cliffs at bottom

Why this forum? Because I feel you all will appreciate it most.

The plans had come together better than the A-Team. Will call me tuesday Jan. 28 at about 1:30 stating they were in Flagstaff so we made plans for him to call me later that night once getting into VEGAS.
He called later that night and we kinda made plans (temporary) that we would meet at I-5 and 46 in Lost Hills California, but we didn't agree to a time. He did say that he would call once he got to Bakersfield and i could tell him where I was and how far away from Lost Hills I was.
I pull into the LOVES gas station at about 1 pm on the 29th of Jan. pick up my phone to look at the time and the phone rings.

"hello"
"hey this is will" will spoke "we are at I-5 and 46...."
i intrupt him while climbing out of my car.... "so am i....where are you?"
"we are at JACK IN THE BOX"
me" where's taht.....i'm at loves...."

well jackinthecrack was right next to loves...we pulled in within 2 minutes of each other....small world...

after a potty break and gas fill up we head out to hwy 1....up the coast we go...

following the m3 was fun....

We finally pulled the track about 5pm just as the sun was setting. I had been to the track in October but with all the rain CA had the landscape was so much greener! We drove around the camp ground and find what is the perfect spot. You can see turn 1-6 from our site!!!!!

We unpacked the cars and I started on changing my front tires to the 225/50/15 AO32r's that I would be putting to use the next day while Dan and Will put up their tent. I finished the swap and give dan the jack so he can change the oil.
While we were conversing around the m3 while the oil drained we heard something rumbling over near our food. Will walked over and saw nothing while I thought it was just the wind rustling the paper bags. Two minutes later Will sees a fox and i break out the camera and got one good shot of him. I would say I was about 6 feet away from the fox while taking pictures with the flash on. He didn't spook at all!


We put the food up and headed to get some food. We decided on steaks since the camp ground had a bbq pit. We saved 10 bucks on the steaks we bought. I think we paid 5 bucks for 3.5 pounds of top surloin and it was good. Hopefully Will will post pics and videos of the steaks (GREAT STUFF)

We slammed some beirs and ate our food, and ready for bed by 9:00. So off to bed we went. I was nervous cause i was camping under an ezup and with that fox running around i thought i might get attacket but i didn't.

Thursday morning. The smell of race gas awakens me and we are off to the track (200 yards by the way of the crow) but about a mile mile.5 drive.

We unpacked all our track supplies and headed to the drivers meeting. The usual stuff except the first lap IS hot and you can PASS on the first lap. Also checkered flag lap is HOT and you can PASS.

Now to the track.

Day one for me was rough. I got hit by the black flag about 15 times because of the DB Limits. Even with my silencer in I hit 94 dbs and at this point i wasn't even full throttle or even coming out of turn 5 fast enough to be in vtec in 4th gear.

So my DB lowering proccess went like this

SOS pads in the exhaust
tested hit 94 dbs

sos pads and a sound deflector
test hits 92.6

sos pads sound deflector and a coke can over the silencer to further restrict the exhaust
test hits 92

at this point i didn't know what to do I had about 20 laps under my belt and really enjoying the course except for the DB limits!

I was able to be in 5th gear by turn 5 so i decided to just leave the car in 5th going up the hill.

This left me under the DB limit at the check but i'm sure they knew i wasn't near that at WOT!! opppppssss....

So once I found how to get past the DB check I started to enjoy my day. My brother showed up so I took him out for my last session and that was my first time doing a full session without a black flag!!! wooo hooo

Day 2

I decided to go out for a sound check since I had the course down well and was carring some good speed into t-5. Went by WOT in 4th and I got the black flag at start finish on my second pass i did 3rd gear WOT and pitted and told me i hit a 94 and 97 DB and i really need to get that fixxed.

I didn't know what was up since i hadn't changed anything from the day before....so once again i decided i'd just go by sound check in 5th.

My sessions got faster and much more fun except the race cars that would not give will and I the pass signal even though we were on their butts for 3 laps.

Last session of the day for me i caught a turbo911 and a viper. It took the 911 2 laps to realize i was killing him everywhere but the front straight but by the end of turn 2-3 i was back on his ***...he gave me the pass. rode the viper for another 2 laps....he barely pulled (10 cars) on the front straight but i was right back on his butt at turn one i love having a 150 brake zone!

Overall Laguna is a GREAT TRACK and very safe, I would have liked to have a corner worker in 3 but that is the only place that didn't have a worker that might have needed it. I would recommend anyone that has the chance to drive the track to do so!

Don't know if Laguna is better than any other track i have been on, maybe it is that i just like to be on track no matter what track it is!

well i will have video and pictures eventually! thanks dan and will for coming out


cliffs

drove laguna and liked it...

 

wow, awesome. I didn't know there were noise restrictions. I would love to even see that track, let alone drive it!

Bring on the media

 

Hope to drive Laguna one day.

 

Chad, you are all over the place. One driving fool...

 

Great story

 

Nice write up!

SOS pads to the rescue.

 

Sounds like a lot of fun

Where's da pixors?

 

nice review. the track IS awesome. smoothest and nicest track i have ever driven on.


BTW, what is the DB limit? i thought it was 95... i know i am over if i go with my exhaust. GAH. i mise well pack my stock axle back before i go.

there is a restrction due to the surrounding residence.

 

sweet bro, I've been to Laguna Seca when I was younger.....Need to go drive it now that I am older.

 

I second that, I bet it's an awesome experience.

 

What do you want?

Grand Canyon?
Vegas?
Cars?
Track?
Ladies?
Wistle tip type R?

 

It was 90db on Thursday and Friday...

It may be louder on the weekend.

There are 8 days (weekends?) that there is no sound limit.

[edit]
pics






[Modified by Willard, 10:19 AM 2/4/2003]

 

DB limit for the speedventures event was 90 DB....and like i said i tried everything and if i would not have sandbagged i would have been thrown out of the event!!


now for the track review

VERY SMOOTH
I do not believe there were any surface changes
very well cambered track
corners were fast except for the CORK
STAY OFF OF THE RUMBLE STRIPS! I normally bounce my car off of these and often will go into a turn with my oil pan over the rumble strip so that i can carry more speed threw the turn. The rumbles at laguna are big!!! i hit them a few times and learn soon to stay off of them!!
CORK the first time was interesting
coming up to the CORK under the bridge seeing nothing but skid marks well...ohhhmy didn't know what to do

turn 11 (last turn) very tight could have used 2nd gear if i had the 4.4 final in but 3rd was fine with the 4.7. dan said he would have to have very good throttle modulation with the m3 even in 3rd so the rear would not step out.

getting video of will stepping out in 5 was cool and many other places.

Turn by turn
Turn ONE which is actually 1 and 2
i was coming into turn one at about 115-125 (5th gear). i would hit the brakes well before brake markers to make sure i had brakes...back on the gas and hard hard on the brakes at the 2 marker....rev match to 3rd gear
best way for me through 1 (which is actually 1 and 2) was going in DEEP and turn in and hit the inside where i believe turn 2 starts. then i would track out to track right and head for 3

TURN THREE
I would be in 4th gear tap brakes turn in and head to 4

Turn FOUR
fourth gear still....tap brakes head to 5....shift into 5th before bridge

TURN FIVE
going into in 5th gear and would leave in 5th so i would pass DB's so hit brakes enter speed between 60-65 drive out lugging up the hill at 3000 rpms in 5th gear
hit the 4 hundred foot brake market and shift into 4th to pull up the hill

TURN SIX
ever so slightly tap brakes....is was one of my favoite corners once i learned how to carry some speed you really probably don't need to hit the brakes but i did just for my sence of the first time on this track head up hill to cork screw
left car in 4th but by end of weekend if i would have been pushing it i would have gone into 5th gear at the bridge

TURN SEVEN left hander into cork
i would lift off gas before cresting the hill and then would be back on throttle once i came over hill...you really didn't need to brake till 150 mark rev match to 3rd but you would have to be on the brakes hard!!! go in deep....really deep....deeper then you think then turn HARD LEFT and floor it....both front tires are spinning if you are taking 7 right

Turn EIGHT
If you drove 7 right 8 will basically come to you naturally but it is a gracefull right hander full throttle.....half way between 8-9 you shift into 4th

TURN NINE
Aim your car towards the corner worker and tap the brakes and turn in and full throttle (i was really able to carry alot of speed through this corner it showed when i was behind other cars as i would catch them quickly between 9-10) still in 4th maybe should have gone to 5th but didn't want to have to shift again (downshift)

TURN TEN
Just as fast as 6 and 9 lots of run off room if you get into trouble, very fast right hander and well cambered....i was just tapping the brakes once again still in 4th heading to 11

TURN ELEVEN
Yes this turn is just as tight in real life as in the game....going in top of 4th gear, i tended to lock them up more at 11 than any other place on the course. i'm not sure why cause this is the most level part of teh track no elevation change and no camber on 11....i would liken it to the last turn at CMP but turning opposite way.
definately only downshift to 3rd otherwise i was having to shift before i tracked out thus upsetting the car too much...

turns 1-5
enjoy


picture will be here in 15 minutes....


[Modified by chad, 10:21 PM 2/3/2003]

 

Sounds like you had a fun weekend Chad. I heard you met my good friend Tony aka Jackson. I wish I could have come up to chill, but I was stuck in school. I would love to run on Laguna Seca someday too. However I don't think I can ever pass that decible limit...
So are you now going whip out Gran Turismo to practice your line for next time?

 

sounds like you have a good time Chad

Can't wait to see the hatchcrap in action again.

 

nice report man
i still remember the fun from 46 to 1 to the track, the road is very good to curise.

Chad, you can go to my link to check out some pic in laguna too..........i remember i hit the ramble strip hard one time, fortunlately, everything is fine........
btw, whats your best lap?

 

Those 8 days... 3 must belong to the American LeMans series. A few to the AMA superbikes... right? and.. CART!

 

holy chit that's a huge pic!

 

WOW, thats my favorite track on gran tourismo!!! How much does it differ besides you are actually there. Is the game accurate to the actual track

 

Great review Chad. I figured I'd add a few comments from my experiences on some turns.

Turn one isn't really much of a turn at all. Its just a little kink in the straight, but its got a pretty good crest. If I saw a car in front of me earlier in the straight I wouldn't go over the crest flat out because I couldn't see the other cars. This is one place I could have been a little faster, but probably not much. Turn two can be taken a few different ways and I'm not sure which is faster. My instructor for this event liked slowing way down and taking this turn kind of tight. It worked ofr him pretty well and he was catching a lot of people coming out of this turn in his S2000. When I tried to this I would usually still be going just a bit too fast and would overcook it a little. I eventually went back to doing this like Chad describes, which seems to fit me a bit better.

This turn is faster than it looks and I know I could make myself go faster through it. I also had to start backing off becasue the noise booth is just after this turn. I started being able to exit out of this turn in third and in VTEC, but that's when I would be blowing noise, so I started having to ease off the throttle or just go into fourth.

This is also one of my favorite corners and I could catch a lot of cars coming out of this turn.

I still can't get myself totally comfortable with this turn. The instructor I had for this event had me on a pretty good line, but I'll have to remember the corner worker thing next time. The thing you don't really get a good sense of until you drive the track is the forces you are feeling in the car, how quickly that outside edge comes up on you, and that the car is still going pretty steeply down hill. I cannot make myself go full throttle in this turn until I can see my exit point and I know I am probably braking a bit too much while at the top of this turn. I got a lot more comfortable with it on this event, but I know I can still go much faster. During my first event at Laguna I got to ride with someone very experienced at Laguna and a great driver. Every time we went through this turn I figured we were going to loose it. The sensations are just so wierd and you see that outside rumble strip coming up pretty fast and you feel the car fighting for traction.

Turn 11 is very tight and is probably the hardest on brakes (probably every bit as hard as turn 2) because you are going so fast through 10 and have to really slow down. I would be in second and just get in VTEC on the exit. I'm sure I could do this turn better too.

Laguna is such a fun track and I get a little better at it each time I go. Next time I go, I'll have to take my stock intake incase I blow noise agian.


[Modified by hecklervtec, 8:24 AM 2/4/2003]

 

Track mostly, although ladies are always nice too

Edit: Nice review of the track too I hope to drive it one day.


[Modified by MugenMike, 11:29 AM 2/4/2003]

 

nice write up Chad - enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to seeing the Roll a hatchcrap #2847389 in action again

 

Nice write up. Brendan and I had a lot of fun too. We just had to leave early because of two broken wheel studs.

The db meter definately spoiled lots of peoples' fun. I thought it was ironic that I leave out my silencer for my muffler on the street most of the time and I had to put it in for the track. But comparing your gear selection to mine, you seemed to be a gear up from me in most of the turns. I think mostly because of your 4.7 final drive and .2 liter advantage.

It's funny how some of the guys there wouldn't let us pass. I was behind this viper for a long time before he let me pass. I almost rear-ended him coming out of turn 6, which was probably one of my favorites, and it took him 2 laps to finally let me pass. Of course he would pull a million cars away on the straight, I quickly caught up by turn 2. Whatevers, I have it all on video.

Everyone can check our pics here.

It was nice meeting you guys.

-Tony

 

You guys were in the white Civic right. Here's a pic of you guys behind me and the guy in the Ferrari 308.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?i...9427459&idx=13

I hope you don't mind me copying your pic of me in the corkscrew.

 

Awesome! Thanks!