I took the Coupe JCW on the wonderful Inde track in Wilcox AZ this Sunday and I had a BLAST.

I have running my (modded) 1996 Trans AM WS6 on the track for 2 years (when it was not in the shop :( ). I was apprehensive to make the switch but now have NO regrets (and a smile from ear to ear).

I may have lost 230+ HP ,the deep sound, the monster torque and that vintage appeal BUT I gain so much more!!

The track at Inde is a 2.75 mile, 21 turn circuit with over 200' of elevation changes and a great combination of uphill and downhill corners and straights, blind apexes, hairpins, sweepers, negative and positive camber turns, and a 2200’ main straight.

I was amazed to get to the end of the straight at 100+ mph, and was even more impressed how the Brembo would take care of that speed! That crazy-glue handling on the 2012 Cope JCW made running this track a TOTAL BLAST.

I truly believe that I made the right move. That JCW Coupe is a real track car and as I get used to the car; and truly push it; will be able to easily hang out with mustangs, vettes, and Bimmers!

oh, and BTW, everyone loves the look of that coupe!

 

Never been to that track. How was it? Glad you had fun out there. I'm sure that car was an absolute blast to drive on a track finally. Did you go out with NASA or a different organization or was it just an open lapping type track day? Any plans to do it again?

 

I am a member of ProAutoSport and we run on the 3 tracks around Phoenix ( 2 at Wild Horse Pass (formely Firebird) and 1 at Arizona Motorsport Park) + the one in Wilcox (Inde Motorsport Ranch) + 1 in CA (Chuckwalla)

We usually have ~17 weekends on the yearly schedule.
SO MUCH FUN!

 

Very nice. Yes, I'm very familiar with Wild Horse as I used to go there all the time when it was Firebird. Chuckwalla is on my list. I haven't made it out to the track yet. Anyways, next time you're out take some video and that way each time you go out you can compare and watch your improvement with each track day.

 

Ratz! I meant to ride out to watch you guys. My next track day at Inde is Oct 24th, it will be my 4th time out there. That track is awesome! I remember your Firebird, heck of a motor in that car.

 

@RockAZ: Thanks for the compliments on the old TA. I loved that car. That motor was BIG on power but the chassis/brakes was from an bygone era = many scary moments! Atop of that, it was a money pit! So it was sad to say goodbye but that MINI quickly makes me forget it!

 

This is definitely something I want to start getting into.

 

I think my session at Inde on Oct 24th is all full, I will email the organizer to check. Are you interested?

 

That would be great. What does it cost before I commit?

 

$200, 8am-5pm, run in 4 groups of 12 for 30 minutes each all day - two fast, two slow with no passing outside of the straight. Have ambulance onsite, with corner workers, 1 hour break for lunch. Need a helmet and good tires, no leaks.

 

I'm in if you can get me in.

It's a 2015 Cooper S with 3000 miles. No leaks and tires are as good as these stock run flats will be. Plan to do new tires, coilovers, and piggy back tune at some point but not before then. Should be fun to run it stock and see what it can do. Thanks for the invite Rock, if they fit me in shoot me the details.

 

Sent the guy a note, never know with these deals that are worked out three months in advance, maybe someone had to cancel,...

 

Thanks, either way I appreciate you doing that.

 

The roster is full for that day, with 6 backup people on the list. You should run down to the track Oct 24th to have a look at it anyway - should be a great day. If you can't make it, I will PM you the details to get in on the email list for the next gig, probably in February. The winter months are booked pretty heavily at the track by pro race teams, so its hard to get a weekend spot for amateurs.

 

Thanks Rock. I appreciate your efforts. Definitely interested in learning more about this.

 

Thanks for the offer, but I have another track day that month...cannot afford more than once per month! (actually, twice a year at Inde is all...it's quite a drive to there!)

 

I know what you mean, I am trying to get in on a track day with my motorcycle there too and that is a lot of money to tie up in special tires and wheels. I live not so far from Inde, so that part is ok.

 

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I guess it's not THAT old.

As an FYI (and somewhat related to my contribution to the Start a 24 Hours of LeMons Team?" post in this subtopic forum), The 24 HoL series is going to be at Inde Motorsports Ranch on March 18-20 = Info HERE at this link .

It is the first time the series is going to this track. The last time they went to AZ, Jan 2010, it was not well-attended because of some severe weather for the teams needing to travel there.

If anyone is interested in spectating or participating, details are in that link and they have a forum where teams post they are looking for drivers or drivers can post they are looking for teams to join.

There are some teams who take the racing part VERY seriously even though the cars appear to be crappy. Then there are those like me who take the ridiculous part of it very seriously and may have a pretty story-filled weekend but fewer laps on the results sheet.

In short: There's something for everyone; it's just about finding a good fit or starting your own team.

Wheel to wheel, open-passing "racing" is a whole lot different than track days, though. I started with a bunch of track days using my classic mini and then as a Mini club we built a car for the series. In LeMons, you don't necessarily get to push the car on the hairy edge and take racing lines and whatnot. That is rare. It is more about traffic management and getting around people and not hitting anyone or screwing up and flying off track.

If anyone wants help, guidance or has questions, you can email me. I've been around the LeMons block (and done a few Chumpcar races) more than once.