Expo 3 is the 1st time for me & my R to be at the track..
I have to admit, I almost lose it (went off all 4 wheels) once, at the 1st Heat..
so basically I got humbled just when I started building my confidence..

anyway.. who else went off? I know Cosworth and GeorgeY did..
(all happened in front of me)

I also know that some of us decide not to take the R to the Limit.. hehehe

Thanks for the EXPO.. now I am hooked. (bad..real bad!)
Auto-X is fun.. but over waay too fast..
Tracking is 'fun-er'.. because You are still doing it when you finally get the chance to tell yourself: "whoa.. I am going fast and punching the car..."
But....seeing how an ITR got owned in front of me is not that fun

The Driving School is kewl.. kinda remind me of a little chasing game..
(someone chased me and I chased them back.. LoL)

um.. but now.. my brakes are really mushy......

 

(see location) Last session, Sunday and thank goodness I didn't hurt anyone or bend car parts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BrewCityR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">(see location) Last session, Sunday and thank goodness I didn't hurt anyone or bend car parts. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Was that you, Aaron, that went 50 yrds on the grass in CW?

 

yeah that was him. scared the crap out of me, I was sitting on the grid with George and Brian and we all got spooked.

 

Glad you came to a stop pretty fast, A-A-ron.
I think you drove much better after the inception of the Reichow manuver.

Sean - I'm glad you were ok and that the car wasn't too badly damaged. Great to meet you finally too. Did the car hold up on the ride home??

Lots of Int1 offs also.

 

I went off trying to save my @ss on Turn 7. I lost my concentration for a split second and tracked out (is that the right term??) after turn 6. Lift throttle oversteer almost introduced my car to the wall. When I finally came to a stop, I was facing the wall about 8ft from it. Suprisingly, I wasn't too spooked. I guess I was just happy to not hit.

 

A few things to remember:

o Do NOT lift when the car is loaded. If god is standing in front of you, run him over. It'll hurt less than a wall.

o Judge your closing speeds, both on cars and to stationary objects. This will come more naturally as you look ahead, and stop focusing on the cones.

o Do not always trust the cones. They get put in suboptimal places sometimes, and they get knocked over at other times. In particular, the cone for the blind apex turn was way off. Ditto the cone for the kink. Use stationary objects are reference points.

Warren

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Warren &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A few things to remember:

o Do NOT lift when the car is loaded. If god is standing in front of you, run him over. It'll hurt less than a wall.

Warren</TD></TR></TABLE>

this helps drive home the importance of not lifting

 

Yep, lifting=bad. I lifted once and recovered very quickly by mashing it. My instructor said 'good recover' but I know we both thought we were spinning!

I had a few scenarios where I ran into a lot of traffic on the back straight, (I don't think everyone was flat through the kink) and I felt almost forced to lift off; to avoid nailing them from the rear! I did once, and man did the load of the car change!

I missed the apex once on 11 and went 2 off, but I know I was not alone! I went off all 4 and spun between 2-3, boy was that an experience. It also filled my whole car with a nice layer of dirt. I came into the turn wayy to hot, and well you guessed it; lifted.

After going for a session with my instructor, I learned a ton and almost **** myself about a dozen times. I learned so many valuable lessons. Use the whole track, it's there for you. Get your braking and downshifting done before the turn-in point. ABS is your friend. Think one turn ahead(easier said than done, but it's the key). Don't follow the driver ahead of you. In slow, out fast. The list goes on and on.

I really can't wait to do another hpde. My 92k suspension is a bit 'spongy' and my brakes are now toast, but that's a good thing!

 

How many novices overall went off track? Am I one of the few who didn't (FBP JDM front end)? Another quick question, coming into turn 10, where was a good time with respect to the 4 sets of cones to be downshifted to 2nd, everytime I tried it I was still overrevving a little. And yeah, I didn't take that in 2nd until the last run on Sunday...silly me thinking I have enough power at 4500rpm in 3rd...

 

LOL Warren... thats some funny ****. Luckily I didn't go off at all during the event. I thought it was a great experience and can't wait to goto my next event!

Anyway - to whoever was driving the Black R in the novice class and lost it going around turn 1 and missed the guard rail by about 1ft, send me a PM. I have your entire spin on video incase you want it. (I was right behind you.)

And before anyone else says something, ahem, again. (*cough* George *cough*) -- I know anyone is excited to see themself almost wreck, but it shows in the video you never took your foot off the brake. So incase you were curious. I wont be able to get it uploaded until next weekend when I stop home for a few days. (down in Tx right now.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many novices overall went off track? Am I one of the few who didn't (FBP JDM front end)? Another quick question, coming into turn 10, where was a good time with respect to the 4 sets of cones to be downshifted to 2nd, everytime I tried it I was still overrevving a little. And yeah, I didn't take that in 2nd until the last run on Sunday...silly me thinking I have enough power at 4500rpm in 3rd...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I didn't go off. 108, PY.

I tried going into 2nd once in that turn, and didn't feel many gains. Although, after riding with my instructor and learning the meaning of ABS and threshold braking, I prolly *could* end up going into 2nd but I didn't feel a need. Midrange ownz.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many novices overall went off track? Am I one of the few who didn't (FBP JDM front end)? Another quick question, coming into turn 10, where was a good time with respect to the 4 sets of cones to be downshifted to 2nd, everytime I tried it I was still overrevving a little. And yeah, I didn't take that in 2nd until the last run on Sunday...silly me thinking I have enough power at 4500rpm in 3rd...</TD></TR></TABLE>

You donw't have to complete a down shift until you need to be on the gas. Just as you were finishing breaking you should be realeasing the clutch with the shift already done.

I was using 3rd with my ATS FD but a lot of the reason was the 2-3 shift grind when at high RPMS.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There were a few near misses. Thank goodness for good instructors and a safe course design.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Interesting little tidbit is the designer of Beaver Run also designed CMP, Gingerman, and the soon to debut Barber Motorsports Complex in Birmingham, AL

Brian

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"Safe" except for pit out, of course.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah really....what was up with that blind entrance! It was on the passenger side, in a spot where "on-track drivers" are flying...working the turns after a big staight....there were a lot of potential problems with that pit-out area....

You guys handled it fine though, and I am glad to see there were no accidents as a result!

 

I never went off... I think that's because I never went WOT until after turn 8... that whole back straight scared the **** out of me! Partial throttle owned me from 7 to 9.....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Brian*Blue95M3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Interesting little tidbit is the designer of Beaver Run also designed CMP, Gingerman, and the soon to debut Barber Motorsports Complex in Birmingham, AL

Brian</TD></TR></TABLE>

Barber Debuted March 15th! Supposed to be an awesome track.

 

so did snee-acky.

j/k r0cker.

 

The story I read about Barber went something like this:

The track owner asked Aaron Yates (reigning AMA Supersport champ) to come test the track for him. Aaron pointed out a few bumps and irregularities, the track owner then spent $500,000 to repave the track to eliminate the problems Yates found . With an owner like that, you know it will be a great place. The story was in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago.

Brian

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Brian*Blue95M3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The story I read about Barber went something like this:

The track owner asked Aaron Yates (reigning AMA Supersport champ) to come test the track for him. Aaron pointed out a few bumps and irregularities, the track owner then spent $500,000 to repave the track to eliminate the problems Yates found . With an owner like that, you know it will be a great place. The story was in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago.

Brian</TD></TR></TABLE>

Kickass. I have one of my NESBA (sportbike track events) there this year. Can't wait to go...

 

The Realtor was rollin' all of you in Novice I almost lost it in Turn 1, then the hairpin Turn 11 also, but did not put any wheels off.

ATS ownz that track

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by apexii &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I had a few scenarios where I ran into a lot of traffic on the back straight, (I don't think everyone was flat through the kink) and I felt almost forced to lift off; to avoid nailing them from the rear! I did once, and man did the load of the car change!

</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's what happened (bad traffic coming off the back straight) and why I lifted & got owned. I was full throttle between 8 and 9, then coasting in the kink @ 100mph. Then, the traffic showed up. Given my track newbie status, I don't think I could've used all the braking power to stop in time before running into four cars that were braking on turn 10 (two more cars holding up the traffic going up the right hander). Next time, if someone is in my way, they are going to get plowed.

Also, I learned that next time, run off to the outside... more room to avoid barriers.

p.s. Thanks to Warren for putting up with me, even after the incident.

 

I never had an off, my first HPDE as well. I did not have any offs at all, but I did get the tail happy a little bit in the same spott Sean is talking about, came hauling through the kink then came up on traffic that was going considerbly slower than I thought...lifted a bit and I was "I dont like this, I dont like this!" Fortunately the back in did not come around and I got on the brakes super hard after coming around to straight.

Would like to think Williard and Warren who instructed me, they did great and helped me tremendously.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cosworth &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, I learned that next time, run off to the outside... more room to avoid barriers.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nah, not so much more room, but that you're under control. Glad you made it back home safely!

Warren

 

Sneakychaos, I don't have much midrange comparatively, bone-stock engine, so i could go through the turn, but not nearly as fast as everyone else. When I did get into 2nd, coming out of the turn I could feel the LSD working, chirped the tires upshifting, and then entered the straight carrying quite a bit more speed. For anyone behind me, sorry for holding you up. And actually, sorry for holding up whoever on the 3rd round on Saturday, I was almost out of gas so I wasn't pushing it.
As for shifting, thanks yet again Trey, I wasn't sure if I needed to have fully shifted a little before entering the turn or not, and I certainly wasn't trail braking, go novice-level!