by "Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
Published 09/01/2017 at 11:09
by "Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
Published 09/01/2017 at 11:09
No Tags
STARS: 3
This past Wednesday I went out and did the SCCA “Track Night in America” at COTA! It was an awesome time on track and there were a lot of cool cars to look at and cool drivers to talk to! The Ecoboost was nimble on track and held most of the corners in 4th gear without issue, pulling hard all the way to 6500 RPM with the Cobb tune. As this was my first track night ever I was in the Novice group.
Most of my stories here are NOT about how my car was faster, but how
it’s driver was faster. There were a lot of fast/expensive cars out
there with slow drivers.
Through the day I passed a lot of different cars on track. S550 GT and a
GT350, Supercharged Cadillac XLR (Corvette in a Caddy Suit), BMW M2,
Miatas, and more. I was thrilled with I could hang with the Miatas
through the corners and the blast by them on the straights with power on
my side. I didn’t time my laps, but managed to hit a top speed of 123
on the back straight and 110 heading up the hill on the front straight.
I started a session behind a Camaro ZL1. This thing was a track monster,
huge acceleration! So we went up the hill to turn 1 and it absolutely
roared away from me, but as we wound through turns 2-9 it was apparent
that this was a really fast car with a not so fast driver. She was
having all kinds of trouble holding a line through the curves and there
was now a group of three of us riding up on her ass. When we came out of
turn 10 I waved the S2000 and VW GTi behind me past as the Camaro left
me in it’s dust. The Camaro driver had no intention of letting any get
past her and held off the faster drivers. After we came through turn 15
like a freight train, with the Camaro leading the way and all over the
track, the S2000 scooted past her in turn 17, despite not being a
passing zone. When we got through turn 20, the GTi driver managed to
sneak past the Camaro, despite not getting a wave by. I couldn’t catch
the Camaro on a straight, but once we made the hairpin at turn 1, I was
again crawling up the tailpipe of the Camaro as she couldn’t hold a
racing line on throttle to save her life. When going through turns 7-8 I
began flashing my headlights at her, since I knew she wouldn’t give me a
chance to pass otherwise, and I finally got let by after turn 10. Once
I put her in my rear view, I kept her there for the long straight and
then lost her, never to be seen again after turn 13.
I managed to catch up to that S2000 and spent a full lap behind him. He
should have been in at least the Intermediate group, if not Advanced. He
was fast through the twisties, cutting a great line through every
corner and keeping composed all the way. When he hit the straights and
the two of us kept speed up. He put some distance on me on the back
straight, but I still got to watch him go through the final corners on
our way to the pits.
I feel like all of my practice of the COTA track on my Xbox had the line
through the corners pretty well burned into my brain, so I didn’t have
much trouble through the esses or 12-20. I was really liking the speed I
could carry though 19 and accelerate halfway to 20 before braking for
the front straight. I never went for full speed runs up to 1 though,
choosing to back off before the braking zone to make sure I was on line.
I’ve seen too many races at COTA where drivers powered themselves right
off the track at 1.
Me nemesis was actually 11. I never seemed to pull it wide enough to be
back on throttle immediately, especially as half the time I seemed to be
following someone else through there and was facing their tail too
close for comfort. That was the one corner where I always ended up down
into 2nd gear.
Overall an Awesome day and well worth it!
"ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy" (bakeshake)
09/01/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0
At least you got to go at all, but yeah, according to that map, you’re restricted to only horsepower passes, with skill passes forbidden.
How’d your brakes hold up?
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
09/01/2017 at 11:38, STARS: 2
If you flashed your headlights at me at a track day you would be brake checked beyond belief going into the next brake zone. If you’re that desperate for space and aren’t getting it, go roll through pit lane and get some clear track. Did you have an instructor in the car telling you to do that?
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
09/01/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 0
Awesome!
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
09/01/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 1
“go roll through pit lane and get some clear track”
This is the correct course of action, regardless of how much of a jerk the ZL1 driver was being.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/01/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 1
the TNIAs that I’ve done don’t have in-car instructors for everyone. Keeps the cost down but as you can see this creates issues in the novice group. Slower driver clearly wasn’t watching their mirrors, faster driver didn’t know to go to pit and ask for space.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
09/01/2017 at 11:47, STARS: 2
That’s when the high horsepower drivers need to recognize the car(s) behind them are clearly faster around the track, and let them by, regardless of whether they can dust them in the straights.
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
09/01/2017 at 11:51, STARS: 0
I’ve been spoiled. The couple I did a few years ago had plenty of instructors to go around.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/01/2017 at 12:14, STARS: 0
You’d think they would start pairing people up after the first session, especially when they have so many first-timers on the track ignoring flags
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/01/2017 at 13:14, STARS: 1
So how is TNIA? I am planning to do one for my first track day but have heard mixed reviews about it. Positive stuff on the internet but lots of trash talk from people in real life who run “real” track days. Anyways, I am also curious if I really need to run beginner class. I have three years of autocross experience (15-20 events per year) so I feel pretty confident about it. It seems like it would be unfun/dangerous to deal with people who cant even hold a proper line. I only worried about being slow in the intermediate group but I certainly have no issues with proper lines and smoothness. The price point of TNIA is quite advantageous though. At $150 (or less with discount) that is only like 2 autox events but like ten times the amount of seat time.
"BLCKSTRM" (BLCKSTRM)
09/01/2017 at 13:56, STARS: 0
Oh man, I had no idea they had an SCCA track night at COTA. I try to keep track of what’s going on there, but I must have missed it somehow.
It’s pretty expensive for a normal track weekend - how much was it?
"miadaman? yes please" (wanjoe)
09/01/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 1
Always going to be bad seeds no matter how well an event is run (S2k/GTI passing without indication), as long as TNIA as an organization actively discipline the offenders it should be perfectly fine. I find some people adapt from autocross to track pretty well but others can never seem to get out of “gate to gate” tunnel vision. If you can get instructors in beginner class, definitely worth it.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 18:12, STARS: 0
$175 for the session. Because of the race this weekend, Pirelli and the race teams were already paying for part of the facility and helped us get a price break!
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 18:14, STARS: 0
Oh I did that earlier in the day. On her and another driver. They weren’t doing anything about those not allowing passing. And hell I wanted her to hit her brakes in the passing zone. When we came out of turn 10 into the short straight she was off the racing line and all I needed was for her to brake.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 0
“as long as TNIA as an organization actively discipline the offenders it should be perfectly fine.”
This was the problem. They were not pulling the slow drivers off for a talk. I was happy to give people a point by and expected it in return, but I even once got a point by from a Mustang GT, who then hammered the gas. I was never able to get past him and pulled into the pits to report him. I’m told they talked to him, but I didn’t see it.
And yes, they talked to the S2000 driver about his pass in the turn, but not until the end of the session, which was also the end of the day, so who knows how much good it did.
COTA is a long track, 3.4 miles, so unless those drivers got an instructor, or finally started watching their mirrors and flags nothing was going to change. also... I never saw a passing flag pointed at any of those offenders, despite seeing people in those flag stations.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 18:21, STARS: 0
Since I got a Performance Pack car, I had to trouble with my brakes. I’m still running stock pads, since the car has less than 10k on it, and I can only imagine it being even better with better pads. There was plenty of brake fade out to be seen, especially at turn 12 after the long straight, but I managed to avoid it.
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
09/01/2017 at 20:35, STARS: 1
Roll through grid and get some clear space. If it’s that bad, go find someone in charge and report the car number after the session.
I know a handful of groups that would see you in the wrong being overly aggressive for a track day and you would be the one being told to sit out a session or more.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 20:46, STARS: 0
There were no car numbers.
I did mention that this driver had numerous complaints? When I talked to the Novice coordinator after the event, I was informed that the Camaro driver had a serious attitude when they talked to her about blocking faster traffic.
Sure, I was aggressive at that point. She wasn’t taking the hint any other way, including warnings by the SCCA team. Yes,I had some wrong in that, but I did get the Camaro driver to point me by.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/01/2017 at 20:49, STARS: 1
‘racing line’
If you ever get the opportunity, take an NCM HPDE and listen to the classroom instructor’s (former racer and racing instructor whose name is unfortunately eluding me) bit on that term. A track day/HPDE is not a race, it’s not a racing school, the racing line is whatever is available for you in an actual race and is not necessarily the best/fastest/most efficient way around the track. What you’re driving on during a track day/HPDE is not the racing line.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/01/2017 at 20:53, STARS: 2
if you’ve never been on a track before, you go in the novice group. they can always move you up if need be.
"miadaman? yes please" (wanjoe)
09/01/2017 at 20:55, STARS: 0
I assume you guys do session runs, up here the novices usually get classroom session. Does TNIA do that as well or is it more like open lapping?
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
09/01/2017 at 20:56, STARS: 2
There was an experienced autox-er at the last track day I did. He hit a wall, with the chief instructor in the car, after scaring away three other instructors. There is a lot of difference between autox and a track day, and you need to start in Novice. If you’re really that much of a natural you’ll get bumped up pretty quick. A “real” track day, in your words, are much better about moving drivers during events and having enough instructiors for everyone. TNIA are good once you have experience.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 21:41, STARS: 0
It was 3 twenty minute sessions, with discussion before and after runs. But... COTA didn’t give us a classroom, and we were doing discussion in the open pits with cars roaring past.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/01/2017 at 21:45, STARS: 0
SCCA sees TNIA the other way, as a gateway into “real” track days. The cost of a “real” track day keeps a lot of us would would otherwise want to go out away, especially when we’re not driving Porsches and the Porsche club is the only one in the area putting them on.
"BLCKSTRM" (BLCKSTRM)
09/01/2017 at 21:46, STARS: 0
Oh, now I’m crushed! That is a fantastic deal!
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
09/01/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 1
I’ve never heard of a Porsche, BMW, Ford whatever group not letting other cars in. I also can think of two non-brand groups that run at COTA without trying. You get what you pay for. Spend a little more, and they are going to be taking concerns of unsafe driving more seriously.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/01/2017 at 22:30, STARS: 0
Agreed, I figure novice is the lowest risk way to go
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/01/2017 at 22:35, STARS: 1
Well yeah tunnel vision is bad in autocross too, the biggest thing I’ve focused on lately is looking ahead to set myself up well for the next turn. But yeah it will take some seat time before I get used to higher speed tracks.
"miadaman? yes please" (wanjoe)
09/02/2017 at 09:35, STARS: 0
O... Sounds a bit better than open lapping at least :)
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/02/2017 at 10:24, STARS: 0
Does your local PCA seriously not allow people who don’t drive Porsches at their track days? Ours doesn’t care as long as you pay and follow their rules, friend took his Miata to one of their track days with no issues.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
09/02/2017 at 18:26, STARS: 0
Sure, they allow it. But if you’re not a PCA member they charge you double...