We were going to go up early on Saturday to catch some rides with our fellow Miata Challenge drivers, but after a quick test drive around the block (the car's been on jack stands the last few weeks), I decided that the brakes didn't feel that great. So I put in our new CarboTech XP8 pads in and switched out the brake fluid. But while doing this work I discovered that one of the rear adjuster screws had rusted into place. This screw is for adjusting the inner rear caliber position. Luckily it seemed to be locked into the correct position. (Need to order a new brake from Jeff Wong/ProParts.) But it also seemed like the piston seal was compromised. It was leaking fluid pretty badly. I had to tell Karen that our weekend was probably shot. We were thinking of going up with the Vette, but it's been taken back to pretty much oem settings, and of course we only had mild street tires for it.
When I got it all back together and bleed, there was no leak and the brakes felt OK.
But while doing this brake work I started to feel sick. I was coming down with a full blown cold. I didn't feel I could drive myself so we left the support van and just took the Miata and whatever we could carry in it, ie. we left the new Canon camera and our Toyo R1R rain tires, plus pop-up, etc.
Karen bedded in the brakes on the fwy, whenever we were in the clear. She had also done the sanding of the rotors.
We got up to Buttonwillow Saturday night, just in time to still hit the Willow Ranch House BBQ!
Got up early of course, but then missed the exit to the track in the dark and rain, even though I had zero'ed the odometer and knew the distance from the motel?! I don't believe there is even a Buttonwillow race track sign. By the time we realized our mistake, we had to drive another 25+ miles down the fwy before we could turn around! But we still got to "our" track with plenty of time. Being SCCA members meant we didn't have to pay the $10 each venue fee.
Luckily there was still room for us under the large canopy in front of the Timing/Meeting/Cafe/Shop building, so we had a DRY place for our gear.
After Registration, getting our Transponders and Drivers Meetings, Karen was first out. Over 100 drivers in everything from four Ferrari Challenger cars and full on race cars to stock Mini's ... spread out over five run groups, self classed by experience and ability. After everyone ran once, pre-grid was by lap times. One could also ask to move up or down a class. I placed my self in the basic Intermediate group ... the lowest class allowed that weekend, while Karen was in the Advanced Intermediate group. Open passing on Straights, point-bys in corners. My group was only allowed point bys on the straights.
Cool and wet, intermittent rain. The course never got completely dry. We started with the shocks a bit on the softer side and tire pressures fairly low, 34/32. Our years of Auto Crossing were no doubt a big help. Folks were spinning and sliding off the course everywhere. Karen spun twice, but both feet in and she never went off the track into the sticky mud. I guess I was going too slow to spin. Sometimes Auto Crosser Jeff Ringer was helping out by driving the tow/flat bed truck. He was kept busy for a good part of the day. Occasional everyone had to go to the pits while a car was cleared out. Twice there was a full course Red while cars in particularly dangerous spots were moved.
The various Make Challenges that Speed Venture hosts, including the Corvette Challenge which is held in conjunction with Cal Club (http://animoto.com/play/X1u41JySvzYX0K1tE7k09g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (can't find the latest info?) are run in a Time Trial format. Your fastest time over four 20 minute sessions on the Challenge day is what counts. So you aren't really doing wheel to wheel racing, although I'm not sure what else you would call it when you pass and get passed four times in one session by the same driver.
It's hard to back off when you're trying to put in fast laps. And you can't help catching the slower cars.The CarboTech pads felt great. Terrific bite but good modulation. We never used any brake fluid. We ended up running 38/36 psi. Need to buy a new pyrometer; the old one is fried.
Mind over Body? Sick on Saturday, I felt fine on race day, but today, Monday the cold came back to me with a vengeance?!
When you ask Karen, what her favorite part of these track events is, besides trying to learn everything needed to put in decent laps, she'll tell you it's driving in traffic, having to be aware of where the cars are around you, pressuring the person ahead of you but watching out for when and if they spin in front of you. That happened to both of us, and we easily avoided contact. Luck? If someone comes up behind you in the corners, you're obligated to let them by at the first safe place, according to the rules of your run group.
There were 12 drivers in our Miata Challenge Street Class. There a point system depending on your mods. Street class cars are allowed up to 9 points, which we've used up by having Coil Overs (includes sway bars), open Intake and Exhaust, 140 wear tires (R tires not allowed in the Street class), LSD, and NB Miata compared to a NA. We're only using 7" wheels. In order to use the more optimal 8" or 9" wheels with our 225/45/15 Hankook RS3's, we would have to give up two points somewhere else. We were pretty far down in time compared to the top drivers, but we weren't last either. Still waiting for the final times. There seems to be a bit of a discrepancy, which I want to compare with times taken from my videos.
We missed Jamie Lessie. Her Unlimited Class Rotary Miata still isn't finished. Come on Steve O.
To be honest, driving on the track is thrilling but being older and not necessarily wiser, but more experienced it's hard not to THINK about what Can Happen. The rain on Sunday made it more unpredictable, but the speeds were also a bit lower. We hit the rev limited in fourth at least twice at Buttonwillow, about a calculated 94 mph, perhaps a bit more. I think our tires are a bit taller then oem. (I remember entering a slalom at Lone Pine at over 100 with Mark's STI.) Take a look at what happens to this Miata ... at Buttonwillow, at the Kink, right after Riverside and leading to Phil Hill. Doesn't look like he does anything wrong, yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAKVz9GnQI8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In the drivers meeting they stressed that that section can bite you (soft dirt will flip you if you go off sideways), but what to do? All you can do is be smooth and not try to do anything to upset the car. You HAVE to be flat out there to be fast. So you Don't think about it while you're actually driving and instead Concentrate on the task at hand.
Karen's attitude is to be fatalistic. If it happens it happens. To her it's worth it. Our racing seat ended up not being as low as we would like it, so we drove without the seat cushion to get lower. Saturday morning I actually bought some new hardened bolts to replace some where I had shaved the heads down for clearance. Instead I took the mount all apart, for probably the fifth time, and removed a 3/16th inch adapter layer, which allowed me to use unmodified bolts while gaining that 3/16th inch drop. Now that we know we share the same seat position, we might removed the sliding rails to drop the seat to the floor.
On the one hand I would encourage all of you to come out to a SCCA Time Trail event, like Pete, KJ and Karen did last year at CA Speedway, but obviously you have to be perfectly honest with yourself that accidents happen, and unlike in AX'ing you might hit something or no matter how careful you are, someone might hit you. Some folks like Tim A. have had bad accidents on the big tracks and find satisfaction AX'ing.
(We want to support the SCCA, but to be honest, they haven't developed an Instructor system for their Time Trials, if I recall correctly. The good thing about NASA track events, is that you HAVE to go through their ranks, which in the beginning, ALWAYS included an Instructor on every lap, with detailed and very honest, in your face if necessary Debriefs after every run group. And this is included in the entry price. Speed Ventures offers Instructors, but you have to pay extra for that. I did pay for an Instructor for my first run group, who was excellent in giving me tips on the lines. Karen had one of the experienced Miata racers ride along with her, for free.)
Having seen my parents deteriorate, I personally don't mind enjoying myself while I can. Like Karen, I think it's worth it. One thing, we know we're never going to be that fast, so it's not like we HAVE to do whatever it takes to post competitive times. Insurances are in place, so my boy's covered.
One expense we hadn't factored in, PHOTOGRAPHS! The trackside shooter at Buttonwillow is terrific. We had to buy his CD with all of our photos. Luckily he gave us a Family Car discount and gave us all of our photos (about 70) for $65. Of course we don't mind supporting another photographer ... even if I ended up having to do my own retouching. http://vanhap.com/contact.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Our convenient dry covered paddock spot:
Jeff Ringer, earning Speed Venture bucks by manning the tow truck:
