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Admirable Gusto posted:Also here is the completely wrong way to take the corkscrew: It's funny my first time a Laguna, this girl in my run group noted that "The oak tree is smaller than last year". One of the officials claimed the old one died and they replaced it for safety reasons. That being said, I don't get why the Corkscrew is so celebrated. Yes, it's fun to catch that little bit of air but personally I poo poo my pants round the Rainey curve every time. 195/55-16s baby! c355n4 posted:What do you consider a good day? ... Everyone goes home with their car in roughly the same condition it came in. Good times and traffic free running all boxes in the great column for me.
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Jun 18, 2012 19:12
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nm posted:I have a fancy, then expensive Bell M3. I too had a fogging issue but found that a little bit of visor tape to allow the tiny air gap solved the problem. Getting my glasses on isn't that much harder than open face and my sunglasses don't fit in any helmet so, being able to fit a smoke visor saves me a bit of cash. However, none of that factored into my initial choice. It's also my karting helmet. Never had a rock hit me on the track. Had it happen plenty of times on the road.
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Jun 19, 2012 19:40
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Admirable Gusto posted:The one exception in California is Infineon, which has a really nice store Yes, Wine Country Motorsports. Very helpful folks. That being said, apparently the naming rights for the track expired on friday. Rather than going back to Sears Point, the track is now just "Sonoma". Personally I would have gone with "Wall".
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Jun 21, 2012 03:37
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Admirable Gusto posted:Laguna Seca, high intermediate run group, first session of the day. Into the wall just after turn 11, the slowest turn of the track, just before the front straight. How do you even crash there Typically people find the pit wall at turn 11. Since it leads onto the longest straight, the game is getting on the power as soon as possible. You screw this up, you spin and hit the pit wall. This isn't just a rookie mistake either. It was either this year or last year's ALMS @ Laguna start involved a car in pit wall at 11. If it was the wall by the stands, I bet he began to spin and tried to save it. I think this corner and turn 15 at Thunderhill teach a lesson. It's a HPDE day, not a race. Yes, you can shave a about a second off your lap time by being brave thru a corner known for creating body damage. Is that second worth not driving your car home? Shame. It was a nice M3. Aurune fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Jul 2, 2012 |
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Jul 2, 2012 06:52
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Muffinpox posted:Limerock uphill death corner 4 lyfe. That corner scares me. Reminds me of the wall placement at
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Jul 6, 2012 00:51
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Admirable Gusto posted:I wonder if anyone who's familiar with Laguna Seca would please critique my lap: I've run Laguna 3 times and am really not more than a novice but I did see one thing that made me cringe. On one lap while passing another car you apexed 4 very early. Your speed was low enough that you didn't need all the track so everything was fine. One of my coworkers put his GTS in the wall on the inside of 4 because he went in hot, early and the instead of just letting go 4 off, he tried to save it. Thankfully both him and the instructor are okay. He was also luckily insured for it, so he was off buying a new car in no time. I guess I just cringe whenever I see people take 4 really early. What Muffinpox said about 11 is true. The game is late apex and get on the power as soon and as hard as you dare. This is the game the M3 played and lost. It's a well used section of wall. The game at 6 is similar but it's a normal apex. However, given the safety improvements at that corner you will no longer be collected by a wall. More likely stuck in the gravel, worst case upside down.
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Jul 12, 2012 08:46
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FatCow posted:Something I realized when starting out. Low HP cars are comparatively faster the slower the run group. The fancy guys with their S2ks, Corvettes and M cars are afraid to actually use the power they have. It's easy to mat it on corner exit when you only have 100hp. My Miata used to eat poo poo up in Green/Yellow groups, now I'll either see no-one or just get passed. Agree, in the low end run groups it's basically who is willing to press that pedal on the right and let the tires scream a little. The downside of a low HP car is it has let me get away with mistakes I would not have gotten away with at much higher speed. I recently got to jump out of my MINI and into to a 911 and the results where stunning. I learned I'm turning in about three to five feet early every time. At 80 mph that's bad enough, at 100 it's loving terrifying. That being said, now I know and it gives me something to work on.
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Aug 21, 2012 19:03
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wolrah posted:I entirely expect someone will tell me I'm doing it wrong for some good reason I haven't yet figured out, but I was never able to "get" heel-toe. If it makes you feel better, I don't think it matters as long as the right thing happens. Hurley Haywood and Daniel Eastman where both teaching heal-toe at PSDS when I was there. They don't agree on how to do it. Daniel teaches the rotate foot, roll method much like Senna. Hurley likes to move his foot to the brake and then kick the gas (like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REcvGkYC1iI). I tried both, and found I can't do it Hurley's way. Since coming back I've been heel-toeing freeway off ramps. Getting better, but it's not easy.
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Aug 22, 2012 05:14
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kimbo305 posted:I find it really hard to be hitting the gas that deep on the heel if it's not floor hinged. In fact, I think a floor hinged gas pedal makes heel-toe a lot easier, cuz you're bound to hit something, whereas your target with a top-hinged pedal is usually smaller. Both my pedals are bottom hinged. I just tend to hit the steering column with my knee when I kick. This may be the length of my legs being a factor.
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Aug 22, 2012 06:11
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Funzo posted:It was really fun in any case. I might try and take my E90 down there when they have track days just so I can learn how to drive better. Congrats on the first time. Beware you have caught a very expensive bug.
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Oct 30, 2012 06:27
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Phone posted:You can run them at autocross and race on real race tracks. There are a few people locally that run an F125 cart at autocross, and just hearing stuff second-hand... It's all a matter of what you would be running in place of the kart. The Sonoma charges $40 for half a day of track time. The other kart track is $350 a year. I pay $300+ for two hours of time with my car. I priced a set of kart tires at $250. My MINI's tires are $650 a set, Porsche $1200. I have no idea how much a kart engine service costs, but it can't be more than a car engine overhaul. Brakes, fluids, other consumables... on and on. I think it's fair to say karting is cheaper. Again, how much cheaper is based on what you run and how often.
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Dec 18, 2012 07:43
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Spudalicious posted:Just finished my first track laps this past weekend while at Las Vegas Motor speedway. I did the Dreamracing street car experience. I have to say, WOW. Definitely recommend this thing, the staff treats you like a king (for the price, they had better!) and they are all professional and not condescending towards newbies at all. You get some time in the lounge where food and non-alcoholic beverages are provided and the pro drivers come around and chat, then you move on to the simulator where you get to crash your video-supercar constantly. Once you are sufficiently terrified they drag you out to your car and shove you in and then that's about it. Granted I had no idea what I was doing and probably would have gotten a lot more out of it had I had any prior track experience. The car sounds absolutely BEASTLY. First, I have real problems with racing simulators. I've yet to sit in one that really gives you the feeling of a car rotating. By the time your eyes say "you're spinning" it's often too late. I can drive them, but I crash a hell of a lot. Second, nothing wrong with having a healthy respect for the car. Especially, when it's not your car. So don't worry about that. Realistically, you can't have missed out on much because of your lack of experience. Your first time is full of strange sensations and forces. After time you learn them and they vanish into the noise of "normal". Then you hit the limit and learn new ones. They'd have asked you to slow down way before you got to limit. So perhaps, being a novice actually made the experience way more exciting.
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Mar 20, 2013 22:45
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DJ Commie posted:Which is why people still buy Cusco cages and eBay 4 point harnesses. It's not like you're skimping on something that will prevent you from being a giant vegetable or a smear on the pavement. Oh wait.
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Apr 7, 2013 08:25
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kimbo305 posted:How much is 5oz of weight? I'm thinking of buying a new full face helmet, and going by this list: Remember you are talking about g-force here. Five ounces at 1.5 Gs (pretty normal in karting, bit high for a street car) is actually half a pound of weight extra wrenching on your neck.
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Apr 20, 2013 07:26
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Bumming Your Scene posted:I dunno, my track event was 102 when I signed up, now its 105dB. You lucky bastard. Laguna days come in a few flavors. 90.5 db - These are mostly the Skip Barber days that are being sold off now that Skip Barber is basically defunct. If you are not running a bone stock non-performance car, don't bother. 92 db - Most common days that were available prior to this year and the Skip Barber failure. Some sports cars will meet this, some won't, you will see people out trying to beat sound. It's kind of a mess. 911 Turbos / GTRs will blow sound just on intake noise alone. 98 db - These are the days most people expect. You can get most non-race metal to pass this sound level. So, it's all good. Ferrari 458s are questionable. 105 db - Holy grail days. I've heard stories of these days but have never gone. Basically, anyone who has race iron / insane road poo poo that can't pass 98 kill for days like this. Heard of a day a couple years back were there were two F40s that showed up. gently caress the home owners in that area, seriously.
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May 11, 2013 09:55
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Admirable Gusto posted:The measuring hut is maybe 80-100 feet to the right after the exit of Turn 5, which is the start of a relatively steep uphill section. So you can short shift or even lift, but that will emasculate you by destroying your time. It's worse than that now. The county regs changed for 2013 and they're now required to take a "mobile" measurement at random at least once a day. So if you are not under 92, and don't see the poor schmuck with the sound meter, you're going to get nicked. The current solution to this issue is to take your sound black, go "fix" it and start the next session assuming that the sound guy has fulfilled his BS requirement and gone back to the hut. It's sad, but this kind of stuff is very common...  Edit: Re: Lime Rock. Lime Rock has had sound problems since day one. It was built in a place with neighbors. Laguna Seca was built in the middle of nowhere with it's only neighbor being a Army artillery range. Now they're building multimillion dollar houses nearby and bitching about the noise. Seriously, gently caress those people. VVV  VVV
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May 12, 2013 02:28
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Sab669 posted:Why didn't they plant a new tree? I'm sure they will do something like that. It's just sad to loose a iconic tree that was older than the track.
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Jul 3, 2013 21:55
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drgitlin posted:After the Simonsen accident at Le Mans I think I'm OK with VIR's oak tree not being there anymore. The oak tree had a proper tire wall and guard rail in front of it. It really wasn't a threat. In good news, Thunderhill Raceway is expanding. ETA 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1tC_1dIHx0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZFuIHLJ0YY No word on combined vs classic vs west rentals.
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Jul 5, 2013 07:38
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Some bad news. A friend of mine went to get a day at Laguna Seca and they informed him that all "club rental" days next year are now 90 db. All I can says is, gently caress.
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Oct 20, 2013 06:28
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Blooot posted:The real action of the day was missed on camera, but the aftermath can be seen. Second lap of the first session in the D group a E92 M3 rolls after exiting turn 9 (skip to 4:00). Das Volk, that wasn't you I hope? I was out for my first session in the little red sports racer in the front of that train. I don't know how I saw it, because it doesn't seem to be in your video, but I saw the dust in the air before turning into 9. I remember looking at the turn worker and thinking "With that big of a cloud, that has to be a yellow". It looked really bad. So, yeah, came back in. I agree with you, the bypass is way more fun than the crow's nest. For my first couple of sessions I was fighting with the new car. It turns out that the rear brakes were not working making the car really twitchy on turn in. After that, the car was a joy to drive and my lap times dropped massively. Overall it was a good day.
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Nov 29, 2013 03:03
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Bumming Your Scene posted:There were a couple 911 GT3 Cups at the track busting rear end around there. Pretty sweet but one of them wrecked in the banking, the way they pass the Atom they gotta be doing 140+ through there GT3 Cup cars are SERIOUS kit. A couple of shops around here run them and every time I see one driving out on track they're stunning. I really would love to own one but they cost a fortune to run. VVVV Agreed, compared to their pro racing counterparts it's somewhat cheap. However, pro racing in general is not cheap. The math I've done says between 2 to 3 thousand dollars a hour of operation VVVV Aurune fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Jan 19, 2014 |
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Jan 19, 2014 07:21
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bald and fail II posted:A friend of mine bought a 430 challenge recently for his drift/car control business, very serious but of kit and I was surprised how much it cost. The really good thing about 430 challenge cars vs 430 street cars is Ferrari still has crate motors for them available. If you blow up your 430 street motor, you are pretty much SOL.
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Jan 20, 2014 05:05
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Your ESRs appear to be ex-SCCA Sports Renault racers. I'm racing the "updated" Spec Racer Ford this year. They have a massive rear weight bias which makes the car a amazing hoot to drive. Also, there is also nothing like having your head sticking out of the top of a car at 100+ mph. I'd really be interested in seeing what a EV version would be like. Enough torque to actually spin the rears? Aurune fucked around with this message at 08:11 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 4, 2014 08:07
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Here's my two cents on closed vs open helmet. Open helmet: Easy on the glasses Better air flow in a closed car Better visibility Better ability to talk to the coach next to you Closed helmet: Closing the visor keeps out most dirt, rocks, bugs and in worst case scenarios glass and other vehicle debris. (The first time the car in front of you drives thru oil dry...) Protects your face from getting smashed in should it find something hard. Useful for more than closed cars (Karts, Sports Racers, Formula Cars) Ability to change visor shade based on conditions. (I wear glasses, and my very expensive prescription sunglasses don't bend enough to fit in a open face) Since I do lots of karting and my ambition was always to drive formula cars. I've invested in a full face job. After a little while you get used to wearing it. The airflow in a closed car with the windows down isn't bad. If my glasses start to fog I crack the visor a tad until it stops. This is actually never a problem in a open car. I actually get windburn under my helmet thru my balaclava. Aurune fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Apr 15, 2014 |
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Apr 15, 2014 07:04
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SNiPER_Magnum posted:That is not to say that DE rules and tech are not lax. I tell you, since I started racing I've developed strong reservations against getting into / driving a street car on the race track. Stories like this don't make it any better. Not ashamed to say the last time I had my road car out on a track I dove a leisurely pace.
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Jun 10, 2014 07:12
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DJ Commie posted:I'm as excited for that as I am for the new Thunderhill course. The new track is really technical and a lot of fun to drive. Not so much to race on as there really isn't any passing area unless the person in front of you really messes up. Add to that big rocks that get dragged on with the slightest off and car bending curbs. It's a bit of a mess back there right now. Not my video thankfully. Big repair bill @ just past 5:05 https://vimeo.com/98998190
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Jun 30, 2014 06:38
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DJ Commie posted:My only disappointment is the turn 9 bypass for the new course, 7-10 is my favorite part of the course. Yeah, I love turn 9 too. The upside is the connector and the following straight + kink is a ton of fun.
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Jun 30, 2014 22:45
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Roman Rambo posted:Overall awesome time. I would do this again in a heartbeat, and if you are on the fence about doing it and reading this, just go do it already. I should have started doing this a long time ago. Beware, it's a addiction. It starts with a track day. Then a few car mods. Soon you are looking at racing schools. A little speed is never enough. Edit: confession: This year, I said I'd do 3 race weekends. I've done 5 and have signed up for at least one more.
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Jul 14, 2014 08:26
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Joe Mama posted: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. Nobody really deserves to die for being a dumb rear end. That being said, yes, he did a very stupid thing.
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Aug 11, 2014 06:33
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Octopus Magic posted:Solution: drive some weirdo car no one tracks and feel better about yourself even if you're 10 seconds off pace in your class You joke but there are two guys in my region who spend BIG $$$ to race regionally in Formula Atlantic and Formula Speed. They're always the only cars in their class. I assume they have to race the majors too, and seat time is seat time but I'm sure it'd be cheaper to run test days.
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Sep 13, 2014 06:16
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Phone posted:I don't think it was picked up by NASA or SCCA. They got picked up by the SCCA, the fields are just tiny.
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Oct 16, 2014 22:55
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parid posted:Looks like Laguna is getting even more accessible. ChumpCar has a full 3 day weekend next year (yeah 4th of July but still). Skip Barber is leaving and they're ending up with lots of unsold 90.5db days.
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Dec 9, 2014 22:50
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ColdPie posted:It's good to have different run groups for different skill levels, but holy cow, 30 track days of experience to graduate? That must either be a very large or a very serious organization. As a side note to this. You can do any number of drivers schools in 3 days and transfer to SCCA or NASA Novice Permit after which you will need to do either 6 or 8 races (SCCA/NASA) to get you full comp license. It won't take 30 days, cost less and likely be transferable to any group you like.
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Jan 8, 2015 08:30
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FatCow posted:Here is a tip for you guys. Make sure your parking brake is fully disengaged before heading out for a 40 minute race. Good thing Hawk has an awesome contingency program. Down on power the whole race? 
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May 5, 2015 00:28
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sig11 posted:I think you can import a CSV into the AIM tools. Race Studio is pretty nice software: http://www.aimsports.com/software/index.html AIM tools are crap but they're the big players in the game. I have a brand spanking new MXL2 in my car. From their product page... "Freely configurable pages" - Has one page layout you can select some but not all inputs to display in fixed slots. No track map (useless feature but it is advertised and does not exist). "Expand the system" - Firmware not available yet. "Race Studio 3" - Kind of works, the analysis package is still v2, not the one on the site. "WiFi" - Doesn't work at all. Firmware update "soon". Split calculation still doesn't work. Predictive lap timer started working after the last patch.
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May 12, 2015 06:59
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NinjaTech posted:Haha, it will be a long time before I get a pro motor built. Agreed. If you have 6 seconds to the mid-pack having 5 - 10 extra HP will shave some of that time off. However, you'll gain far more spending the 15k on loads of track time. Then went tenths start counting, care about stickers for qualifying and a built motor.
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Aug 23, 2015 08:57
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SlapActionJackson posted:It used to be that most auto policies were written in a way that did not exclude HPDE, because it wasn't racing. But insurers have gotten wise over the years and have altered policy language to be more broadly exclusive of poo poo that happens on a racetrack. If you intend to use your regular insurance for this, you need to read the complete policy very closely - do not call and ask - to see how they define racing and other exclusions. My street car policy does not cover incidents on surfaces used for racing temporary or permanent. The exact wording is so broad I'm sure if they wanted to be dicks they could avoid paying me if I had a fender bender on East Shoreline in Long Beach, CA.
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Sep 8, 2015 20:38
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1500quidporsche posted:Is there a general consensus on the best full faced helmet for people who wear glasses? I used to have a set of flexon glasses for wearing in my helmet. Never could get stiff frames to stay put.
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Sep 25, 2015 05:42
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Octopus Magic posted:You are worrying way too hard about a guy who is going to be doing some 7/10ths driving and a trip to the drag strip. Agreed. If you are really traveling fast enough / driving hard enough where you are afraid of what will happen when you wreck, you need to consider something dedicated (full cage, harness).
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Jan 13, 2016 23:48
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ilkhan posted:I keep thinking I want to grab some PSS tires to replace the crappy (not-PP) stocks, but don't really want to spend the money. After a few track days you'll get your wish.
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Mar 25, 2016 00:56
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