Hehehe.

I haven't finished my bearing mounts for my Motons, and I don't want to use modified ITR bushings (and I have an extra set - leaving me about an hour away from running them if I wanted), so I softened up my Mugen N1 setup. I went to 1100F / 1400R, my rear bar, and no front bar. I took the ride height up a touch to around 23.6 to the front fender lip with about 1/2 inch of rake. I started with the fronts turned out 5.5 turns, and the rears on two clicks from full soft. For tires I was on R3S04's - the rear 205's were on the 14th heat cycle and the fronts on their 4th. I ran 2.6 - 2.8 camber in front, and 1.1 at the rear. Lot's of guessing here.

Practice - untimed - was alot of fun. Grip seemed great, and the car was extremely loose everywhere. Great "problem" to have - "easy to fix". The rear came way out several times, but was always easy to bring back. I found it really easy to slip into a slow motion mode and really soften up my inputs. I was able to hold my braking point for T1 (no chicane) while riding the pedal alot softer - it was kind of surreal. The car was extremely plush compared to the 1400/1600 setup. Subjectively I was very happy. Objectively I had no clue.

I was logging observations in a kind of detached way, and I had a sensation that I was getting a two stage response during braking and turn in. I've always had to work hard on smoothness in my inputs - I tend to be too abrupt in my braking and steering inputs. I was getting the proverbial "seems to take a set and then fall over on itself". I chalked this up to my inputs generating enough roll velocity to generate enough damper force to put a step in the chassis response. As I softened up my touch I was able to reduce this to the point it was imperceptible.

In my curb crashing and landing I thought I was touch underdamped - thought I was getting too much bounce back.

After the session I looked over my tires and was surprised to see that I'd corded the outside shoulder of the outside rear. On the stiff setup I'd built up alot on the inside half of the tire, so I knew I was using the outside half, but still I was surprised. I flipped them, put the corded tire on the inside, and figured I'd keep qualifying short and keep an eye on them.

So for qualifying I stiffened the fronts half a turn, the rears one click, and added 0.3 degrees more negative at the rear. I needn't have worried about the corded tire at all. Even with a little more camber it still built up a very nice scab over the cord in qualifying later in the afternoon.

Qualifying sucked. It took 5 or 6 laps before I could get any grip. I'd be into the ABS at what were very conservative braking distances. It was like I was driving rocks despite high temperature and plenty of sun. Then there was traffic. I wasted alot of laps in traffic or moving back make a gap. I don't think I ever turned a really good lap - nothing that came close to how I felt in practice. The car was now a bit pushy everywhere - very secure, but more than I'd been aiming for - and it was now back to it's hateful old self in T3. I couldn't touch the brake pedal for T3 without getting into the ABS, and then it'd chatter during turn in too. Hopeless. And I worked hard at it.

Strangely enough my times were within a tenth of what I'd done last month on the stiff setup. Great - progress implied again instead of demonstrated.

I talked to Brewer - one of my favorite drivers (as close to a hero as I'll acknowledge having) - and was describing my problem. He'd gone out in the next session, and said that the track was slick and that I couldn't get any heat into my tires because there wasn't enough grip to make them work. I hadn't thought of it, and I have a hard time comparing any given lap to my baseline Butec data, but it makes sense.

In looking at the tires after qualifying the outside front looked really good and flat. The inside front looked to have worn about a degree of postive camber into itself - the inside half being worn down more. So I took a half degree out it, and took 0.3 back out of the inside rear. I put the dampers back to where they'd been in practice. <Shrugg> See what happens.

I qualified "in between". There was a 944 behind me by a couple of tenths, and a Mustang ahead by more. It didn't look like it'd be much of a race, but there's always the chance for fun thru the first few corners.

The start startled and amused me. I thought the 944 behind me was an ITS / RS kind of 944. It blew by me at whatthefuckwasthat speed and I realized my error. I ran up inside Todd's Mustang and Val's Porsche in T1 - which lasted till we hit the back straight. Fun while it lasted, ok, now I'll just work on my driving.

Lap, lap, lap, another lap, crash the curb in T7 and somethings wrong with the power and the exhaust note. I shoot off onto the outside pit road. I've lost a cylinder. I don't hear any mechanical ruckus so I head for the pro pits thinking maybe I can wait to motor enough laps to get a finish. I get out and take a look and just as my eyes are heading for the distributor cap a guy at the pit wall hollers "there it is". Fuggin plug wire came off the distributor. Cool - I can get back out. Biggest bummer - getting my Simpson subs back on with my helmet on.

So I'm back out and hammering away. It kinda worked out good. I get to pass backmarkers in greater number than I otherwise might have. The car really works pretty good. Still not as good in T3 as it was in practice, but tolerable.

Fast race lap is about a tenth slower than qualifying. <Sigh>.

How do I feel about this race? Race? What race? I'm not alone in this though. Wilson won ITS off the front by enough that in a sense you can't call it racing. But I'm sure he enjoyed the drive - I know I did.

Best races of the day were in Spec Miata and Spec Racer Ford. Gee, I'm so surprised. I watched the Spec Miata race from my new favorite spot on the track: inside of track at the 100 foot marker for T7. It is Most Excellent! You're looking at the drivers view thru the curbing for T7. Bockman and Sutherland were great entertainment (Portland's the only track where the locals smoke the Pro's).

Where the Miata's were a bit busy and jouncy, the Porsche Cup cars like Hebenthal's were smooth as silk. It's amazing to watch a car go thru the circus with so much composure - talk about sorted.

Cramer ran RS alone in his GSR. Wing on / Wing off. He's got something new every time I see him. And he's going faster. His best of the weekend was a half second faster than mine. Ouch. This is starting to hurt. I'm going to take my car to Loynings for a quick check on the dyno. 7 years and it hasn't been touched - I know it's a Honda, but sooner or later it's gonna start getting soft. Ron's going about 3.5 seconds faster than the ITS winner. <Scratches Head>. Hmmmmm.

I found a nice spot to escape the heat in the tower, and got to overhear a bit of some protest over some contact. Rich guy with expensive car gets hit from behind. He's upset I presume over the contact itself, but he's complaining that repair may compromise his upcoming race schedule - which he makes to sound very important. Important. Conference race next weekend. Some other SCCA regional out of region. Something else somewhere else. Club Racing is what were talking about. How ******* important can it be? But that's another story for another time. So many personalities.

Speaking of personalities - Egad, there's so much politics it's a fright. So many people, so many interests. Drivers and their factions. Workers and their factions. It's like the Israeli Parliament. I hung out at the T7 turn station for a while - Howard dropped me off there with what I inferred was a purpose. Holly and the crew at T7 reminded me of what I think Howard had in mind. This sport belongs to all of us, and without everybody nobody gets to play. Holly and the crew were . I didn't hear any politics, just them being totally into racing - I get it.

Another weekend at the track. Another panorama of people and personalities. I love driving. And I love primitive engineering. No matter how pointless and frustrating.

Scott, who, dammit, should have bought a Miata a long time ago...it always seems like it's too late, and then I spend Another Wad and it seems like it's really too late now...but it really wasn't too late then...My ITR ownz me.

 

Nice report. What track?

 

zip ties for the plug wires next time?

 

It was at Portland.

Don't want it to happen again - and it wasn't real positive when I put it back on/in. Probably shouldn't overreact to chance occurance though - maybe just check them as often as I check my Skunk arms.

Scott, who is thinking about a test day in a couple weeks...Must Finish Goodies.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RR98ITR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Scott, who is thinking about a test day in a couple weeks...Must Finish Goodies.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Scott,
You can come up to Seattle this week and run the test-n-tune on Friday before the NASCAR/SCCA Regional thingy this weekend. I'm going early Friday to hopefully get a spot on pavement. I have some tinkering to do also.

 

John,

I can't tell you how much I'd love to come up and drive Seattle with you.

But this week is Out for me.

Hope you have a fun and productive time.

Scott, who is Totally in favor of pitting on the pavement...

 

Thanks for the recount... an enjoyable and easy read.

Stiffer isn't always better... driving is cool, politics sucks.