Several HPDEs in, looking into mild track upgrades

[FLtrackdays]

Wow so much great info here!

1) Seat time over everything else. Even aero. If you learn how to drive with some high speed “wiggle” I swear it’s fun as hell. May not be the fastest times. But it’s so valuable to have that confidence to drive the car on the edge and regain control at will. Which leads to….

2) Very unpopular opinion - track insurance being optional when you get to that point. If you know where your run off is and you can control the car on the limits (lots of rainy track days practice). You eventually get to a point where it can be an option. I’m not against it by any means. But you will know when you feel confident enough to drive without it. Yes anything can happen. I use to buy it in the beginning. And I’ve paid for some minor repairs that might have been covered by track insurance.

(But imagine putting that same money in a money market account earning 5% interest and watch it grow and used it for any incidentals if it happens) ?

3) My kids have fond memories at the track. They never got into carting like I wanted them to. But so be it. They still talk about dad, his track friends, Sebring, the race teams to this day. Bring them when you can!

Damn Wes what a great wright up and responses from everyone! You really got us all inspired and focused on what this car can do, is capable of, & what it’s best at - tracking. Rock said it well. He’s not even on coilovers ? Fastest BMW/Supra at Sebring is a stock (only tires) Supra buddy. I’m right behind him but damnnnnn this car sure is capable of great things.

Track/seat time by far is the biggest advantage of all.

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[decodeddiesel]

Seat time over everything else.

That's really the takeaway for me from the experience. That said I do believe there are a few somewhat mandatory mods if you're going to seriously track the car. Especially with the brakes and tires. They are:

1. Something to reduce/eliminate wind buffeting
2. Upgraded brake pads and fluid
3. Front camber adjustability
4. Tires that can handle heat cycling and track driving without chunking.
5. *Not mandatory, but highly recommended is 18" wheels with 275 square tires.

That's really it.

 

[Rocksandblues]

fun running down real race cars

 

[decodeddiesel]

I got to drive in the same group as this guy my last day at LRP but in all honesty he was too nervous to really push it.

 

[bushido]

I got to drive in the same group as this guy my last day at LRP but in all honesty he was too nervous to really push it.

interesting to see a 4C at the track too! cool
and those E36 in the background..
man, down here it's the same cars over and over

edit: but not always. my first track event and there was an SR… in my class…

edit: don't worry about my tire psi. i stopped after this lap and lowered further. learning experience blahblah

 

[Rocksandblues]

ran down this guy too and he tried. Above average red run driver. This car absolutely walked me on the straight but in a game of tag I could stay on his bumper all track except straight and then he couldn’t keep up w me. In fact I’m bummed I didn’t run rear cam that day because he went 2 off trying to keep up at one point

seriously amazing car w active aero.

 

[decodeddiesel]

interesting to see a 4C at the track too! cool

I actually got a chance to chat with the 4C driver as we were in the same run group. What an incredible little car! It truly is a pocket supercar with it's carbon fiber monocoque and the cockpit layout and whatnot...but I was WAY faster in my Supra. ?

 

[razorlab]

Did this turn into an HPDE trophy show off?

Here is my HPDE trophy. Car is home safe and sound after yet another event…

 

[bushido]

Did this turn into an HPDE trophy show off?

Here is my HPDE trophy. Car is home safe and sound after yet another event…

lol noooo, just sharing rare/cool cars seen i've seen!

 

[decodeddiesel]

Did this turn into an HPDE trophy show off?

Here is my HPDE trophy. Car is home safe and sound after yet another event…

That's the biggest thing. This summer I've seen 4 cars go off in front of me because they refused to give a point by. Happened at LRP last weekend. Guy in a Miata refused to point by, went 4 off and spun in Big Bend.

Last time at Thompson the same thing happened, but the guy managed to blow his engine in the process. He blamed "that fucking Supra asshole" not knowing I was standing 4 feet away. I was worried and wanted to talk to the guy. I stood there and watched him stew about it until one of the SCDA instructors was like "Why didn't you just give him a point by? You created an unsafe condition by refusing to point him by." I can tell you that Elivan Goulart was not impressed.

Happened at LRP in July too, but it was a Cayman who went flying off of the track in the runout of Big Bend. He didn't spin, but went a solid 4 off outside of the rumble strips.

I hate having someone up my ass so I point by immediately. I don't know why people think it's some sort of defeat. There was a 718 GT4 in my run group that was WAY WAY faster than me last Saturday. I pointed him by a few times so I could watch his lines and try to keep up with him. It's so much more fun that way.

 

[razorlab]

That's the biggest thing. This summer I've seen 4 cars go off in front of me because they refused to give a point by. Happened at LRP last weekend. Guy in a Miata refused to point by, went 4 off and spun in Big Bend.

Last time at Thompson the same thing happened, but the guy managed to blow his engine in the process. He blamed "that fucking Supra asshole" not knowing I was standing 4 feet away. I was worried and wanted to talk to the guy. I stood there and watched him stew about it until one of the SCDA instructors was like "Why didn't you just give him a point by? You created an unsafe condition by refusing to point him by." I can tell you that Elivan Goulart was not impressed.

Happened at LRP in July too, but it was a Cayman who went flying off of the track in the runout of Big Bend. He didn't spin, but went a solid 4 off outside of the rumble strips.

I hate having someone up my ass so I point by immediately. I don't know why people think it's some sort of defeat. There was a 718 GT4 in my run group that was WAY WAY faster than me last Saturday. I pointed him by a few times so I could watch his lines and try to keep up with him. It's so much more fun that way.

Yea a lot of egos. Hell, I have an ego too as it’s very satisfying being faster than slower people in fast cars that think they are as fast as their cars.

Someone driving in their mirrors is so much more dangerous than me being on their ass. Just point me by. 99% of offs are caused by that.

When someone faster gets on my ass, I point them by as soon as possible and then watch their driving to see if I can learn something. It should be a learning moment, not a red mist moment.

The absolute worst is when someone points me by then drag races me. Makes me livid. It’s one of the big reasons I added more power.

 

[decodeddiesel]

The absolute worst is when someone points me by then drag races me. Makes me livid. It’s one of the big reasons I added more power.

99.9% of the time it's a Camaro/Mustang/Corvette that's slow AF in the turns too. ?

I've given plenty of prepped Miatas point bys and came off throttle until they were ahead of me. Drag racing on the straight is boring and stupid. Catching someone because you have a better line and are carrying more speed in the turns is where it's at.

 

[Rensuhlo]

interesting to see a 4C at the track too! cool
and those E36 in the background..
man, down here it's the same cars over and over

edit: but not always. my first track event and there was an SR… in my class…

*VIDEO REMOVED*

I feel you on the same cars. Thankfully the group I run in (Jzilla Track Days), you never know what you'll see.
Exhibit A:

 

[Rocksandblues]

what is a point by?

 

[kaj]

That's awesome man!

I'm trying to do the best I can. It took decades to get here, though. Definitely took years and years of suffering and squeaking by lol

Wow so much great info here!

1) Seat time over everything else. Even aero. If you learn how to drive with some high speed “wiggle” I swear it’s fun as hell. May not be the fastest times. But it’s so valuable to have that confidence to drive the car on the edge and regain control at will. Which leads to….

2) Very unpopular opinion - track insurance being optional when you get to that point.

Always seat time. These cars do ridiculous lap times right out of the box. I go faster than a lot of the cars I'm on track with that have aero/more power/etc. It's most fun when the owners of those cars are humble and come talk about it after. Awesome conversations.

Also, I go against the grain and don't always do insurance. In 15 years, I've gone off twice and spun twice, both on turns I knew there was infinite runoff so was safe. Probably would be faster without the fear. ??

That's the biggest thing. This summer I've seen 4 cars go off in front of me because they refused to give a point by. Happened at LRP last weekend. Guy in a Miata refused to point by, went 4 off and spun in Big Bend.

Is it wrong that it's a little game that I like to play where I intimidate the people on front of me that won't pass me by and see how many spin? It's a lot of them. ?
100% better now that I'm an open group. I'm FAR less frustrated and, for some reason, people see more willing to let faster cars pass. I chalk it up to better awareness.

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