Scott McIntyre
DSM Wiseman
- 309
- 44
- Mar 15, 2002
-
Halifax,
NS, Canada
It was a big mad rush to make this event. I had started prepping the Talon a month in advance, and didn’t get it completed until the Friday before the event. A cracked exhaust manifold and a leaking turbo oil feed line left me waiting on parts I had not expected I’d need.
So this event was my first “test†of the new upgrades to the car: FP Big28 turbo, FP race manifold, braided oil feed line kit, SPC adjustable front upper control arms, 900 lb/in front springs, rear Hpyerco helper springs, external oil cooler, Autometer oil temp & pressure gauges, and a pair of Sparco EVO 2 race seats. I also got a MaxQData data acquisition system and a RAM-mount for on-board video.
Unfortunately the day at the track was a wet one, so I was unable to use my video camera. But I’ll definitely capture some videos from future events.
Despite the dismal weather, the driving school was awesome! My instructor was a veteran racer with SCCA championship wins. He taught me a lot which will help me both in competitive driving as well as on the street.
The Talon itself worked beautifully, if not too well. With the cold 11ºC temps and wet track, I was struggling to maintain traction. The rear tires would break loose coming out of turns and made for a hairy ride. But it was fun as hell and forced me to learn to drive smoothly.
There was some pretty nice machinery there as well. A 500whp FD RX7, a 600whp twin-turbo Z06, lots of modded SRT-4s and BMWs, oh and a Jetta.
As far as speed goes, I think I was doing pretty good. I was catching & passing pretty much everyone in my run group. However, I was completely humbled once the instructors brought their cars out on the track. They were passing me like I was out for a Sunday drive. I guess that’s why they are instructors.
All-in-all, a great day. My best lap was a 1:28.000 on a cold, wet day running street tires. I look forward to seeing what I can do in better conditions. My goal for the season to break 1:20, which would beat FTD at last year’s time trial / time attack event. Wish me luck! Better yet, come out and give it a try yourself! You’ll have a blast.
Here's some pics of the Talon at the HPDS. Forgive the mud... There a dirt road entrance and it was quite soupy that day.
The photographer is Gordon Sleigh, and his full album can be found here.
And here's the EVO 2 that was in attendance. The owner is Ming Wong of Moncton:
Here's that twin-turbo Z06 and a hopped-up Trans-Am. The Trans-Am is actually a class competitor of mine:
A 500HP RX7:
And a Porsche Boxster:
So this event was my first “test†of the new upgrades to the car: FP Big28 turbo, FP race manifold, braided oil feed line kit, SPC adjustable front upper control arms, 900 lb/in front springs, rear Hpyerco helper springs, external oil cooler, Autometer oil temp & pressure gauges, and a pair of Sparco EVO 2 race seats. I also got a MaxQData data acquisition system and a RAM-mount for on-board video.
Unfortunately the day at the track was a wet one, so I was unable to use my video camera. But I’ll definitely capture some videos from future events.
Despite the dismal weather, the driving school was awesome! My instructor was a veteran racer with SCCA championship wins. He taught me a lot which will help me both in competitive driving as well as on the street.
The Talon itself worked beautifully, if not too well. With the cold 11ºC temps and wet track, I was struggling to maintain traction. The rear tires would break loose coming out of turns and made for a hairy ride. But it was fun as hell and forced me to learn to drive smoothly.
There was some pretty nice machinery there as well. A 500whp FD RX7, a 600whp twin-turbo Z06, lots of modded SRT-4s and BMWs, oh and a Jetta.
As far as speed goes, I think I was doing pretty good. I was catching & passing pretty much everyone in my run group. However, I was completely humbled once the instructors brought their cars out on the track. They were passing me like I was out for a Sunday drive. I guess that’s why they are instructors.
All-in-all, a great day. My best lap was a 1:28.000 on a cold, wet day running street tires. I look forward to seeing what I can do in better conditions. My goal for the season to break 1:20, which would beat FTD at last year’s time trial / time attack event. Wish me luck! Better yet, come out and give it a try yourself! You’ll have a blast.
Here's some pics of the Talon at the HPDS. Forgive the mud... There a dirt road entrance and it was quite soupy that day.
The photographer is Gordon Sleigh, and his full album can be found here.
And here's the EVO 2 that was in attendance. The owner is Ming Wong of Moncton:
Here's that twin-turbo Z06 and a hopped-up Trans-Am. The Trans-Am is actually a class competitor of mine:
A 500HP RX7:
And a Porsche Boxster:
