varkwso

Finally, finally it is starting to cool off! Temperatures made it down to the mid to low 30's at night and peaked in the low 70's in the day. That made it much easier on the operators and the equipment at CMP last weekend.

There was a great turnout for the Turn One/Full Lock track event. Saturday had huge turnout of the "Legacy" racers (4 cylinder Nissan motors and 5 spd transmission) for one of their first ever road course events. The support rigs were full on NASCAR type stuff but the cars and drivers looked like scale models. It was a lot of fun watching them race and practice. They looked like they were having a blast and did a great job with their on and off tracks incidents. It took them a while to dial in a road course set-up on the cars!

There was a lot of the usual characters at the event - Toby, Marty, Brian, Cash, Wally, Michael, Charlie and others - plus some new faces. The workers also did their normal great job and seem to take particular pleasure in giving me a hard time. Sylvia, as always, hooked me up with a great student and even did better with Jake for his student. I had Khoi (ZO6cool) in his '04 ZO6 with MTI motor and suspension work. It was a rumbling and romping track monster. We had met at Roebling two weekends ago. Now he did destroy a set of pads on Saturday, did a number on the new pads on Sunday and his tires are ready for replacement - but man he had a lot of fun doing it. First session, third lap he discovered, that yes I did mean it, when I said to slow down for Turn 14 as he took the escape route through the sand trap missing the rumble strips (no mean feat by the way). He looked me straight in the eye and said "I was just following your lead from Turn 5 at Roebling....". Lets take a few moments to discuss why Khoi is, in fact, cool:
* He is a good driver with great feel for the car
* He knows the location(s) for lap dances in Columbia even though he lives in Atlanta
* Jake provided his seal of approval
* He tracks his ZO6
* He can give as well as he can take in verbal bantering
* For a nominal amount of assistance at the track changing his pads he bought Jake and me dinner
* He listens well on the track
* He does a truly masterful double spin in the dirt at Turn 1
* He is definitely a member of the THGW club.

Actually, Khoi did a great job with making an early decision and picking the best escape route instead of "trying to hack it". His braking improved as the weekend progressed as did his "firm, smooth steering inputs". It took him about 2 sessions before the Active Handling was causing more pain then the benefit it gave and he decided to turn it off and then he learned how the car felt "au natural". I ended up signing him off solo on Sunday morning. As I was torquing down the street tires on the '99 FRC late Sunday afternoon I saw a dust "mushroom cloud" down the bank from Turn 1 and the red flags being flown. Yep, it was Khoi - he ran out of brakes and tires at Turn 1. He did a least two full spins in the dirt and seemed to provide quite a show on the pavement before that. He was able to drive back onto the track with no harm to the car. Now he did discover the dust bath effect. He was plotting his next track weekend as he was slapping the dust off and figuring out how to get the dirt out of the interior...

Jake's student was in a Miata, a car we have a deep affinity for, and was reviewing the Miata line when the student showed up. Her dad gave her a track day as a 18th birthday present - Jake's day got much better. How many of you, really, can say you got a date at a track day? The Viper guys giving lap dances at bachelorette parties do not count. She was a great student also and picked up a lot of speed as the day went on. She is local to CMP and will be at the NCM event as Jake's guest last I heard.

Tom had to cut his pristine '87 fox body Mustang fenders to clear his tires and then broke his engine in his Mustang on Saturday (Lynn had him as a student at Roebling and I gave him a track ride there to help him with his line) - so he was a little bummed. But we helped him load his car up and convinced him to eat dinner with us on Saturday night. Naturally, he was treated to the same level of empathy I received for my broken trailer and other mechanical ills suffered at the track. I would like to thank Khoi, Toby, Michael and the others for the words of encouragement they gave me on my trailer woes - be rest assured I will return the favor. I already had the opportunity when Toby broke his axle on his third lap or so on his first session.....

I did not have a car on Saturday, unlike the Big Pine Key Motorsports - Jake and I have to do all the work on my cars myself, and my free time was spent getting some cars for a friend ready for auction/move instead of working on my broken stuff. We did get a fresh set of Carbotechs and rotors on the FRC for Jake to drive over on Saturday afternoon. We only had wore out Sumitomos for street tires and ~25+ heat cycle Hoosiers for the track tires. We spent the weekend slip sliding away and managed to cord, finally, the front tires. Khoi made the comment he liked the smooth cornering method I taught him better than the hop and stab method Jake and I had to use to rotate the nose this last weekend. He did decline my offer to race for pinks at that point though....

It is hard to teach a good line with crappy tires when you are doing your best to pass your track ho buddies plus all the BMWs and Miata's on the track. I may have taught him some bad habits....I am sure that is why he went off after I cleared him solo...

Bottom Line
* We had a safe weekend
* We had a fun weekend
* We learned new things about the local towns
* We need more tires, and soon, more brakes
* Sylvia needs to schedule all my students (and Jake is pretty pleased also)
* Proper safety equipment and technique makes this fun, not dangerous
* I have to wait all the way to Friday to do it again at Roebling

Z06cool

Lies....lies....all lies. I could rebuttal here with a small dissertation on Jeff'ism but I will refrain and give the "point-by" to my more "senior" and more experienced track-compadre.. Plus, I'm sure I'll need some more instruction in the future and don't want to get him mad and not teach me more "Dukes of Hazzard" style lines...

Kidding aside, I truly had a blast and Jeff and Jake are great on and off track. I finished off some fairly fresh front Wilwood pads to the metal and scraped up some brand new RockAuto rotors end of Saturday. By Sunday 5th session, I thought I had enough rear pads for just one more session. Long story short, the car was saying uh-uh...you ain't got nothing as I braked for T1. Still trying to save it, I rounded the corner and the rear end swung around. Too late -- now for both feet in. I remember the my rear going in the sand first and seeing trees, then track, then trees again, then the car filled with sand dust but I was still spinning at least another half turn. After a couple minutes of waiting for the dust to settle, checked for any missing limbs. All was still there, so I pulled back on track for the red/black flag and my lap of shame into the pits.. :o

Note to self: bring plenty of fresh pads and rotors to CMP. Still had a ball....only now have to figure out how to get all this sand out of the car

Falcon

Leave the windows open and take it through a car wash. Works evertime.

Adam Boca

Jake has to put up with me next weekend! I am not as good looking I can guarentee that!

AU N EGL

Adam I put you with Jake as he 'knows' CMP. You WILL have a good time with Jake in your right seat.

AU N EGL

I understand the Hawk now makes C6Z06 brake paddlets. In the Blue compound ?

Adam Boca

I KNOW I will have a good time no matter who I am with it will be a ball....I am really looking forward to CMP! I have heard great things about Jake and I am looking forward to his instruction...

Adam

gonzalezfj

Tom, forget the blues. The good news is that Hawk will start making the DTC-70 for the C6Z in the near future. They will get my business for sure.

Frank Gonzalez

AU N EGL

Good to hear. I know the blues are but the DTC-70s

also heard there is now a Hawk Performance Brake dealer in Cary NC. ( Raleigh) and carries race pads of all types.

This guy said Hawk is now making paddlets for th C6Z

varkwso

I can assure you there will be no confusing you with "Randi". Jake loves CMP so you will be in good hands.

I am pretty sure he will not skip lunch to "go get gas" with you though...

Khoi - "Dukes of Hazzard" who went dirt tracking last weekend, exactly?

Z06cool

Ouch...that one hurt a bit....but true. Must still have sand in my head...can't think of a come back.

wallyman424

any of you planning on heading out there for nov 10-11?

varkwso

We are considering it....have not committed yet though....

Adam Boca

varkwso

Toby is the one that can deliver a few that sting a bit...

Thinking back on the last session I took you on I do seem to remember being at full lock and cross controlling to try to at least hit the exit point!

Did you get that sand out yet?

Z06cool

Not yet. Got it up on jack stands and saw sand in just about every nook and cranny. Going through and wiping it off so that it doesn't get into the various joints and such. Went to change the rear pads and the 15mm caliper bolt wasn't even tight on

racerwannabe

please learn from those of us that have been in that very sand..as you clean the interior ,,turn on all the heat and a/c fans ,as you blow out the grit..i cleaned my first c-4 after a turn 8 trip,, all the way to armourall .. then had the misses in for a night out..turned on the a/c and we both got covered...
johnny

Z06cool

That is amusing. Hope it didn't ruin the night out. I did that on the way home - ran with the windows down and the fan full on. Probably need to pick up a decent wet/dry with attachments. Been needing one anyway. The little dustbuster ain't cutting it.

varkwso

Based on what I have seen I agree

BTW I have a very large Craftsman shopvac

We did not check that bolt when we looked at you car - but based on how &(*)&%& tight the front ones were I am surprised!