Mt Tam I am's Driving Journal

JARblue

Looking forward to it

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blackcherry20

In 85f weather with the sun beaming in my eyes! 2nd day in a row! More of the same tomorrow according to the weather man!
So effing awesome!

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Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

Mt Tam I am

It was a tough field at Thunderhill.


??? 2005 Honda S2000 (Silver) GT-4
113 1998 Dodge Viper (Silver) GT-2
14 2012 BMW M3 coupe (mineral white) -
65 2009 Nissan 370z (Silver) GT-3
567 1993 Mazda RX-7 (gray) GT-1 1466842
151 2005 BMW e46 M3 (Silver) -
134 2009 Audi R8 (Black) GT-2
!97 2012 BMW 135i (Deep Sea Blue) GT-3
19 2005 Lotus Elise (Burgundy) GT-2
615 2005 BMW M3 (Blue) GT-3
753 2013 Corvette ZR1 (White) GT-1
181 2010 Ariel Atom3 (Silver/Black) GT-1 3331231
152 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (Black) GT-1 6490838
581 2013 Nissan GTR (Blue) -
905 2011 Ford Mustang GT (Candy Apple Red) GT-2 3785900
247 2005 Lotus Elise (Red) GT-4
977 2013 Subaru BRZ (Blue) GT-5
46 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution GSR (Graphite) -
6969 1996 Dodge Viper GTS (Blue) GT-1
710 2010 CORVETTE ZR1 (WHITE) GT-1 8348297
0555 2009 Lotus Exige (Burnt Orange)

I was almost the only car on street tires to add to everything else. After 10 minutes the tires lost something so the grip felt like cottage cheese. It was good but a tad less.

I improperly bedded my brakes so I had chatter initially and was unhappy with my new set up. I thought about leaving but decided to just tough it out and boy am I glad I did. Once they were hot again they seemed to be nearly normal and chattered when cold. The high speed slow down 120 - 130 to 80 MPH upset the car a bit, losing confidence, but it got me around the track in spite.

I was passed so many times. The Airiel Atom while so fast it was hard to keep track of in the rear view mirror. He was a spot on the back straight, two turns later I saw him way back and was going to give a point by when he was missing, a moment later he was passing on the other side. If he seemed fast, the RX7 with the LS7 is faster still. While flat out on my way to 130 MPH the Mazda went by like I had lifted off the gas. He blew something within a few turns and threw oil all over a Lotus and blue smoke billowed out the back as he drove off line. This is the only time I have ever passed this car with the exception of when it was broken down on the track at Laguna Seca. One heck of a car when it runs. It turned a 1:33 there. Faster than a ZR1 in Randy Pobst's hands!

I had a consistant day but I was a second short from beating my last, best time here in October.

The weather had been perfect up until mid afternoon. then sprinkles on one end of the track and dry on the other. For the last run of the day, they include the race team members at the back. It suddenly started pouring down rain where sitting waiting for the green flag.

This is the best I did all day, street tires help now. I had a lot of bugs on my windshield that I'd collected throughout the day but had tree sap from home too. This got on my wipers leaving a blurry streak on each wiper return. After 15 minutes, I was leading and pitted myself to avoid calamity. I just could not see well plus I was pushing too hard to catch cars that had passed me all day. Drop the ego and get off the track.


Thunderhill 5/5/14 #4 - YouTube

Thunderhill Heavy Rain #5 - YouTube

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

blackcherry20

So matter of fact. I am always a bundle of nerves when autocrossing.
The one time I was on a track it was raining and horrible. Potenzas sucked in good weather.

You're something though. Always putting yourself out there.

If i dont get some rest before this weekend (my first auto-x of the season) i will be worthless and grumpy.

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Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

MightyBobo

Tam... Dumb question. Why on earth have you not moved up to r-comps of some sort? Best upgrade I did was changing out to my square Proxes RA1 setup.

And I got one session on them before I sold the car :-p

Sent from my Nexus 5

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I don't own a car anymore.

Mt Tam I am

I am quite literally doing this as we speak, with a new set of rims. I do like the part where my car drives the same at the track or on the road, but I am about to upgrade.

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

Mt Tam I am

My R888 tires have been unavailable and they arrived yesterday and look great. Unfortunately I was at Laguna Seca the day before. So this event will be on my regular everyday street tires, like always.

My best gal and I drove down to the track on Saturday had dinner with some other drivers. Sunday morning was misting with fog and thought my Michelins might be the winning option but by 9AM the sun was out and while cool the day was perfect. It may have hit 70 Degrees (maybe 67*) by 4PM but with a light cool ocean breeze who cares.

This was my first Laguna with my new Z1 front brake rotors. I have warped my brakes 6 out of 6 times here up until now. I had trouble at Thunderhill as I had improperly bedded my brakes but since then have re-bedded the brakes with many hard stops. It seems to have worked as at the end of the day my brakes were fine with the exception all the drill holes are full of brake dust. So I must go around and clean them out with a chopstick. The rear OEM brake rotors now have a blue tint of heat which is new. I plan on Z1 rear rotors soon.

I have a buddy who always passes me in his E46 M3 at every event; Granted he is far more experienced and a much better set up. I asked him how the day went and what group he was in. He answered my group, and we agreed we never saw one another all day. I crossed some threshold where a couple seconds a lap gap leads to being passed or not. I did knock 2 seconds off my previous best time, now 1:52.250. But my average time without traffic became 1:53'ish, until my tires heated up.

I got a little squirrely at one point getting on the gas too hard but the worst thing was missing a down shift and going into neutral instead of second and revving hard instead. I quickly drove off track so as not to be rear ended. This is turn 11 at the beginning of the main straight where everyone stands on the gas. The car behind saw everything and let me back on in front of him.

I stayed alert all day and with permission even ran a sixth session, 5 is all I paid for. I was shattered by dinner time but perked up with food.

The best part of all was meeting a vet from Korea and Vietnam and thanked him for his service, and later where he was. He teared up with my thanks. I was in the presence of heros as he told the tale of being dug in on the Chinese border. I knew what that meant. He had some of the worst and hardest duty ever. I said Chosin and he said yes. I told my gal what this meant and she was totally unaware how a handful of Marines and Army fended off division after division, Corp after corp until an Army was destroyed. Poor fellows. My hearts bleeds as I write this for those guys. This is how I felt at dinner and secretly asked the waitress for his check. I am sure he knew who it was that paid for it, but we left first.

It really was the best day in years.



Passing Fool at Laguna Seca in a Nissan 370Z - YouTube

Tearing it up at Laguna Seca in a Nissan 370Z - YouTube

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

MightyBobo

You will thank yourself, over and over. Assuming you are going square, the car becomes pretty freaking beast with some good track meat. And my RA1's were cheaper than just about any set of street tires (I got them for <$1100 shipped). Combine that with a more resilient rubber for track conditions, and you'll be a happy guy without wasting as much money.

I'm actually selling my wheel/tire setup now, asking $1800 total. A bargain for someone around here.

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I don't own a car anymore.

blackcherry20

very nice story great day driving and then meeting heroes. And with your "best gal" too Does not get much better than that!


Since I am abusing a Miata in auto-x and not Harry is it still ok to post here?!


Two events now in the Miata. Since i'm not worrying about breaking or damaging Harry I am having much more fun. I have set my goal to match or beat the times of a much younger more experienced female Miata driver. I am about 1.5s off her time after two events. And captured my first 360 on course during my 2nd run Sunday. Lol! Made a couple mistakes but learned tons. Have a couple of experienced club members mentoring me. Having way more fun w it this summer and enjoying Harry on the side with no scuffs scratches etc :h appydance:

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Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

Mt Tam I am

That sounds fantastic all around. Miatas are great cars.

You recently purchased another set of shoes for Harry. What was their fate?

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

blackcherry20

i did! And you remembered! How nice of you

I am actually running them right now (no TPMS, is that a problem other than the little warning light?) And they have Michelin Pilot A/S tires. Not PSS. But....the seem to grip well, and not pick up debris as bad, and they are still wide fat tires.
I light them up at will. Lol.

No complaints. I may have been converted.

Glad you are having an awesome time on the track w your Z.

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Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

cossie1600

Good run

Mt Tam I am

Here I am being hunted down by my mentor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XeC...PodVDqahHhPAnA

He is leading this years club GT5 class. I helped spur him on for a fast lap.

__________________
Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

JARblue

Nice! His fastest ever at that track in a Miata apparently

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MightyBobo

Here's an addition for you all.

Was riding back home on my usual, all-thruway commute. Around Baltimore, we have the Beltway (aka, 495). Its a free-for-all during rush hour. The speed limit is 55 around the whole thing, but that is a joke here: 65-70 is typically what you do. And I was doing just that in the Vette today (71 to be precise). But, for some reason, today was different: traffic was considerably less sparse. I have a feeling it had something to do w/ the World Cup, but who knows.

Anyway, at some point on my way home, most traffic diverts off of the beltway, and this time I was left all alone and in the left lane. Typically, it's locked up with vehicles. Well, turns out the local cops found a new hiding place they've never used, and even after I spotted him a good 1/4 of a mile away, he got me. I knew, because I had tons of time to get up to him and watch him get out of the car, and point to the shoulder, so off I went.

He re-positions the cruiser behind me so I can "assume the position." And this is where it gets funny, because you know your traffic stop will be painless when the first words out of his mouth are, "Hiya, I'm Officer XXXXX. Just so you are aware, this traffic stop is being recorded via audio and video. So, what year is she?"

I almost crack up laughing, but I keep my cool and tell him it's an 03, just got it a couple months ago to replace the old car that I take to the track, and how I wanted a C6 but the C5 Z06 was a far better bang-for-the-buck.

Him: "Ahh...yeah, I own a 2011"
Me: "Z06?"
Him: "Nah, Grand Sport"
Me: "Great choice, best bang for the buck in the Vettes"
Him: "So you hit the track? Where at?"
Me: "Oh, Summit Point, VIR...couple others..."
Him: "Ahh...yeah, I take my motorcycle out there...well, license and registration if you would please."
*hands it to him, still randomly talking about Vettes and stuff*
Him: "Alright, well if everything checks out, it'll just be a warning"
*He starts to walk off, then comes back*
Him: "Oh right, I got you doing 71 in a 55"
Me: "Yeah...I know...I saw the HUD" And we just laugh as he walks off.

Funny when the cop almost forgets to tell you what the hell he was pulling you over for :-p

Anyway, so I haven't had a ticket since...christ...probably 2006 or 2007, and have never been pulled over since. So my record is clean, and after a brief wait, while laughing and reliving the conversation in my car, he lets me off. I shake his hand, thank him for his service, and tell him that he's got some good new hiding spots because I've been hauling this commute for 2 years, and it was the first time anyone was ever there.

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I don't own a car anymore.