Just finished of the day at Portland playing with the Northwest H-T gang at an Alfa Club lapping day. And what a perfect day it was!

After blowing several weeks not putting my bottom end back together I took of work Friday to finish the couple of jobs to do. Late Thursday night I was getting tired and having problems reading the service manual. You know how there's a drawing for the torque sequence on the main cap and girdle bolts. OMG - I was reading that thing over and over again thinking about the numbered torquing sequence, but reading the instructions that specified different torque on 1&5 and 2 thru 4. I actually asked myself "yeah, but what about bolts numbers 6 thru 10?"

So, after clearing that up it was definitely time to go to sleep. That left putting things back together under the hood, priming the oil system and running it in a bit for Friday. Then I had to mount a passenger seat for our H-T mini school. I wisely gave myself from about 3pm to 11pm to do that, and used every #$%&ing minute of it. I found it helpful to make several time consuming mistakes. One of the biggest was the Momo Rookie itself in a sense - those plastic hole grommet things just can't wait to fall off, very cheapo.

Got that all done, but ran out of time to make up a foot brace to keep the passengers feet of my computer and harness.

I ran on my leftover Hoosiers and wasn't expecting much. The first front pair lasted for 5 sessions today before giving up all grip. One was worn past the grooves with no cording, the other corded real good. Excellent - got my moneys worth. The rears which were actually the oldest and worst still looked ok. When I swapped the fronts for the best two I had, I just hoped the rears would have one more session in them - and they did.

I worked with Damien in a Civic hatch of some kind with a CTR motor and a hauntingly familiar interior with red stitching. He was starting from zero - first time on a track. First session we worked on the line and encountered the typical difficulties. Second session I got verbally aggressive and turned the wheel alot. Damien was really good about it though, he was serious about learning and had encountered much rougher instruction in the Navy. I missed his third session, but when I got in for the fourth he was a different driver. He'd spent lunch studying the track map and thinking about what I'd been trying to teach him. Bam! Massive progress for one day.

I got John out for a ride - that was fun. I did some good follow me stuff with Jonathan and Greg - that was good. Then for the last session of the day I got Greg in the car with me. He was about out of car so it was worth more for him to ride with me than to flog away.

You know how when somebody is watching you do something it can sometimes interfere with your performance? For all of the years I did lapping days I always took anyone who wanted a ride - especially if they could teach me anything. As a consequence I'm awfully comfortable with a passenger - as long as I keep my mouth shut. I learned one day some time back that I couldn't drive quite as well with the whine of the Nady in my ear and keeping a running monologue going. Well anyway, my run with Greg was just the opposite. I drove possibly the best I've driven all year - making only a few small mistakes. It was like....like......it was just perfect. The tire swap, the guessing on pressures........ :blort: I don't think that car has driven that good all year long. And to hear that motor sing again after a month or so of being down......:blort:

How I love that car!

Hanging out with all the guys was excellent. Everybody knew that if we couldn't be at VIR this weekend that we were definitely in the next best place.

Scott, who would like to thank someone who made this wonderful day possible: Soichiro Honda....

 

nice report.

 

Thanks to the Seattle crew for dragging me along. As much as I poke fun at VW's and WRX's, I am always amazed at what good drivers can do. The usual Honda suspects were there - and were even patient through my "65 bucks to join the Alfa Club?! WTF?!" tirade in the morning.

A massive "thank you" to Scott for taking time out of his track day to help a novice. He was very kind the first session, offering pointers (literally pointing - go that way !) and not really instructing - more observing I thought than anything.
The second session with much yelling along with pointing actually did more than the first. It doesn’t take very many "WTF are you doing?!" to learn that lifting / braking in the middle of a deep turn = very bad - thanks again for your patience Scott, hope to see you on track again.

If you can fit in the passenger seat, I highly recommend a ride along with Scott; the possibilities are eye-opening. He makes me miss my old R.

Can’t wait for school on the 25th.

Demian

 

Cannot sleep. I woke up with cars/driving on my mind. I think too the sound of a Ducati giving a local road an Italian haircut helped.

I didn't sleep very well Friday night either. I had the motorsports equivalent of those "here I am naked at school" dreams - here I am in tech with broken rusted parts. Sounds like John had trouble sleeping the night before too. That's some indication of how seriously we take this thing - literally losing sleep over it. You know that Harley ad where they're singing "If loving you is wrong"? That's BS - love makes you toss and turn, and anxious and expectant.

As for the object of that love. I was telling somebody about how I got started driving Hondas. I was shopping for my first new car, and maybe I'd read a road test, maybe I didn't, but I test drove a 96 GSR on what seemed like a "what the hell, I should probably try one of these before I decide." I totally :blort:-ed the test drive. The motor left my jaw hanging with that sweet powerband that didn't quit pulling, and the chassis promptly left me certain that all I thought I knew about the insufficiency of FWD was wrong. That car was so good I couldn't beleive it. SOLD!

When I got out of the car after the last session yesterday I felt, if anything, MORE that way than ever. These cars exude Excellence. I know that most people think that their car is just wonderful. And I've driven or ridden in cars that are way further up the food chain - Porsche Boxster comes to mind. And sure those cars are Excellent and at least one notch better. But would that hand in glove satisfaction really be that much better at double the price. I don't know. I do know that I can be out of the car for a month and start looking around and daydreaming, but get back out on the track in my ITR and I wonder what in the hell I was thinking.

Riding in Demians CTR powered hatch was instructive for me too. I'm told that his particular shell isn't the lightest, and we were two up, and the CTR is a 1600, so his car didn't pull as well as mine. But there was no mistaking what was under the hood. That thing had an even nicer powerband than my car. It pulled nice and flat with just the slightest curve and you could tell that it would rev to the sky and that it was just that much freer that way than the ITR motor.

I know it seems like I'm writing a love story to Honda. And I know that every manufacturer is capable of both accidental genius as well as well planned boners. But the cult of excellence definitely has to nod toward Honda. When I think of my own business and the never ending stream of pathetic brainwashing in the latest fads/trends in paradigmatic thinking - all in the context of a highly commoditized product that nobody gives much of a **** about beyond its reliable operation - and then I get in that car which speaks so well on its own and I think: Now these guys know what they're doing!

Scott, who told all his Alfa buddies that we had alot of Hondas coming, they said Great, and which marque did the most spinning on the first lap?.....that's right.....

 

What a day. It was great seeing Greg and Scott again. I swear it was raining and below freezing friday night before the track day. That first session the track was so slick it was even funny. I realize that the first session can be a little greasy b/c its a little cold, plus you're on cold tires blah blah. But I'll be damned if I didn't have the car sideways twice in the chicane on the first lap when I was purposefully going slowly

It only took a lap before I did a complete 360 spin (and never stopped forward progression lol ) and thought the Z06 behind me was going to waste both of us! I had to go and thank him after the session for not plowing into me and he was a good sport about it.

After the first session the track seemed to be getting up to temp and the tires were sticking much better. Although my driver rear tire did taste the dirt there coming out of turn 12 litereally inches away from the tire barrier and much closer than the starter would have preferred I think the rest of the day was great! I swear that guy crapped his pants b/c I sure almost did.

I'm w/ Scott on the Honda humping. I just can't believe these cars take what we dish out to them. And Kudo's to Jackson Racing as well. I don't know of anyone that tracks a car w/ that blower. People talk so much crap about how crappy that kit is and you can't keep the motor from pinging, blah blah blah. Mine performed flawlessly every session for the entire time (except for when I was black flagged and pulled off lol) Kudo's to Greg and Scott, kudo's to Brad, Nash, John, Pat, Paul, Demian and Kyle for hanging out and putting up w/ my azz

Zach, who can't wait for the Cascade day in a mere 2 weeks


[Modified by fastfour, 1:06 PM 10/13/2002]

 

Very awsome day. I ended up running 4 sessions and sitting out the last one. I was getting foggy out there towards the end of the day and found it difficult to focus like I wanted to. Morning session was slick. I had to work the wheel pretty good in 6 and 12 to keep it pointed the right way, but the afternoon sessions were great. I had to get some more advice from Greg and Scott on the line through 4, and it made a huge difference in my speeds through there. The later sessions, I was about full throttle through there just after turn in if I got it right.

I'll admit, for some reason I was a bit nervous about riding with Scott, but I'm soooo glad I did. I guess I have trust issues and... well... I don't like NOT having control in cases like this. What a ride. Thank you Scott. I'm getting more comfortable in the car now and I'm feeling more confident with what the car will tollorate. Too bad the season is just about over.

More pictures and in-car video to come, but here's some pictures;
http://members7.clubphoto.com/john51...52/guest.phtml



[Modified by johng, 9:10 PM 10/14/2002]

 

See, *this* is why you need a car to be louder than 95DB.
Passenger: "Are you gonna use the communicator?"
Instroctor: "Why bother?"

Here here. I'll be sending him a Christmas card this year.

 

So, I just bought a video converter (POS) to try to get analog video posted. The freaking thing only lets you open the crappy quality vids. The good ones don't open. Anyhow, one of my clear laps I timed as I watched it, looked to be a 1:43xx. Not sure how this compares to the ITA/GP field, but it sure beats the last time I was at Portland. One nice thing about in-car video is, it doesn't lie. It's nice to watch and really see where you can pick up time.

If I ever get this video thing sorted, I'll post mine. I think Nash and Demian both had digital video cameras. Paul, Kyle and myself were using Hi-8.

 

Yeah but after that it was all German cars.

It was a very good day at PIR for all of us. I was one of the guilty Honda owners who spun out on the first lap. It was very very cold out there and so where my tires.

Anyways it was a blast too bad my video camera died on the heat where Paul, Brad, Pat, and I where chasing each other. The car was handling great and the motor was pulling like a champ, but it still is a heavy pig compared to Pauls ultra light monster (this was evident at the main strait).

Thanks to Greg, Scott, Nash, John, Pat, Paul, Demian, and Zach for a fun time. I also can’t wait for the school too.


Found some more pics on a post in the ITR forum
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=305619


[Modified by uc0083, 10:40 PM 10/13/2002]

 

to a very fun day!

I can't say any more than the folks above have about how fun the day was, the best part was the company!

I ended up getting put in the advanced group by the Alfa guy who asked me about my on-track experience, which consits of 3 lapping days prior to this one *shrug*. It ended up being a blessing in disguise of sorts however. Being one of the slower cars in the group with the exception of the Spec Miatas was not only humbling but educational. The educational part was learning to watch my mirrors and the flag stations for the "mirror flag". While not getting passed I was able to find quite a bit of open track with little else but a SM a couple hundred yards behind me. During those laps I was able to work on a few things, different shift points, varied turn-in points and the like. By the end of the day, with some help from Greg on turn 12, I was able to pick up about 4-500 rpm by the "bridge" on the front straight which translated into about 4 mph at the end of the straight.

And for those who say we all spun in the first session, I didn't! I saved mine until the second when I carried too much speed into turn 6 and lifted mid-turn, as soon as I did I thought to myself, "Nash, you're a DUMB$HIT." I almost saved it but around she went and I ended up sideways in the dirt just past the gators at the exit of 6. That was my first ever high speed spin/off and it was an eyeopening experience. The next session I was not quite the same through that section of the track. But, by the end I felt like I got it all back.

Huge thanks to all the guys, without whom the weekend would not have been the same.

Video and photos will be posted as soon as I catch up on some sleep!

- Nash

 

I have a question about this. I've heard of instructors doing this from time to time. I would like to ask what you were thinking when you did it though...

Was he in trouble and needed saving? or was there just a communication breakdown and you felt this was the only way to get your point across.

I'm genuinely curious... and am not trying to be critical.

 

There is a certain trust factor involved with allowing anyone else to steer while you control the pedals. After riding with Scott on one of his sessions, I figured out that he could probably do a better job of steering the car from the passenger seat than I could from the drivers. He *asked* if he could, he was VERY clear when he was going to do it, and where the car should be speed wise with respect to his inputs. At no time did my hands leave the wheel, and at no time did I feel that he put me (us) in danger.

Scott was showing me that should not fear the edges of the track - I am glad he did, because I would have wasted the rest of the day figuring that out.

Demian

 

DC2 dreams.... :Drool:

 

Nah, sometimes it's just the most effective way to get them driving the line you want them on. It's really common to have to do it more on corner exit - like Demian mentioned.

Some drivers just cannot handle this, and very often those drivers are more generally unteachable. Mental boundaries are the major obstacle. That's why I think it's so important to get a student out in the passenger seat of a well driven race car - that experience obliterates boundaries of thought as to what's possible. Alot of times the student is overwhelmed and comes away with little more than thrilling memories. But a good student will observe the sequence of operation and pick up on the cars feedback.

Demian was an exceptional student. That's the key - how committed the student is to learning and how purposefully they approach their learning. He made alot of common errors and had very typical obstacles. Where he differed was in his analysis and application - call it recovery. And that's not much different from what you have to do on the track when you blow it - you have to put it behind you immediately, make the best of your remaining options, and drive out of it with as much speed as possible and get back to business.

I'll confess that I was much more aggressive with Demians instruction than I normally am - and I really don't know why. I guess I just knew that I didn't have to waste time with diplomacy.

I had this image in my mind of how this play day was just the excuse for putting on this H-T mini school, and while my greatest pleasure that day came behind the wheel of my own car, sharing everything I could and helping the guys came in close second. This is first a good bunch of guys with great attitudes - out for fun, but very serious, and second they're driving some of my favorite cars (hell, I even kinda like VR6 Golfs). I have rarely in my life taken so much pleasure in the company of comrades.

Scott, who wanted to finish the year off with a good one.....but doesn't want to wait till March to drive again.......

 

Thanks for the replies...

I was picturing someone unexpectantly reaching over and cranking the wheel... which I have heard stories of also, and which seems much more terrifying than the agreed-upon teaching tool you're describing.

 

Ummm....... yeah. Nevermind. Just looked at some of the 2002 results. I'm about 10 sec off.

 

The H-T guys are now the "Black Flag Boys"!

It was great to get out with fellow drivers who are serious about learning skill and not pimpin'. All the guys from Seattle are truly good solid drivers and have potential in whatever racing venue they may choose... My highlights:

Follow the leader with Scott. We drive the same line which tells me I'm not completely wrong in my perception.

RIDING with Scott. Very insightful! He demonstrated that my growth from a driver standpoint will come from braking and turn-in skill. I was amazed at how "***** to the walls" we came into the braking point and how qiuickly and smoothly he made the transition and entered the turn. ) ITR's definately have some mechanical advantages the G2 cars do not have... ) What a rush! Thanks a million Scott.

The point-by on the front stretch from Zach who stuck all four feet of his arm out of the window! I think he got shook up when he was black flagged! He wanted EVERYBODY to see his hand waving, especially the Evil Headmaster...

Talking strategy with Nash, Brad and John. One of the better rewards is sharing knowledge with those who want to hear it - and will put it to use. to all of you guys for asking for, and puting to use, the advice of other drivers.

Special thanks to John for lending both hands to get my rotors changed. I owe you a beer or two Dude. Thanks. (BTW - Great pictures!)

Hopefully we can all get together again soon!

Greg ~ who still flashes back to T10 in Scotts' ITR. (120 mph @ 100' brake marker... )

 

I can't put into words how much fun I had at the lapping day with everybody. It was a eye opening experience loosing the *** end of the car on one of the first laps in the morning, but I *knew* why I lost it. After finally working out my problems with tires I had excellant afternoon sessions. I learned a lot more about where to turn in and was also working on my exit speeds. One of these days I would love to go for ride with Scott to see what the R is all about.

I would like to point out that those type R motors sound soooo sweet running down the front straight. I thought you guys were shifting to 4th around the exit of the Pro pits.....

Great times and good friends. I can't wait till we do this again and again thanks for letting the little **** Rocket play with you all

 

Yeah I had a great day too. It was nice to go to such a friendly track day - everyone was really nice. I saw some nice driving out there - to the point that makes me want to practice more and more.

Let's do it again soon!

 

How about on the 24th and 25th? Here is the link.

http://www.cascadescc.com/racing_dt.cfm

Come on down w/ us.

Zach


[Modified by fastfour, 8:50 PM 10/14/2002]

 

This is the first time to come onto this board and what a great reading for the first thread!! Im so excited to get onto track next week.
Happy Racing!

 

Can't go - gotta work

 

The Porsche Club has one of the last dates of the year: Sunday November 3rd. Here's their site: http://www.oregonpca.org/

It's one of their big deal weekends - called the RainBonnet. I'll find out if they'll let other marques run.

Scott, who will be most likely to run that date if it's raining.....

 

I have had at least 3 different instructors do this. They all just reached over and grabbed the wheel without warning. Im not sure how valuable it is as a teaching tool. I didnt particularly like it.

yep thats it.




[Modified by elgorey, 2:08 PM 10/15/2002]

 

Don't sweat the times at this stage John. Believe me, you're right on or ahead of schedule...

Everytime out you'll find a second or two - at least for awhile. Hell, just running with Scott and trying some things differently, I found at least 1/2 to 1 second.

Greg