GreenGSX
DSM Wiseman
- 371
- 5
- May 13, 2002
-
Rochester,
New York
This is a thread I started on my local RochesterDSM board. It has names you won't recognize but I think you can follow along. There is a video link at the bottom. Oh, the look on Chris's face was because our friend Steve just got a new EVO10 and brought it down to run at the track.
The trip down was uneventful...well after the suprised look wore off of Chris's face. We met up at the thruway entrance at 3pm and made it down by 4:10pm. Traffic was OK but there was line of Corvette's which were going 53mph which needed a blast of the dump tube. We got checked in and went back to the cabin for some beer on the porch followed by diner at the lodge and some more beer before bed.
Tomorrow is going to be an early start for me. I have to install my brake cooling ducts and get ready for my first session at 8:30am.
Monday morning I am up early and we all make the short trip up to the Glen. I get settled into my garage bay and work on installing my brake cooling ducts. Everything is going real easy. The instructors meeting is at 7:30 followed by the drivers meeting at 8am. I am out on the track at 8:30am.
I am excited about this first session because I am going to be running at 24psi of boost rather than my normal 21psi. I figure a little extra power will help me hunt down those pesky GT3's. First lap is slow to warm the tires/brakes and to get my brain back into running the Glen. The second lap I am hitting my marks and the extra boost is being put to good use. Near the end of my third lap I've passed some people and nail a 944 coming out of the boot. As I head back to the front strait the car bucks and then dies. I got lucky and I am close enough to the pit entrance that I can just coast all the way back to the paddack. After a couple of restart tries I get help from the guys to push me back into my garage bay.
Well, these are almost always either spark or fuel so my first guess is the fuel pump that I rewired before this event. I check things out with a volt meter and the relay is working but the fuel pump isn't turning on. So I make the call to pull the fuel pump and test it out of the car. While this is going on Steve "wonder boy" Burke has found a fuel pump for me at a parts store close by. Anybody who has had the pleasure of pulling a fuel pump on a 1G knows whats coming next. Three of the six pump cover bolts broke off. That will be important later. The fuel pump comes out and tests fine jumped off the battery.
I didn't have much more time to work on it as I had to instruct in both the Green and the White run groups and the White session was coming up fast. Lucky for me I have Steve Burke as my student and I get to ride along in a brand new EVO10. Just as a FYI I am not going to get into the evaluations of my students in this report just some observations. Both Steve and Sean can fill in the details this time around. So, out with Steve. The car is just sweet...just friggn sweet. The seats, brakes, boost, and grip are perfect. The power delivery is just like a small 16g car running lots of boost....that means "lots of fun" to drive. After a few minor corrections and some encouragment to brake deeper and later Steve is flying. I know in the first 5 minutes with him that he will be signed off to run solo after lunch today.
Back into the pits I hop out of Steve's car and right into the drivers seat of Seans car. I am lucky enough to get to drive a few laps to help him learn my line around the track. Seans car is a blast to drive. I've never driven a car that turns in so quick with so little effort. It was actually hard not to turn in to much. The car pulls hard and you can hang the tail out if you want to without getting into any trouble. Not that I did any of that. I pulled back into pit lane and we switched seats for Seans run. He did very well and quickly got up to speed. His line got better with every lap and so did his speed.
After Seans session we all converged on my car to get it up and running again. By this time I've missed my second session. With the fuel pump back in the car I jumped it with battery voltage and go 43psi to the rail. The fuel pump got to be good. I pull the plugs and they look dry so no I am not getting fuel. I take a guess and put my spare ECU back in the car and still it won't go. Sean with an evil grin looks under the hood and says "try it now"....well the bastard had found the cam posistion sensor had come unplugged!...that explains the no spark, no fuel pump, no fuel issue. Once plugged back in she fires right up.
After lunch I go out for my third session. I was hungry to take advantage of whatever time I had left so screw the warm up lap I was hustling right out of the gate. The car felt great...lots of power and enough grip to get the job done. After my third lap coming out of the boot I get the dreaded meatball and with my head hung in shame I head back in to talk to the nice lady. She tells me that I was sloshing fuel out the back end in three turns. Crap...I guess I might need all six of those cover bolts after all...
I get back in the pits and take a look at the pump cover and it looks like rust is keeping the cover from sealing so I hunt down some RTV, scrape off the rust, and put it back together. With all thats going on and the instructing I have to do I miss my third session. The guys are doing great so I get Steve signed off to run solo and continue to work with Sean.
Now there is no way I'm missing my last session of the day so I hop in and give the dash a quick rub and I beg the old girl to hang in there. I take it easy for a few laps but off in the distance I can see the back of a GTR... :twisted:
It takes me almost a lap and a half to catch up with him. I chase him for another full lap sticking close but not close enough to pass. I finally get close going down the carousel and I anticipate making my move up out of the toe of the boot. Down through the laces I'm close and we both charge into the toe of the boot. I brake really late and I am set for the pass. I car pushes a bit but I hang on and I'm full throttle before the apex cone. We both blast up the hill and I am quickly learning that he has more power, grip, and the driver knows what he's doing. I stick with him for another half lap but as we hit traffic I start to lose him and a lap later I can see him but the game is over. Timmy 0....GTR 1.
After the session I get a chance to talk to the owner and he turns out that he runs the central NY PCA club and races a 911. Oh, he has a GT3 too. Must be nice. Anyway, he says he laps the Glen in 2:13 in the GTR. That explains why I couldn't catch him. My best on tape is 2:18 and I suspect I've done a little better but 5 seconds is huge.
That night we get some pizza/beer and unwind back at the Lodge. I am beat by the day and although we had lots of fun picking on Chris I am off to bed early.
The next morning I'm out first and Chris Wirth is along for the ride. After a warmup lap I start to push a little harder. The car is doing well and I have found my rhythm. My lap times were 2:56, 2:26, 2:19, 2:20, 2:22, and 2:23 through traffic. I was happy with the pace. Here is a video of that session. You can see early on the tires are working but once they get hot they loose any hint of turn in. I call that greasy but the reality is that they still have grip because I can get out of the corners OK. To manage the tires I changed my line a bit. I pushed my braking zones into the turns and then I slide the car until grips and then I mash the gas and manage the drift out of the corner. It isn't the fastest way to take a corner but its the fastest way when you've overworked your tires.
GreenGSX at Watkins Glen Fall 2008
The trip down was uneventful...well after the suprised look wore off of Chris's face. We met up at the thruway entrance at 3pm and made it down by 4:10pm. Traffic was OK but there was line of Corvette's which were going 53mph which needed a blast of the dump tube. We got checked in and went back to the cabin for some beer on the porch followed by diner at the lodge and some more beer before bed.
Tomorrow is going to be an early start for me. I have to install my brake cooling ducts and get ready for my first session at 8:30am.
Monday morning I am up early and we all make the short trip up to the Glen. I get settled into my garage bay and work on installing my brake cooling ducts. Everything is going real easy. The instructors meeting is at 7:30 followed by the drivers meeting at 8am. I am out on the track at 8:30am.
I am excited about this first session because I am going to be running at 24psi of boost rather than my normal 21psi. I figure a little extra power will help me hunt down those pesky GT3's. First lap is slow to warm the tires/brakes and to get my brain back into running the Glen. The second lap I am hitting my marks and the extra boost is being put to good use. Near the end of my third lap I've passed some people and nail a 944 coming out of the boot. As I head back to the front strait the car bucks and then dies. I got lucky and I am close enough to the pit entrance that I can just coast all the way back to the paddack. After a couple of restart tries I get help from the guys to push me back into my garage bay.
Well, these are almost always either spark or fuel so my first guess is the fuel pump that I rewired before this event. I check things out with a volt meter and the relay is working but the fuel pump isn't turning on. So I make the call to pull the fuel pump and test it out of the car. While this is going on Steve "wonder boy" Burke has found a fuel pump for me at a parts store close by. Anybody who has had the pleasure of pulling a fuel pump on a 1G knows whats coming next. Three of the six pump cover bolts broke off. That will be important later. The fuel pump comes out and tests fine jumped off the battery.
I didn't have much more time to work on it as I had to instruct in both the Green and the White run groups and the White session was coming up fast. Lucky for me I have Steve Burke as my student and I get to ride along in a brand new EVO10. Just as a FYI I am not going to get into the evaluations of my students in this report just some observations. Both Steve and Sean can fill in the details this time around. So, out with Steve. The car is just sweet...just friggn sweet. The seats, brakes, boost, and grip are perfect. The power delivery is just like a small 16g car running lots of boost....that means "lots of fun" to drive. After a few minor corrections and some encouragment to brake deeper and later Steve is flying. I know in the first 5 minutes with him that he will be signed off to run solo after lunch today.
Back into the pits I hop out of Steve's car and right into the drivers seat of Seans car. I am lucky enough to get to drive a few laps to help him learn my line around the track. Seans car is a blast to drive. I've never driven a car that turns in so quick with so little effort. It was actually hard not to turn in to much. The car pulls hard and you can hang the tail out if you want to without getting into any trouble. Not that I did any of that. I pulled back into pit lane and we switched seats for Seans run. He did very well and quickly got up to speed. His line got better with every lap and so did his speed.
After Seans session we all converged on my car to get it up and running again. By this time I've missed my second session. With the fuel pump back in the car I jumped it with battery voltage and go 43psi to the rail. The fuel pump got to be good. I pull the plugs and they look dry so no I am not getting fuel. I take a guess and put my spare ECU back in the car and still it won't go. Sean with an evil grin looks under the hood and says "try it now"....well the bastard had found the cam posistion sensor had come unplugged!...that explains the no spark, no fuel pump, no fuel issue. Once plugged back in she fires right up.
After lunch I go out for my third session. I was hungry to take advantage of whatever time I had left so screw the warm up lap I was hustling right out of the gate. The car felt great...lots of power and enough grip to get the job done. After my third lap coming out of the boot I get the dreaded meatball and with my head hung in shame I head back in to talk to the nice lady. She tells me that I was sloshing fuel out the back end in three turns. Crap...I guess I might need all six of those cover bolts after all...
I get back in the pits and take a look at the pump cover and it looks like rust is keeping the cover from sealing so I hunt down some RTV, scrape off the rust, and put it back together. With all thats going on and the instructing I have to do I miss my third session. The guys are doing great so I get Steve signed off to run solo and continue to work with Sean.
Now there is no way I'm missing my last session of the day so I hop in and give the dash a quick rub and I beg the old girl to hang in there. I take it easy for a few laps but off in the distance I can see the back of a GTR... :twisted:
It takes me almost a lap and a half to catch up with him. I chase him for another full lap sticking close but not close enough to pass. I finally get close going down the carousel and I anticipate making my move up out of the toe of the boot. Down through the laces I'm close and we both charge into the toe of the boot. I brake really late and I am set for the pass. I car pushes a bit but I hang on and I'm full throttle before the apex cone. We both blast up the hill and I am quickly learning that he has more power, grip, and the driver knows what he's doing. I stick with him for another half lap but as we hit traffic I start to lose him and a lap later I can see him but the game is over. Timmy 0....GTR 1.
After the session I get a chance to talk to the owner and he turns out that he runs the central NY PCA club and races a 911. Oh, he has a GT3 too. Must be nice. Anyway, he says he laps the Glen in 2:13 in the GTR. That explains why I couldn't catch him. My best on tape is 2:18 and I suspect I've done a little better but 5 seconds is huge.
That night we get some pizza/beer and unwind back at the Lodge. I am beat by the day and although we had lots of fun picking on Chris I am off to bed early.
The next morning I'm out first and Chris Wirth is along for the ride. After a warmup lap I start to push a little harder. The car is doing well and I have found my rhythm. My lap times were 2:56, 2:26, 2:19, 2:20, 2:22, and 2:23 through traffic. I was happy with the pace. Here is a video of that session. You can see early on the tires are working but once they get hot they loose any hint of turn in. I call that greasy but the reality is that they still have grip because I can get out of the corners OK. To manage the tires I changed my line a bit. I pushed my braking zones into the turns and then I slide the car until grips and then I mash the gas and manage the drift out of the corner. It isn't the fastest way to take a corner but its the fastest way when you've overworked your tires.
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GreenGSX at Watkins Glen Fall 2008
