I know I know Chris, no pics again. I brought the camera, but forgot the batteries. And then my brother and I were in the same run group. And it started to rain. Did I mention the space station almost fell on us
Time to hit the track again, and this time I wasn’t alone. After the Oct. event I got a call from an old buddy of mine inquiring about my track day. After a few stories and some reminiscing, it was decided that there would be two DSMs in the field of cars. The challenge…simple; take your drag focused 60-1 fire breathing monster and get it ready to turn some laps.
The month or so leading to the event was quite a challenge. Focus was primarily placed on making sure the Talon was reliable and all the main components were intact. The blown stock dampners were upgraded to AGX and Eibach springs, EBC ‘Green’ pads went in, and a new MAF-T Pro and wideband for icing (those were already waiting to go in). But like any good DSM, it wanted more parts so it decided to puke out the 60-1. One week before the event a new ball bearing unit was delivered from FP. After installing the turbo and making sure the engine ran, all that was left to bleed the brakes. Again the little DSM gremlin rears its ugly head and it’s a new master cylinder and seal for an axel. All fell into place and we were set…yeah wrapping everything up the Friday was a bit close, but we still had a good 6-7 hours to spare. As for my Eclipse it saw a little preventative maintenance. New timing belt components, rebuilding the throttle body (last boost leak), and replacing my clutch master cylinder.
So Friday night we take off for TWS and arrive without any casualties (know fact DSMs don’t like being more than 50 miles from their garage). The driver’s meeting was a good refresher and allowed my friend to grasp some of the flags and passing rules/signals before the information overload. We get back to my girlfriend’s house conveniently located 4 miles away from the track and begin preparations for the car. Change the wheels, empty out loose objects, slap on some numbers, etc….sleep.
Sat. morning was what we Texans refer to as cold (~30 degrees). After grabbing some gas we made our way through check in and unloaded in our garage space. To our surprise we were not the only DSMs. One of Archer Racing’s 1Gs belonged to an instructor and the other was a white 2.3L FP3065 1G. Unfortunately both were down, one with a blown heater hose and the other broke the V-band clamp while fixing an exhaust leak. We attended the second driver’s meeting that morning and then a short class before our first session. We were running the track configuration in the opposite direction from my first two outings at TWS. This originally was how the track was designed to run. Numbering remained the same as the counter-clockwise orientation, so turn 1 was referred to as turn 15 and so on. Driving the track in this configuration was also faster and flowed smother. Another difference was the lack of reference marks, and driven more on feel. A little nervous due to the unfamiliarity of the track it quickly became a joyful experience.
Coming off the front straight it was hard braking as your dove down into a tight series of esses making your exit for a fast right sweeper. Hard braking again as you dumped speed for the ‘carousel’ and then a quick blast uphill into 9 and 8. Turn 7 was a downhill progressively banked right hander that rewarded those that committed and lead to some nice 4th gear runs down the back straight. Turn 6 and 5 now joined together to make a nice double apex and set you up nicely for turn four that brought you back into the infield. This corner was probably the most worrisome due to a short tire wall. Early apex or on the gas too soon and there was no place to run. Then it was hard brake into the 90 known as turn three. Turns 2 and 1 formed another nice single apex that opened up to the front straight.
Our green flag waved in the wind and it was time to take to the track. I felt more confident and sure foot about this event. Things that I forced myself to concentrated on such as corner workers or that anxiety when someone pops up in your rear view mirror almost felt second nature. Our little trio lined up mid pack surrounded by magnitude of cars. Everything from a supercharged S2000 on slicks to an Exige was running with us. And of course it wouldn’t be Texas if there wasn’t a V8 or two tossed into the mix. As we waited for our instructors a familiar face started to head our way. It was Chuck Willis, my former instructor from Oct. I knew my friend was in good hands as he climbed aboard the 1G. Just didn’t know if Chuck was ready for that turbo. So who might my instructor be? His name is Kevin and is second in command of the Driver’s Edge program. He doesn’t normally instruct, but when there’s a GSX he can’t help himself. He use to own a 2.3L 1G which he parted out after munching up a few transmissions. His replacement…a Pro Stock race car. He admits to missing his 1G and was even more surprised to see the number of them starting to show up.
First session was a parade lap with no helmet under full yellows. We talked about my experience and what I had learned from the previous event as he showed me the track and the driving line. First thing that I noticed was Kevin’s driving style. His goal for this weekend was to show me some differences in the ‘smoother’ AWD line and ways to use the levitation and its weight to our advantage. Vehicle Dynamics and weight transfer. The second thing I noticed was that the Konis were still set for the street on full soft…oops. We swapped me into the driver’s seat and I began to etch the line in my head.
Round two with the suspension tweaked and the tire pressures set, it was my turn to take the wheel. My goal for the weekend was clear, improve on those areas from my last report card and shoot for blue. I had gotten 5/5 on flag awareness, passing signals, and visuals. I received 4/5 on smoothness, consistency, car control, and aggressiveness. It was time to stop looking in the rear mirror and trust the car and its abilities. The changes in driving styles were hard to grasp at first and a little daunting as I was purposely trying to unsettle the rear to rotate quicker at speed. The normal sequence of:
1) hard braking or quickly lifting on the throttle, turning into the corner, rolling the on the throttle, and drifting to the track out point was swapped for:
2) a slightly later entry (even more so than you would when squaring off a corner), hard braking or quickly lifting, aggressively turning the wheel causing the rear to slide a little, applying half to full throttle to catch the car, and then just powering out with a 4WD slide.
My tires were making all sorts of different noises. Instead of ‘singing’ as they were being pushed at the limit the 255s would grumble for a split second and then silence as the AWD system collected itself. Although my corner entry seemed a little slower, my exit speeds were unfathomable (at least for a rookie). On turns 2 and 1 leading to the front straights, learning to suppress the uneasiness of powering the car much earlier and letting the car slide lead to out running even the Z06. Another important skill I learned from all of this is that AWD + throttle fixes most situations. If the car slid, applying more power would straighten things out and pull me out. Through out the remainder of Sat. it was full on rush as I played and learned that delicate balance of throttle response and feeling the car during transition and when it settled. What seemed scary and illogical at first was proving to be a very fast and useful skill. It also provided a chance to work on setting up a pass and being a little more aggressive. Only the Exige and pretty track prepped Cobra got by. What a day!
Overnight the driving gods called down their humbling tool…rain. All that excitement and momentum from Sat. came to a complete halt. Rain for me was a difficult thing to overcome as I lost my first GST hydroplaning off the road. That event in itself is the one sole reason I bought a GSX. I wasn’t the only one apprehensive about the rain either. My brother’s Miata had on new Nitto NT-01 R-compounds with little rain data on them. His only backups were a set of worn Azenis which he already knew were treacherous in these conditions. When it was our turn to take to the track we all approached it like walking on ice. As we made our way around the track (and a little encouraging from Kevin) I picked up the pace little by little. After a few laps it was quickly apparent just how sure footed and planted my car was. The Potenza RE050a were stellar and gripped enough for me to drive the dry line with the expectation of slipping slightly in 2 or 3 corners where new and old pavement met. Soon I was roughly 80% the pace of what I was doing Sat. with very few bobbles due to sliding. I also continued to work on my new driving skills. The rain really amplified the unsettling of the rear and I had an ear to ear grin doing AWD slides coming out of turn 12, 7, 5, and 1. I remember at lunch my brother commenting on my line through turns 15-13. I laughed as he said his instructor said that while that line works, whatever your do under no circumstances, try that line.
Through out the day trains of cars had a tendency to build and working through them was a little nerve wracking. I can remember following a BMW around at 40-45 mph and it was sliding in almost every corner. Then on the flip side I have to hand it to Porches’ PSM (traction control) system. There was a Boxster that I ran with that never lost traction and was very smooth around the track. Interesting enough almost all the Vettes packed up shop. My shining moment from the weekend came on the third session on Sun. Our group was flagged into the pits as someone had climbed out of the car on track. When we rolled in I noticed a certain 1G covered head to toe in mud and grass…I’m talking even the roof was littered. Seems my friend thought he might try some rally. On the restart it was a Cooper S, then my Eclipse, and then the Z06. I finally got a passing signal on the back straight and lead the way onto the front. In my rear view mirror I could feel that V8 breathing down my neck. Kevin said, “You were faster than him Sat, you’ll be faster in the rain. Trust your car and ‘IF’ he’s still there after a lap then you can let him by.” It felt that I put everything I had into those next 3 laps. The stories and conversations stopped as we began the dive into turn 15. Through the esses I managed to put some distance between the two of us. Then onto the back straight he gained some back. Coming out of turn 2 and 1 I looked back to see the Vette on my tail with one key difference. I was steadily pulling away and spreading a sizeable gap. I continued to make ground till about the middle of the straight where I saw the change of horse power overcome momentum. As we approached the braking zone for turn 15 he had almost caught back up but without enough room left for a pass. I focused harder the next lap and the next. The car responded beautifully to my steering inputs and I applied all I had learned with a little more precision and finesse. The end result was a 3-4 car gap after the second lap. On the third lap I had lost the Z06 by the back stretch. While a small victory in the rain over a novice driver in a much faster car it was still an awe inspiring feeling as we rolled into the pits.
My last session turned to be a nice easy run, just working on the technical points of the weekend due to fuel starvation beginning to settle in. That all changed in turn 6. My approach to that corner was slower than I had taken it all weekend. I braked firmly and turned the car in. Then about half way through the turn my rear end stepped out. It was a nice easy off around 40mph. The world spun in slow motion and all was calm inside the cabin. I pushed in with both feet and waited for the car to settle. After being directed back on by the corner worker when the track was clear I pulled into the pits. Our head of the instructors checked out the car and asked the inevitable, “So what happened?” I knew I was suppose to have an answer, but I honestly didn’t have a clue. I walked him through the corner and what I did, but nothing seemed like it would induce a spin. It was relieving to see the smile on his face and a pat on the back. All he said was, “I guess you’re not feeding me any baloney since Kevin’s shaking his head back there.” I called it a day. Kevin thinks it may have been a slick spot we didn’t notice since we took that corner with a little more speed previously. After looking back it may have been from a slight fuel cut and I realized that if I wouldn’t have been so tired I might have reacted fast enough to step back on the gas. In the end a new lesson was learned.
As we sat around the pits and picked up, the three of us got a chance to share some stories and tales of the weekend. My brother’s car does well in the rain (think he likes it even more than I do) and we have another DSMer who’s ‘seen the light’. I remember hearing him on the phone talking to some of our old drag buddies saying, ‘…yeah its $275, but so much more worth it than a few nights at the drag strip.” For him, tires and sway bars are already in the works along with some driving attire. Mission accomplished!
