Yes, this will be the first time SCDA is running Palmer clockwise. I believe the track was designed to be driven in both directions. I found some video on youtube, and it seemed to flow nicely. Will have to see how the car feels after Lime Rock. Please update us after you run Palmer; be safe and have fun!

 

General information for the N18 owners. When changing oil check the rear of engine and oil pan. If you see a trace of oil on the block or pane you may have oil seapage from the oil pressure sensor in the oil pump. This is wicking up the wires which can reach the ECU and destroy it. I am having mine fixed at this time since I noticed my oil pressure oscillated in pressure and dropped below 10 psf at times.

 

Good tip. If I ever saw less than 10, my pucker factor would be over 100.

 

According to MINI at idle a 10 psf pressure is acceptable. There is a warranty repair kit for this Part# 11-41-8-609-973-BOE which can be found from Pelican Parts for 1/3 of cost from dealer. You also need to check wire to ECU to make sure it is not contaminated.

 

Believe it or not, my car new had a leak from there.

But how does the oil get to the ecu? Isn't that uphill and a ways away from the ECU? That is one heck of a wicking action to do that!

 

I am not particularly sure how it occurs since it is uphill, but it does. My car has it by the connector and hoping (since ECU still works) not completely to ECU. I guess because of pressure and osmosis it wicks up just like a lantern.

I was told about this at the dealer when I was discussing the varying oil pressure. I think this should have been a recall item but apparently not.

 

This is like the auxiliary water pump. When it dies BMW hides the codes that result. Eventually not having it will kill the turbo. BMW cares little about the owners especially for problems they cause.

 

+1 from someone who was caught up in the great timing chain tensioner controversy. It took a 6 years and a class action suit for MINI to make good.

 

Had fun @ Lime Rock even though the day was on the wet side. I found the track very greasy first time out. Track was damp, but not wet, and there was no dry line. Puddles in the usual places; left-hander and the downhill. Running Direzzas with lots of tread left. Very slow all around the track, and I felt the car sliding on many corners. DSC kicked in consistently on West bend and the downhill. Second session out was much better because there was a dry line, at least when the session started. That went away as it started to drizzle, and my traction ebbed but not as bad as the first session. Third and fourth sessions were on a wet track, so speeds were down on those. I focused more on car control than speed, obviously. By the end of the day, my left arm was the most tired part of my body thanks to all the point byes I was giving all day!

Signed up for Palmer, running clockwise. This will be my first time at this track, and it looks pretty technical, with lots of elevation changes. I'll have an instructor, at least for the first session out. Anybody else considering going?

 

I should have mentioned on Monday that having an instructor the first session is a must-do at Palmer. It will make the other sessions far more enjoyable.

Good day at LRP Monday! I still have no idea why my worn out Michelin Pilot Super Sports performed so well. The compound must like the wet. For those who weren't there — In the third session I got behind a new Corvette and was literally up his *** for the final 5 or 6 laps of the session. It was the most on-track fun I've had in awhile. I know he was trying like hell to shake the old man in the MINI. He would pull ahead on the main straight but by the time we got to the left hander I was closing in and by the uphill I was on his bumper again. He waved me by once right before West Bend but it was too late for me to act (and he was throwing up quite a rooster tail). Rain is the great equalizer! I grabbed this photo from the site of the photographer who was covering the day.

 

Nice pic! It was almost as much for me watching you two go at it. I know the reason your tires performed so well compared to mine. It's the driver, not the tires! I'll report back from Palmer next week...

 

I wish!

 

Well, all I can say is that the only part of my body that is sore today is my left shoulder, from giving all those point byes!

 

I always had a grand time in the rain at LRP. Sliding around gives good experience with the car's handling. Glad you two had a good time. I was wondering about that.

I am am ready for the weekend at Palmer. It will be interesting to go backwards around a track.

 

Supposedly, Palmer was designed to be run in either direction. I'll let you know if/how it flows running clockwise. Are you going this weekend?

 

Yes, Palmer can be run in both directions.

First day impressions:
Running counterclockwise isn't anything to get used too. The car doesn't care if it turning left or right. Neither does the driver. What is tough about this track is all of the blind apexes. It also has what I would call double braking zones. That is you brake to come into a turn then you need to straighten the wheel, brake and turn again, but you haven't really left the turn.

First timers at the track, no matter what your skill level, really do need an instructor. It will be really tough to figure this track out without one.

As for running the track backwards, it looks like it will be fun, but there will be a set of downhill turns that are on a steep section of track that are going to have a very big pucker factor.

 

Thanks for the preliminary report, Eddie. I think this track looks even more technical than Monticello, and will take several events to really get it in the mind's eye. Tons of blind apexes. Before I registered, I made sure Elivan would provide an instructor for me. Looks like you may have some rain tomorrow...stay safe and have fun!

 

A bit of misting, that is all, and not during any of my sessions.

And, yes, more technical than Monticello.

It was hard for me to get my mind's eye around this one. The track is also hard on the MINI's front tires. There are several moderately slow turns that you want to go faster on, but can't and it just chews on those tires.

Hope you you have a great day. Let us know how you do and what you think of it.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the tires, Eddie. I do have a break between my 2nd and 3rd sessions where I would be able to swap front to back, if necessary. I hope my tires warm up sufficiently. It looks like temps will be in the mid-40's for most of the morning. Glad the rain missed you!

Their version of the corkscrew does not look as tight as the one @ Monticello. Is that correct? Any other tips on problematic turns would be most appreciated. Not many videos of this track running clockwise on youtube.

 

Most of my tire wear came on the second day as I started to pick up speed. As you say, just keep an eye on them.

As for help with the turns, you will be going in the opposite direction from what I learned. There isn't much help that I can provide as it will be totally different. If I remember right the corkscrew at Monticello was at the end of the back stretch. At Palmer, this would be turns 4 and 5 (in my direction). They are tough; for that direction you are going up hill and it is hard to maintain momentum. For you, you will be entering Turn 5 from Turn 6 and will have a blind drop downhill that you will need to control speed on in order to be able to make it through Turn 5 and then through Turn 4; there is little room to slow between 5 and 4. It is steep and there is no camber on the outside of 4, so if you swing wide it will be tough to recover. That is the only one I can help you with.

Have fun

 

That helps a lot! Turns 4 and 5 are my major concern, especially going downhill without the benefit of any camber. Late apexes I can deal with, but I remember an instructor @ Monticello going 4 off @ the corkscrew, with me in the car! For some reason, I thought you were running the track clockwise.

Unrelated question: Is there air available to all, or just in the garages? Where is the best place to set up base camp, in your opinion? Is there a gas station near the track to fill up before hand? Thanks in advance!

 

Nope, we were running the original direction.

Good questions. Hopefully I get my directions correct.


As for Air, as you come into the infield from the road you will see a set of garages, at the far end of those in an air compressor, inside the last bay. Hopefully they have the chuck fixed (the thing that fits on your valve stem, it broke at the end of the day Sunday)


Gas, my 4 sessions on Sunday, I used a little more than a half a tank. But if you need gas, take a left out of the driveway heading to Warren and go straight on to Rt 67 (north?) and there is a gas station not to far down the road. I didn't use them, but was told about them. The guys is the lunch trailer are really nice and helpful with directions.


Base camp, I set up on top of the first higher up lot overlooking the front stretch but a better place maybe just beyond the garages. The hill I was on had a really good view of the track, but it was windy.


I would say the 5 to 4 turns are going to be the hardest; unlike the ego track that Monticello is, this is a track that will bit back with mistakes as there is no run-off, only rock and wall around these turns. You could say that about most of this place. Come to think of it, Going into Turn 1 from Turn 2 will be a tough one also as it is also a blind downhill apex, but it might be easier than 5.


Have fun; take care

 

Thanks for the great recon, Eddie! I'll post my experience tomorrow when I get home.

 

Here's the scoop, guys. Temps were around the freezing mark when I arrived at the track, so the street tires stayed on for the morning sessions. I found the track surprisingly grippy, despite the cold track surface and relatively cold tires. I was fortunate to have hooked up with an instructor who allowed me to ride with him for his first session out, and he was in my car for about half of my first run. Without that, I would have been at sea. This track combines elements from the Glen, Monticello, (and I'm sure other tracks I haven't been to) along with massive elevation changes. I'm not going to go through a turn by turn description, because it is possible that the track won't be run in this direction again. That depends on the feedback SCDA and the track receives, so for now I'll just give my general impressions.

By the time I switched over to my Nitto NT 01s for the two afternoon sessions, the track had warmed up nicely, and I was getting the line down pretty consistently. This track is awesome when you hit your apexes correctly, but is not forgiving when you don't. The most difficult part of the track running clockwise is the T-5/T-4 combo, heading downhill with lots of negative camber on the track out of T-4, right next to a tire wall that seems to want to suck the car into it. The other turn that requires accuracy is T-1 heading into the longest straight. If you don't get it right, you will find yourself running out of track on the left side very quickly. Having said that, I had a lot of fun, especially in the afternoon with the sticky tires on. I felt like I was able to learn the track decently in one day, but there are a ton of subtleties that remain to be discovered. It will be weird going back here and running it counterclockwise, as it is an entirely different beast in that direction. All in all, a challenging but invigorating day. By the way, I only used about 1/3 of a tank of gas over the course of the day.

 

Glad you had a good day.

So I guessed right on the "problem" turns; T4/5 and T1. I think I prefer them in the uphill direction.

Yes there are a lot of subtleties. My instructor with the BMW group had me running lines that were different from the other instructors and they really worked will for a momentum car and that is what this track is all about. Running in the other direction you will find parts of LRP in this track too. We did a track walk and you can't believe how steep some parts really are especially in T4 and T5. They would be fun to ski down with some snow on them... Driving in a car, really flattens the elevation change and you don't see it like you do when you are standing on the pavement.

I talked to people who have driven both directions and they liked the counterclockwise direction best.

The other thing that I noticed was that tire wear was pretty even on both front tires. That said, the track was hard on both of them and -1.5 deg is not enough for this track. My sidewalls are shot.