When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Well, off to the races. Well race track, at least. Next Friday, with SCDA. I’ll be there. It’s a half day event, so I don’t have to get up before dawn. And it looks to be about a 70 deg day, that will be good.
It would be great to have one last get together before the snow flies.
Started the car inspection and prep and found this:
Tire wear
Problem with driving at LRP with little camber. Interesting wear pattern in the rubber. Dark rubber is clearly the tread rubber. The lighter gray rubber appears to be the layer above the cords. A little too close to the cords for my tastes, so that wheel is in for a quick change out of the tire.
I do find it interesting that I managed such a fine discretion in the wear so as to get the compression of the tread part of the mold pushing the tread rubber into the under layer rubber.
Yesterday started out with me driving through rain showers with nearly bald tires that, even when new, were less than the best in the rain. But, hey, that’s what I get for washing the car the day before a track day and, also, believing the weather report. Well, that was the report for where I live. LRP, that was another story. Clear blue skies and in the upper 60s when I arrived. And that only went up to the mid-70s as the day went on. Perfect track day weather!
It was a crazy fast crowd at LRP yesterday. I’ve run with some fast cars in the Advanced run group with SCDA and other event organizers over the years, but I have never have been in a group where all of the cars were as fast as these were. I talked to people in the paddock who were in quick cars who thought it was just them thinking that. They were also surprised by that, the same as I was. I am guessing that just about every car out there must have been turning a sub-minute laps. If not, it sure felt like it. I was about to get a mannequin arm to put out the window because of doing so many point bys every lap.
That said, most everyone in the Advanced run group were playing nicely. Had a couple of times where I was surprised by a second car jumping in for a pass. This doesn’t work well for late passes where I am looking to tuck in behind the car that I just pointed by and I find a car already there. But I managed.
There were a few black flags. A hauler was there with a bevy of spec Miatas and one of them got stuffed into the tire bales at the exit of the downhill. Another car lost it while heading in to the pits. The worst was someone who blew an engine or oil line coming onto the front straight from the downhill and dumped oil all the way to pit out. That took forever to clean up and killed my last session.
Overall, Smokey did really well. The new camber plates and about -3 deg of camber has really helped with tire wear and feel of the car. But for whatever reason, my lap times seem to be stuck where they always have been. Of course, with barely a lap without multiple point bys, it was tough to get a clean lap. So maybe a clean lap would have been a tick quicker than my past best. I can wish. That aside, the car did feel really good and it was a great end to the season.
Smokey in his usual spot: Smokey looking fine
This was like a Corvette reunion, starting with the red one near Smokey. Then there was: Engine from Corvette racing and an idle with more lope to it than a 3 legged horse
And, oh, this was in the intermediate run group (gkp - take note )
And another:
The livery was great on some Corvettes (blue painter’s tape exclude)
Come catch me yellow. Think this will attract the Cops?
And no, I didn’t a picture of every Corvette that was there
Time attack and it was fast!
A tiny Radical and fast, too
Not quite stock Subaru
Has to be at least one Porsche at these events
A bevy of spec Miatas - this pink one was the one in the tires, took out the right rear suspension
A first that I have seen at one of these events, and, no, no second seat. But it was muffled to better than 85db
A blue sky photo
It was a good day. I can tell as I write this, because my butt cheeks, neck and shoulders are all sore today.
Also, this was the last day of events at LRP. Today (Saturday after this event) they start digging up the paddock grounds to make room for…
NASCAR TRUCK RACING NEXT YEAR. And, no, not going to a NASCAR sanctioned demolition derby.
C'mon, gotta go to the truck race. I was at LRP on Wednesday and this guy almost wrecked the little bit of hearing I have left.
A while back I drove a stock truck and forgot my ear plugs. Ruined my right ear…
Surprised your event was an unmuffled one. That’s the second one in 3 days, counting the one I saw. I was wondering if those things would start to show up at track days now that NASCAR has changed the car design.
More tire madness. I corded the INSIDE of the right front tire and did a good job of wearing out the inside of the left front tire. Lower left is Right Front; Lower right is Left Front
Not sure if I have too much camber or too little toe-in or both. I can easily reduce the camber with the strut tower slots, but that will remove more toe. Nope, don’t know what the toe is now and the camber is about -3…. something to think about for next season.
And for fun, my best session of the day. Pulled a reasonable lap time even with the car point-bys that tend to slow me down and the nearly corded tires:
Wow…..on the outside looking in, I’d def say too much camber.
I should point out that these tires where previously beat up on the edges having been used with little camber and had be flipped over several times. So maybe some of this excessive wear is from that.
Over the winter I’ll get an alignment done. I checked the camber myself and it was at just under -3 deg which should have been good. Toe out can also do this as the tire on the inside of a turn may be pointed too far inward than the outside tire, causing scrub on the inside of the tire. I didn’t check the toe when I put the suspension back together, which could also be a contributor.
Here we are in the throws of zero deg weather and I’m thinking of my next track day. Or should I say “Days”
My favorite track event organizer, GVC, for events at WGI has put out their list of track days. They, along with SCDA, are giving me some things to look forward to.
As for WGI, GVC will be there 5/16-18, 8/1-3 and 9/26-28. However, SCDA has their time at VIR in September and I am looking at putting together a road trip to VIR for that event. Anyone interested in heading south in the fall? Or going to WGI?
Ok. That is really something we don’t need to think about, yet. Right now the focus is staying warm.
It is getting closer. Yup, it is time to be thinking about revving these engines and checking to see what one has for tires, leftover from last season. Need new brake pads, rotors? This is the time.
Oh, did I say tires? Did you know that Falken has come out with a new version of their RT660 tire? Yup! It is up on TR and its price is $10 LESS than the current version. Something to think about.
It is getting closer. Yup, it is time to be thinking about revving these engines and checking to see what one has for tires, leftover from last season. Need new brake pads, rotors? This is the time.
Oh, did I say tires? Did you know that Falken has come out with a new version of their RT660 tire? Yup! It is up on TR and its price is $10 LESS than the current version. Something to think about.
Just thought you might be interested.
Enjoy and Motor On…
Thanks for the Falken update. I need to order tires soon. I probably won't be doing any SCDA events until later in the year. My plan this year is to do 3-5 autocross events on the FCP Euro track at LRP. InAugust I will be doing two days with MassTuning in New Hampshire with a friend who has a cabin up there (so no hotel cost). SCDA days have become soooo expensive!
Yup, SCDA is up there in cost. You may want to check out VSCCA. They have a 2 day event @ LRP at the end of May (the 30th-31st) called The Empire Cup with a good amount of track time for $585. I'll probably be there...www.vscca.org
Membership is not required for this event.
Talking about 'trackflation', I noticed that BMWCCA Connecticut chapter charges even more for a day at LRP than SCDA! Also noticed that SCDA has no dates at NY Safety Track this season. Anybody know why?
I haven’t looked at prices yet. But that is interesting.
Not sure what is going on with SCDA and NYST. I looked at going to NYST last season and found little in the way of events. So, maybe it is NYST not coming to terms with SCDA?
My theory was that Elivan was getting some negative feedback regarding the facilities, or rather the lack thereof...I miss that track a lot. It is really well set up for our MINIs, although a bit of a hike for me.
You are probably right and the hour ride to get gas doesn’t help. Not sure if the gas station just down the road changed to include 93 octane or not, but the last time I checked it only had 87 and 89.
And it looks to be about a 70 deg day, that will be good. 
I talked to people in the paddock who were in quick cars who thought it was just them thinking that. They were also surprised by that, the same as I was. I am guessing that just about every car out there must have been turning a sub-minute laps. If not, it sure felt like it. I was about to get a mannequin arm to put out the window because of doing so many point bys every lap.
)
