Attended MAP PG2014.1 this weekend and holy hell what a fresh experience! I entered in the TTS class where you compete Drag, AutoX, and High-Speed AutoX on the 2.5 mile short track...basically tour of the track and go fast nonstop all weekend!
All I can say is that all of the practice I had at DCTC and all of the videos I watched didn't prepare me for the reality of full throttle 5th gear 100mph+ turns and 125mph pinning the throttle until the last last last moment for a turn...misjudge and you either waste a bunch of time OR overshoot and barrel off into a grove of trees! Then do that again and again, each time daring yourself to stop a little bit later than the time before. This isht is nuts!
One other thing--if you don't think road course/road racing is tough on your car...wow. I again...knew it was coming but the reality is summed up in one simple piece of data: in less than one hour of driving I went from a tip-top full tank of fuel to literally the gas light on. Seriously. So much nonstop WOT it is just crazy/awesome/amazing. Cars break when doing this, period. And the higher the level of competition? The more breakage--these guys going faster than me are ripping off numbers that frankly are just staggering. I am beyond humbled and impressed!
So, on with the car pics!
First off, I needed it! E85 tanker all loaded up for the long haul!
On the way to PG it's tradition for me to stop by DB on the way...I got worried I would need to bleed the brakes at some point so I picked up some StopTech STR600. I didn't end up using it, afterall but I think I'll swap it in for the next event (unless I hear otherwise):
Some um...interesting weather on the way up to Brainerd
While hanging out waiting for the ugly clouds to pass I noticed this, blah!!! Fixed with superglue.....held together just fine all weekend
All set for tech!
I am a lazy fat SOB at ~225 so the car is about 3220 with 3/4 tank of gas. Lots of work to do here...
Drag racing with this car is SUCH a dream compared to the EF4/6-puck on the X. The car is just crazy consistent...stock turbo torque, Exedy Twin...wow. My mom could launch this thing compared to the X!
First launch on the 2-step at 5800rpm (?) I burned all the way through first gear just wheelspin the entire way. Still ran a 12.3@112.9mph. 2.0 60' time.
Second launch I free-revved at about 4500rpm and ran 12.1@113mph. 1.9 60' time.
With a 1.6 or 1.7' 60' time, this car has a 11.9 in it no problemo! Still, I'm happy!
From then on the track got sticker and I tried adjusting launch RPM a few times. I *should* have just 2-stepped it and just slipped slipped slipped more but TTS only got 5 passes in before it was off to the autoX course...
Best drag pass.
Nice little camping spot!
AutoX went WAY better than I expected. I think all of the DCTC events are helping a lot here because I basically was lining up for my first run and thinking, 'gah, we ONLY get 6 tries at this?!?' and basically decided to just go balls to the wall on run #1, don't look back. My dad was in the car with me for the first two runs so that helped...I wanted to give him a fun ride
I ended up running a best of 29.7 and got veto'd my 6th run for some reason, Paul did too, probably because our cars are twins!
Anyways I was a little over a second off of some guys that I'd consider 'fast' and I'm still on a very stock-ish suspension and cheap-ass Fuzion ZRi tires. Ricer math says I can go way faster! Either way as it was I finished 12th of 34 in TTS (for autoX) and 15th of 115 AutoX entrants...if I had entered the 'regular' autoX I think if I looked correctly I would have been classed with Ryan in his Z06 vette and gotten second place right behind him
In the grid for AutoX
End of Saturday, successful and happy!
Sunday was again...a pants changer! I blabbed about it up top but it is just way over the top crazy what these guys do and what you can do yourself...I put this on par with some of the extreme skiing I've done...one small slip up and you are gonna get majorly hurt or maybe die.
When registering for TTS it said you got one 20-minute practice HPDE session before the standing-start competition. When we arrived, they told us we would get TWO practice sessions. I was pumped and a little nervous as I had signed up for the 'super size' package...for $50 you get two more 20-minute HPDE sessions...um yes, I had to. SO glad I did, you should see first lap compared to last lap, LOL! Its hilarious!
First run I think I did about a 118, bogged launch and timing equipment went dark.
Second run I did a 115
Third run I did a 113 (I think)
Fourth and Fifth, 112 I think?
Sixth run 110
Seventh and Eighth runs I did 110 and finally a 109.5--last car on the track I guess, they were going to shut it down since everyone was pu$$ying out and leaving...I wasn't ready to leave! I had just finished my 4,5,6th runs about 10 minutes prior and was still cooling off...screw it
How did the car do though? Well shyte I haven't even mentioned it yet in all my yammering but I literally FORGOT I put the COP in (that's how perfectly it worked!)...I had been concerned about a few of the connectors and my weak-ass wiring skillz but they ended up working awesome! I ran the car at 30psi all weekend, there were a few hiccups here and there but no knock AT ALL.
The car did NOT burn any oil.
The car did NOT lose any coolant.
The car did NOT leak from the freaking turbo oil drain anymore
The car did not break at all.
The brakes held up fantastic! Zero brake fade--I will watch for it but I'm very very happy with the Hawk HP Plus pads and Binary brake ducts...so simple, just works works works.
Quite simply the car did not skip a beat. The motor/trans that Ron @ RS put together is a goddamn tank. The tune is still the one Shane@DB Performance put on years ago and again it is fantastic.
**asterisk time** I plan on tearing into the car and looking things over in the next few weeks so...yea, maybe I'll be eating my words here but as far as I'm concerned, the car made it home in one piece = success!
In the paddock cooling off
Brake calipers...are a lot more brown/black now than when I arrived. Probably just some dirt/dust right? Sigh...they did their job.....
Results?
Overall, I finished 6th of 15 in my class and 10th of 34 competing in TTS. Not too bad for a newbie!
So after all this, I've been working on this project since February and I'm SO glad I did it and I'm SO thankful to everyone that's helped along the way--its hopefully all documented here and I am SO HAPPY! I had a freaking blast blast blast and can't wait to see what happens next!
Oh, and I made a video. I haven't done one with music in a LONG time but since this weekend really tops off the last 6 months or so for me, here it is. Please enjoy ( and don't laugh at me too much, I have a LOT to learn still!)
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