This was my first track day using my AiM Solo2 DL. SO MUCH DATA!!! I managed to incorporate some of it into the video. Tires turn green under forward momentum, and turn red while braking. Each wheel has it's own brake sensor, too, which is neat. Also, you might notice red bars flashing in between the tires. This is the ABS data from the AiM device. We're still trying to figure out if it's valid, lol! There's also separate "Gas Pedal" and "Throttle" channels, so I have both in the video.

I also changed to Porterfield R4-S brake pads in the front. It...didn't go well. Performance didn't seem any different than OEM with one exception: The pads are pretty much gone after one track day (4*20m sessions). Not happy with this at all.

 

A new fun toy. Now to figure out what the data is telling you...

I am not surprised that the Porterfield R4-S brake pads didn’t last. They are a street pad. For what you are doing you need a full-on race pad. For that track maybe the Porterfield R4 or the R4-E. There are better pads than that. A good option would be the Carbotech XP-12 or the G-loc of the same number. On my JCW I am using iSweep 4000 race pad. And match pads front to rear. That may be where the ABS input is coming from. The car is design with the MINI pads front to rear, so it make sense to have race or other brand pads front to rear so the pad characteristics are the same. Otherwise the computer isn’t going to know what is going one.

I am still noticing that you could be tighter on the apex on a number of turns. This would mean you need to turn-in earlier and track out further. G-load is only part of the story in taking a turn. If you take a turn using a wider arc, your g-load can go down, but your time through the corner can be faster.

 

Funny story about the Porterfields. My shop that ordered them ordered "R4's". I heard them. We think the person who took the order wrote down "R4s" (notice the missing single quote). So that's what we got, lol! The correct pads, R4's, are on order . That said, I am surprised they didn't last. Even the OEM pads last me 4+ track days.

I'm kinda all over the place with the apex's, unfortunately. It's partly the result of not having confidence in the car yet, mostly due to brakes and the transmission. Also because I keep switching tires. Once I settle down and choose my brake/tire solution, I can start working on car trust, then consistency. I mean, I still work on consistency, but it's difficult when sometimes your brakes work right and sometimes they don't. Or sometimes your tire pressures are right and sometimes they aren't. Or sometimes you're in the right gear and sometimes you're not. It's a process, lol!

 

That is a good one.

But it also shows how good the MINI GP pads really are. None the less, they are not a true track pad. So, good you are getting a set of the “R4” pads. I still think the Carbotechs would be better. They have a very wide temperature range and a very smooth, linear bite that is pretty aggressive. They are easy to control and really good for a novice to gain confidence in what they are doing. Down side is they are a bit expensive. Just FYI for now.

Learning by yourself is really hard. I have been fortunate that the clubs that host the events I go to also provide instructors; in-car instructors. They guide the driver through each turn so they know what the “line” is. The line is not always obvious. They also tell you to pick one turn at a time to work on. If you try to “fix” the whole track at one time, you will be overwhelmed.

Pick a tire pressure and keep it there. Pick a value... 35 psi hot, for example. When you come off the track just set it back to that if it is above or add to get it up there on any tire. Take that out of the learning equation at this point. Same with shifting. Let the car shift for itself at this point. Learn the track first.

I am going to suggest that you work on 2 turns; the second to last and the last (1:57 in you video). These form a nice little right then left backwards “S”. Drop your speed a little before setting up for the first of the 2 turns. Get over to the edge of the track. Don’t be overly conscious of your braking point, just brake early enough and hard enough that you take the first of those turns at about 80%.

Start your turn-in just before the turn-in cone at the left side of the track. Once you have made the turn-in, set your eyes on the apex of that turn; this is marked by another cone. Adjust your steering so you make an arc that just touches the curb at that apex cone. Once past that cone, slowly unwind the steering wheel so you track out to the yellow-blue curb at the left side of the track. You will need to hold a gentle arc from there back to the right side of the track. At this point, things become a little more difficult to figure out the turn-in point as there is no turn-in cone because of the line of cones blocking off a part of the track. However, don’t panic. Look at time 2:07. This is where the apex cone is, but you have not apexed. You turned in way too late. Back up the video and look at where you turned in. It is after the line of cones. You will likely want to use the 1st or 2nd cone of that line of cones as your turn-in point (at least that is the way they are currently placed). Repeat the above. Start your turn-in, locate the apex cone, set an arc to just touch the curb at that point. After that point slowly unwind the steering wheel and track out. Note that the track out cone is way down the track (2:09).

Like I said, do this at about 80%. Once you have that line committed to memory, add speed to it. When you have added speed, if you find that the car still needs a bit of steering input to stay on the track at the track-out point, then you will know that you turned in too early and on the next lap move that point a foot or 2 down the track. If you have started going straight at the track out point and you are not at the curb then you have either turned in too late or you could have added more gas earlier. Remember that all of this (turn-in point and track-out point) is dependent upon being down at the curb at the apex.

Hope that helps.
And is not too much...

 

Oh, the groups I run with have instructors as well, and I've used them many times. Like all people, the quality of the instructors range from not good to excellent. My main issue is none of them will drive my car to feel how it drives and be able to talk to me about my questions/concerns and such. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame them, it just is what it is. I'm actually on the schedule to get some coaching from professional racers who know FWD cars and will drive my car to get a feel for it, too. I even have the option to have coaching from Mark Pombo if I wanted to spend the $$.

Also, I appreciate all the tips you're giving. Unfortunately, with the way my brain works, even though they make 100% sense when I read them, they get lost in my mind when Im on the track. If only I could take the notes with me, lol! However, you might be right on a few things. I am probably trying to work on too many things at once: Tire pressures, gearing, corners, speed, etc, etc.

 

I remember my first day out on the track. It was at Monticello race track. 3.5 miles around and something like 23 turns. Friends told me at times they got lost on it and forgot where they were... Part way through my second session I finally relaxed enough to look down at the speedometer. 85 mph going along a 1/4 mile long straight. I chuckled. I had gone faster than that going down the back roads in the mountains here... I thought at that time, I could go a “bit” faster than that.

I understand where you are coming from. It is like drinking from a fire hose. Not easy.

If you can, just forget everything else (tires, shifting, speeds, etc). Start with the video you posted and pick a turn you want to work on. While watching the video, write down 4 or 5 points you want to do to improve what you are doing (eg, where you want to be on the track at the turn in point, where the apex is, where the track out point is, make it a smooth arc). This will help to commit it to memory. Do this before you get to the track. When you get to the track, pull out your notes and a track map and walk through it in your mind. Then close your eyes and visualize the track map and your car going through that turn and only that turn. When you get on the track, drive around the track without thinking about the other turns. When you get to that turn, work on what you plan to do, using that visualized track map in your head.

This is similar to what I do when I go to an autocross event, with that sea of cones in a parking lot. And I alway start out slow, so I get it right the first time. The hardest thing to do is to correct a mistake that is made in that first run...

I know it is a lot and I hope this helps.

Feel free to post questions to me or PM me...

PS enjoy the MINI racing ... Please no spoilers...

 

Wow, that video looks great! I just started tracking my F56 JCW and I'm thinking about getting one of these Solo 2s. What are you using for video cameras and mounts, and how are you overlaying the Solo 2 data onto the video? I think that's exactly what I want to do. Thanks!

 

Thanks! I have 2 GoPro 7 Black's, one in the front and one in the back. Each attached to a Raceseng tow hook with the GoPro mount. The GoPro's are set to record video at 1080p60, with only the front camera using GPS. Although now that I have the Solo2DL, I'll probably turn GPS off on both GoPro's. The Solo2DL is connected to the CANbus twisted pair because, for some reason, it wouldn't get any data from OBD2. I align the Solo2DL data and the front GoPro video with Racerender. I also have a custom template for the GP3 avatar (wheels, steering wheel, car, etc) and all the rest of the data. Once I export the video from that, I import it into FinalCut Pro to add the rear facing camera and do some post editing (color grading, sound leveling, adding the beginning image, text, whatever). Once I'm happy with that, I do my final render.

Is it a little much? Maybe. Does it take a bit more work and time? Yes. Is it worth it? For me, yes

 

Thanks for the info. I ordered a Raceseng shaft mount and picked up a copy of RaceRender. I've got a pair of H9 Blacks already that I use for scuba diving (guess I'll finally wish I kept the backless housings that I always throw away). Any idea why your OBD2 isn't providing data? That's weird. Can't tell you how happy I am that RaceRender has a Mac client. I've got a Windows machine here too that I use for gaming, but Mac is my main productivity platform. I don't think I'm going to go the extra mile like you did with FCP to add the rear cam, I'll stick with just front for now, see how I like it. Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll post some video up here middle of next month after our next HPDE day.