Kaan

iTrader: (3)

My backup set of REAR AFTERMARKET hubs I tack welded.... but main hub set didn't need them IMHO, the studs had to be pressed in with some force.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

springs ordered, tires ordered, front hub is with the pro to fix it... 18 days to swap it all around, zero the toe in the rear, and corner balance it.

also my powerwheels downhill car might be ready too!

Dublocivic

Cant wait to see how you do on some better tires. Still no dice on the waitlist for me... Boooo

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

HA! you'll get contacted in 15 days. 3 days before the event.

want to swing by Friday morning, we can bolt my RRs on your civic and you can run them down the road and scrub them in for me ...

Dublocivic

Haha that's right.... you still have 6 years before you can rock the antique plates and do self inspections

Ill hit you up tonight.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

This is how you destroy a front set of tires and scare everyone around you...


backstory... I started in the back of the comp school group. I gained 5-8 positions on the first standing start practice, another +5 on the second standing start, maybe another 2-3 on the first rolling start... I could see the front runners at this point... so on the last rolling start I tried to be a hero.

Anyone want to be my tire sponsor?

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

Another video... I had Jack Cobetto film and edit this for me to memorialize comp school (in all its glory)... Jack was born the same year I started this journey and now he is a rising freshman at whatever college he choses to attend.

iwannarace

-I'm half deaf.
-What?
-Yes.

lol.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

the ONE session I forget my ear plugs (because I didn't have a process down yet)... my header breaks. yes I went deaf for a bit.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

First off… Jason is an amazingly talented mechanic and a great friend. I wouldn’t have made it back from my setbacks without his help. His assurances kept Sylvia from putting an end to my weekend. And without both of their help I would have missed at least 3 “sessions”… where I only missed the Sunday race.



So it seems I’m just trying to be internet famous… well at least with youtube

You Tube

I spent some time Wednesday setting up the AIM and getting it ready. Friday I scrub in my fresh tires and get things ready to go. I had two goals for practice… keep it out of a wall (which is easy to do when you drive as slow as I do) and to work on my entry to hog pen.



I got the “this isn’t HPDE anymore” talk from Chad … and specifically told me what he thinks I need to do… I spent that session working up the courage and trying to break my mental block… we baby step it and in the video I’m fighting my urge to brake before I turn left and to go flat… later on I went flat, but my baby step was to coast in from my HPDE braking point to the actual braking point and then GO. Well it worked well enough my Quiklatch “hood pins” didn’t hang on. 4 laps into the session chaos occurs.

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The data says I was at 124mph when the hood went in the kink. When my hood snapped up, I double checked my mirrors, slowed the car not too quickly, and blindly hunted for grass… once I found grass I could judge my distance from the track and wait. I ended up between the 6 and 5 marker and figured that was pretty safe-ish.



EV comes to get me… slams the hood down and I followed them out. I didn’t cost people too much time I don’t think. I pull in and Sylvia is cooking breakfast and gives me a “whiskey tango foxtrot” look. She distracts me a little, has me check to make sure the breakfast is cooked through, etc…. and talks me through what I want to do.



I find Justin (S2k H1 car and Tech Inspector)… I’m honest with him, I wouldn’t let me out with my windshield… he agrees but says check with Richard for the final say. I drive the car down to tech and Richard (Chief of Tech) says “take the windshield out, take the back Lexan out and you can run… and you need to run with your visor down, not cracked… and you need to clear it with your series lead.”



I drive back to the paddock and tell Sylvia and Jason “I’m allowed on track if I remove the front glass and rear window.” Jason starts attacking the front glass. I run over to Michael (series director) to get cleared to race.



Michael was surprised they would let me out without front glass or rear glass, but he said if they are good with it, he doesn’t see an issue with it. I told him if I pick up speed, blow out, beat anyone that even thinks about crying about it (and MAN did I hear crying), to just DQ me. I needed more time in the car and to work certain corners… I drive too slow and have too much work to do to worry about where I finish.



The race was great. I got the drop on Zach during the standing start and got tucked in behind Ryan Bradfield. As soon as we got to the back straight Zach motored right around me and Hunter (the accord wagon rookie) and his H22 are reeling me in quickly. Hunter and I spent the rest of the race swapping spots, getting supper close, and having a great time… that wagon is a bear to try to pass on corner entry… He eventually breaks an axle and two laps later I do to (but somehow I finished last, he broke before me and two other cars pulled in earlier… I hate the new mylaps BS)

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Looking over the data later, I see that I was faster than I was in March… I’m worried about the effects of the windshield being missing… data shows later on that Saturday I’m getting faster. Thought I’m topping out at 119mph vs. the 124mph that was indicated before the windshield issue. Saturday night all we did was swap rotors (I pulled a Maeng) and threw in an axel (yes I’m on my 4th passenger side axel).


Sunday I go out with the fresh used rotors and my times are super slow. The only thing is I couldn’t think was mentally holding me back is that I was being very gentle on the gators with the borrowed axle and I was being a little more ginger in the braking zone feeling out the bedding on the pads/rotors…. But I’m kicking myself.

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I try to get in a zone… knowing my brakes are working fine and there are things I need to do to not be last. Part of it is frustration, I know I’m new but I’m too competitive to at least not improve. Setbacks mess with my head badly…. And I’m just trying to focus on what I know I can fix and go push hard (I think I don’t push ever… I need a hypnotist or something).



I get to grid… the H2 crew does the rounds, wishes each other a good race, and we start getting suited up at the 5 minute call. It’s a tradition that I really enjoy. I jump in the car, strap in, get into my inner calm state (I think this might be my issue… I have zero nerves going out on track)… Jason runs up and says “you have a leak… I think its coming from the trans.”



I jump out of the car and there is a heck of a puddle forming from the passenger side… right next to the header… He pulls my card, thankfully… saving me from a blown transmission (there was zero fluid in it by the time I got home), a potential wreck, and a likely fire (and probably a nice kitty litter bill). I got out of my suit and went out to watch the race.



Watching a race you were just on grid for is SO HARD. All I could do is cheer on my friends and hope the haters all ended up in my locked in second to last place position or worse (last place, no harm wished upon the princesses).

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

Here is video from Saturdays race... from the competitors car. Looks like Flickr is down or I need to redo all my pictures. :-/

Dublocivic

Man when those pins went I think some poo would have come out. You handled that well.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

I encourage you and anyone else reading this thread that is in HPDEs... go over in your mind what you would do in every scenario you can think of. I have the benefit of +12 years working in the Tech Shed... so I have seen it all. you are also fairly new to this... you want to learn every single inch of the track.

It also helps that I'm extremely calm on track. I don't get nervous on grid, taking the warm up lap, staging for the standing start... so when this happened I just thought to myself "where am I on track, where do I go, who is around me... lets get to a safe spot." If you see on the video, I'm in the kink on the front straight. I checked my mirrors, moved to the left... started braking, then when I was slow enough I pulled off the track and kept braking... looking right to try to parallel the track and checking my mirror to make sure I was where I planned to go.

Dublocivic

Good words of advice. Its the repetition that creates instinct. Seat time shows! That kink is the spookiest part of VIR in my opinion. I had a hyperdrive participant point by to the left on the kink and I said... noo sir... Ill wait it out, no room for error @ 135mph through that kink. Glad you are gtg and the car is not too bad off.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

135mph in the kink... lawd have mercy that H1 motor stuff. I pedaled it to 125mph in the kink... makes life easy to drive anywhere on the track #slowracecar

Dublocivic

I have no corner speed lol, I was watching the corner speed of the H1 and H2 group and it is impressive to say the least. I need a stickier tire, these 200 wear Direzzas are decent but (good feedback but not enough grip) after a ride in Steve's integra on REs, the corner speed blew my mind. My best lap in the hpde was a 2:23 with a little traffic hah garbage, more seat time!

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

I know this is going to be hard since you have burned your lips on the go fast crack pipe... but my recommendation is to detune, get it off corn liquor and put it 93 pump gas... slowing you down will allow you concentrate on the corners and will help your consumables (tires/brakes).

Steve might also be doing more race line stuff... and not HPDE school stuff. the school line is the fastest way around, but changing your braking zones to the race line will push your car control skills (Instructors wont do that with you while they are in the car lol)... its worth at least 2 seconds a lap. I'm actually teaching myself to break my school line/braking habits. Its not easy. I kind of wish someone would have told me this stuff when I went solo in HPDE 2.

Its mostly trail braking and one brake zone move at VIR.

Dublocivic

You are crushing the dreams of old men and killing kittens with this kind of talk!

Dilbones

Or if it breaks or if you crash it don't fix it and keep driving it :p hahaha

car will be a lot slower then!

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

we were paddock neighbors at the March event. He has one of those hot boi H1 "style" motors in a hatch. I know what it was like going from the B20 to the B18C5... and he's got 70hp on me in a street car. awesome car, awesome build, and he has the right attitude... I'd probably cry as much as he would if he bent it up. but that's a TON of power to learn on (shake my cane, get off my lawn)

I worry he is neglecting car control skills for T1 breaking and turn in (also see T10, T11/12, T14, T16a/b)... because his 260hp is stressing out his 200TW tires in the kink on the straight. VIR is not forgiving... mess up T1 and you might be okay, mess up T4 and you are hosed all the way to T11, mess up T10 and you break stuff, mess up T11/12 and you are "slow" on the back straight, mess up T14 and you enter the roller coaster "slow" and/or end up in the woods (it happened at Hyperfest), and how you enter T16a/b really impact what you are doing on the front straight (I picked up 4mph on my first "try" at the altered T16a/b entry)... the good thing is working on T1 first will get you into a great improvement cycle at VIR.

Dilbones

I was just jokin man! No one wants to see a Honda wrecked! Unless it’s a thief’s personal whip that he or she purchased

Dublocivic

Thanks for the kind words, it is a bit of a handful on 200tw even with the 225 square setup. I have some in car that I can send you, I did overcook T1 twice luckily no flat spotting, was able to modulate threshold braking juust enough (no abs). I don't want to keep jacking your thread =-P Its been 10 years since last march that I was on track at VIR (in the evo, not at all the same, it was a bit slower). Ill send it to you or post it on youtube for some constructive advice. Missed a few apexes here and there but overall felt good about the line. I would probably not be to happy tearing it up haha, don't plan on it but no one does!

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

I don't care if you jack my thread... the point of the thread is to share information...I can blow up your thread if you want.

not many HC cars still have ABS. I know I don't, most of us don't... learning now to burn down tires is a good skill (one I learned and then had to relearn in the competition context).

lets figure out how to share the video... but do whatever your instructor(s) tell you between now and the time they solo you. In the mean time look at getting your hands on data (track addict, AIM, etc). don't use it right away. I can give you some "line" changes, but they wont be crazy... its really a braking zone change at VIR. Are you coming to Summit?

Dublocivic

Ok let me see if I can get a typical lap or two cut out of the in car and I can start a thread or post it here. I am all about constructive advice on technique, braking points etc. Yeah, Steve was great and helped me get my mind wrapped around the right way to approach t3, which after I nailed it a few times, it made complete sense. Being that the car was a ground up build and overhaul, it was mainly a shake down event but felt comfortable enough to ring on it a bit. I know I could brake later (ie not at the 6 marker) but haha truth be told I was apprehensive to push it to hard, thinking about every nut and bolt, torque spec, and if I got them all snug. One I must have missed or was not tight enough was the driver's rear tow adjustment, it slipped and was toe in 100% so that was causing some weird wiggles around the kink (I believe). I noticed the wear on the rear tire once I got it home and found the issue. Because of that issue with the toe, I have made a check list of all suspension components and associated torque values that I will check before each event and during down times and in between sessions. The rear 24 mm bar was set to soft for the event as well.

I actually did get the solo nod for sessions 6-8 on sunday from steve and laura which I was pretty stoke about!

I should have the Solo2DL by the next event so that will be helpful. They have a nice little configuration for Kpro that will grab some additional helpful data.

If you mean summit in November yes I will be there, but not in June if I value my life (wife's BD), but I will be at VIR in Aug, Dom in Sep, OctoberFast, and Summit in Nov. Early summer is busy with the kids and Im taking the time to get the trailer situated, and go through the car to make sure things are happy (Kpro has not been working well for me).

Oh I'll have a dubbel for you to critique as well when you get these spare parts or in August whatever comes first!

coolhandluke

iTrader: (2)

Fun read, this is an excellent rebuild.