2007 NASA Schedule and Info (Road Course Racing)

[Kracka]

I think our hotel of choice should be the Days Inn in Neenah, WI. It is about an hour from the track in a good and convenient location. I've stayed there many times and have always been happy with it; free breakfast, highspeed, pool, etc. We are looking at about $50/night. This thread should be moved to the Events section.

[AJ]

Any reason why we'd want to stay so far away from the track?

[Kracka]

Any reason why we'd want to stay so far away from the track?

There isn't a whole lot nearby the track since its in the middle of farm country, and what is there will be much more expensive. We've stayed at a bunch of places out there and this Days Inn is the one we continue to like as the best. I can look into more options if you'd like.

[AJ]

Ahh, i didnt' know this place was in the middle of BFE. Hour drive aint bad.

[Kracka]

I bet we'll be able to leave the cars at the track overnight and all pile into a larger vehicle to get back to the hotel Sat night and then back to the track Sun morning.

[CVD]

All real tracks are BFE due to noise.

[Kracka]

All real tracks are BFE due to noise.

Remember that shithole Knights Inn we stayed out when out there? Thats what happens when you get to close to the track....and it cost a lot more too.

[AJ]

Well I'm in. I really want to do this and I now have a car that can handle it. A set of springs, upgraded sway bars, and good brakes and tires will allow me to be able to handle the event I think. And won't cost all that much.

[CVD]

Well I'm in. I really want to do this and I now have a car that can handle it. A set of springs, upgraded sway bars, and good brakes and tires will allow me to be able to handle the event I think. And won't cost all that much.
Tires first, brakes second. Nothing else makes a big difference. Springs arent all that necessary, and sway bars can help, but they can also hurt. They reduce chassis roll and help stiffness, which can improve your confidence, but beyond that the sway bars are questionable on a street car. Specifically in the world of racing Miatas and Colts the experts and hardcore cone/open track racers recommend strongly against rear sway bars. Also, I have found little difference when using strut bars.
What you really want is to start with a car that is as close to stock as possible with some decent tires,a good set of pads, and an alignment. This way you can work on your driving, and not sit scratching your head wondering what's wrong with your setup. Also, you can save a lot of money by finding out first hand what your car is weakest at, and replacing those particular parts as needed.
When autocrossing, I did far more with my stock Colt than most people could do with a bunch of money tossed at their tyte jdm civic with coilovers and strut/sway bars everywhere.
Even on tires, feel free to go with whatever you have. If I had jumped straight to a set of Azenis the learning curve would have been pretty steep. By starting with something that was more middle of the road, I learned much faster how to push a set of tires and where to find their limits.

[AJ]

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks CVD.