Daytona was canceled by the organizers so I went to Road Atlanta for the NASA Southeast Region Toy Run.

Lots of wrecks on Saturday. It was my first track day in a year and a half and the first time at RA in 5 years. I'm still not 100% on balance and coordination so I don't trust myself or the car. Needless to say I was careful and slow. I just don't have the guts to push it.

Last time I went to a track I was running 13-15 psi. Now I have 21ish.
This allows me to hide poor driving skill behind the extra horses. It also means I am tripping the high oil temp alarm occasionally. Needs more hood vents and such I guess. Always something to tinker with.



It was almost over when it was red flagged.

My brakes were hot when they stopped us on track and after a couple of minutes the pedal went soft when the fluid finally boiled. I tried to let the car roll a little so the pads wouldn't cook to the rotor or crack the rotor. I ended up waiting for a flatbed rather than taking a chance on having brakes when they waved us in.

 

I'm just quoting for honesty, sensibility and the very reason you get to drive your car home from events. Now fix your video!

 

Looks good! Still have AC huh? Must be nice

 

did your brake ducting not help much? inquiring minds want to know.

 

I don't have any back to back testing.
My brakes didn't fade, but they weren't fading previously. I am also making a lot more power than I was before the ducting was added, so I've changed several things at once.

The only real problem I had was with the red flag causing me to have to stop hot without a cool-down lap and it heat soaked the calipers and boiled the fluid. I bled the brakes again after that and went back out with no problems.

 

What did the official see to cause him to red flag you?

 

The red flag was for all the cars to stop because of a wreck. Emergency vehicles needed to get on the track. If there was a problem with just my car they would have given me the black flag.

 

Red flag is an entire course stop. There was probably an accident that required emergency vehicles to be parked on the track.

 

This was said red flag event. I didn't get to see it transpire, because stock miata, but came across T9 right after it happened. Driver was OK, car... not so much.

 

Derp a derp. Of course

 

Drove on the paint in outside of turn 5 several times on Saturday. Apparently it is different when the paint is wet. Soiled my drawers.


I waved by a lot of braver souls than me this weekend, especially when the track was damp first thing Sunday.

 

It makes keeping the car cool on the track a lot tougher. But the car would be parked 6 months out of the year if I didn't have it. Not that I drive it a whole lot on the street. Trade offs and such.

 

My Chin instructor warned me of the evils of the paint in Turn 5. I believe he'd written off a car in the past there.

 

Nice catch. Bet that woke you up.

 

Yep- on a wet T5 I keep the wheels straight, drive straight across the paint to the cut through and then turn on the cut through asphalt. Sounds whacked, but it minimize lateral load on the paint and allows for more speed through the turn. Of course this is racing- otherwise I just stay away from it.

I think you need to pull more Gs in the turns/braking- that dime on your center console never moved. Otherwise a lot of your group could learn something from your line.

 

My line? I was Helen Keller!

And the dime is the sticky mount for Hula Kitty:

 

Dude- the guys in your camera were missing apexes by over a car width, not to mention being on the wrong side of the track in odd places. Your line at least had reason. It looked to me like you had a clue. I always told my students to drive a fast line regardless how slow you are now, so that then you only need to add speed. I knew that wasn't a dime.

 

@ 5:08 I suppose you are referring. Completely let go of wheel and let car correct itself? Nice catch.

 

The front wheels were initially slipping somewhat like the rear. When they hit blacktop they were trying to correct themselves faster than I could move so I let them have it. If I had held on to it I would have finished spinning and dented a pretty red NB and an S2000. Much credit goes to the fact that it goes from paint back to blacktop and stuck the back end again and swung it back in. Weird feeling going from grip to nothing to grip again.

 

and then poo came out?

Any particular reasoning behind your hand shuffling?