I just got the official Irene evacuation order from the town. Looks like I will hang out fo a few more hours and then head on out to sit out the storm.

Have fun at LRP.

 

Mark, you are the best...But I don't have a car yet

 

Anybody around these parts heading to WGI with the Boston BMWCCA on Sept 21-22? I'm heading up to cross another track off my list. =)

 

I'll miss you by a week. Running with NASA, Sept. 30th, October 1st and 2nd.

 

Ahhh, a weekend event.

10 days to NJMP w/ SCDA....

 

Tis okay, there’s no time limit on the offer...

Mark

 

Here's Part 1 from Monday at Lightning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEWui..._order&list=UL

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEu7F..._order&list=UL

Did not run Tuesday at Thunderbolt as I broke a wheel stud at the end of the day Monday...new set arrived already from TMS.

 

nice driving...cruel to see you have such fun...but good for you.
I didn't know Audis and Corvettes were that slow
looks like a nice track and great day.

 

Was that your first time at that track?

Mark

 

Second....1year ago, same event. Feel free to critique - it only helps in the end!

 

I just noticed that track has a lot of late apex's. It's easy to turn in too early thus causing the few times your tires squeeled or it threw you offline.

Not criticizing, just watching....




Mark

PS. It's funny to watch some of the cars you were passing, they were on the brakes and you hadn't even backed off the gas yet. Obviously you were solo so I'm assuming you were in a white or black group?

 

Red group - RE Advanced. 4 groups that day with SCDA. Inst, Novice, Intr, and adv...

So everyone out there was at an advanced level or expected to be. Granted my car is not potentially going to cost me $100k+ if I stuff it into the armco but some of these guy's don't belong out there. IMO... A lot of point and shoot going on.

 

Noticed a push-to-the dirt on one of your corner track outs towards the end of your second video. It is amazine that your car still has that kind of understeer.

I was wondering the same thing about the mix of cars you were with. I like the term "point and shoot"...But it looked like some were "wander, point and shoot"...those guys can be a problem as I have seen them cut it too close to the edge and pull it back really quick which really upsets the car. You have to wonder what will happen if they put 2 wheels off or what they are going to do when you pass them. But who am I to talk about the problems with 2 wheels off

 

If I remember correctly I was trying to take the first turn a bit faster after flubbing a 5-4-3 downshift a lap or two earlier, taking it in 4th when I was earlier going to 3rd. Since I had been normally upshifting right back into 4th at track out I thought about it before I got back there and decided to try 4th again only to find the limit and put two wheels off. Going over the crest there doesn't help tho...and I should have rode it out past the curbing but the car came back right quickly, dragging that lower chin spoiler a bit. What I would give for a neutral handling car but understeer is a bit safer I guess. I could always slow down......nnaah.

I think they'd have to speed up to do that!

 

I went back and looked at that moment again......It looks like I jumped the curbing a bit and it threw the car over a bit. Previous three times through there I did not grab so much apex curbing.

 

The track looks like it has some runout if you do run off, but still not something that you would want to do. I would have rathered that my car had had a little more understeer...You seem to wring plenty out of that car and a lot more than a lot of people get out of theirs.

 

Both tracks are pretty safe as far as tracks go - plenty of run off in the higher speed stuff. But that did not stop a Lotus Elise driver from stuffing it into the wall drivers right at T3. Head on.....a regular SCDA guy I believe - green one.

 

The Elise is a much less forgiving car than our MINI's in track 'situations'.

 

Knowing what I know...I would much rather stuff a Mini into a wall than an Elise... been there, done that

 

Anyone doing LRP on 10/29?

 

Yup, after next weekend at the Glen, Lime Rock on the 29th will be my last track day this season.

 

LOL, embarassingly enough, Roebling Road will be my first this season. I can’t believe the entire season has slipped past and I will have only done one day. I should be forced to dishonorably hang my shoes up.




Mark

 

You shouldn't even be allowed to post on this thread with only one track day this year!

 

I hang my head down with shame...








Mark

 

Watkins Glen recap. This event was run by NASA/PDA. The weather was the major issue. Fortunately, Friday held out with just cloudy conditions/dry track with temps in the upper 50's, so the R-comps warmed up nicely. Tons of track time that day, starting off with an hour session, followed by two 45 minute sessions, and then a 30 minute session to wind up. The car was handling beautifully, and I was playing with a couple of Porsches and Miatas. Couldn't quite keep up with the Ferrari Scuderia 430...Then my car lost power along the back straight, the service engine light came on along with the yellow triangle in the speedo. The car felt like someone put a giant rubber band around it. I limped back into the pits, cut the engine and popped the hood to see if I lost a belt or something else that would be obvious to me. Everything looked/smelled normal, so I restarted and the car felt back to normal. Went out again and took it relatively easy for the rest of the session. During lunch break I had the code read out: 304, which is a misfire in cylinder #4. So I pulled the spark plug from 4, and also from 1 just for comparison. The #4 plug had some carbon buildup on the tip that the #1 plug didn't have, so I bought a new plug and installed it. Same thing happened during the afternoon session, so I concluded it wasn't the plug that was at fault. Car was fine after restarting the engine, so I finished the day driving 6/10. Saturday was a complete waste, with a long fog delay in the morning, and steady rain throughout the day. Only got out twice, and one of those sessions was under yellow the entire time. Sunday started off wet and cool, but by the afternoon, things were drying up nicely, so the R-comps went back on for the last two sessions. No codes thrown at all, but I wasn't pushing the car that much, trying to keep it under 100 on the back straight. My plan is to have the compression checked, and maybe switch wires 3 and 4 and see what codes it throws at Lime Rock. After that, I'll have all winter to figure it out. Other than the crappy weather and the misfires, I had a decent time, but there were no other MINI's there to keep me company. Any other customers for Lime Rock on the 29th?