Year: 2017

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No training or exercise for 2 months = Not great performance

Surgery…

On July 7th, 2017 I went in for what was supposed to be a minor surgery.  I was diagnosed with a non-cancerous cyst, which is quite common except for it was located right on top of my tailbone (not on the tailbone but right next to it).  This meant that I was regularly sitting on it, especially when I would slouch.

It had originally come up 3 or 4 years ago after 6 months of karting all the time.  I thought it was just a result of all that trauma to my tailbone.  It was an annoyance but never very painful until this past June, during the second Portland International Raceways weekend.  After the first day of testing, I woke up sore all over my body and my cyst was really tender.

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I ignored all the pain and discomfort and made it through the weekend but went to the doctor the following week.  It turned out that my cyst had gotten so swollen, it was infected and those body aches, were my body fighting the infection.

Long story short, I needed surgery to have it completely removed.  It is a straight-forward procedure and usually within a week, someone can go back to normal activities, but because of the location, the recovery was at least 2 weeks and possibly up to 2 months before feeling ‘normal’ again.  Well for me, it ended up being the 2 months.

+ Bad Decisions

For 2 months, I wasn’t able to workout, do much simulator training and was on various combinations of pain medications.  2 weeks after the surgery, I decided to compete in a race at Pacific Raceways, where I got pole and finished P2 but I needed help getting into the car, out of the car and was icing my incision all day long.

A week after the Pacific race, I was reading to my kiddo and his friend, but I was also laid up, trying to take the load off my incision.

The next couple of weeks were really tough.  I don’t know how differently or faster things would have healed if I had not raced but I think it slowed things down.  A checkup with the surgeon a couple weeks later showed everything looked good but she was surprised to hear that I was in so much pain.

I headed her advice and just tried to rest up, sprinkling in some yoga and days of more walking.  1.5 months after the surgery was the August 19-20 Dash for Kids race, back at Portland International Raceways.

Our setup at Portland International Raceways

= Sub-Par Performance

During the race weekend, we decided to hit the ‘reset’ button on our suspension setup, seeking coaching and advice from the 2016 PRO3 Champion, Olivier Henrichot (a future post on that experience).  We made dramatic changes to the setup, where in the end, I was able to hit the same lap times as before, with less of an effort and more confidence in feedback from the car.

All good things except, I was beat.  On Friday, we had 4 total on-track session and I awoke on Saturday AM, full-body sore.  Saturday, was a typical day of practice, qualifying and the 1-hour race, of which this time, I was splitting seat time with Olivier. We won the race but I again felt beat, after a 30 minute stint.

The next morning, we only had qualifying in the AM and the main race in the afternoon; not a ton of physical workout time.  I qualified P2 and was ready to go for the win during the race.  But about 5 laps into the race, my lower back started hurting.  Halfway through the race, it was throbbing and I was actively thinking about it during the front and back straightaways.  Not a good.

Qualified P2 for the main PRO3 race on Sunday

Long story short, I did not perform anywhere near my full or regular potential and one big reason that I was just not physically fit enough.  Here is the race video from the weekend, of which again, isn’t all bad and 1 year ago, I would have been thrilled to finish P3.

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But How Did I Do So Well at Pacific?

I’m not entirely sure but I think that while I was in pain during the race, I still had more of my strength, stamina and was also on lots of Ibuprofen, which could have masked some of the pain.  At Portland, I think my strength, stamina and reflexes were not at the same level.  This variables resulted in a heavier mental toll and it started impacting me even worse.

At the end of the day, it’s not like I really sucked.  I still finished on the podium, against a couple of strong drivers that I’ve battled with all year.  Jeff McAffer, who overtook me for P2, had a really strong race, with the fastest lap of the race.  Olivier and I also won the 1-Hour endurance race!

The main point is that to perform at or near peak levels, you need to be mentally and physically at your peak.  I know there are drivers that aren’t into physical fitness and they are solid, if not incredible drivers.  They have other strengths, such as functional fitness and years and years of experience.  I don’t have more than a few years of racing experience, so I rely on physical fitness as a way to compete.

Moving Forward

For me personally, I am much healthier now and turning my training back up.  It will be some time before I’m as physically as fit as before but that is the goal.  And if in the future, I am injured, I am going to bite the bullet and rest/heal properly before trying to get back into the cockpit.

 

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I crashed: HPDE Edition

What: The very first time I crashed, which happened to be an HPDE road trip/event.

If I knew then, what I know now:

  1. I would have actively sought out training on how to handle “going off track.” Going off track is not a bad thing inherently and will happen. Handling it properly would have saved me a ton of money.
  2. Had a HANS or NecksGen device: the impact was a classic sudden forward neck movement, with a concrete wall.
  3. Reinforced that in motorsports, even recreational – if you’re competitive (I am) it’s not if you will crash, but when you will crash.  How are you going to move forward?

Things you should check out:

The car: 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 GSR

This car, was technically, my wife’s car. A few years prior, I had decided it was time to get back into ‘car game’. It was about 3-4 years from when I had graduated from college, had paid off my student loans and bought a house. Prior to college and for some time in college, I was active in ‘modifying’ street cars.  But after several cars, experiments, blown engines and essentially sunk money, I bought a 1999 Ford Contour SVT (black), which had an aftermarket exhaust, broken sun-roof and called it good.  So I thought.

Fast forward to 2011 and we had a heavily modified (and unnecessarily) 2008 Subaru WRX STi (mine) and a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR (my wife’s).

Soon after we bough a house, we had an STi and then an Evo 9. This was in 2008, maybe 2009 but not sure why the pictures look like it was in 1988 or 1989.
Yes, we did car shows and here is my wife claiming a prize for best something. Oh the shame…
Proof from the car shows…
And we even did photo shoots. Oh, the double shame!!!

I slowly took over the Evo because I had gone too far with the STi, making it not track-capable.  With an upgraded turbo and 400whp, it was too much car for to handle and very likely wouldn’t make it a day or two without over-heating or blowing up as EJ25 engines were and are notorious for not liking even mild track sessions.

I’ll be writing a car profile post and update this article later on, but in terms of specs, it had the basic bolt-on’s, a tune by Cobb Tuning, a harness bar, some gauges, upgraded brakes (lines, pads and rotors) and I removed the rear seats for “weight reduction.”  😆  Functionally, it allowed space to bring alone a full set of track tires/wheels, a jack, jack-stands and pretty much everything I needed for a track day.

My experience thus far: Intermediate run group, on the cusp of Advance

This was the first year that I had decided I was done with simply modifying cars and hard-parking.  I had taken an HPDE full-day event the prior November and the bug had bit.  I had spent that entire spring and summer, attending track days and this was also the first year a friend and I had started developing Track Attack.  Each time we went out on-track, it was not only fun but a chance to test and improve Track Attack.

At the time, I had somewhere around 8-10 track days, without any real incident; a spin here and there.  Generally, I felt quite ‘seasoned’ by the time this trip came around but by no-means did I feel fast.  I had also done a couple autocross events and had decided that was not my path.  Nothing wrong with Autocross but all that standing around, with no practice runs and for at most 4 under 60 second runs (of which I sucked at all of them) – I was OK sticking with track days.  🙂

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The setting: A three-day track day road trip (Portland International Raceways and Oregon Raceway Park)

Most of my track days were with either ProFormance Racing School or The Ridge Racing School (now the majority of their events run by Turn 2 Lapping).  Each year, ProFormance racing school would organize a ‘road trip’, hitting Portland International Raceways for two days and Oregon Raceway Park for another two days (Thursday through Sunday).

I was excited and intimidated a little about Portland, mainly because it had the ‘International’ in the name – implying, at least in my head, the more professional and potentially hard aspect of the track.

The back-straight at PIR getting some instruction and likely told I suck.
Coming off Turn 12 at PIR
Holding up traffic in the Festival Chicane

The first two days at Portland went great!  I had hired an instructor for the first day at each track, to help guide me through the track as it was my first time at each.  At the end of the day on Friday, we caravaned over the mountain range.  I stayed with a friend (Robert) I had made in my modifying days, that was a Shop and History (I think) teacher, in The Dalles, OR.  He was/is a big car guy and had just gotten into Evo’s and was gracious enough to let me stay at his house.

That first day went really well and aside from frustrations with the Track Attack app (no cell phone reception at all) was ready to get back to the track and make some serious gains on my lap times.  That Sunday morning, Robert came out in the AM and we were able to give parade rides, which was fun to show him around the track.  Once he left, it was time to get back on it.

What happened

It was what would have been the second to last session of the day.  I forget my exact lap times, but I want to say they were in the 2:10-2:15 range, of which looking back on it now, is well below the abilities of that car.  I honestly don’t recall having too much of a structured learning or driver development plan, so I was pretty much just lapping around “trying to go faster” but no real thing I was actively or consciously working on.

Oregon Raceway Park is an incredible track, with lots of rolling hills, blind corner exits and no real long straightaway, giving little time for brakes to cool down or a rest for the driver.  It is ran primarily in the clock-wise direction, though it is regularly run counter-clockwise.  It’s out in the middle of nowhere, high central desert, Oregon, where if you go off, there really isn’t anything to hit.  Generally, go off, pick up small rocks and dust – come back into the paddock, clean and vacuum your car and you’re back at it.

Except one section: Start/Finish main straight with a wall

Check out this video of one of the best club racers (and drivers in general), Cody Smith in a race at ORP.  You’ll see that right at the last corner, there is a wall that protects the hot-pits.  The only real place to get in trouble here is that wall and that’s what I learned.

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You see what happened at 2:32 mark?  That’s exactly what happened to me. 

On what would end up being my last lap for that weekend, I was coming up on the final turn, I braked, turned but turned in too early and probably too lazily.  As I started exiting the corner, was on throttle but noticed I was going to run out of road and I lifted.  🙁

Off-Throttle Oversteer: Engaged

Not sure if the car actually dropped a tire but the rear end whipped around and next thing you know, I am sitting there, staring at a wall and corner workers running over to me.  I then look to my left to see if any other car is going to collect me and this awesome green E36 M3 purposefully goes off-track, along with a nice 370z.  No damage to them, aside from a dusty car.

Within 10 minutes, I’m out of the car, physically fine and am able to limp the car back to the paddock, where front end is pushed in a few inches, the Seibon carbon fiber hood latch is broken but that’s about it.  If it weren’t for the leaking radiator, I might have even tried to drive it home.

The aftermath

First, I have to thank Don Kitch Jr on how calmly he handled himself (not having been his first rodeo by a lot) as that helped calm me down.  I had recently started working with English Racing, in Camas, WA and made the call to see if I could have the car towed to their shop, so they could take over assessing and fixing the car.

I also called my insurance and told them I had run into a mechanical issue while on a road trip and needed a tow truck.  With no approved partner within 100 miles, they allowed me to use the local tow truck provider (a story for another time) and I had the car towed to English Racing, with me going along for the ride.  Myles Kerr (Gringo Integra) was incredibly awesome, meeting me at the shop (I think they were actually there anyway) and giving me a ride to the local airport, where I picked up a rental car and drove home.

At the end of the day, the damage wasn’t bad at all and the learnings were great.  The majority of the front end needed to be replaced (front bumper cover, lower lip, radiator support, radiator, intercooler, headlights [I think]).  The rest of the body parts were repairable and while it was at a body shop, I had the body shop massage all of the fenders so I could easily fit the 275/45/17 rubber I was running without rubbing and had English do a full mechanical evaluation, tune-up, install a new TRE rear differential, bigger injectors, new fuel pump and a new tune, bringing the power to 334whp and 276ft/lb torque.

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The Dark Side

I’m not gonna lie, I had some dark thoughts in the first 24-36 hours after the incident.  Even before I got out of the car, staring at the wall, I thought to myself – “What the hell am I doing?  This isn’t for me.  I’m not good at this and I can’t afford this.  Did I just financially ruin us?”

The scariest thoughts were those “this isn’t for me and I’m not good at this” thoughts.  I had already heard from Don and other experienced drivers that crashing on-track isn’t a question of “if but when” it will happen.  And multiple “when’s.”

Luckily (or maybe not), I’ve had a history of dealing with thinking and being told that certain things weren’t for me and that I sucked at them.  In most cases, I’ve been stubborn and hard working enough to prove others and myself wrong.  So it took some time, but I consciously decided that this incident would not hold me back.  Motorsports and specifically, being the best driver I could possibly be was something I wanted to be a significant part of my life.  So I picked myself up, dusted off, fixed my car and got back it.

At ORP a year later and more than 10 seconds faster than the prior year.
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My first track day!

What: My first track day!

If I knew then what I know now: I am not sure I would have changed a lot. The never give up attitude can get you along way at the track, and in the end I ended up driving a great car!

Check out: The Proformance Racing School has many great programs to choose from to fit your driving needs. Also other schools have arrived in the northwest as well like The Ridge Racing School and Dirt Fish Rally School.

The line up from the Family at my first track day!

My first track day was my 18th birthday gift from my parents. I thought it was the best thing I ever could have received as a gift. A chance to drive as fast as you can and not worry about the law. It turned out to be SO much more than just a thrill. My dad was always into track events as far back as I remember. As kids we would get to go watch him drive his, at the time Porsche 912, at the then called Seattle International Raceway (SIR) now called Pacific Raceways. I was hooked by the motorsport bug early. This brings us back to modern times at Proformance Race School for the One Day Advanced Driving School. Excitement level: high!

My car: 1985 Ford Mustang SVO Comp Prep – needed to be prepped

Leading up to the event we went over the recommended things to do before a day at the track. That list will be covered in another post but needless to say I did non of them. The car I had at the time was going to be great for this event. I was going to drive my 1985 Ford Mustang SVO Comp Prep. It was a bare bones version of the special edition SVO Mustang that was built to be sold to club racers in the 80’s. One problem was the car had no motor. So in the weeks and days leading up to the event we were trashing on the old SVO to get it running again. There is a longer story for another time. Got the car running about 1:30 am the day of the track day. So much for a good nights rest…. Wake up early and warm the cars up and I find a coolant leak from a bad sending unit under the intake manifold. Can’t drive a leaky car on track. Bummer factor:  Max at this point.

Drivers meeting.

Enter Dad for the save. He had recently got into BMW’s and was getting an E30 325is ready for track duty. He also had gone through and rebuilt an e28 533i BMW to daily drive as well. Being that he had two capable track worthy cars and is a 100% bad ass dude, he offered to let me drive the E30 for my first event. This may have been a bad thing because I have a couple E30 track cars, now. We unload my gear from my car to the E30 and dads gear from the E30 to the E28 and we were on the road. Excitement Level: Back to pumped!

The day of the event

It was the most enlightening thing I have ever done in a car. In the morning we did driver skills training with a panic braking stage, an eyes up flag drill and an emergency lane change drill. In these drills the basics of driver safety are tough, things like steering wheel hand position, seating position and were to look out the windshield. I felt like I was a sporting driver before but I had know idea I was just passing over the simple things to make me a better driver. The main thing that set in was eyes up and forward looking. Look to see whats ahead, what a novel thing. I still practice looking ahead every time I get in a car. Feeling pretty mind blown at this time.

The afternoon was spent lapping at Pacific Raceways. Now we are getting into some speed. Using the ideas we learned in the morning to improve our actions during spirited driving. I had a great instructor. She was calm and was very clear on instruction. As the afternoon progressed my vein tap was deeper and deeper. As I started getting more comfortable in the car the speeds came up and the fun factor as well. I would say I was getting to maybe 70% of the car capabilities but at the time was more than enough to fill my speed fix at time. Later this would change, but being the first time I had done anything at speed on a track I was cool.

All happy after a good day.

Literally the most valuable driving thing I’ve ever done

To this day I think this is the most valuable thing I have done to help my safety as a regular day to day driver. The lessons of eyes up and looking forward has become how I drive, not just something to do when I drive. Following this has saved myself and property from many (read lots of times) events on the road. Being able to see whats coming and react/ anticipate to whats about to happen, you end up being out of a situation before it even happens. You can then watch it and go “man, Glad I wasn’t in that” rather than “damn, I wish I would have seen that.” In my opinion this course should be done by anyone with a drivers license. The roads would be a much safer place. This was my gateway into the track world.

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My track car – 1987 BMW 325is

What: My track car – 1987 BMW 325is

If I knew then what I know now:  not a lot… have a larger budget.  My track car has evolved as I feel I have needed at a rate that has been on a equal plain as my skill.  Could use a little more power now……

Check out:  Any of your local track’s and driving schools!

Early days of my track car.

My track weapon of choice is a 1987 BMW 325is. I bought it in 2007 with the idea that it would become my track car. It is what i wanted in a track car, it was in my price range, it was the color I wanted, it was well maintained by the previous owner, and all the work done on the car was at the company/shop I was working for at the time. the only thing it didn’t have was the small plastic late series bumpers. Not to sound snoody but I could look past the bumpers as that was the only bad mark I could come up with when looking at the car. At first i was also going to drive it on the road as well. Well that lasted about two weeks and a car with a bunch of good track race parts that had been wrecked in the guys driveway by a drunk driver became available. This was going to help my rack budget out very much that year. By the time
I had got my parts car home and used what i wanted and parted the rest, I was onto my car pretty cheap. And it had some good stuff at this point. The first parts push ended up with a full Ground Control coilover set, Treehouse Racing front control arm brackets, a set of SSR Comp wheels with Falken rt-215 tires ( in the day one of the top street tires), a new set of stainless brake lines, a low miles E30 M3 4.10 limited slip diff, a set of Powerflex subframe and rear trailing arm bushings, a Momo steering wheel hub adapter, and a new OEM set of euro head lights and grills and a pair of Bride sport seats. I added a set of brake pads, a steering wheel, and a pair of harnesses i had picked up a year or two before on sale. All these ended up costing about $1500. Like I said my track budget looked good that year. others have cost a bit more.

It still had some style at this point.

At this point I would say it was still a street car. It still had a back seat and carpet and a radio. I drove it like this for a couple months, but the track bug kept calling. So soon later I found a real race seat. No more reclining. This did now mean I was going to need to look into some sort of roll over protection as I had now defeated that safety measure. I did a lot of shopping and research about fit, style, cost, shipping, availability ect. The one that went in the car was made by a company called VSROne. It had the best clearance and fit in the car. It was not the cheapest option but for sure one I was OK with paying for. Remember I am not a fan of that compromised safety thing. So now the radio has half its speakers, there is no rear carpet or side panels anymore. The seat is in a fixed position. There is scaffolding in the back of the car. but looking forward from the drivers seat it could play the street car part for now……

And out goes the rear seat.

A couple events into the life there was a thirst for more cornering load. Need to find some tires. Lucky for me there is a local race series that runs a similar car to mine and they tend to go through a lot of tires. So after a little hunting I acquired some real track rubber. in this case early on it was Toyo RA1 tires. These are great tires! They last along time, they can take many heat cycles, they made a lot of sizes, they are one of the cheapest track tires around. If they were still in production I would still be on them. Anyway, now I got some rubber and the car is pretty good. Springs in the car are now a little soft, I can feel the car hitting bump stops and floating a little on the grippy tires. The car already had pretty stiff springs. It was a bit stiff for the street, but not to bad. Front springs were rated ant 375 lbs/ in and the rears 475 lbs/in. At this point I had been working on a few Pro3 cars and had learned a few things. I almost doubled the spring rate of the car. Went to 650 lbs/in front and 800 lbs/ in in the rear. This was the next level of feel I was looking for at the track. Man is it stiff. Think of driving a skate board. So in making the suspension on my car up to track use I ruined the street ride quality. Not the best street car anymore.

Gripped up at Portland.

Then there was the day I killed the carpet. Was still daily driving the car at this point when almost home from work the heater core blew a end tank and sprayed the entire left side of the carpet with coolant. For me at this point the decision was easy. Yank that smelly coolant soaked carpet out! All the rear was already gone so why not. The heater core fix itself is pretty easy, but the mess was amazing. couple issues I found with no carpet. The car is super loud, the passengers feet can get a bit warm, and I had no place to rest my foot when not on the clutch. So I built a dead pedal for it and that is all I reinstalled. Screw the passengers feet, and I can deal with a little noise, because racecar. Speaking of noise. I have had at least five different exhausts on the car. I bought it with a Dinan muffler, I killed that one looping turn 6 at Pacific Raceways in the rain. Then the custom Magnaflow cat back, this was great until I smashed it beyond repair at a PGP Time Attack on the rumble strips back when you could do that. Then I scored a IE stainless that was on the car for maybe three days, it was way to quite. I then built a Meghan racing muffler catback out of some spare parts. Didn’t look that cool but it was cheap and it worked. This was on the car until it was no longer driven everyday. It now has a pulse tuned equal length header and a flow matched exhaust built by the now closed Volvo custom shop RSI (R-Sport International) when they were developing a Pro3 race exhaust system. The sound on this is amazing but its is on the very loud side.

This is a street car still?

So now I have been tracking and driving this absurd track car that I have convinced myself is still a street car to the point that it has worn out again. The shocks are all worn and the fronts are dead. DEAD. All the rear suspension bushings, rear wheel bearings, the drive shaft, and a couple other normal maintenance items. So as you should do with any track car i went through and replaced all worn items i found again. I also took this opportunity to think about things I would want to change and the largest one I could come up with was the the shock travel. The car always felt a little held back by the shocks. The valving in them was set for a way softer spring combo, the travel was near the bottom of the shock stroke and they seemed to bottom out a lot because of this. So after much deliberation I got a set of BC Racing coilovers. you can order them valved to specific springs and come with some pretty good hardware. I got a set valved to the springs I had, and because I had springs I had them ship me a softer set (These will be used in another car). I did have to weld the strut tube to my spindle but that is something well in my comfort zone. Once installed and set and tested, I was able to get the result out of the car i was looking for. if felt way better on track, the shock adjustments are now felt, the cat doesn’t bottom on the shocks and they are running in there normal stroke range. I also again made another safety up date at this time. I removed the old race belts and my trusty Sparco race seat and installed a new set of Hans device compliant belts and a Momo head restraint seat. Also upgraded the passenger side belts from 5 pt to 6 pt. Again you can never be to safe.

Wooof!

The look of the car was also something that needed a update. Wheels and tires are getting long in the tooth so lets start with that. We are gonna put a little larger tire on it as well. So off come the old trusty 15×7 wheels and 225-50/15 tires and on go the new Roto 17×8 wheels and the same Toyo tire in a larger 235-40/17. This has created a new problem. The slightly larger size is now hitting the bumper trim and stop the tire. Bring on the fender roller. Little work there and they are in! Thats pretty up to date on the car as of this blog. Still on this seasons update list is a set of Massive Brakes big brake kit and a Diff limited slip unit rebuild. then next season the removal of the old roll bar and sunroof and the installation of a roll cage and clean up the interior wiring. Stay tuned in!

Bonus action shot!
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Walk This Way! Track Walks:

Looking out the pit-lane exit at Circut of the Americas

What: Track walks, why you like them, even if you don’t know it yet

If I knew then, What I know now:  I would have studied harder on these when I was younger.  I would be a better driver and team member overall, now as a result.

Walking the track before an event is a very important part of your race or track weekend.  It spreads across all forms of motorsports, and any amount of wheels used.  Getting your feet on the same ground you will be driving your car on will give you valuable perspective regarding placement or the vehicle, surface conditions, line options and so on.  It is a great way to get the track layout in your head prior to getting into or on your machine.  There are a couple of key things to pay attention to and try to do while on a track walk.  I will try to outline some of them to help you get the most out of your next track walk.  I will start with some of my experience from the first events I went to as a young lad in high school with my buddies.

A group of friends of mine in school were also into cars.  We would set up a couple of days a year where we would all meet up the day before an auto cross event, hang out at one of the guys cabins, and then take all of our cars to the event the next day.  Auto cross was a good introduction into motorsports as a driver for me.  The first day I went to an event was with the Porsche Club (PNW Region).  I had a little old VW Jetta that had some sticky tires on it.  We got to the event, stood through the drivers meeting, then everyone set out and walked around the course that had been set up.  A course walk at an auto cross is essential.  The track will never be the same from event to event, so getting a feel for the layout is an important first step.  Auto cross does not allow for a lot of set up and testing time, so getting the most out of your runs is key.   I learned how valuable it was.  I was able to pip my friend on our first time out, and he was driving a 911.  There were more events after that, and as I grew to understand the track walk it made perfect sense to me.

Flash forward 15 years and now we are doing track walks every week we go to the track.  I went out and rode a new Motocross track a few weeks back – I did not get a chance to walk it, but I took 4-5 laps at just above a walking pace just to feel the place out – 2 laps later I was ripping around just fine.   We will often times end our first night at the track with a track walk.  It is a great way to wind down after a work day, and also a good way to walk some miles if you did not get a chance to before!  My first race back after a couple of years of just crew work, I ended up racing at the Ridge in Shelton.  It is a place I had driven before, but it had been a while.  We took the time the night before the race to walk the track, twice actually.  It was great.  I had one of the instructors at the track walking with us and they provided great insight to where to place the car due to seems in the blacktop in braking zones.  Entry and exit lines were discussed.  Gear selection (which can depend a lot on your equipment) was discussed.  I felt a lot better after walking the track to just jump in the next day and go.  Everything was fresh in my mind again.

Elevated view of the turn 17-18 complex at Circut of the Americas

Gama asked me to do a track walk with him this weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent.  We have a race this weekend in the Pro3 car and he will be the only driver for the team this weekend as Manu’s car had a mechanical issue we found during a post-race inspection (more on that later).  I was quick to agree, as I have had many track days there, and 2 school days at that track, but had never actually walked a full lap in all of my years.  I had been to points of the track, but not all of the way around on foot.  We will be walking the track tonight and I am going to make notes, and take pictures to share our experience with the walk!

We try to track walk every weekend.  it is good exercise, knowledge, and you will have a great feel for the layout the first time you are behind the wheel at speed.  Be prepared for a walk, and be prepared for weather as well!  Some tracks are large, and weather can be different from one side to the other.  One of the other things that will help you a lot with our track walk, is walking with someone with lots of knowledge of that track for insight.  Most racers are instructors also, so their points of view are sound usually!  Just walking the track can gain you a lot, but having someone there to compare notes and tips with is very beneficial.   Having someone that drives a similar vehicle is even better!

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When to Ask and Asking the Right Questions at the Track

Discussing things between sessions during a race weekend – People will often come ask us about what to do, or what is going on – Almost always it is appreciated!

What: The nitty gritty of asking questions when at the race track

If I knew then, what I know now:  I would spend a lot more time reading and less time relying on info from others

What do I do about…

Asking people questions or for advice at the track is a tricky subject to discuss.  Things like prep, common sense and skill all come into play.  What do I do about?  That is a question that gets asked at the track more than anything else.  What do I about [fill in the blank]….?

Asking questions at the track can be easy at first, and then more difficult as time goes on.  People are often willing to help out those that are new, or are obviously a fish out of water.  That tune changes over time.  People in the racing community are expected to hold themselves to a higher standard.  You are out there racing.  It is a serious thing, and can have serious consequences.

You should well and know what you are doing out there!  The ones that find trouble asking questions are those that do not make good notes for themselves, or that simply do not listen to the advice they are given.  It can get you a long way, or it can very much get you nowhere.

Drives will often discuss the race with each other, compare notes, and talk out any issues or incidents that may have occurred.  Often advice is asked for and provided

Don’t go fishing for what you want to hear

Getting help at the track can be tricky in itself.  Knowing when and how to ask any questions is almost more important than what you are asking.  A conversation I had last week with one of the other guys locally that runs some race car support on race weekends ended up with us comparing stories of things that people have said and done to us when we are at the track.

More often than not, the gripes we had were from people repeating the same questions, and expecting different answers, as well as asking the “pros” for advice on something, then asking all of the other “pros” until one of them says what you want to hear.

There are three types of people at the race track:

  1. The ones that are there to win
  2. The ones that are there for fun
  3. The ones that are there to try to prove something.

Types 1 and 2 are easy to work with

The guys and gals that want to win will often have well thought out questions about stuff in advance.  They are into improving, not bull shitting.  The ones out there to have fun are also easy.  They don’t expect much out of the weekend, and if they have a question, will generally be a softball question.

Type 3 on the other hand…

It is the ones that are out to prove something, wither to themselves, or someone else, that are the issue.  They must like to or somehow almost always end up ruining it for the rest of us.

In the shop I work at, we have internal conversations regarding this issue as well.  Often times people want to come with questions and problems, and rarely offer up a solution.  In our shop, if someone has a question, we work hard to train and teach them to use all of the resources at hand before going to someone else regarding the question.  The race track should be considered the same.

If you are about to go ask someone a question here are a few things to consider before you go.

Picking the right time to ask people for stuff is important.

Step 1: Have some background info about what you are asking.

If you are going to ask about tire pressures, be sure to know what you are currently running pre and post session.  Otherwise there is not a reference point to compare.

Feel has a lot to do with the tuning of a car and each driver will often have a different idea of what feels good.  We deal with this in our enduro car – getting the set up that everyone can work well with.  If you are going to ask about brakes, know what you would want to change about the braking experience (force, feel, pedal modulation…)  Having a plan once you have the answer, is crucial.

Step 2: Don’t go shopping for answers!

The second step is to not ask the same question to everyone in the paddock.  If you are that un-sure of what is going on or how something is or should be.  Then you are in over your head, and you need to take a step back to re-evaluate.

If you have an idea of what you are looking for as far as an answer, and nobody’s reply lines up with what you expect.  Going around to ALL of the people in the paddock until you hear the answer you are looking for is incorrect, and the root of that is that you, yourself are expecting an incorrect situation to be proper, and if people don’t seem to think that is the case, then people will try to prove them wrong, often failing to do so.

This does not necessarily mean that crowd-sourcing solutions will always result in the proper answer but if after asking a few people, who are more knowledgeable and experienced than you and it is not what you’re expecting, it is probably time to re-visit those expectations.

Step 3: Take and actually implement the answers you gathered.

If you are asking everyone up and down the paddock about all of the different things about racing, the cars or machines you race, schedule, timing and all of that.  You are doing it wrong.  We are all adults and should be treated as such when we do events like this.  Just think about how ridiculous you would feel if you showed up to try out for the Seahawks and you brought with you some basketball shoes, a baseball mitt, and your I-pod in its fancy arm band holder.  You are not making that team.

Racing is similar.  If you are showing up and asking questions right out of the truck.  Your best bet would be to get back in the truck, head back home, and think about what you have done, what you want to do, and how better to be prepared for it.  This is not to say that you need to know everything before heading out and trying racing, but this is a more complicated activity than just a pickup basketball game.  It’s important to do some homework and find people who you can shadow and ‘learn the ropes’.

Not the best time to ask this guy about tire pressures he might recommend for your car.

Step 4: Respect people’s time and professionalism

I see a lot at the track, the weekend warriors going up to the bigger outfits and teams, and plain out bugging them about stuff.  This is the biggest no-no I see at the track.  If you need something from one of the big teams, you had better be willing to pay for it.  The guys under the big tents, pay big dollars to have support when at the track.  Going to the people that support racers that are paying to get free advice, is a bit of a slippery slope.  It can cause high tensions since some people are paying to get the same info that you are seeking for free.  The owner of the outfit may or may not be willing to help, but if you come and bring something to the table, then it is great start!

Conclusion: In the end, it’s pretty simple – take what you know, what you can and be sure to have reasonable questions, at reasonable times for people at the track.

If you don’t, you will find it ever increasingly difficult to find solid advice and answers.  One of the main things we learned to love about team driver Gama, is that he will often have very prepared sets of questions dealing with specific items.  We had a conversation last week about new wheels.  He asked if he should get lighter weight wheels to try out.

We talked about the idea (mostly because we all liked it) and discussed the pros-cons of light wheels.  The main issue being that often weight and strength will go hand in hand.  Gama then spent the time to research each wheel option for size, and spacer needs.  We ended up going with a new set of wheels to try.  Each one will be saving 4 pounds per corner but potentially not be as strong of a wheel.

He has asked me questions like this for years, and each time, has proven than he knows what he is asking about, is willing to accept the answer, even if it is not what he was expecting, and will take appropriate action when needed.  He is the type that wants to win!

Light eight, but not as strong. What is weight worth?!

Knowing little is not bad, but being a pain in the ass to everyone and not paying attention to people when you ask for advice is.  Depending on why type of person you are, asking questions and getting info at the track should not be a big deal.  Most participants are eager and enthusiastic, and will be willing helpers.  Asking the big name guys will get you a long way with the correct approach.  Remember that you should be having fun!  Having people be grumpy or mad at you is not fun, don’t be that guy or gal!

 

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Post Session/Day Checks to Prevent a Wreck!

Gama pulling data from the morning qualifying session.  We took a quick look at it before the race, but he will use the data and video after the day is over to study to find more speed!

What:  Things you should do after a session and a day/event to help you get faster, keep your car running well and safe!

If I knew then, what I know now:  I would have learned how to review and teach data early on in my driving and racing career.  No other aspect can make such a drastic change in speed of the car and driver.

Post track or race weekend activities are or at least, should be part of the process. There is are many things to think and consider after you are done with your event. The same trains of though will transfer to whatever you are using as a vehicle. There are both personal and mechanical things you want to pay close attention to after your even. As I have gotten older, and been around the race track more I have learned that there is a full circle process for every event.

Post-Session starts well before the session – get in the right mindset.  A learning mindset.

Start with your pre-event inspection, do the event, then debrief and do a post-day inspect. It is great time to learn about yourself and your equipment. A track day should be considered a learning day.

Even if you are not with an instructor, and have done many days before, you should always be learning and absorbing. I have come to some of the best revelations in the hours and days after an event that have helped me be better at driving, as well as managing cars and equipment in the pits and paddock when I am crewing for the weekend.

Track days cost money so you should want to maximize your value and smiles per mile. I will go through some of the things to consider post event, as well as some things I have learned, even recently.

Your New Post-Event Checklist:

  1. Thank the organizer and those who volunteered their time to make the day happen!
  2. Inspect and load up your stuff. This is an important step! It seems like it is busy work, and you will be tired. But being clean and organized when packing up will pay off on the other side, I promise.
  3. Wipe your car down and clean it up before loading up on a trailer or driving home.  I’ve been doing this lately with our PRO3 cars because it does a few things:
  1. It gets the tires and bugs off before they have a chance to harden up.
  2. You are close to the surface of the car, and can see if there was contact with another car, the ground, flying debris… its racing, expect something weird to come up.
  3. You also get a good chance to get it back into the trailer and if you rub against it later it does not soil you with dirt (brake dust mostly).
  4. You can take a look at all of your wheels and tires and make notes if you have cords showing, need to swap a tire side to side, or have an issue with one or more of the wheels. A wheel can crack pretty easy if it is not a forged wheel.
A couple Subaru BRZ’s on a rack after a day of students sliding around the gravel. Each day, every car is inspected from head to toe, looking for broken parts and doing maintenance as needed.
  1. Check your video and data and make sure you have everything downloaded and set up to review later. Data review is a major tool for driver education and video is a big part of that as well. Depending on what you are doing, how far along you are and what type of vehicle you are using, data and video may or may not be an option.

We went karting the other day after the Pro3 race ended, and I have been watching video from that. We were not taking it serious, but we are all skilled, and have been around racing for a long time. We were going pretty hard, and I was able to learn some things reviewing video just the video.

That being said. I went and rode a dirt bike in the wild the other day for the first time, and I had no video or date to review. I used memory. There were many lessons of that day, and I have had to recall them one at a time. I went from riding in the yard, to doing multiple laps on the full GP/enduro course with a few hours of riding. Thinking about what did and did not work for me. Tips from those I was with (which was the biggest help for me that day) and memory of the events unfolding yield a vivid memory of what you can focus on for your next event. One of the things I try to practice any time we go use rental karts is to work with traffic, both quicker and slower than myself.

I have had video from the last dozen or so times I have done, and it has helped a ton. I can manage traffic much better now without loosing much speed. Having data and knowing how to read and interpret that information will be the single biggest teacher for driving a car. Gama has been 1 second quicker at both tracks we have raced at this year from last year – and his car is the same. He has been spending lots of time reviewing data, video and training.

Gama has a lap from last year compared to a lap from his last weekend at Pacific Raceways.  The car is mostly the same, showcasing what can be done outside of changes to the car to help you better yourself.  This compares a 1:37.761 from this year to a 1:38.215 from July 2016.
  1. Review and inspect your equipment/tools. You will want to know what is what, before you unload the car for the next event. As I mentioned before, I like to get the car cleaned and then loaded before we even get back to the shop. Once we get everything back to the shop it is time to go over your notes from post session issues, as well as from clean up and loading of gear.
  2. Clean wheels and tires of tire poopies. Tire shops really appreciate not having to deal with clumps of tire when trying to balance a wheel. You can carefully check wheel and tires for issues at that time.
  3. Check your other equipment and spares situation. You may not have broken something, but someone else may have and you may have loaned something you had. Keep track so you can replace it even if it was a give away item from your spares. Making good notes on all of this stuff will save lots of time when you need to order brakes, tires, fuel and the like for your next event.
  4. Making sure the trailer is prepped for the next event; spare tires and parts, tools, tents will make load in much easier for the next event. Just this past week we found that the batter tray in Manu’s Pro3 car had been ripped out by an impact from the car being off track during the last race out. It ended up stalling the car for this past race, but we did not send him out with a 80-lb cannon ball in the trunk of the car rolling around. So win there. We are going to correct the issue, and take the chance to freshen up some of the 10 year of add-on wiring that has collected in the car. This is why we check stuff, better to be safe and sound, than risk ANY thing or anyone out at the track. Remember step one! Most of the people keeping your safe are donating their time. Don’t endanger them!
  5. Check yourself. How did you feel at the end of the day. Were you tired? Did you have a headache on the way home? What did you eat for lunch? Taking care of yourself starts at knowing how you feel after your event. It sounds silly, but just stop and think about how you feel after your event. Even as your are driving home. What did you recall. If you cannot recall much at that time, then something is up. If you have a headache on the way home. It was not the fumes. You are dehydrated. If you are starving, your meals of the day, and days prior were not properly set up. Be very honest with yourself in this regard.

You won’t always be perfect but having this checklist will help, even for the experienced and pros.

Non of use Racers on Rails are pros, and we all make errors. The idea here is to find and share as many ways, in as many aspects as we can to help minimize yours. Just this year alone, I have been working hard and am in the best shape of my life. I have been mindful of food and drink, sleep and physical effort.

Our first race weekend was the 6 hour enduro. It was cold. and wet. We had a hell of a time with the weather during the day. We went into the race a little but “whatever” and it showed. The whole day I never drank any water and barely ate. We had our first stop which was all but a calamity, and I about lost my mind on our crew for being so sloppy. We weren’t that sloppy. I was just hangry. The next day I was trashed. I had a bad headache from being dehydrated. I was a mess. I have been racing, and endurance racing for 12 years. I know better. So I re-counted the day. What happened? What did I do?

It was a cold and nasty day at the first race of the season. Ill prepared, we paid the price during the race and the next day.

I started the day with wet feet at 07:30. Never drank so much as a bottle of water all day. Did not eat much – there was no concessions at the track due to low turn out and weather. It was just so cold and gross. We, me specifically. Never even thought about it till it was much too late. Lesson learned. You can also determine if you are driving yourself tired or not as well. Driving or being on a bike can be taxing on your mind. It will happen and you wont even realize it. We have found that most of our mistakes on test and track days happen in the later half of the day. Brain capacity and function starts to slow down, like it or not. Again. We are not pros (and even the pros struggle with this stuff too)!

A long day at the track in the sun where everything is shiny and cool can really tucker you out if you are not prepared for it!

Be sure to add post event check list stuff to your weekend round up. It is important stuff. You can get the jump on cleaning and repair needs. Replacement parts have maximum amount of time to be procured. If you are busted, you know ahead of time rather than after you unload at the next event and waste your time there! It is always about the complete package in a performance and race environment. Being complete in your process is part of that package. It is a little bit of time and effort now, or a lot later. Take what you see, learn from it. We all make errors. They are learning experiences. It is big boy and girl rules out there. Make sure you arm yourself with the best equipment, and mind to make good choices. People count on you to do so. Take care, take time, and always remember to have fun!

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Collateral Damage – Headlights

What: Stuff breaks when you go on track, this time – headlights and driver side mirror.

If I knew then what I know now:  Consider two layers of Lamin-x on your headlights and depending on your car, have a backup set of headlights.  If your OEM headlights are glass, see if there are plastic alternatives.

Check out:

Reality check – stuff will break

It kind of sucks but that is a fact of the track-life.  When you go on a race track, autocross course, rally stage, drag strip, etc. your car is going to be flying through the air at normally illegal speeds and changes in speed.

Bugs, rocks, small birds, rubber from tires and even parts from other cars will at some point, leave their mark on your beauty.  After this most recent race weekend at Spokane County Raceways, my headlights finally bit the dust.

Lamin-x, film, racing, headlights, bmw, e30
Doesn’t look too bad, right? Well the high-beams are duct taped because they were completely broken and the Lamin-x film was keeping the low-beams together.
an up-close look reveals a not as pretty picture. Eek!

The fix – new (to me) headlights and new Lamin-x

Although the remaining races for the year are during the day, we are in the Pacific Northwest and that means there is always a chance for rain.  When it rains, I prefer to have all the lights on, just to make sure other cars on track can see me.

To fix the headlights, at least for an E30, there are a few different options:

    • Replace just the light bulb: These light bulbs are old school and thus the whole light bulb and actual headlamp assembly are one-piece.  In most modern cars today, there is a headlamp assembly and somehow screwed to the inside, is the actual bulb.  So you can replace either the headlamp assembly or the bulb but we don’t have that option here.  To buy the integrated headlight, head over to Amazon and you can easily get one, like this one below (click on this link or the image below to go to Amazon and buy).  Each bulb will run you about $45/bulb.  Check to make sure you are ordering the right thing – the high or low beams.  They are not inter-changeable.  On the plus side, there are no side dependencies.  So the low or high beam bulb can fit on the left or right side of the car.
    • Replace the whole assembly: You can also choose to replace the whole assembly, which includes the bulbs and the frame that holds the bulbs in place and is screwed into the radiator support area.  Normally, this is too much for broken headlights but this is where eBay is your friend.  There is an option to buy brand new and even LED and projector headlight assemblies, which are awesome but pricey.  Here is an option from Amazon.  Beware though, these look awesome but are just as fragile as the OEM stuff.  Keep that in mind before buying and taking back on track.  🙂

Ebay to the rescue

As you can see from the Amazon search results, a new, truly new and even aftermarket set of the full assembly headlights can run $200+. Instead, I went to eBay and was able to find a used set of the full headlight assembly for just over $80. This is also less money than buying new (intgrated) bulbs and the already come in the assembly.  Click through the banner ad below to see search results that I used to get my new (to me) headlights.




Install in less than 5 minutes
Because I was replacing the whole assembly, all I had to do was:

  1. Remove 6 clips that pinch the headlight assembly to the grill that surrounds the headlights.
  2. Unscrew two screws for each headlight area, that holds the grill to the front area of the car.
  3. Unscrew two other screws that hold the headlight assembly to the radiator support.
  4. Disconnect the bulbs from the wiring harness.

And they’re off!

Out with the old, in with the new (to me)!

Lamin-x for extra protection

While the old bulbs were off, I cleaned off the new bulbs with generic window/glass cleaner and then installed a set of #prospec yellow tinted Lamin-x film covers.  These are the same ones I had previously but this time I put them all four headlights.  You can get these almost anywhere: Amazon, eBay or where I got them, ECS Tuning.  These are the exact product I ordered.  But since we fund this site through affiliate marketing, here is a link to Amazon, for the exact same product, of which clicking and buying helps keep this site alive.

 

 

Back to looking good for the next race!

In under 10 minutes total, including cleaning, taking pictures and moving slowly as I was recovering that day from minor surgery, old broken headlights were replaced with fresh, low cost, new (to me) headlights with extra protection from Lamin-x.

Back to looking fresh!

I think about headlights and even windshields as almost consumables. If I can go the rest of the year without having to replace them again, that’ll be great. But with the next race at Pacific Raceways, where there is gravel off-track and people love to drop tires, I’m not very hopeful.

The lights that will strike fear into my competitions mind and heart. Move out of the way!!!
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Building a track car – what to buy and what to upgrade when

What: Building a track car – things to consider and make sure you do when building your dream car for the track.

If I knew then what I know now: Power is almost always the last thing to focus on.  Most modern cars are plenty powerful enough.

Check out: These are some of the best bang for the buck items for your track day car:

So you want to go to the track and don’t have a car yet, but you want something of your own.  Cool, what to do now?  Here are some key variables to consider:

Overall budget

First thing your going to have to decide is how much money you want to put into this car, that you are realistically only going take on track a few times a year.  One major thing is, at the track things, can go sideways in a hurry. Always remember on any given day the track may consume the car, hopefully not you as well but we will go over that here in a bit. The main thing again is to have fun right?  If your scared of the car your driving, you may not want to build that car into a track car.

It’s better to drive a slow car, fast than to drive a fast car slow.

Something that was said to me early on in driving was “It was better to learn how to drive a slow car fast rather than be the guy that drives a fast car slow”.

Front-Wheel, Rear-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive?

Also what drive-train lay out do you want? A good rule of thumb is you should track something that has a similar layout to the car you drive all the time. This will best translate the things you learn at the track to the street. OK we have thought about the things above and some personal preferences as well, Time to choose a car.

E30 BMW 325is track car at PIR

I like to drive a slow car, fast type of a style.  Slow is also a relative term.  By modern super car standards a car like a 2002 BMW M3 would be slow with 333bhp and 3400lbs.  Think of that for a second, a Mclaren P1 has almost 1000bhp. Three times more! WOW.  That being said the BMW M3 is one of the most common cars around due to its chassis, motors, and driver feel.  Not just M3’s but most 3 series BMW’s are great track cars.  Porsche Cayman, 911’s of all years and 944’s also make good lapping cars.  Mazda makes a handful of great cars with good driver dynamics in both front and rear wheel drive. Honda’s, Toyota’s, Nissan’s, Lotus’, Ford Mustang, Gt86 cars, the list goes on and on but most (not all) of the car listed above don’t carry a large price premium to acquire.

You got your car, now what?

Once you found a car its time to take a look at it. A track car should not leak, squeak, rattle, hiss, buzz, clunk or shake. Any of these items will need to be addressed before even the first track event. You must have a reliable car to take to the track. Breaking down or oiling down the track doesn’t only ruin your day but all others as well do to lost time from cleanup and decreased track condition.

Car up on stands getting checked out before the next event.

Lets get it ready to go fast. What are the two most important systems in a car? Steering and braking. At a minimum the entire suspension and brake system should be inspected with a fine tooth comb. Replace any and all worn items. At this time depending on what is worn out an upgrade may get to pop in.

Lapping prep basics has taught me that having a set of track brake pads is the most beneficial item you can do to your car to make it last the entire day. Nothing worse than calling it a day because you used all your brake pad in two session. I would also try to do braided brake lines at this time as well. They just help with the pedal feel when you really get on it hard. I have always had great results with Performance Friction Brakes, Carbotech Brakes, Stoptech brakes, and Wilwood brakes for pads, brake lines rotors, and calipers. I could be happy with this prep level on a car. Driving a car on soft suspension and street tires with killer brakes can be a hoot!

Good pedal placement and a clean foot well can make heal toe shifting easier.

Brakes – check!  Shocks and Springs are next!

So you have done a couple days now and the brakes are good but you are gaining a thirst for G force. Whats next? Lets do some shocks and springs. I would suggest going with a coil over setup with a linear rate spring (most good kits are). Having a shock and spring combo that works together as one makes a car become so much more predictable. The build up to the adhesion limit is far less sudden in this case. Sway bars are a common upgrade as well. That being said a good coilover setup (read chassis tuning) may not require them. A lot of times I have put a stiffer sway bar on a car only to place it at full soft or in some cases remove it all together. I would stick with one step at a time on this one. Bushings are a great upgrade as well for chassis stability. Street cars are built to be quite and comfy. These rubber stockers allow some chassis parts to move a lot as to not upset the ride comfort. At the track this movement will cause the car to never feel like it really takes a set, always kinda moving around. In the past we have used Ground Control products, BC Racing products, Fortune Auto products, JRZ shocks, Motion Control Suspension and would not hesitate to use any of them for future projects.

A front E30 coilover assembly using a BC Racing shock.

The Meaty Tire Thread!

A set of good track rubber is always fun. A good set of R compound tires can up your grip game by a massive amount. The soft grippy compounds and large tread block size allows the tire to stick to the road once it gets to operating temperature. The tread blocks being as large as possible keeps the tire tread pattern from deforming or getting torn off as they pass there heat tolerance. This can have a side effect that can catch you off guard. The enhanced grip level means your speed is higher and your lateral load is higher and the then sudden loss of traction at the tire limit is much more dramatic than it would be on street tires. Most good tires do give you some warning before they will slide.

There is nothing that beats that grip though. Toyo Tires, Nitto Tires and Hankook Tires make good lasting, high grip, user friendly track tires. There are many others but keeping cost in mind these are what I shop for most of the time.  Check out Tire Rack for usually solid deals and good availability.

Nice big Toyo Tires Proxes RR track tire.

More Speed Requires More Safety – Don’t Skimp Out on Your Life

Well now the car has better brakes, an upgraded suspension, and we have some nice grippy tires. That means we are moving pretty fast now. One of the thing I have learned in my years going to the track. Safety is NOT over rated. The better the safety gear the better the chance you can walk away from a big one. Good basic safety harnesses do a great job of keeping you planted in the seat at the track. Even a set of four point belts with a stock seat can get you headed in the right direction.

Being able to stay planted in your seat with out having to hold yourself into the car allows you to have smoother, softer inputs that upset the car less in a reaction maneuver. Upgrading the seat to one with deeper sides and some better shoulder support just bring your stability in the car to the next level. A note to remember when shopping for seats. It is not recommended to run a fixed back racing shell without some type of rollover protection. In the case of a rollover a reclining seat is designed to fold/ break in a way to prevent the occupant from being crushed if the roof caves in.

Sorry if this is sounding a little dark but its the real deal. If you were in a rollover with a racing seat the seat would not fold and the roof would make contact and there is a high chance of getting crushed. A roll bar or roll cage is never a bad idea when going fast. I have run a rear roll bar and a race seat for years in my track car. Just having the piece of mind of knowing I have done the best I could with the budget I had, I felt as safe as I could be for the speeds I am driving. I am planning on installing a full cage in my car as the plan for speed increases.

I also run a set of six point harnesses, a Momo head restraint seat, and a Hans device attached to my Arai gp6 helmet. More on helmets later.

Fire is also a possibility. With increased speed comes increased stress and increased heat. There are many combustible fluids in a car: fuel, oil, brake fluid, gear oil, and that is just some fluids. A track car should at minimum have a small fire extinguisher. A complete fire suppression system plumbed into the car is best. They are not that much money in the grand total. Bimmerworld sells a kit for a few hundred dollars. When you have spent now thousands of dollars, it seems like a waste to have is burn to the ground because you didn’t want to spend a little more. Sparco, Momo, OMP, Schroth, Arai, Hans, Alpinestar, Adidas are all brands I would recommend.

A nice safe driver safety cell area.

How about that. Now we have a sweet track car. The car of our liking, the one that fits you like a glove, the one you have always wanted. It’s all leak free and reliable. It stops on a dime with the sweet brakes, it drive like its on rails with the tuned suspension, it has the grip from the sticky tires, and you have piece of mine being planted in your car with all of your protective gear keeping you safe. Now you can worry about you at the track rather than if the car can handle what your putting it through.

A super charged bmw E36 M3 track car preped by the Racer on Rails crew.

If you noticed I never got into adding power. The things above will make your car much faster than you think. Being able to hold a higher corner speed and have a shorter stopping distance will get you way better lap time results than just tossing horsepower at it. It all needs to work as a balanced package. Once you want to add power after your skills have bounded, a key item to remember is not to add to much. You don’t want to have more power than the car, tires, brakes, ect can handle. Back to the scary car thought. Its always easy to add more power to a car. So I say just roll it in rather than shoot for the moon.

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What to Wear at the Track

What: What to wear at the track – literally, everything, including underwear in some cases.

If I knew then what I know now:  I would be way more comfortable (and safe) at the track.

Check out:  Your local or online outdoors stores such as Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and of course, Amazon.

There are two thing to look at here: Paddock clothing and driving clothing.

They are not really to many differences with paddock wear over driver gear. there are a couple specific items that are not good for both tasks. The major one is foot wear. Head wear is also greatly different. You should also always review your track event rules as well. Some clubs allow shorts and a tee shirt, while others require long pants and sleeves. Weather is also something to take into consideration. Never good to be caught in the rain with no coat. Layers are your friend. One other thing. your cloths will take a beating at the track and working on the car.

Checking tires on the grid before 25 hours of racing.

Outerwear

Pants, shirts, socks. I have found that most work wear and outdoors/ hiking gear translates well to the paddock and driving. Modern outdoors pants are great. A lot of them are made of a combination of canvas and fire hose. This makes them rugged and allows for an element of stretch to the fabric.

Pants – Outdoor Research is local to us and makes a product called the Deadpoint Pants that we have been using in both driving and crewing for a few years now and I am on the same pair. They also happen to be SPF rated for the sun.

Shirts are kinda open. Tee shirts are good for pit work in the paddock. They tend to get thrashed pretty fast. having a nice breathable over shirt is nice to have so you done have to look grunge all day. Again outdoor/ hiking gear works great and also available SPF rated.

Having good sun shelter for long hot days will help keep you from getting beat down by the sun rays – checkout our blog post on tents for more about shelter.

For socks we once again travel to the outdoors section for some Smart wool socks. The moister wicking and the thickness help you stay comfortable on your feet. Also with no synthetics fire risk is lower. There are lots of good company’s that sell great work wear and outdoor wear. Carhart, Dickies, Patagonia, Outdoor Reasearch, Filson, Outdoor Emporium/ Sportco, Cabels are companies I have used items from at the track for extended amounts of time.

Good gear makes working in harsh environment way easier.

Footwear: Good driving boots are terrible for standing around. Good shoes for walking and standing usually are cumbersome to drive in. It is best to bring two types of shoe to the track. If your not willing to do that you should find a shoe that works for you for doing both activities.

Places like Keen shoes, Lems shoes, Addias shoes, Piloti shoes make decent dual duty shoes. If you are hip to the two shoes shuffle then any shoe you find comfortable to stand and walk in is highly recommended. Remember to always take the weather into account, you don’t want to have wet socks all day.

Driving boots have a sole role in life. To give you the best feel to the pedals while giving you the best access for space in the pedal box due to the compact size without all that padding that makes your paddock shoes so soft. Being able to move your feet around help the ability to heal toe down shift easier, left foot brake, and get on and off the dead pedal better. Most are also fire resistant, not all but most. All the good driver safety gear company’s: Addias, Alpinestar, OMP, Sparco, Simpson, Momo, Oakley, and OMP and Sparco have budget minded brands like the OMP Sport line.

As you can see here both drivers and crew need fire resistant clothing sometimes.

Headgear. Another item that differs a lot depending on application. Lets start with helmet. There is one bottom line here. Don’t cheap out on your life. Get the best helmet you can afford. I tend to stick to a couple brands. I am familiar with their quality and fit. Arai is my absolute go to for motorsport driving. The way it fits and feels, the weight, the visibility works the best for me.

There is one bottom line here. Don’t cheap out on your life.

The others on my list (motorcycle, biking, ect) are Stilo and Bell helmets. You should make sure to try on a couple different brands. The helmet shell shape play a roll in how it may fit you. The brands listed above all sell different pad inserts to help them fit person to person better on most of the motorsports lines.

An associated item to consider is a head and neck restraint system. If you are running racing harnesses in your car this is a highly recommended item. They help support the weight of the helmet and limit the motion of your neck in the case of a heavy impact.

Hans has been the standard for years. Necksgen is another company that has developed a quality product. There are ones now that work with a 3 point safety belt as well. I haven’t tried one yet so i can’t comment on that yet. just remember safety is never over rated. As far as paddock gear goes again review the weather and think sun shelter. This is pretty basic, just trying to keep the elements at bay.

I love my safety gear!