my last 24hrs at the track

[tnord]

a local racing team, Donnybrooke, (http://www.donnybrooke.com/) who has a fleet of 6 spec racers (3 renault's and 3 ford's iirc) invited me to come work at one of their many driving schools being held at Brainerd International Raceway (http://www.brainerdraceway.com/htmlindex.html) today. the deal was i show up on sunday and help setup, then today help to keep all the cars running which actually turned out to be quite the job, and in return i could drive on the track for free. since CBIR is considered one of the fastest tracks in the country, and typically costs around $300 to get on, i jumped at the opportunity. so after 5 hours of preparing and repairing the 6 spec racers, i finally had a chance to drive. the front straight is around a mile long, and turn 1 can be taken flat out in most cars. at track out i glanced at the speedo to see 118mph.  banked sweepers at well over 100mph+ is very scary and very fun at the same time. with virtually no brake pads left, i had to take it easy on corner entry, but after that, i left my fair share of rubber on the rumble strips. i got 10 laps in, and probably cut at least 5 sec's off my lap time by the end of the day. some of the other porsches and Z06's claimed over 150mph at track out through turn 1. pretty nuts. other than driving, the highlight of my day was getting initiated to the track with a ride in an 02 M Coupe driven by a BMWCCA instructor.

i'd post pictures but i left the software for my camera back at school. so if anybody has or knows where to get software for an Olympus D series digital camera, let me know and i'll put em up.

much more to say, but i know you don't care. &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hehe:'>

[uuninja]

Nice Travis! That sounds like a blast. 118 as an entry speed on any turn has got to have some serious pucker factor <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> Hey you got a link to a course map?

Edit: NM I found it. Just like my lazy ass to miss the link you posted &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hehe:'>

[SR20Fastback]

I care, oh I care. Id care more if I could find a damn wiring diagram though. Sounds like a blast. I hope to bring the 240 out to the track soon. But right now Im concentrating on making it look nice from behind ( I just found out you can have your senior pictures taken with your car <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>) so Im thinkin kouki tails 180sx wing and new tint!

[DSC]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (uuninja @ June 03 2002,01:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">...118 as an entry speed on any turn has got to have some serious pucker factor <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>...</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
"at track out i glanced at the speedo to see 118mph"
Did I miss something?

Sounds awsome man! &nbsp;Wish I could drive like that <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hehe:'>

[tnord]

side note; much like stainless headers, the tip on my exhaust turned gold from the heat........pretty cool.

[uuninja]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DSC @ June 03 2002,12:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (uuninja @ June 03 2002,01:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">...118 as an entry speed on any turn has got to have some serious pucker factor <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>...</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
"at track out i glanced at the speedo to see 118mph"
Did I miss something?

Sounds awsome man! &nbsp;Wish I could drive like that <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hehe:'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Nope, I did. But none the less. If he was exiting turn one at 118mph, his entry speed to the corner was over 100 mph. Hence serious pucker factor. There are some things that your brain tells you just shouldn't be done. Like tripple digit entry speeds. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

Doh.. the course map is in pdf and I don't have admin rights on this sparc to install the reader <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('>

[tnord]

http://www.brainerdraceway.com/images/arielbig.jpg

there ya go ninja.......sorry about the size everybody

[uuninja]

Thanks Man!

[onebadm5]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (tnord @ June 03 2002,9:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">the highlight of my day was getting initiated to the track with a ride in an 02 M Coupe driven by a BMWCCA instructor.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
let me guess, there was a footlong grin on your face following the ride-along <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

[basemies]

wow, there are quite a few minnesotans here.

[HippoSleek]

Three words - "On Site Condos" <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'> &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hehe:'> &nbsp; <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':cool:'>

Sounds like a great time. &nbsp;Free track time is the best. &nbsp;I'm going to start working some NASA events so I can earn some free fun.

Ditto on the pucker factor. &nbsp;I'm w/ Matt about the combination of triple digit speeds and turning being something that is just unnatural <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'> &nbsp;And there is nothing like an instructor ride-along to make you realize that yes - you COULD go faster if you dared. &nbsp;

BTW: how long is that course? &nbsp;It looks short until you realize that is a one mile straight!

[thewholefnshow]

Hella cool. sound like you had a day like &nbsp;I did a few weeks back, cept on a bigger, better faster track... lol. Here is a pic of the one that I was on.


http://www.sinmay.com/events/Autodrome.jpg

[HippoSleek]

Hey show, what track is that? &nbsp;You can't just put a pic out there!

Here's me and uu in a few weeks: &nbsp;Summit Point, WV
http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/SPOUT.GIF

[thewholefnshow]

It is a small track here in montreal called l'autodrome de Ste Eustache. It has 3 diferent courses, and in that picture it is missing the chicane they added on the back straight to slow the traffic, which was reaching 130-150 miles an hour and hitting the back wall... but the pull that out and do 1/8 mile drags sometimes too.

[Grant]

good god....... <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>

[tnord]

the funny part is, it wasn't the suspension or tires that were limiting my speed like in a typical corner, it was the engine. if i coulda gone any faster down the straight, i woulda carried it through the turn to who knows what speed. my guess is i could get to about 130-135 with my current setup.

[bbp]

tnord,

you rock! &nbsp;free tracktime is worth all the work &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

did you get any laps in the spec cars?

[tnord]

yes they did offer me a go in the spec's, but i turned it down. as much fun as it would have been, i wasn't comfortable doing it. when i hopped in to get strapped down, my knees were up against the steering wheel, and the shift lever was up against my thigh, not to mention that i couldn't smoothly transition from the brake to throttle and vice versa. hardly a situation you want to be in when trying to slow a car from 100+mph to around 40 for turn 3. in short, i'm a little uncomfortable driving other people's car, and then throw in the fact that all the controls were positioned for somebody half my size, and i just couldn't do it.

being 6'3'' 225 is great for certain aspects of life, but driving definitely isn't one of them.

[bbp]

I completely understand! &nbsp;At driving schools some of the students will ask me to drive their cars. &nbsp;I tell them I can't promise I won't wreck it, not because I think I will, but because think of the last time you hit something... did you mean to do it? &nbsp;Also, if I can't afford the car, I won't drive it, based on the same principles.

Now all this goes out the window if the offer is something really sweet like a Formula car, or a once in a lifetime offer (Winston Cup car, Ferrari, Porsche, Vintage anything!<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> which I would never turn down!

[DSC]

I feel left out <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cry.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':cry:'>
I'm going to be at VIR this fall...
http://www.virclub.com/images/courses/aerial/aerial.jpg
North track (left) is 2.25mi
South track (right) is 1.65mi
Full track is 3.27mi