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How can you keep your focus when you generaly work 6X12? You take a day off during the week and do something relaxing for the day to clear your mind. These pics were shot by tracktimephotos a few weeks ago. I’m relaxing at Lime Rock Race Track.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/088scruffy/car%20pics/997TT/LRP6.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/088scruffy/car%20pics/997TT/LRP4.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/088scruffy/car%20pics/997TT/LRP3.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/088scruffy/car%20pics/997TT/LRP1.jpg
And this one is my favorite. The car in the background is an out and out race car. He pointed me by at the start of the straight, prob just to see how quick my car was. As I passed, he stuck right on my butt down the straight. Near the end of the straight (120 MPH) he hopelessly fell behind because he had to apply his brakes a full 2 seconds before I did. I lost him in the curves that followed and by the next lap he was completly gone from my rearview mirror. There was also a Vette in my run group. I lapped him twice in each 30 min session.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b151/088scruffy/car%20pics/997TT/LRP5.jpg
As you drive away from the track you find yourself relaxed and calm. You also find yourself driving rather slowly. I was listening to Yo Yo Ma and enjoying the 2 1/2 hour ride home.
Shane, Looks like Darth Vader was letting one of his Storm Troopers ride with him. Maybe the force was with him!!
That was my driving instructor. I had him ride with me for the first session only. He said I didn’t really need him after that. These events are called “Driver Education” days and are very safe, unless you are an idiot. If you are or act like an idiot the track operators will eject you very quickly. A Vette driver thought he was a hotshot and tried to follow me into a turn to closely. He did not have the stopping power that I had. He almost went off the track trying to avoid hitting me as I tend to brake very late, at the last second. His instructor made him go into the pit where he got his arse chewed out. Some of these events will also chuck you out if they see you trying to time your laps.
You get 4 sessions of 25-30 min on the track. There are also a few classroom sessions to attend each day. The cost is only $300.00 for the day at Lime Rock, and $235.00 for a day at New Hampshire International Speedway. Tires can get a bit pricey though. I think I will only get 4-5 track days from my Pilot Sport 2s.
Even though you can reach speeds of 120 mph, a 25-30 min track session will only put 25-26 miles on the car because you are going a lot slower in the turns. I put 96 miles on my car that day, and used a full tank of gas. I even had to cut my last session short because the low fuel alarm came on.
Andy wrote
I would have expected it to be more expensive than that. Love to do that someday.Many poeple bring their street cars. Mini Coopers, VW Golf, lots of Miata’s. No mini vans though, you could be a first.
Steve…Don’t give him any ideas. If he wrecks it, then he has to spend countless hours of what to buy again… I bet he won’t ask for our help this time 🙂
Steve, I figured you might need a little gas money, I just told a guy (Don) to call you about the Gorilla Clamps. He’s from nashville.
Later kc
That van of mine has some real pep. I tackle corners at a mind blowing 18mph. That is fully loaded with 10 empty boxes and two kids. Scared them to death!
Took another day off last Friday and went to NHIS. The track was a bit different this time, it rained all day. I thought this would ruin the day but I was wrong. My run group, intermediate 1, had a classroom session before hitting the track. We were instructed in wet driving tricks, the need to find different lines through the corners, and the importance of being smooth, smooth, smooth. Smooth=fast and smooth is extreemly important in wet driving. There were two Vettes in my run group and I blew by them like they were driving on ice. It was amazing just how hard I could push the car on a wet track. 105 mph on the straight and squeeze down on the brakes at the last second to enter the north chicane, blast through and carefully dial on the power as the car tracks out onto the back straight, too much power coming on to early is asking for a spin into the wall. Bring it up to about 90 and put the clampers on again for the hairpin, down to second and blast up the hill on the way to the “bowl”. The bowl has a very different driving line in the wet. Instead of turning in about the halfway point I started shooting completly around the rim. I was watching the other cars rear tires and checking how much water was spraying up from their tires. Less spray indicates a drier area. The pavement was also a lot rougher at the rim and that allowed a lot more traction. I had only one “soil your pants” moment during the day. I was chasing down a Mitsui twin turbo and was on his tail as we went down the hill into a wide blind right hand turn. As I came around the corner I saw him to my right and facing me, his car stopped. He had spun out trying to out run me. Out with the yellow flags and it was into the pits for him, to get his butt chewed out by the head instructor. If you spin two times you are done for the day, rules are rules. I just found out yesterday that I am now bumped up to Intermediate 2, a slightly faster run group. That means that a week from tomorrow I will be having more relaxing fun at Lime Rock. This is the last track day of the year for most of us. Time to shine up the toys and put them away.
This is my first run of the day, my only run with my instructor in the car. He said that I had greatly improved since my last track day, and agreed that I did not need him for the rest of the day.
http://www.tracktimephotos.com/largeView.jsp?imgName=2006/20061020_NHIS_IN1_9382
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