yes you do get yellow flagged, but if you get yellow flagged (which means you caught up the guy in front of you) you get extra laps. It happens especially for the novices since the committee can't tell how fast you are based on last year's lap times of you since it is your first year out. I don't know about you but I can get my tires up to temp in 1 lap no problem. I can even over drive the car and get the tires to start getting skirmy after two laps. Generating tire temps is no problem with me. I was running on R compounds though, I remember you were running street tires. Street tires arent going to cut it. BTW R compounds is a free mod. It is the single most important mod there is. You can cut 5 seconds a lap or more over street if that is your only mod.

I'm not concered with teh PAX system at all. I did my research and I optimized my car using the PIP system etc etc. It is 79.9% PI which is top of GT1. I have have some hidden "so called grey area" mods which according to the rule book are perfectly legit. What I need to do is figure out why I can't get more then -1.2 degree camber up front. Ideally I should be around -2 or more but I maxed our the Ground control camber plates. I think I may try those eiback cam bolts for the front struts to see if I can gain an extra negetive degree.

Once i have that figured out the only thing left to optimize the car is start removing more weight, and get more rubber. I need to find a pair of 16x8 +28 mm to +30 offset for the front so I can ram a 245/45 tire on the front, and a pair of 16x9 so I can ram a 275/40/16 rear on.

 

Bitch, bitch, bitch...

I'll be there with the #23 crew, and the General Lee.

I'll probably bring the green beast, but likely not lap.

 

I have a real stopwatch that I can give to EvilRotor to bring if you guys want to time your laps.

 

il be bringing mine too...

 

I love this thread! All of the passion about different viewpoints of the same issue. Lapping is great as a learning tool if you use it as a learning tool. I agree with Cheers that all to ofton on lapping days you are driving with a bunch of raw wildmen sliding and wheelspin all over. I usually go to lapping days with an agenda (Aug 1st, to see if my new (used) motor will actully ru for 30 minutes really hard without blowing up). Also at lapping days I am not really trying as it is just to difficult to carry speed for more than 2 laps before you run up the back of some newbie.

Solo 1 is a different thing all together. I relate it to single car F1 Qualifying. You come out of the pits on cold tires. you only have 3 hot laps to get the best lap time out of your car. A lot of the techniques good Solo 1 drivers develop (to get their tires up to temp, brakes up to temp, driver up to temp) actually have to be dialed back a bit when you start racing. No "affordable" car can really live up to that abuse for very long during a race. I was a very good Solo 1 driver and I moved on to 2 stroke Formula A karts and the technique was the same. All aggression, all of the time. When I moved to sedans, I had to make a conscious effort to slow down my inputs.

Al is right as well. Most "R" Compound tires take at least 3 - 4 laps to get them fully up to temp. I have ben racing for almost 15 years and have a bit of experience in this area. Solo 1 is really about maximizing available grip and not varying from the perfect line. In racing this line is very seldom able to be used because if you take a wide in, wide out line some idiot is going to try to stuff something down the inside of you, even on the dirt if need be (I am guilty of this as well). Racing trains you to go really fast for a long time. The second biggest area for Solo 1 guys is keeping your concentration levels high for more than 5 laps. Many guys racing today have a hard time concentrating for more than 30 minutes. This is why most regional races are only 20 minutes long.

All forms are good, you just need to take away from them what you can and be true to your present area of interest. Cheers, Ian more power to you for your efforts in Solo 1. I hope you kick butt. Ridiculous RX7 I love it that you are on track "giving it". Al you are a great example of someone working your way through the "system". You get better each race and are exploring the limits of yourself and your car, one step at a time. Pretty soon you will dominate GTB.

Just do it on track! Leave the streets alone.

 

The question is will evilrotor do some lapping?


Ian

 

So true. leave the streets alone. The cost of a track day is cheaper then the speeding ticket alone Let alone the insurance premiums etc and in fact less chance of writing the car off.

I find that some lapping events are crazy. The last one I attended they had racer wannabe's pass inside corners etc. This was a lapping day which I always thought was let the guy pass in the straights.

St Lawerence Auto club has a great event. Tech inspection, drivers meet, Ambulance, controlled passing, and a great flagging system. They would flag you to let someone pass or worse black flag you for being an idiot and pull you of the track. You had to have some lapping days under your belt as well. Also they had a distinction between experience, slow and fast groups. (I prefer to go to the slow group )

 

I wonder why...

 

I think that is a driver component....haha....

 

There are really three kinds of lapping days.

Schools - like the BMW Trillium or SVTOA events. Some classroom and instructor with you all the time, with 3 or 4 run groups based on experience. You definitely learn more at these events than the others (who would know to go that deep into 3 at Shannonville Pro unless someone showed you).

Open lap days with rules - usually passing rules and signals - sometimes 2 run groups based on experience/equipment.

Open days - no rules.

Personnally, I prefer the 'school' approach. You learn something new from each instructor, and there are corners at every track (2 at Mosport....well every corner at Mosport, and 3 and the hairpin at Shannonville) that you may never figure out by yourself, plus advise on your 'technique' behind the wheel (we all think we are good drivers). The 'no rules' days can be a little intimidating if you don't have a lot of experience, or don't hook up with a 'pack' that you can run with, or someone with experience that willing to walk you through the'lines'. Was lucky last event and hooked up with a couple of 8's and 01Racing, and had a good day. First no rules day was with a bunch of race cars on a testing day, and I spent most of the day looking in my rear view, and getting passed in corners....didn't learn much.

But, different strokes.......

 

If it is not 40C out, and I don't have anything better to do, then sure, I might make the trip.

Make sure you bring a working TPS this time

 

So true. I'm worrried about overheating at 25°C!

Time for a reverse hood to try and get more air flow through the rad and FMIC

"Brand new tps installed!"

 

Being a person who used to organize "Advanced Driving School" lapping days I can tell you from experience you will learn the most on an "open track" lapping day. One of the 1st lessons in driving whether it be on the street or track is "how to get passed safely". Most of the instructors (not all) are no different than the drivers other than they have more lapping experience. I really started to learn when i went to open track days and started to follow race drivers and learn their "lines" around the track. I learned something from a "semi-pro" driver at the beginning of this year at an open track day and picked up almost 1.5 seconds at Shannonville pro track. You can get far more track time at an open track day and learning is all about seat time. If you go to a race car test day in a street car that is a different story. All you will do is get "dive bombed" and be a target. The Imagemotorsports days are by far the best bang for the buck out there.

 

[
I find that some lapping events are crazy. The last one I attended they had racer wannabe's pass inside corners etc. This was a lapping day which I always thought was let the guy pass in the straights.

Yeah i was there and the passing was a bit ridiculis at times maybe they could divy it up a bit caertain groups on for an hour and keep switching if i was hit by some punk kid trying to pass on a lapping day..... I'm not sure how i would react to it.

 

We need to se OTTAWA REPRESENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

 

well driving around today i figure I will show up but not track the car. my intake just at cruising is 55c. thats to much. can't imagine during boost.


october is a better month

ian

dam rotary heat!

 

My intake temps actually go down when boosting, especially on a hot day like today. The air is forced thru the intercooler, which isn't happening when you are just sitting around in traffic or slowly cruising in stop and go.

Why don't you use the datalogging capability of your Haltech for a change (and send me some datalogs like I have been asking about for months) instead of just guessing at stuff?

 

In the past when the faster cars came up, I tried to get the heck out of the way as soon as it was possible. eg. Signal, let off and pull out of the way on a straight before they're upon me. I don't feel that I have the level of ability to be passed on a corner or to pass someone else. I'm also not willing to accept that some yahoo can make a pass with a 0% chance of screwing up and hitting me. Sometimes that means compromising several consecutive laps. That's okay, once you get some room you can do your thing.

IMO with beginners, it should be the slow car's responsibility to get out of the way. When you're a bit better it can be the faster car's responsibility. I find it really annoying when a fellow newbie is obviously holding you up and rather than letting you go by safely, would like you to pass him. If I'm faster than someone else and I'm not capable of being passed competitively in a corner, what are the chances that they are?

 

Based on what I found last night after stripping down the motor that I bought, I will only be able to pass people in the corners. The S5 motor after removing everything turned out to be an S4 with S5 intake, front cover, wiring and hoses.

Oh well the engine does run well, but it is at least 15 - 20 horses down on my last S5. This is definitely not a slag on JsansFc as he wouldn't have been able to tell. The engine is okay, just not an S5.

Anyways, just be ready for some monster late braking, tire smoking action, butt hanging action. Hrmmmmm...., maybe should put on the old stone tires in case of flat spots. No correct that, when I flat spot them.

DIVEBOMBING RULES!!!!!!!!

 

No divedombing me

 

You guys dont know what being divebombed is! My 1st race ever I was driving 23Racers car (if it wasent for him I would have never been racing!) I took about a 3 car length run at the PRESIDENT of our organization, assuming he would let me by just like on a lapping day. Well, HE DIDNT! There I was in a car I didnt own with the wheels locked up aimed perfectly at his drivers door as he went around the corner! I had the wheel at full left rudder and finally decided to let off the brakes and thank god, the car turned and missed him! All I remember is him looking at me shaking his head!

 

Very true Ian. A reverse hood Is feasible (and definetly almost needed) for the FC and yeah, I went with a new TPS last year.

 

The interesting thing about the no rules day with the race cars is that they knew what they were doing when they passed you on the inside of the corners. Aside from the shock of seeing someone 1 ft off your drivers door (left hand corner), it all went off pretty seamlessly. The problem comes with some testosterone pumped yahoo, late in the session who thinks he's invincible and tries a corner pass he has no business attempting (Al....can you relate in your younger years?).

As far as the newbies getting out of your way, you just became the yahoo I was talking about. He's got his his hands full of car he can barely control, someone's screaming up behind him, and he's just as likely to stand on the brakes, or turn into your line, as he is to drift a little wide and let you by. Pick a long wide straight to get by someone without a lot of track experience 'cause you never know what they are going to do...and neither do they.

 

Actually, when I am out at lapping days I don't pass street cars until I receive some acknowledgement that they know I am there. As my car only has about 180 hp I don't usually blast by to many people in a straight line.

The best way I find to pass someone on a Lapping Day, as well as in racing to some extent, is to stay stuck on their backside feinting from side to side. This is called filling the mirrors and it is amazing how fast they point you by, especially if your car is ungodly loud and rettling their brains.

The most important thing during any on-track session is safety.

 

In all reality, at all the lapping days I have attended, which is more than some peoples racing careers, and having organized them etc., I have never been to an event where 2 cars hit each other where the drivers didnt know each other and were racing each other. And to add to that, that has only happened a handful of times in the last 14-15 years I have been doing them. The lapping days that have the most carnage are the BMW Driving schools, Porsche Club and Dexter days. The funny part is those are the "PRO" instructors and highest profile days.
Those guy tend to overdrive there cars and are usually on a high speed track that has no forgiveness. As I have said before the safestway to get passed is to hold your line and let the faster car get around you!