Well, I'm jealous. No need to feel like you're cheating by taking that baby for a spin!

I will be taking something other than a MINI to a September car control clinic at LRP. If all goes well, I may track it next year. But the MINI will remain my go-to track car. I figure I can't get into too much trouble with it.

 

Gone over to the dark side, eh?

 

Let's just call this "a run on the Dark Side"


Enjoy...
Now I just need another 300 hp in the MINI along with a suspension that will get me about 1.5 g in the corners and I will be all set...
Hey never say never...

 

I'm sure Bob will have those numbers in his MINI if he ever gets done with his project!

 

Hey, I just signed up for the 24th. See you there :thumbs up:

No word from the others I contacted. I may see the on Tuesday at the Pump Station.

 

Hey, one week away. Looking forward to seeing you guys and getting back on the track. I am also curious to see how my new suspension setup does on this track with its abusive corners

 

Also, I signed up for the Patroon's LRP event in Sept (12th - Saturday). Anyone interested?

 

Signed up for the LRP Sept 10th track day. Anyone else attending?

 

Reporting back from Lime Rock...perfect track conditions, with temps in the 80's, the track warmed up quickly, but despite that, there were a couple of accidents early in the day, along with several cars going off track. Things settled down as the day progressed. My car felt really good, and my speed increased with each session, but I spent most of the day giving point bys to some very fast cars. Among them, another Electric Blue R53 with a stripped interior and some serious engine mods. There was a McLaren in my run group, and it was just a blur as he passed me on the front straight! Unfortunately, a couple of things happened that concern me. First, I saw a flagger looking at his phone during one of my runs. It was the flagger just past West Bend, right at the bridge. One of the reasons I run with SCDA is because they have 'professional' flaggers, and SCDA charges more than other groups, citing this as one of the reasons. In my mind, this behavior is totally unacceptable. I informed Ian and Elivan (the guys in charge of the event), and they assured me the matter would be addressed immediately. Unfortunately, another driver saw similar behavior later in the day. Also, one driver in my run group stopped on the track to ask what a black flag meant! He did this at the uphill flagging station!!Talk about an accident waiting to happen! Am I wrong in assuming that by the time a driver makes it to the INT 2 level, he should know the meaning of all the flags? YIKES! This could've caused a serious accident, especially at that location.

On the plus side, it was great to hang out with eddie07 and gkp. My next track day will be back at Lime Rock on Halloween, October 31st. Maybe I'll dress the car up as a Fiat 500

 

Hey veggi,

Glad you are still enjoying track days at LRP. All the joys and the idiots taken together.

I will try to join you on halloween if i can. But might just be a spectator. Just need to get back to the feeling of the track, burning rubber, melting brakes and unburnt gasoline. And the sounds of rubber being left on the pavement.

 

Perhaps i can get to meet up with grandpa eddie, gkp and sdriver as well.

 

Great to hear from you, slinger! What continent are you on these days? Your ears must have been ringing yesterday, as we were talking about your track exploits. If you come out to LRP on the 31st, we will definitely do something afterwards to celebrate! And if you can't make it that day, we'll schedule something else when you are in the area...

 

I am in asia right now. Heading off to Yogyakarta Indonesia next week for a visit. Just spent some time in japan and had a great time.

I have been great. Wanting to get back to the east coast and hear what you guys are saying about me.

Hope all is great with you. And the mini.

Still wanting to plan a visit out to the east coast. Will try when i get back to hnl.

 

We say only good things about you, of course! We all miss your trackside knowledge and advice, and I miss you changing out my tires/wheels
All is excellent with me and both MINIs and the Mini.

 

Does my arrival at LRP entail tire/wheel change during the drivers meeting?

 

 

I won't be there with the MINI for the track day but I hope to be up on top at the car control clinic with another car I own. If I am, I will stop down and say hello.

 

If you are up there, Slinger, I will do my darndest to drive up. But it's my grandson's b'day weekend and I'm not sure when we'll be celebrating.

As VV indicated, yesterday as a wild-and-woolly (and sometimes unsettling) day at LRP. He was polite enough to not mention that I was black-flagged for the first time in my track day career!

Here's my story and I'm sticking to it...

I got a point-by from a Corvette on the back straight. On experienced-only days, and in the advanced group, the back straight is a passing zone. I'm I2 but I have driven there on many experienced-only days. Anyway...

I pull out to pass and as I get alongside the Corvette I realize, "F***! I can't pass here!" But I was committed and it would have been too dangerous to abort. Apparently this was the one time during the day when the flaggers weren't looking at their smart phones. It wasn't a problem; Elivan was merciful, especially since I told him what I did wrong before he had a chance to tell me. Compared to the nutjob that parked his Aston-Martin on the uphill to chat with the flagger, I probably looked like Lewis Hamilton!

Meanwhile, moments later, I got dive-bombed by a car going into turn one, within spitting distance of the flagger, almost had to run off, and nobody made a peep.

On the track, a weird day all around. Tres MINI photo attached.

 

slinger688 - We were all wondering what had become of you. Glad to hear that you are alive and well and having fun.

I have tried to pick up the slack for tracking without you around; 9 days so far this year. One with Kojote where I went over to the darkside for a while. I ran with the advanced group yesterday. No real problems. Just a Porsche Cayman who thought that the State speed limit applied to the track and that the corning limit was 40 mph On the other hand there were a couple of GT3s that were screemin' fast. It would have been interesting to have gotten them together with the McLaren As it was, my car did really well with the changes I have made and I wasn't the fastest and I wasn't the slowest. And, as always, it is great to be there with friends and to meet other MINI drivers, including a youngster who had been out only a few (?) times but was enjoying his MINI.

Slinger - It would be great to meet up with you. Halloween, not so good for me, at least in the evening. But during the day, maybe. At any I'll keep it open for possibilities or days around that time. Let us know your plans when you get them made.

 

zre - sorry to miss you. I'll be there on the 12th. That will be it for me for the season. Maybe next year.

I know that it is quite a hike, but you might want to think about doing Watkins Glen in the spring. GVC BMWCCA runs a great weekend event there in early May. It would be great to have some other MINIs there. Just a thought

Hope you have a great day on the 10th.

 

I'll come hang out! 👍

 

Wow, i got the old gang together already. Fantastic... Now i really have to try to make it up there. Will know toward the end of september.

Maybe i can even get to an mpg meeting up in Albany at APS to meet up with the rest of the gang. Perhaps VV and gp eddie might be interested.

 

Wondering if scda still has those miatas for track rental? You know i might not be able to stay away. But with so much rust, i may have to run in the novice group.

 

GKP, hope to see you there, would like to discuss setup tips.

Eddie07S, always wanted to go to Glen, let me know when event happens and I will try to schedule it.

 

Zre,

Learn to drive on the track, then figure out what kind of driver you are, whether you tend to like more oversteer, neutral or understeer. Then figure out your suspension setup. Be prepared to spend lots of time and money tweeking it.

Watkins glen is a great track, highly recommended. Go with vv or eddie and they can show you the ropes.