Some story about yesterday, FWIW. I went up to TH to instruct at
Golden Gate Lotus Club yesterday. It was really hot. 100F if not
more. So there was standing and waving yellow during a session. I
looked a head and see a black E46 M3 parked just behind the exit berm
of T9. I thought he spun. I slow down and go thorugh T9 at about
7.5/10th. Rear steps out ultra quick, car got 45 degrees sideways,
but my instincts takes over. Counter steer and get on the gas. Clean
save, no over correction. So in turns out the car threw a rod and dumps
a bunch of oil all over T9. Now I can say I've ran over oil with out
knowing. It wasn't all that dramatic. I think most experienced tracker
can recover with out too much drama just like I did.

I ran my 94 Civic Si hb. It weights 2300 lbs with me in it. stock
125 hp engine with cold air intake, and exhaust. so say 135 hp @
crank. on pepboy brake pads and japanese street tires (goodgear
"revspec") I did a bunch of low 2:16.x laps with best of 2:16.01
according to my DL90 datalogger. I'm driving it as hard as my skills
allows me to. Although for sure there are speeds left in T1 and T9.
If I ever conquer T1 and T9 I think it can possibly do a 2:15 flat.
I wonder how much shaved Toyo RA1's would improve the lap time? Roger
Foo has told me 2:08 can be achieved on race car powered by the same SOHC
VTEC engine. Any of you gone through T9 flat out before :-) If so,
what kinda cars? SM goes over it flat out. (yes I said T9, not T8)

I think 2:16 flat in a street daily driven car on street tires on
a hot day is pretty decent. standard TH CCW with cyclone.



new shoes for remix! thanks to DP @ R Crew Racing.

brand is Sebring I think?!?! the wheels are directional! perhaps the spokes have been aero tested? haha. 15x7 et45. tires are Goodyear Revspec 195/55/15, not very sticky, but more decent than I thought.

i also put in a set of SRR LCA. they look spiffy to say the least. also reduced unspung weight by 2 lbs each corner, and has harder bushings. install was easy, took about 1 hour.





Modified by GhettoRacer at 11:10 AM 6/26/2003

 

They let you back on the track after Willow Springs?

 

Couldn't we wait more than one post without getting all pissy? Maybe those of us who aren't perfect are just more willing to cut a guy some slack...

Kirk

 

when the dust settles, i'll still be around. just wait until the truth come out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhettoRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just wait until the truth come out.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Just curious... what would that truth be?

 

the facts are being presented to the race director and a verdict will be made. ppl speculate too much.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhettoRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I slow down and go thorugh T9 at about
7.5/10th. Rear steps out ultra quick, car got 45 degrees sideways,
but my instincts takes over. Counter steer and get on the gas. Clean
save, no over correction. So in turns out the car threw a rod and dumps a bunch of oil all over T9. Now I can say I've ran over oil with out
knowing. It wasn't all that dramatic. I think most experienced tracker
can recover with out too much drama just like I did.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not to sound "pissy" by any means, but that's definitely not experience talking in the above paragraph. A couple of things that jumped out. First of all you were going 7.5/10ths through that oil, try going through oil at 10/10ths and see if the outcome is the same. In a race you are usually at 9 or 10/10ths all the time and that's how you would go over oil "without knowing" it was there. Finally, don't draw any conclusions out of 1 experience. That's the same as saying that it's not dramatic spinning out in turn (fill in a fast turn you know well) in general, based solely on one time when out of luck you did not happen to hit anything while coming to a stop after doing a 360. An experienced driver never has such an attitude, and certainly not about going over oil! I by no means call myself experienced, but have passed through oil on more occasions that I can remember both in slow turns, fast turns, on dry and wet (which seems it slips more than ice). However on one occasion it caught me out, and that's all it takes. (And none of these ever happened at 7.5/10ths either.)

So it's your call how you want to approach it. I’m just trying to give another point of view, but it’s all your decision how you wish to take this. IMO you're far better of by being realistic than by being *over* confident in anything. Just because the sun was shining today, don't assume the sun will always shine. It might just rain all day tomorrow!

 

leave me alone please! i've had enough fights over the past few weeks. i should've put down, YMMV. i don't want to start anything here again. i was just giving my experience.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhettoRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">leave me alone please! i've had enough fights over the past few weeks. i should've put down, YMMV. i don't want to start anything here again. i was just giving my experience.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm sure you're not happy about the racing incident - none of us are when that type of chit happens. However maybe you should start taking to heart some of the stuff that the experienced racers are saying - because they do care - as opposed to blowing everyone off and getting beligerant.

While not under the best circumstances, i've learned alot from reading the threads surrounding your recent experiences about instructing and driving in general.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhettoRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">leave me alone please! i've had enough fights over the past few weeks. i should've put down, YMMV. i don't want to start anything here again. i was just giving my experience.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ok ok "I'll leave you alone" ! I'm sorry that I gave my opinion to your post that you put in a public forum. And come to think of it, I gained absolutely nothing by wasting a few minutes of my time writing that. I also have no idea of what fights you had over the past few weeks, nor am I interested in knowing. You just have to realize that doing something in public will also get you reactions from the public, too! I didn't mean to give you such a hard time. I was just stating something that I did not agree with, nothing more. And anyone has as much of a right to do this as you have to post your experience in the first place. We cool?

 

dang it....i wanna know what happened!!

frank were you street racing again??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dang it....i wanna know what happened!!</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is where, i assume, all the controversy is coming from...

http://www.ghettoracer.com/eve...0503/

 

yes sir ree! we're cool.

i sometimes forget how public the internet is. i really have to watch what i say sometimes... even with best intentions sometimes things have come back to haunt me.

 

Man, I really am starting to feel bad for you. I dont know if its just a bad string of luck, but you've had a rough time lately. Hope everything works out for you in the end.

by the way, what did the wrecked miata set you back?

 

the damage really wasn't that bad. i got really lucky. if you read my long windy detailed report it is covered.

basically i was struck at the A pillar - possible the strongest point of the car. the cage really did its job. hardly any intrusion. i was also lucky it was a offset hit, not a full 90 deg. T bone. that could've been ugly. all suspension/engine is intact mostly. with exception of something bent slightly on rear left suspension.

unfortunately for sampson, his car is much much worse. pretty much a total write off.

so the real damage was for me just a shell + cage. the cage was only an autopower weld in kit, however it was expertly modified and TIG welded in. it was really good fabrication work. i took about a $3000 loss but what i learn from this whole experience is priceless. not just racing. but about people, true friendship, public perception... etc. it has made me a better person in many ways.

the chassis *might* actually be salvagable but, to make a clean break from the renter, i just worked out a deal where he's satisfied and we have split cleanly on good terms.



Modified by GhettoRacer at 12:22 AM 6/29/2003