Scott McIntyre
DSM Wiseman
- 309
- 44
- Mar 15, 2002
-
Halifax,
NS, Canada
Last SoloSprint (a.k.a Time Attack) of the season. Last chance to beat my personal best.
If you recall my last report, I stripped 3rd gear while lapping at this very track about 6 weeks prior. Since then I've purchased a brand new TRE Stage 4 with all the options, as well as a rear LSD with EVO8 (clutch-type) internals and DSS 650HP rear axles. Also during the downtime I finally got bungs welded on my intake pipe for my GMIAT sensor and TiAL 50mm BOV (read: speed density).
It being a new transmission meant that it needed to be broken-in before hitting the track, so I spent every evening after work driving around in stop & go traffic. Oh what joy! But I got through those first 500 miles, changed the fluid, and was ready in time to hit the track.
This was a two-day event. Practice in the morning and timed event in the afternoon. Weather was good, and great turnout.
Day 01
Day 02
So no new personal best for me this year. My 2009 time stands. But with the recent changes to the car and fresh new rubber, next year I'm gonna to destroy that lap time.
Here are some photos from the weekend.
If you recall my last report, I stripped 3rd gear while lapping at this very track about 6 weeks prior. Since then I've purchased a brand new TRE Stage 4 with all the options, as well as a rear LSD with EVO8 (clutch-type) internals and DSS 650HP rear axles. Also during the downtime I finally got bungs welded on my intake pipe for my GMIAT sensor and TiAL 50mm BOV (read: speed density).
It being a new transmission meant that it needed to be broken-in before hitting the track, so I spent every evening after work driving around in stop & go traffic. Oh what joy! But I got through those first 500 miles, changed the fluid, and was ready in time to hit the track.
This was a two-day event. Practice in the morning and timed event in the afternoon. Weather was good, and great turnout.
Day 01
I spent most of the morning practice getting reacquainted with the car. The clutch-type rear LSD and front "Rip-Grip" differential changed the handling characteristics of the car. Power delivery was much improved. I could get on the throttle earlier on corner exit without suffering the brief (1-2 second) rear one-wheel-peel that the old OEM rear LSD exhibited. And the front power-on-push was also reduced somewhat due to the new front diff. All pluses, but required some getting used to.
During the afternoon competition I kept some in reserve, not fully comfortable with attacking the course. But I still managed a respectable 1:18.234 lap, which was only 0.09 seconds of my all-time best. So I was content with that. It was good enough for 4th overall and 1st in my class (of one, heh).
Here's a video of the session where I got the 1:18.234 lap:
During the afternoon competition I kept some in reserve, not fully comfortable with attacking the course. But I still managed a respectable 1:18.234 lap, which was only 0.09 seconds of my all-time best. So I was content with that. It was good enough for 4th overall and 1st in my class (of one, heh).
Here's a video of the session where I got the 1:18.234 lap:
Day 02
After the previous day's seat time, I was feeling more comfortable in the car and had the confidence to push harder. Considering how close I got to my personal best the previous day, and how reserved I had driven, surely this would be the day I smash my old record thanks in part to those new differentials.
Practice was fun. I was pushing the car harder and had some fun in traffic. However, looking at my datalog afterward revealed not so impressive times. I was running in the 1:19's. Hmmmm...
Next came the afternoon timed event. I drove the car hard, pushing it to the limits of adhesion.... Sometimes a little too far as a video below will illustrate. But despite my best effort, my lap times were slow. I started out the afternoon running low 1:19's, which gradually increased to high 19's, then low 20's, and finishing up the day in high 1:20's. It didn't make any sense to me. I was driving better, but the times just kept getting slower. It wasn't due to the conditions neither, because everyone else was getting faster and posting their best times of the weekend. Bloody hell!
My only conclusion is that the tires I was running were finally heat-cycled-out and no longer offered the necessary grip. It makes sense considering their age. I definitely need new stickies for next year.
In the end my best lap on Day 02 was a 1:19.369 (which happened to be my first timed lap of the day), and I found myself fourth overall again, and class winner (1 or 1).
Here's a couple videos from Day 02. First is me playing with an FD RX7 in traffic, and the second is what happens when the expected grip is no longer there.
Practice was fun. I was pushing the car harder and had some fun in traffic. However, looking at my datalog afterward revealed not so impressive times. I was running in the 1:19's. Hmmmm...
Next came the afternoon timed event. I drove the car hard, pushing it to the limits of adhesion.... Sometimes a little too far as a video below will illustrate. But despite my best effort, my lap times were slow. I started out the afternoon running low 1:19's, which gradually increased to high 19's, then low 20's, and finishing up the day in high 1:20's. It didn't make any sense to me. I was driving better, but the times just kept getting slower. It wasn't due to the conditions neither, because everyone else was getting faster and posting their best times of the weekend. Bloody hell!
My only conclusion is that the tires I was running were finally heat-cycled-out and no longer offered the necessary grip. It makes sense considering their age. I definitely need new stickies for next year.
In the end my best lap on Day 02 was a 1:19.369 (which happened to be my first timed lap of the day), and I found myself fourth overall again, and class winner (1 or 1).
Here's a couple videos from Day 02. First is me playing with an FD RX7 in traffic, and the second is what happens when the expected grip is no longer there.
.
So no new personal best for me this year. My 2009 time stands. But with the recent changes to the car and fresh new rubber, next year I'm gonna to destroy that lap time.
Here are some photos from the weekend.
