Well I hadn't given it much thought until I found these wheels.

7/28/2011 9:04:58 AM

My dad can't make this event either, so I've been talking to him about going to Roebling Road later this year. That track is about as cheap as track events come. Any potential interest in that?

7/28/2011 1:14:22 PM

I won't say no way, but Roebling is 7 hours from where I'll be in FL.

I'll mostly be hitting Barber, little Talledega, No Problem Raceway in Louisiana, and maybe Jennings in FL if I get another sportbike.

7/29/2011 10:09:42 AM

Ah, forgot you're moving soon.

7/29/2011 12:12:49 PM

Planning on hitting up an autocross in Wilmington tomorrow, assuming the weather looks good.

8/13/2011 5:01:54 PM

looks like storms for the Sanford autox... I prob won't be going out there

8/13/2011 8:02:33 PM

http://www.ncrscca.com/events/2011/08/cfacs-points-event-7-castle-hayne-grand-prix

Hopefully it doesn't rain at Wilmington. My tires are almost slicks.

8/13/2011 9:38:09 PM

Has anyone ever done a hillclimb before? My brother was talking about doing the chimney rock one (if its still even around)

8/15/2011 12:37:49 PM

signed up for sat, sun, and mon at VIR (S, S, N) this coming weekend. this fuel pump better fix everything

8/15/2011 8:46:27 PM

CMS was awesome this past weekend! The weather held out for us and it never rained when we were on track. Taking those banked turns at 115 was quite a pucker experience

Pics to follow later...

8/16/2011 8:49:59 AM

Do you own or have access to AuotX equipment?!

Want free unlimited runs with a small group?!

Contact me today!!!!

Or whenever you get a chance....

We are looking for someone to help out with a casual AutoX event for fun. We would prefer to have someone volunteer equipment & their time for free runs with a group of about 15-20 cars.

8/19/2011 11:42:55 AM

I've got a car if that's what you mean....

8/19/2011 2:01:12 PM

Close! ... but I was thinking more like fancy stopwatch and cones

8/19/2011 2:08:05 PM

I wonder if Barber Motorsports Park, Talladega GP (Little Talladega), or No Problem Raceway would allow me to run HPDEs with a fast kart? If so, I wonder if it would be any fun, or if you'd just floor the throttle and rarely even approach the cornering limits on a track the size of those?

1/16/2012 12:01:02 AM

1/16/2012 2:08:14 PM

you'd have more fun at a kart track.

ive never done it, or seen anyone on one personally, but id image it be "boring"

1/16/2012 3:30:10 PM

flat out. because that's how I drive. flat out.

1/16/2012 3:38:47 PM

I think it would be kinda boring.

And I should know, since you can drive 125 cc carts in Gran Turismo 5 on any track you want.

LOL

video games = IRL!

1/16/2012 4:24:37 PM

yeah... now make a 600cc cart and take that out there... now that would be fun...

1/17/2012 8:14:44 AM

the 250cc karts push 130, a 600cc kart would traction limited

1/17/2012 9:02:49 AM

an aggressively ported 250cc 2-stroke would a shitload of power for a kart, anyway. I bet it would be 90% of the power of a 600cc sportbike engine, or close to it...not to mention lighter.

1/17/2012 5:23:05 PM

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good HPDE to attend? The track school I did years ago was with MazdaDrivers, but they appear to be gone judging by their website being kaput.

I'm located in East TN. VIR, CMP, or Road Atlanta would all work fine.
Car is an S2000 with a roll bar that meets SCCA specs, but still on street tires, stock seats & belts, etc. Strict broomstick test would fail without lower seats/brackets, which is coming at some point.


Ahmet, are you instructing at any these days?

3/14/2012 11:48:07 PM

turnone at cmp this weekend for cheap!
i'll be there

3/15/2012 7:42:02 AM

http://www.clubregistration.net is a good place to check. I usually roll with the PCA, as they always seem to put on good events and are for the most part very friendly.

3/15/2012 10:32:26 AM

^^^if you value your head and/or neck, i'd correct your height issue.

3/17/2012 8:49:37 PM

^ Agreed, that's why I got the bar in the 1st place Seats will definitely be lowered one way or another before I take it on a track.

3/24/2012 12:38:26 AM

2nd AutoX of the season up here in Eastern TN Region...photographer got some cool shots, shows the new roll bar pretty well. Currently I'm still in the stock seat, but with the padding and leather cover removed and much thinner padding replacing it on the driver's seat pan. The Kirkey racing buckets I'm getting should lower me another 2-3", basically putting me on the floor and getting me under the bar with the helmet on (currently I'm under it without the helmet, but it puts me over).

5/11/2012 7:37:03 AM

Does that racing seat you're getting use the stock mounting brackets? Because I know there are lowering brackets available for the stock seat.

5/11/2012 8:17:03 AM

^ Nah, I'm going to mount it straight to the floor with non-sliding brackets (custom made). I basically need to be sitting on the floor, hah.

There are some apparently nice lowering rails for the stock seats, but they're $300 (per side) and wouldn't get me low enough. I think it would put me about where I am now, but with padding. They're from "Back Yard Special" (BYS) and would probably be a great idea if you didn't want to go to racing buckets.

You can also modify the stock seat pan and get another inch or so lower by redrilling the front mounting points and hammering out the rear part of the seat, but I didn't want to modify my seats that drastically so I just left the padding out and sat in the pan. Works well enough for now.

5/11/2012 10:36:56 AM

ah

Yeah I'm just gonna buy another car to track more often. Don't wanna modify the S2000 that extensively.

5/11/2012 12:18:11 PM

two more days to sign up, in case anyone's interested.

http://myautoevents.com/pls/mae/frmEventDetail.Show?psevent_id=13146

this saturday, 2-point-something-mile track, lots of runoff, basic tech, grip and drift welcome, no crazy rules, just drive at your own pace all you want.

5/22/2012 10:01:52 PM

^^ it makes no sense to have an S2000 and a track car.

5/23/2012 1:40:00 AM

^^ is that at blackwater/Xe/whatever the new name is?

5/23/2012 1:45:01 AM

^^lol, naturally. I'll sell the S2000 for something else

5/23/2012 8:06:17 AM

^^ yes. it's an awesome track. lots of speed, lots of challenging corners, and lots of runoff in case you do something stupid. that, plus the fact that the rules are pretty relaxed (just a fun day of driving all you want at your own pace) makes it my favorite track event i've ever attended.

5/23/2012 11:41:51 AM

What the fuck?! That's cheap as hell. And this is an HPDE? I wonder if I could go...


fuck, my tires are near their wear bars

[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 2:13 PM. Reason : hmmmmmm]

5/23/2012 2:06:07 PM

i think its a drift event.

but its just listed under hpde type events. i cant even find anything in moyock that resembles a track. haha

5/23/2012 4:46:53 PM

But that website says HPDE. Here's an overhead shot:

5/23/2012 4:49:22 PM

god that track looks like a workout. never get to sit up or really open it for more than a gear

5/23/2012 5:05:17 PM

Yeah I have no idea what the configuration is, or the length though it was stated to be over 2 miles (but again, which config is that?).

I just can't do it this time though, would be stupid to try with my tires at or very close to the wear bars Perhaps later this summer after replacing the rubber

5/23/2012 7:08:34 PM

Driftwater is NOT just for drifting. grip is welcome too. they usually set it up with a hour-long grip sessions and hour-long drift session alternating throughout the day. it tends to be about half-n-half grip and drift guys.

i think they labelled it as an HPDE on that MyAutoEvents site because... idk why, really. it's most certainly not. i've been to 4 or 5 of these events over the last few years, and it's SUPER laid back.

this is an old pic but... connect the blue course and the red course, THAT'S what we typically run, clockwise. the long straight (spanning the bottom) is pretty damn long, you can get welllllllll over a hundred down that.



here's a good video of the course layout (see above pic, lap starts from the black entry lane on the left near the paddock)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t048z1O4dhk

[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 9:48 PM. Reason : video...]

5/23/2012 9:37:30 PM

Thanks for the info. A few questions:

1) if it's not an HPDE then are there not instructors? (not that I need one, just wondering about any novices going buck wild)
2) what are the rules on passing? I would hope that it's controlled, designated for a few spots only, and is point to pass.

5/24/2012 8:10:22 AM

pavement looks worse than summit with a ton of trash in the line...

5/24/2012 8:16:12 AM

TKE-Teg: no instructors. the guys that run that event (or other guys out there who are good seasoned track drivers) are very nice and will gladly ride along with you and give you pointers if you ask. the on-track rules tend to be pretty simple. a few cars out on track at a time. if you've done a few laps and see a line at the entry, just get off and loop back in line to let another driver on course. if there's no line, keep on driving as much as you like. for passing, they just stress that everyone stays aware of their surroundings and uses point-bys as needed. there's no timing equipment or competition, so it's not like a slow/cautious pass is gonna hurt anyone. to my knowledge, the only people that have ever collided out there were drift guys doing tandem runs.

smoothcrim: pavement looks messy in that video because it had just rained that morning. people had slid off track and tossed some mud and rocks up here and there, but it really wasn't that bad. the videos don't do it justice; the asphalt out there is REALLY nice and smooth. it's all fresh pavement as of last year or so.

[Edited on May 24, 2012 at 1:48 PM. Reason : {]

5/24/2012 1:46:43 PM

Thanks for the reply. How often are events held out there?

5/24/2012 2:19:19 PM

they're held every two or three months, depending on what the mercenary guys are doing and how the schedule is organized. the base typically doesn't do much on Sunday so MOST of the track events are held on Sundays; this Saturday event is a bit of a rarity. i'll post up the info whenever the next one is announced. likely sometime around August, we'll see.

5/24/2012 3:47:04 PM

so im watching some vids of hpde car events and witness a point by for the first time. wtf is this junk? i dont understand the purpose of it. if you're way faster than someone, what are the chances they have the presence of mind to be completely aware of their surroundings enough to take a hand off the wheel, wave you on, and get back to sucking? in my experience, the slowest folks are trying the hardest

PLEASE COMMENT SIRS

6/2/2012 1:09:49 PM

noticing a faster car is awareness of your surroundings. plus its in a strait away and hell you can take both hands off the wheel and stick your feet out the window if you wanted. lol.

and most likely there's an instructor in the car telling you to point by. and HOPEFULLY by the time you're alone in the car you'll know proper protocol. once you advance in the levels you can pass in other spots. but its usually the longest straits at the lowest levels

6/2/2012 2:23:07 PM

ahh at even the beginner levels on a bike, you can pass at will with more restrictions for more novice riders; like in the straights for beginners, outside turn passes in intermediate, and anything but paint trading for advanced. the videos i was watching were solo drivers doing the wave.

im just torturing myself because my brake reservoir didnt come in yesterday and I'm missing out on a VIR N weekend with a race there in 2 weeks

6/2/2012 5:35:18 PM

Quote :

"so im watching some vids of hpde car events and witness a point by for the first time. wtf is this junk? i dont understand the purpose of it. if you're way faster than someone, what are the chances they have the presence of mind to be completely aware of their surroundings enough to take a hand off the wheel, wave you on, and get back to sucking? in my experience, the slowest folks are trying the hardest "

Cars aren't motorcycles. They're bigger so they take up more space on the track and it takes longer to pass than in motorcycles. Point bys are incredibly easy to do and your opinion on this matter is utterly ridiculous (I realize you don't do car HPDEs, but your quickness to pass judgement is shortsighted). The slowest folks are not "trying the hardest". If they're trying too hard and driving erratically they will be black flagged into the pits. Additionally all novice drivers have an instructor riding along to coach them and make sure they follow all the rules. To truly be a good driver on track you have to be aware of everything within your field of vision.

If you do that point bys are easy, though I will say some people are pretty sluggish about giving the signal and I think offended that they're about to be passed (often by "slower" cars). This can lead to some raised tempers and 4 letter words

6/4/2012 8:37:44 AM