto it's back and stopped with its butt pointed down hill. It's a miracle they didn't keep rolling down the hill. Wish I would have been close enough to get a picture of that. No injuries, so I guess there's that. Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Jun 9, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 21:08
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This is why they tell you to stay in your loving car unless it's on fire. Even if you feel the need to get out you need to keep your poo poo under control. What an idiot. http://deadspin.com/reports-tony-stewart-ran-over-opposing-driver-during-1618893708
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Aug 11, 2014 05:43
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Aurune posted:Nobody really deserves to die for being a dumb rear end. That being said, yes, he did a very stupid thing. Yeah, I'm sure he was just expecting to yell a couple choice words at close range but poo poo. And, rightfully so, people are going to be endlessly debating what the hell Tony was doing when he hit the guy.
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Aug 12, 2014 02:16
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I'm a fan of the 'split loom and zip tie' myself just because it's easy and looks ok. Add heat a/o abrasion resistant sleeving as needed.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:08
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Laserface posted:Is it worth having a set of rotors to go with track pads? Yes, the pads bed onto the rotors so just have a set that goes with them. You don't need fancy rotors either, unless you are heating and beating the hell out of them. For my Miata I just have a set of Hawk Blues and some NAPA rotors with 3 track days on them.
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Apr 5, 2015 04:00
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Glasses vs. Contacts: I've done both. They both suck in their own ways. Now that I have a job that pays real actual money I'm getting all-laser wavefront LASIK. Then we shall see which is best in life. I do know that LASIK can disqualify you for certain jobs like being a pilot and such. I know plenty of pro drivers out there do glasses or contacts but I'm not personally aware of any with LASIK though, not that I'll ever be a pro by any stretch. EDIT: LASIK is done, yay!  When can I get on track Doc? Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Sep 30, 2015 |
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Sep 29, 2015 04:27
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These are the kind of asswipes that scare people away from track days.
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Jan 22, 2016 06:09
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drat. That's actually not bad. If I have my way and do one TT/HPDE a month I may do this.
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Feb 19, 2016 05:41
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ilkhan posted:I ended up not going to leguna yesterday. Nothing. You are a perfect shining star for mankind to behold. I had to cancel Sonoma last Monday and I'm out of town next week. Me want track time.
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May 18, 2016 00:13
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King of all Machines Operate posted:Protip: if you camp in the grass outside the main gates because you're too cheap to pay for a hotel, the pedestrian gate was unlocked so you can access the paddock at night to use the bathroom and shower I'm too cheap. Thanks for this.
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Jul 12, 2016 02:05
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willroc7 posted:Maybe I'd be better off autocrossing and tracking my miata to start, though. To start? Yes. Many times yes.
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Jul 20, 2016 03:05
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Found this on the commute home one day. Oh the things people do to their brand new GT4s, or any car really, to run at Laguna Seca. It's a lovely screen capture off my dash cam but you're looking at twin pipes popped out toward the driver's side, almost vertical, with a deflector at the tips to keep exhaust off the bumper. They were just welded straight to the stock exhaust outlets.
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Jan 17, 2017 00:57
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Google search "GT3 Cup Laguna Seca Exhaust" for giggles.
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Jan 18, 2017 02:29
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Yeah, basically to point it in the opposite direction of the db meter.
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Jan 19, 2017 02:34
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HANS talk: Has anyone tried a Necksgen? They look to be much more compact and comfortable.
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May 12, 2017 04:15
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KillHour posted:I don't know. It was parked at a restaurant and when I came out, the door was dented and scraped. Idiot next to you probably cranked the wheel and then backed up, putting the bumper into the side of your car. This has happened to me twice.
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Aug 3, 2018 01:22
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DJ Commie posted:Daihatsu Charade that could do 2:18 on the old 15 turn T-Hill track, so I'm pretty sure I could make an actual sporty car fast. Jesus Christ. At my third T-Hill track day a couple years back in my supercharged Miata 2:18 was my best. I'm a lovely driver.
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Oct 20, 2018 04:13
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Assholes didn't want to pay for they're own session. The FRS owner should be getting his damages paid I hope but probably not, that's what track day insurance is for. I can only hope that they get blackballed from HPDEs in the area.
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Jun 2, 2019 04:29
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SlapActionJackson posted:Depends. Do you enjoy being sodomized by the IRS? Better than being sodomized by a live axle? Seriously though, I think you have to show that any racing is professional and that you actually earn something, from which you can deduct expenses. I think GRM had an article about this a while ago, no clue what issue though. Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Sep 29, 2020 |
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Sep 29, 2020 01:56
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BlackMK4 posted:Once you've smoked the trackpipe I'm not sure how you get out This. I'm actually considering buying a Spec Racer Ford or something now. Good thing I don't have kids. Also, on the track damage topic, this is what I love about Thunderhill. If you actually manage to damage anything you shouldn't have been there in the first place. As long as you respond immediately and appropriately to black flags and meatballs they won't slap you, or at least I've never heard of anyone getting a bill for anything.
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Nov 5, 2020 04:50
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Yeah, seems kinda narrow. Passing in turns will be tough and they really will need to add runoff space for when the inevitable side swipe runs a car off at high speed. Seems like a good track though and I would imagine that if you're putting this much money out there to build a track that it'll be up to spec for as many sanctioning bodies as possible.
Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Nov 27, 2020 |
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Nov 27, 2020 17:47
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BlackMK4 posted:I ran a private track in Arizona called Apex Motor Club for the first time a couple of weeks ago, it also has this kind of thing. That's better than Spring Mountain in Pahrump, NV. Last I heard it was $60k/$6k.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:12
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 First time at Sonoma last weekend, I love that loving place! I think it's gonna be my new "home" track. A couple 2:15 laps were the best I got but I learned a lot just chasing better drivers in better cars. The car did great. Bumping up the rear spring rate was just what the doctor ordered and I'm sure the wider tires helped. This was the first time I've run these Maxxis VR-1 S2s on track and they were better than I expected, gripped hard all day. You can tell in the pic that I need a touch more rear camber. I also need to get the shocks and tire pressures just right and maybe lower the ride height a touch and this thing might be capable of 2:00 laps.
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Oct 5, 2021 01:53
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Thanks! I'm surprised at how smooth the car was. For Miata people; I'm only running 550lb front and 400lb rear springs on Xida GS (stockish ride height) shocks and 225 tires and stock sway bars. I can't believe it but I think it actually handles as well as it did when it was still a Miata, in outright grip anyway. On top of that I STILL have not had a corner balance done and I don't even know how much it weighs. For thread content: People who have tracked in the Northern CA area in a street legal car; what kind of times are you running at T-Hill, Sonoma, and Laguna? What car, what skill level? Just out of curiosity.
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Oct 6, 2021 03:48
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King of all Machines Operate posted:Just took a look at my laps in Harry’s and here’s my best so far in an 06 Exige (non supercharged). It’s quite a bit faster than my mostly stock NA Miata, but this is driving it like 7/10ths because I’m way more scared of breaking it. Being scared of breaking the car is my problem too. I'm slowly getting over it. When it was still a Miata I did 2:20 at T-Hill east cyclone and the Volkzda, with very unpredictable handling and old gen 1 BFG Rivals, last year did 4:05 at the 5-mile. BlackMK4: That is pretty much what I'd expect from that car. Cookin'.
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Oct 7, 2021 01:54
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PIZZA.BAT posted:My first ever track day at the glen yesterday was a blast. I understood what people meant when they told me the biggest limit would be myself when I went out for the first time but now I get it. Looking forward to day two! I just did my 6th track day and I still get nervous and almost dread it as the day approaches. But as soon as I'm half way through the first session I'm  especially as I get better and better.
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Apr 24, 2022 17:22
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As a side note to this, has anyone used Hawk's new ER-1s? I got them for track days to replace my Hawk Blues. I'm going to Laguna Seca on Tuesday so I'll find out anyway and report back on how they work with 1.8 Miata brakes.
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Jul 21, 2022 02:11
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Phone posted:Hawk Blues are more robust than HP+; however, the compound is old old old old old (and probably shouldn’t be used on track, much like the HP+). I just tossed out my trusty old Blues and they are old as poo poo but I have to disagree a little. I found them to have good bite and grip and were pretty even-handed and predictable up to the kinds of mid range temps seen at an HPDE. The new ER-1s I just ran at Laguna Seca yesterday seem to be Hawk's heir apparent to a couple of different pads including the Blues and it showed. They are definitely an enduro pad but have more range than other enduro pads. Unfortunately I can't give a full review of them because something in my brake system started making GBS threads the bed on me and was overloading the fronts badly. Made entering the hairpin and corkscrew, umm, interesting.
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Jul 28, 2022 05:24
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I've had both and I agree in general. If anyone is looking for a do-all pad that is "good on the street and at least ok on track" just don't. Get a track day pad that is good on track and won't cause you to kill a pedestrian on your way to the track. Blue was that pad for me anyways, until now.
Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Jul 28, 2022 |
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Jul 28, 2022 05:46
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NitroSpazzz posted:This was our experience with Hawk pads as well, they seem to play fairly well together. Worst case we'd do a few 0-60-0 runs to 'bed the pads' and clean the rotors but we never had issues. We also did a quick brakleen spray and wipe down between swaps, whether it did anything... This would be ideal if you had fixed calipers and if I ever upgrade the Volkzda to big brakes this is what I'll try to do. The other thing to think about with rotor swapping isn't just pad material because if you are running stock or stock adjacent rotors on track they're probably getting cooked and it could have an adverse effect on your street pads life/noise/etc.
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Jul 30, 2022 01:21
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norton I posted:
I love Mazda's low-key but very solid commitment to sportiness. And yeah, just get some decent racing gloves, they help a lot after you get used to wearing them. I'll be doing T-Hill East on Sunday (with the loving bypass though). I can't wait to get an apples to apples comparison between the Volkzda and the Miata it used to be.
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Aug 23, 2022 02:16
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King of all Machines Operate posted:Bypass is the best, and much better than the cyclone. The feeling of 50/50 if you're going to die as you shoot over the crest is kinda fun once you get used to it. The cyclone is a dumb corkscrew knockoff that kills the flow of the track. Your take is bad and you should feel bad. Cyclone forever!
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Aug 24, 2022 02:04
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