"youshiftem" (torinosport302)
08/05/2015 at 12:46 • Filed to: None
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"youshiftem" (torinosport302)
08/05/2015 at 12:46 • Filed to: None | 2
| 4 |
It’s been said many times but I’ll say it again: whatever you are driving, a track day is a ton of fun.
Last week I got the opportunity to learn to drive quickly from one of the best teachers on one of the best tracks in North America. Marie-Laurence Paquin is an instructor/racecar driver/stunt driver and was absolutely incredible at teaching the intricacies of Calabogie Motorsports Park.
She was a little unsure of my car choice, a 1984 Buick Regal, but I figured it would be fun with the small block, T56 tranny, 4.11 posi and some half-decent shocks and springs. Not to mention it is probably the most reliable car I have.
Starting with an in-depth explanation of each corner of the track and a quick run through the slalom to get a little confidence in the abilities of the boat I’d be taking around the track, it was time to put our helmets on and hit the track.
I have to say I was a little nervous with the obviously faster cars coming out on the track with me (mostly modified Evos) but everyone is very patient and courteous about passing zones and not crowding you. I even managed to catch a 1996 RX7 with a single turbo the size of a watermelon!
All this to say even if you think your car isn’t the best track car, just go out and have fun, it doesn’t matter how fast you are.
I pieced together a complete lap of the car, please forgive the editing:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> youshiftem
08/05/2015 at 13:04 |
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Two Adorable Blob Dinosaurs - RamblinRover, MSPaint on pixels, 2015
SwellBell
> youshiftem
08/05/2015 at 14:34 |
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Glad you had fun! The track manager of the place I go to highly stresses safety for open lapping days and most people did pretty well to be courteous and patient and try not to do anything rash. Its all about leaving the ego at home and having fun!
How did your brakes hold up?
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youshiftem
> SwellBell
08/05/2015 at 15:25 |
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They were smoking a bit after a few hot laps but held up great! Keeping your fluid new is definitely important to not boiling over
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SwellBell
> youshiftem
08/05/2015 at 19:20 |
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Agreed. A dedicated set of track pads (carbotech XP series, Hawk DTC series, etc... and blank rotors (centric premium, etc...) and some fresh fluid (Ate typ 200 or Motul 600, if you car can use DOT 4) will probably help quite a bit to mitigate the dreaded fade and/or boiling!
Also, while the type of car is part of the equation, I feel that the driver makes a much bigger difference when it comes to lapping... and brakes... and tires...