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Before bed, here are a few photos from the SCCA's Track Night in America series- an excellent nationwide program I encourage you to consider.
Tonight was the the only one this season at Road Atlanta and as a longtime camper at Petit Le Mans I couldn't resist pitching the '64 as hard as I could. Nothing broke!
The event is well over an hour of sessions for $175 when you include the paced laps early on. Regular courses are $150 and you can't beat it.
I took the still shots and a friendly stranger volunteered to get some action photos.
The trip also mean I put on about 300 plus miles of country driving to and from today.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the "no hubcap" look! It was the oldest car there by a good 20 years.
Benton
Variety! You self select one of three experience levels. Passing is by point-by only and at designated areas.
Too cool. Bet you were the only one there running white walls! Hope to join you some day at NCM, Barber, or RA. Looks like far more fun than auto crossing. How many laps? Thanks for sharing.
I encourage everyone to read up on the series- I feel confident in the passing rules and the corner workers are excellent.
There are things you can never learn about one of these cars safely on the street. My second event last night was my first after I rebuilt the car years ago and it was a HOOT!!!
The hydraulic lifter L75 (long block untouched, it appears) gets winded quickly I could only manage 112 on the straight with some pretty fierce braking over the hill (for drums). The tires may seem to be a limit factor but the truth is the car breaks away very predictably and the understeer is very mild.
After a few laps I don't mind telling you I decided if something broke that was just life. I went for it! After two sessions you feel like you've had a LOT of lapping and there's still another one. My PS pump didn't like sustained 4K rpm so I took the last session short and enjoyed myself. My extra fluids were unfortunately at the top of the hill where I thought we'd be returning each session.
People loved the car! Everyone was so interested and complimentary. My favorite question was variations of "you didn't trailer it?"
These events are held nationwide, I hope someone may be inspire to do one here from the forum. I'll try and post videos a new friend took in a little bit.
1) my headlights are on relays but still fussy so I've had them open a while
2) GoPro footage is there from one session!
3) yes I'm going to the Mitty tomorrow in the mustang with my son and some friends, look me up, I'll check my PM's!
4) also check out Atlanta motor sports park they do one of these Scca nights once a month, its excellent. Truly. I did it last year in munlate model BMW since the borgeson was going on the Corvette
Too cool. Bet you were the only one there running white walls! Hope to join you some day at NCM, Barber, or RA. Looks like far more fun than auto crossing. How many laps? Thanks for sharing.
the tires were unique! The ncm has been taken off this series because of weekday noise I think. Years ago I did it once. Very cool!
Much less sitting around than in autocross. Why I gravitate to it- plus amazing courses and elevation change etc. I gues I got 5/6 laps in (will check go pro for my lap times!) on a 20 minute session. I lost count!
local Sunday autocross you spend all day for what- 2 collective minutes in a parking lot? This wins! You must try it. The people are phenomenal as well.
SCCA Track night started a few years ago, trying to generate more interest in SCCA racing. The price is usually around $150 for about three 20 minute sessions. Minimal tech requirements, lugnuts, brakes and no leaks. No instruction so just take it easy as you get comfortable. Lot's of street cars and some drivers who drive over their heads so just let them pass, it's not a race.
the tires were unique! The ncm has been taken off this series because of weekday noise I think. Years ago I did it once. Very cool!
Much less sitting around than in autocross. Why I gravitate to it- plus amazing courses and elevation change etc. I gues I got 5/6 laps in (will check go pro for my lap times!) on a 20 minute session. I lost count!
local Sunday autocross you spend all day for what- 2 collective minutes in a parking lot? This wins! You must try it. The people are phenomenal as well.
That does look like great fun!
I agree with your autocross comments. After seeing my 1st one 15+ years ago, I wanted nothing to do with it. It looked like a great way to torture a car on a small patch of asphalt.
Tire are the foundation of "handling" especially ultimate grip, and this is the reason why spending hundreds, if not thousands, on "suspension upgrades" is a fool's game unless you start out with sticky tires.
Back in the sixties I took my SWC out to Kent (now Pacific Raceways south of Seattle) at least once a year to hot lap the track. The 6.70-15 Michelin X radials had about the same level of grip as the typical S-rated rock hard compound tires that guys run, today.
My 340 HP engine got me up to about 140 MPH, flat out, through the "kink" where we exited off the drag strip shutdown area to the road course. This was the end of an effective 3/4 mile "straight", although it started out as a sweeper exiting onto the drag strip after exiting a 50 MPH apex turn, but I took it flat in second, shifted to third once straightened out, and to fourth at the drag strip finish line for another good quarter mile of straight (3.08 axle)
I never had any problems and the J-65brakes always worked fine although it took some learned skill to modulate them when they were really hot.
With the base suspension these cars are capable of running on a big track with decent dynamic response and no tricky handling problems, which says a lot for a car designed nearly 60 years ago.
Notice that in a couple of the photos the front is high and the rear is low. At high speed the aero lift is what raises the front, and at lower speed accelerating out of a corner in second gear, the lack to anti-squat in the rear suspension causes it to drop, which makes the front end appear high.
04-26-2018, 12:13 AM
Track Night at Road Atlanta!
Nice to get some track time in. Nice road trip as well. Time well spent.
