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I really must remember to thank my son - it's all his fault.
Last Wednesday we were having breakfast, and I was glum as usual - berating myself for needing a break, dismissing my diagnosis of severe depression as so much hokum, and feeling both guilty at the folks I had let down professionally while worrying about my ability to return to work after the last week of my medical leave expired.
Somewhere in that noxious stew I told Lovell "perhaps I should go out with a bang, and go drive the Dragon before returning to work".
He told me in no uncertain terms that I should do exactly that - so I did.
Now after four days, and 2,412 miles, I am not the same person. I am if not normal, at least far better than I have been for many months.
This mad remedy began Thursday morning after a flurry of errands and preparations, with a 9:30 am departure down towards the Massachusetts Pike, and to 84 down through the endless tracts of Connecticut, all the way to New York to find the magical I 81 South.
Lovell and I took the same route in late December when we went to Nashville for New Year's Eve, but on a hot day in late July with the Appalachian wall stretching to the South and East it is a much better ride. I pushed on Thursday, knowing that a thousand mile day was ambitious but wanting very much to get within striking distance of Deal's Gap on Friday with light left in the day. Once I get rolling it's hard to stop, and thus I pulled up having reached past Roanoke to Blacksburg - damn near the North Carolina Line and around nine PM or so.
Thus Friday morning I was only hours from Deal's, and tasted the Dragon for the first time early in the afternoon. Remember that I've only driven it twice - and both times it was 36 degrees, foggy, and very late in December with a wet road and my son in the right hand seat.
Cooling off between runs
Driving it in perfect conditions is a whole different experience!
For the next 24 hours, with the exception of a good night's sleep at the Topoco and a very nice dinner too, I did nothing but wallow in that road.
I drove it in the evening, I drove it empty (and fast) at the crack of dawn on Saturday. I parked on it, sat next to it, smelled it, wondered at it, and then always got back into the competition belts and drove it yet again. I lost count of how many times Gollum and I danced over that enchanted route.
Turning in and trail braking...
And always looking ahead!
Driving the Dragon is an exercise in Zen. It forces me into mu-shin (or "no mind") as the challenge and beauty and danger of the exercise not only inspires perfect mindfulness, it can also punish any distraction severely.
Happy Bridgestones - always bring an autocross tire to a great road!
I made friends with Dave from 129Slayer, and a couple of his team - all of whom were gracious and friendly when I would duck off the road for a few minutes to relax, recoup, and watch others go by.
Through Dave I met Mr. Palmer, who is allegedly the fastest road racer silly enough to test himself thoroughly at the Gap, and admired his shiny new R6, and was truly impressed watching him through some of the more dramatic corners rubbing knees and perhaps a little elbow as he threaded the bike down the road.
I met the man behind Killboy too, and also shared pleasant conversation with his team (while waiting for a broken camera to be replaced).
And finally, and with some reluctance, I picked a run on Saturday afternoon to be my last one - and kept going North back up 129, knowing that my last hurrah was done and not entirely sure I was ready to return to New England, and to work, and to resume my life.
And sure as the Lord made little green apples I passed a sheriff coming South along the fast sweeping section west of the lake, and saw his brake lights come on as I flashed around a curve and disappeared from view.
So I found a pull-over, parked, and waited. When he appeared with lights and siren hauling *** after my sorry self I just waved out the window so he knew it was me, and to pull in behind Gollum where I had left him room.
We chatted, and then I sat. Some of you know that sit... that's the one where you kick yourself in the butt, and imagine the ticket, and imagine the insurance, and imagine being ordered to appear in a County a thousand miles from home, and speculate regarding the appearance and disposition of the judge, and whether he will have reading glasses or a beard or both...
It's a long sit.
And then this nice gentleman, this peace officer, this patient soul who must see far to many out of state jack-asses such as myself came back to where I sat, and handed me a LARGE piece of paper with much detailed information recorded carefully thereon.
And stamped at a diagonal, and in large block print, was the word ""WARNING".
I almost got out of the car and kissed him, except that that would have very likely resulted in my immediate incarceration.
And so I continued - making my way as far North as Pennsylvania before finally crawling into a hotel. Rising before dawn on Sunday I was back home by just after noon - about 80 hours after departure.
Perhaps it was the grace of that policeman, or the kindness of the many strangers I met, or the stunning beauty of the Smoky Mountains, or the several near-perfect runs that Gollum and I took through the Dragon - but somewhere in the last few days I stopped worrying.
Again, I blame it on Lovell for telling me "just do it". It turns out that those three words can make a mantra, and in the spirit that attitude can heal.
I just did it - and now life goes on. Not as before, but still a grand adventure.
Charlie,
There is a bit of zen in everything we do. The secrete is to not look for it, but revel in it when we experience it.
Thanks for sharing and glad you had a wonderful time.
And that is quite a picture with your inside front tire almost off the ground
And remember...
It is all about the little things and having fun no matter what we are doing.
Happy motoring.
Last edited by Eddie07S; Aug 2, 2015 at 06:12 PM.
Reason: a bit of zen
Never use all of it - that's common sense, and safety, and understanding that on the Dragon not only can YOU not make a single mistake, you must ALSO leave room for the mistakes of others. The stakes are mortal.
Never use all the brakes, all the traction, all the road, or all your courage. Never.
But using all the power? You bet!
Never squeeze the throttle until you know where the apex is, and remember that you do NOT know where that apex is until you can SEE the exit!
Be patient mid corner - not nervous with throttle or wheel or brakes - just stay on line and give the car time to turn.
And then squeeze, and feel the torque rush of that undersquare B38 with the instant boost launch the car out of the exit, then unwind the wheel looking down the road through the next wiggles into the next blind tightener of a corner.
Squeezing the throttle on exit
And then listen and feel as the revs growl quickly upwards towards the rev limiter while the forest momentarily becomes a green tunnel and the digital speedo passes sixty.
And then brake smoothly and firmly, and ten feet early while setting up the next bend and look hard around that corner as the brakes come off and the car turns in, trail braking until certain that the speed is good and the corner does not hide anything evil.
And then keep the car pinned, drive down the very edge on the right handers while keeping a foot off the line in the left handers.
And then when the corner unwinds, hear the revs grumble back from 2k to 6k again as road dips or rises to the next section. It's all 2nd gear - the whole dragon - which makes it the autocross course from paradise for a long legged car like Gollum.
And then repeat, without blinking, sometimes not breathing, always listening for the scream of sportbikes in either direction, and utterly and completely in the moment.
It might not be better than sex, but at least in my humble experience it lasts longer!
It almost goes without saying that a good G Street car like the B38 Mini inspires confidence even under such a severe test. The brakes, handling and power of the "Justa" F56 make it hard for me to know which of the three Gollums I love best - and that includes the Works R53 in full STX trim.
What can one say about a car which can comfortably travel great distance and then carve up a great road, and then return? It sets the bar for Grand Touring, and there are an awfully large number of very expensive cars that could do the great distance but would not have held a candle to the F56 on that ribbon of joy.
Great to hear you had an excellent time at the Dragon. We missed you this weekend at MINI's on the Mack; we needed all the help we could get to beat the world record, so we had to settle for a national record.
Consider joining us next May for MINI's on the Dragon. It's always a fantastic event and consistently one of the biggest MINI gatherings in the country.
Great to hear you had an excellent time at the Dragon. We missed you this weekend at MINI's on the Mack; we needed all the help we could get to beat the world record, so we had to settle for a national record.
Consider joining us next May for MINI's on the Dragon. It's always a fantastic event and consistently one of the biggest MINI gatherings in the country.
Thanks for the invite, and congrats on the record!
*edit* Looks like it was your first time driving it in the summer. Congrats! I've been going there for a long time now and it's still a riot every time.
Charlie,
A bit different invite - There are going to be several of us (3 maybe 4) MINI drivers that are going to be at Lime Rock Park on the 24th for a track day. You would be welcomed to join us for a visit, meet and greet, and see how the "other side" plays with their MINIs. I know it is a Monday and a bit of a hike, but, hey, why not. And we will be easy to find...we're the one's having the most fun
Charlie,
A bit different invite - There are going to be several of us (3 maybe 4) MINI drivers that are going to be at Lime Rock Park on the 24th for a track day. You would be welcomed to join us for a visit, meet and greet, and see how the "other side" plays with their MINIs. I know it is a Monday and a bit of a hike, but, hey, why not. And we will be easy to find...we're the one's having the most fun
Eddie thank you so much for that opportunity. I am sorely tempted even considering that a day off after a month long leave might be pushing my luck a bit. If I do not make it I wish you a safe and delightful day at that great venue.
Even though Gollum ran flawlessly throughout the Deal's Gap adventure I am turning him back over to the talented crew at Mini of Peabody tomorrow.
1. Oil change - the oill has been in for 5k miles, and busy ones...
2. Check engine light - turned on Saturday morning on the Dragon, which caused me to check ALL fluids and computer displays to ensure there was nothing amiss that could hurt the car (there wasn't)
3. Another brake inspection. Even though this was done a few weeks ago two days on the Dragon and a few thousand hard brake applications (someone called me out for smelly brakes in one of the turn-outs) surely took material off the pads and disks.
The really odd thing is that I still sometimes have two different points of engagement on the brake pedal. There is the normal "high and hard" pedal that I am used to, which is precisely correct for the heel/toe downshift - with the gas and brake at exactly the same height. There is also another condition as well however, where the brake engagement point is about 10 mm lower - not much, but enough to feel, and enough to catch my attention, and enough to reflexively cause me to do a quick pump if I have time to see if the pedal will recover.
I had runs on the Dragon where I could notice the pedal condition change from section to section on the road, and ultimately I came to trust both of the different feelings - but of course I would prefer high and hard ALL the time!
I wonder if the bearings aren't just worn enough to let the run-out of the disks knock the pads back a few thousandths? But if so, why not every corner?
What pads are you running? You're probably over-using your brakes given your power level. It's a really common trait for enthusiasts on the Dragon to do that.
The pedal feel change is quite possibly the combination of CBC, EBD, and ABS. It's very difficult to calibrate the pedal feel to be perfectly consistent with the servos going nuts trying to balance the 4 corner brake forces. Given you're cooking your brakes, I'd imagine it could also be the "brake fade resistance" algorithm kicking in too.
If you're getting the car serviced, you might as well have them do a brake fluid flush with some Motul RBF600, my personal favorite for pedal feel amongst the track-worthy brake fluids. A less expensive alternative would be ATE Typ 200.
What pads are you running? You're probably over-using your brakes given your power level. It's a really common trait for enthusiasts on the Dragon to do that.
The pedal feel change is quite possibly the combination of CBC, EBD, and ABS. It's very difficult to calibrate the pedal feel to be perfectly consistent with the servos going nuts trying to balance the 4 corner brake forces. Given you're cooking your brakes, I'd imagine it could also be the "brake fade resistance" algorithm kicking in too.
If you're getting the car serviced, you might as well have them do a brake fluid flush with some Motul RBF600, my personal favorite for pedal feel amongst the track-worthy brake fluids. A less expensive alternative would be ATE Typ 200.
Thanks Ryephile, that's really helpful information. My brakes are 100% OEM at present. I originally noticed this "two pedal" phenomena on the 2nd day of the Evo School a few weeks ago, and both the Phase 2 and the Challenge School courses do have some pretty serious braking areas. The brakes were getting blue at times. Our normal NER courses rarely go from very fast to very slow.
I'll mention the Motul RBF600 to Joel (my virtual crew chief) at MoP and see what he thinks.
My next Regional is Sunday so it would be lovely to have this all sorted.
Charlie,
Dig that shot, glad you had a blast on the dragon. Best of luck to you back at work, take a few new pictures of you and Gollum for your office. That should put you in your special place when you need a break.
chuck
The straight pipe sounded very nice at times - still not loud even at full song, but a lovely growl, rising to a howl depending on the distance between corners.
One of the things I like about this car is just how unobtrusively fast it can be under the right circumstances.
Charlie,
I hope I am wrong about this but I think that the double drop of your brake pedal may be a sign of the insides front brake pads being over heated, the metal backing plate softening and bending around the piston in the caliper. I had this happen to me at a track in Monticello NY. Same bluing of the rotor and same double drop of the pedal, but everything seemed fine. In reality I wore the center of the inside pad totally away. From the edge they looked fine, ~3/16", but I had only about 0.5 to 1 mm in the center. The outside pad also looked fine. So you can be fooled into thinking the pads are fine if you only look at the edge of the pads or only look at the outside pad. You need to check the inside pad from the top of the caliper or by pulling the pads. Get your pads checked really soon and make sure your mechanic understands that you specifically want the inside pads checked on both wheels. Good luck with it.
Charlie,
I hope I am wrong about this but I think that the double drop of your brake pedal may be a sign of the insides front brake pads being over heated, the metal backing plate softening and bending around the piston in the caliper. I had this happen to me at a track in Monticello NY. Same bluing of the rotor and same double drop of the pedal, but everything seemed fine. In reality I wore the center of the inside pad totally away. From the edge they looked fine, ~3/16", but I had only about 0.5 to 1 mm in the center. The outside pad also looked fine. So you can be fooled into thinking the pads are fine if you only look at the edge of the pads or only look at the outside pad. You need to check the inside pad from the top of the caliper or by pulling the pads. Get your pads checked really soon and make sure your mechanic understands that you specifically want the inside pads checked on both wheels. Good luck with it.
I will Eddie, and thanks. Most likely I'll wind up doing the front brakes completely today.
Yesterday I noticed the MA inspection sticker on Gollum read "07" - which is an invitation to a ticket when the month of the year is 08!
So I took the car to a local garage, ran by two characters who do not deal with vehicles that are used the way that Gollum is.
What followed was a pretty entertaining conversation about tire wear.
The gent inspecting the car was determined to convince me that my tires were gone, and that I had an obvious and serious alignment issue to explain it.
After a bit of chatter back and forth I managed to convince him that the combination of super soft rubber and sporadic competition use (I did not tell him the Dragon stories) actually explained the condition of the Bridgestones.
However I now have two more of those crack tires en route to Auto-Dyne, and will once again refresh the rubber. The right rear was down to the wear bars - and in that regard my friendly mechanic was quite correct.
That will mean I am putting the 9th and 10th tires on the car this summer, which is unprecedented in my history of running TW 140 and TW 200 rubber.
The original four (in March), and then the two I added after a puncture (in May), and then two more due to wear (in July). The way that worked out the set on the rear right now are actually from the initial buy in March although they've been on the lightly loaded back axle since May. Still knackered, after 11k miles.
Someone smarter than I might run the OEM Continentals and reserve the RE-71R for racing only, but I kinda like having my cake and eating it too.
As the saying goes; "you have to pay to play". If you like the grip, keep running the sticky tires!
That said, just out of curiosity, what are your alignment settings? I know you're running the cool -0.5° front knuckles, but what about front and rear toe, and rear camber?
As the saying goes; "you have to pay to play". If you like the grip, keep running the sticky tires!
That said, just out of curiosity, what are your alignment settings? I know you're running the cool -0.5° front knuckles, but what about front and rear toe, and rear camber?
Ryephile I am running OEM alignment. The knuckles are good for -1.0 degrees by the way. I tune the balance on course with rear tire pressures only, never having explored the pros and cons of custom settings on the suspension.
I've now seen the old (31k) front rotors and pads, after the hard work of the Evo School courses a few weeks ago, and of course after a couple of thousand hard squeezes on the Dragon.
The inner pads had slight fractures across their surface, and the backing plates resembled something that just emerged from a furnace.
So new front brakes - no surprise, and now I have my hard pedal back and am ready for Sunday's competition.
A new pre-cat O2 sensor and fresh oil & filter completed this pit stop, and I am again and as always grateful and appreciative to the crew at Mini of Peabody.
I shared the best Dragon photo with Mr. Gary King, who was service manager when I met him many years ago and now runs the whole show. He'll get a print and hang it on the wall of the dealership, which makes me very happy indeed.
I cannot overstate the contribution of the staff at Mini of Peabody to the joy that I've experienced for more than a decade flogging these renaissance Minis all over the place. Te salutante!
Cheers,
Charlie
Several (but not all) of the professionals that keep me giggling.
