Citrus region PCA; Blue Group. It goes:

Green (total noob, with instructors)
Blue (not likely to kill anyone, with instructors)
White (solo)
Red (instructors)
Black (boss status achieved)

Unfortunately, it's totally subjective. I've definitely seen some people in White that shouldn't be there and, honestly, I could probably get signed off to solo if I asked for it but I'm enjoying the instruction and trying to keep my ego at a minimum.

Steve you going to be camping at Robeling Road or getting a hotel? Did I possibly hear you need crew and someone to smoke some BBQ?

well shit, are we going to make a party of this? I may have to come down

OK, lets have a party. Pretty difficult to talk me into it, huh?

I had planned on staying in a hotel because I'm too cranky to sleep on the ground and not have a shower in the morning, lol. I guess I could be talked into camping if the weather is good.

Instruction is always good. I have been solo for quite awhile but since this is my first time at Roebling I asked for an instructor for a session or two on Saturday to help learn the proper line.

NASA-FL is really laid back and easy. NASA-SE is pretty good too but they don't allow people to ride along with anyone but instructors. NASA-FL lets anyone ride with HPDE3 or higher. HPDE1 is with an instructor, 2 is solo and still only pass on designated straights with a point-by, 3 is pass anywhere with a point-by, and 4 is anywhere with or without a point-by.

You should try to come out for both. Apparently we are having a party at Roebling. But if you can only do one, Homestead is awesome when they are running the high banks of the Grand Am course. Not so much when they are on the club course.

NASA only requires a rollbar for open cars and an SA2005 or newer helmet. Long cotton pants (jeans) and close-toed shoes. That's it. Easy.

Once upon a time, I got to run the infield with the banks in a Barber Dodge car. :)

Rollbar, seats, 6-points, SA2010, etc. I'm all set for safety gear, sans HANS-restraint and firesuit.

Sounds like you are ready. Roebling is dirt cheap and Homestead is just a little more. The more the merrier!

Are you going to the local meetup in Lakeland?

Pulled pork or Brisket is the next question.

Yes is the answer. But you can't ever go wrong with pulled pork.

I kinda miss the south... and Steve... I'll pull your pork

It's my favorite black girl from Kansas City, Tasty Danisha! Yes, there is a lot to like in the South. But I'm sure you will find a noodle to tug on when you get to Japan. How is/was survival training? Have they taught you to trap possums and other varmints for food yet? Do they have possums in California? Wait, I don't even know if they have possums in Crapstanastan? Who would want to live in a place without possums?

What were we talking about?

I thought Tasty was training to take out Kim Jong the Illest.

We will talk more about me coming down to Robeling Road when it gets a bit closer to that date. I got to see what all is going on with my cash monies and buying a house.

you are welcome to hold out on talking about it, but i can go ahead and tell you that I wont be making it for various reasons :vash:

It is not possible for me to make the Atlanta trip, but there is a possibility for the Homestead trip.

Party? When and where?? I wanna come!

Trackday at Roebling Road, Savannah, April 13-14 with NASA. You are invited.

Hey everybody, Troy's car will be done before the end of April so he can do a trackday in May. I know this because he made a contract with my wife and I about it. Pretty cool, huh?

Attaching an msq for Buffon.

Thanks!! :party:

mmmmmm guuurrrrl, dat ain't right. Watz really hood my ninja?

I haven't gone to SERE yet. I'm about a 4-6weeks from completing tactical training, THEN I go eat possum. I have no idea if we have possum, actually I've seen almost zero wildlife since I got to CA. Unless you count drunk baishes in the Gas-lamp district.

I think Nomerz would rather go to JAX than come back to SD after Japan... it's got me thinking...

Aww man, thats too soon. No way I will be ready in time. :/:/:/ I maybe able to make it.

You've got it running now! No excuses!

Update:

Old 1.8 10in front brakes:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1364782009

New 11in front brakes and fresh Hawk Blues:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1364782009

Hot off the presses, here's the last session from today at Roebling Road Raceway, Savannah, GA. This is a combined NASA HPDE3&4 session. There was a moment where I thought I was doing pretty well until I was passed on the straight away by a Rusty Wallace wannabe doing 160mph. I was running about 10-11psi max and on old used '07 date code 205 RA1 Toyos I picked up for free (because I'm a cheap bastard).

You can see what the throttle is doing by watching the upper (boost) gauge on the A-pillar.

I hoping to race with you soon on Sebring

I haven't watched the whole thing yet, but did you have any lap timing at all? The first couple of full laps appeared to be circa 1:33?

Was this your first time at Roebling? Thoughts?

Yes, it was my first time on this track. I had a "guide" ride with me in the morning, and while he was a nice guy, he wasn't doing a great job explaining the line to me. Throughout the day I had a chance to watch several race groups run from a few vantage points and picked up a few things. I still don't feel confident in several sections and these old, hard tires are squirrelly in a few sections where I should be flatout.

As you can see, two of the sections are decreasing radius turns. The racers carry an odd flow from inside to outside and back in 1,2 then 5,6 and also in 7. And the turn (8) before the front stretch supposedly could be taken flatout if I had better grip or less power. I'm sure I could do it on new Hoosiers.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1365940429
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1365940429


Between turn 7 and turn 1 should be one giant acceleration run on good tires. I was right at 130mph indicated entering the braking zone before turn 1. I feel that I have been braking earlier and more there than I need to to make the turn but haven't got the experience yet to know how much speed I can carry there.

I really didn't like the track much initially. By that last session, though, I started to enjoy and understand it better. Like many things in life, understanding begets enjoyment.

Maybe b/c the end of the day - but that sure wasn't a combined 3&4 group I've ever seen with Nasa... very empty. For the rest of the weekend, was it like the typical RA combined traffic jam?
Once the car is done, if ever, RR is on the list of tracks to do. I have heard the same impression of RR - looks un-impressive at first until you drive it.

It was initially unimpressive to drive it. Once I started running the racing line and began pushing it some, it got engaging and quite entertaining. Most apexes are blind and late, so you start your turn-in on faith like turn 2 at RA. Some turns are slightly off camber. At least one of the turns is terrifying if you are doing it right.

Hurry up!



Cool, damp track and cold tires for this first session on Sunday (Youtube is still processing is right now but should be up soon):

Gotcha. I was really fortunate to have a great instructor my first time out at Roebling who had plenty of experience there and was good at communicating with me. I was with a Porsche Club and he also pointed out there were a few "distinct" lines: the race line, the 911 HPDE line and the Miata HPDE line. :)

With fresh tires and more seat time, I bet you can pick up a decent amount of time by carrying more speed through 1, 3 could probably be flat-out, I don't think I got 5 "just right" a single time in four days there, and - like you said - 8 can be flat-out for a lot of people.

I lacked the confidence to take either 3 or 8 flat-out. I would breathe off the throttle just a bit before both.

Our speed differentials are pretty huge. I think I'm doing something on the order of 85 MPH indicated exiting 8 and only getting to ~105 MPH indicated before braking before turn 1. :hahano:


I definitely think it's a fun track that's pretty easy on the cars and a lot more enjoyable than you'd think looking at it on paper. It looks super simple, but I felt it was a lot more nuanced than it might seem at first.

Nuanced is a good word for it.

I know I was overbraking in several of the turns but didn't have the guts to brake less. With the car as it was this weekend I'm confident it couldn't have taken 3 or 8 without lifting. I was hitting 134mph indicated by the end of the straight away and was braking a little early every time. I was working up the guts to stop later and slow down less. I was probably giving up 2-3 seconds right there.

I just signed up for Sunday May 12th at Homestead with Hooked on Driving. They have a completely wide open track with open passing from 9-12am and then 1-5pm. They are running the Grand-Am configuration which includes the high banking of Nascar 3 and 4. Woot!

Come run or come visit!

Only 20 cars registered. Open track, open passing all day. It was hot.

And some pics:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472270

http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps8c2a9a4f.jpg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368472500

open track open passing? heck yeah! I wish I could get something like that a bit closer to here...

Multilayer fire suit cannot be worn without cool suit in this heat for very long, no matter how damp the suit is. And I refused to wear the single layer suit at the speeds I was running. If anybody has a line on a cheap used cool shirt or any associated hardware, let me know.

How to have a great Mother's Day:
1. Take wife and daughter to a resort in Key Largo.
2. Leave them there.
3. Drag turbo Miata 20 miles up the road to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
4. Play.


Open track with open passing all day 9am-5pm with a break for lunch. Only 20 cars started the day.
It was hot, and I learned some things:
-A multi-layer fire suit cannot be worn without a cool suit in the summer, no matter how damp it is.
-Turbo blankets work very well. After a half lap of cool-down and taking my time unbuckling and removing safety gear in the garage, the turbine housing and downpipe were still glowing cherry red under the blanket and shielding. IR thermo gun said it was still 860+ degrees.
-Tire pressure - 26psi cold can equal 34psi hot if tire gets hot enough.
-Corrado front rotors don't fade like 1.8 rotors when using the same brake pads.
-Old used Toyo RA1's are not as sticky as old used Hoosier R6's
-OEM front wheel bearing grease doesn't like to be very hot.

According to RaceChrono (free software for Android phones), I was reaching ~120mph on the back straight before slowing to
110 for the banking, then up to 130 before braking on the front straight to dive into the infield. Trail braking almost always got me loose in turn 1 coming off the front straight because of the transition to the apron from the banking.

I'll upload some videos soon.

Been there brother. MIS in May, happened to be a 90*F heat wave with high humidity. Thats a lot of black pavement to be around wearing a black fire suit, with a black helmet, black gloves, and black shoes. in a open top car. Thankfully I didnt have to do the long race, our team Asian did, he sucked down 4 bottles of water when he got off the track in the time it took to push the car like 200 feet.

Looking forward to the video. I remember pussy-footing around that track about a decade ago during my first and only drive in an open-wheel car. The sensation of coming up on to the banking and having the car "sucked" toward the wall was definitely disconcerting.

I'm also trying to figure out why all the events are hitting my radar in June when it's going to be 95F and 95% humidity everywhere in the SE.

Where have you been all Spring?

June 15-16 at Sebring is next. It might be a scorcher and I'll definitely be using my single layer suit. I usually wet it down and that works ok. I hope a wet suit won't burn. I still need a cool suit.

I've run there in Summer thunderstorms a few times and it gets slick, and also deep. I learned a lot by doing it, though.

A wet suit wont burn, but if it is soaked through I would think the water would still be able to burn you. Remember, the suit not only protects you from flames but from heat too, thats why its so hot inside. It keeps the heat out, but as a side effect it keeps the heat in too.

Come play with us at Sebring! DO IT!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...oad_Course.svg

'96 Miata, stock block, Chinese 2870 turbo @~10psi max, Hawk Blue brake pads, very old Toyo RA1 tires, rear sway bar was disconnected to test handling and car was understeering in turns and felt a bit numb. It was hot and tire pressures ended up too high as well - still testing. This was second outing of the day. Car always felt a little light in the rear end in turn 1 across the transition from the banked front straight onto the flat apron.



Rear sway bar was reconnected to softest setting and car was better in turns. Running up toward 120mph on back straight, down to 110mph in the high bank turns, then up to about 130mph before braking and turning into the infield at turn 1. Definitely traction limited in banked turns on these old tires compared to the Hoosiers I had last time. This was the third time out that morning.

I caught a Gallardo, lol.

There was still turbine glow after cool down 1/2 lap, returning to garage, and removing safety gear. Turbo blanket definitely works. So does Resbond and Inconel. Crappy cell phone pics were all I could take at the time.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368624712

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368624712

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368624712


I let the car idle for a loooonnnng time after each session to cool down.

Thick steel takes a long time to cool. Measure what the temp of it is while its hot right after the lap and move on.

That is hot. I assume the dipstick has not melted?

I'm not saying it has anything to do with the blanket but... I'm pretty the track gurus are against them.

You see them on pro-level cars, so not sure why they're frowned upon? I've got one, but before TSE stud kit, had to keep removing it to get to bolts - which got old over time. I'll be using it *when* my track build is done.

Seeing it glow like that Steve, define Looooong idle cool down... like 10 minutes? Makes he think of adding K-thermocouple to monitor turbine housing temps... my impatient ass would probably turn it off too soon and cook the oil.

I really think it is because your timing is too retarded. Always trying to play it safe but too safe is not good either.

I'd be willing to bet that the long run coming out of the infield, around the high bank and back in has a lot to do with that heat. That is a loooong run in boost. What's your front camber/toe?

That's why I'm not convinced there is any problem having one. I can't imagine having that much unrestrained radiant heat.

It was definitely 10 minutes plus. I was in no hurry to shut it off.

At 10psi I was getting AFRs of 10.7-10.9, which I thought was reasonable considering the heat It may need some more advance to get it all burned before exiting the cylinder.
I just don't know who has a well developed spark map with a stock '94-'96 bottom end. You never know if the guy you are copying is as lost as Hustler. Anyone you can think of in particular?

https://www.miataturbo.net/megasquir...z-18648/page4/

Ben from DIY autotune has a dynotuned spark table for a stock NA bottom end. Post #80. If it seems a little aggressive for you take 2 degrees out and you should be fine. I run the boost part of this table as my spark advance table with no problem and a more aggressive table in vacuum that I took from Loren and modified just a little.

Hustler is one of the few here that always tunes on a load bearing dyno and uses det cans.

Just sayin.

I used to run my fuel in the 10's and super conservative timing a long time ago. Kept warping flanges and glowing like you. That got old real fast.

I just like giving him a hard time.

Yeah, you also had the benefit of being able to use e85, iirc. That change must solve a lot of problems. Except for fuel consumption. We don't have access to that here so it's not an option.

Ryan, I remember that spark table from a long time ago, but hadn't revisited any spark info since I started turning the pressure up. I'll see if I can optimize things here in the next two days. I need to pull out the det cans.

True but I'm talking about before I switched to e85. Like you I was all about keeping it as absolutely safe as possible. Then realized that you can break things by being too safe. That was a real eye opener lol

I reread the thread and didn't see anyone running much more timing than me in the 156-183kpa range. Anyone else got a well developed map for a stock '94-97 engine.

I think this is my old spark map of when Jerry at DIYAutoTune tuned my car in 2008. It was a bone stock 94 bottom end with a begi kit and a sr20 t25. I was getting spark blow out on my stock coils around 10psi. The dyne below were my final numbers at 9.5psi

http://boostedmiata.com/gallery/var/...g?m=1368738768
http://boostedmiata.com/gallery/var/...g?m=1368738683

I'm running a lot more than that in 183kpa and at 156kpa, and this is for a track car.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368904148

http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps73afd365.png

this is what i run:

(the top table)

http://www.boostedmiata.com/gallery/...g?m=1368741309

Yours is more conservative than mine in the ~183kpa range.

I dunno what to say then. Too much fuel?
I've never seen people's hotsides still glowing after idling for 10+ minutes after a cooldown lap like that.

The picture wasn't 10 minutes later, but i was letting the car idle in the garage for 10+ minutes after coming in. The actual pic was after slowing for the last half lap, and then removing my helmet and fire gear and unbuckling from the harnesses. I had run about 15 minutes hard on the track at ~90 degrees ambient. This track involves repeatedly running from 4k rpm in 2nd gear up to 6500 rpm in 5th (130mph), so I know it is building some heat.

I'm cautious about running higher than 11.0 AFRs at 10psi on the 2870 on the track. Detonation is a scary prospect and the heat soak is real after several laps.

I say your turbo needs air. Ok ok pro guys use blankets, but I don't and my turbo never glows after a proper cool down lap. I also leave the fans on for 5-15 minutes after pulling into the pits.

My downpipe also wasn't fabricated by a 12 year old.