First HPDE was a success!

"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
08/20/2018 at 08:16 • Filed to: None

Man was that fun. Four 30-minute track sessions and though the temperature did creep up to the 3/4 mark, the car never had a problem, and made the hour drive home just fine. I’m so happy with how well this car drives on the track. The staff at Dominion has got it figured out, the event went so seamlessly between sessions, it was basically non-stop cars on track all day. The weather held out which is crazy since 24 hours before it was 80% thunderstorms in the forecast. We didn’t get a single drop.

I definitely need to get a few things before the next event. I have an aluminum radiator on order, which should solve my temperature issues. O ne of the tires seems to have chunked a bit and has exposed cord which is not good. Some padding for the harness shoulder straps is also high on the list, as they rubbed into my neck pretty hard. Lastly a pair of gloves would be super handy (HA) since the stock steering wheel is such a small rim I have to grasp it pretty firmly what with no power steering and all , and the rough texture gave me a few blisters by the end of the day.

All in all it was a phenomenal day. It’s so crazy to think that just ONE session is rough ly the same seat time as an entire year of autocross. Roughly 45 seconds/run, average 5 runs/event, around 9 events/year = roughly 30 minutes of driving. When you do the math for the money too, it’s a much better deal there as well. $35 for an autocross for 3.75 minutes of driving is $9.33/minute of driving. $220 for this event for 2 hours of track time (120 minutes) is $1.83/minute. It’s a bargain!

DISCUSSION (5)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/20/2018 at 10:55

Seat time per dollar cannot be beat! Even better here in Socal since the average autocross is ~$70 and I can get a track day for $180, or even as low as $150. Plus the nearest venues for autocross are actually further than the nearest track due to traffic patterns . The higher speeds and not working the course are just gravy at that point. I've been loving the amount of seat time I've gotten, it actually ends up being almost too much by the last session. It's physically exhausting but so so worth it.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/20/2018 at 11:43

Truth. I almost didn’t want to do my last session, my hands were raw and I was so tired haha

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/20/2018 at 18:58

Even with power steering my arms were pretty tired. And I've done a full day of go Karting before. So I could only imagine a real car with manual steering would beat you up haha.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/21/2018 at 10:24

Sounds like a good day. Were you rotating tires throughout the day? Since most courses have more turns in one direction than the other, that outside front tire takes a beating. FWD racecar guys usually rotate tires after every single session.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
08/21/2018 at 12:50

I did not but I probably will from now on