BRZ4Science

I'm in and I'm bringing most of the STX autox guys. With the temps increasing I don't see me improving on my PB of 1:23.7 on RS4's. If I don't get my mysterious clutch slip or whatever figured out before then I'll be lucky to be in the 1:25's and might not be able to hold off my annoyingly fast friends.

Couple of questions: Is this street legal or would it be possible to make it so relatively easily? Would driving it on the street for an hour or two be torturous or not so bad? How's the maintenance/reliability, could I beat on it at the track without worry?

The 1.3 is my favorite part of Cresson, my only complaint is that it wears you out. There aren't any places to catch your breath and you are constantly working hard (which is also one of the best parts).

There is an annual autox on the TMS infield every year in Late October or Early November (it's scheduled for October 6th this year, which is earlier than usual). You do need to have been to 3 autox events (with any club) to prove that you won't run out in front of the cars which go faster than a normal autox. It's not a trackday but still fun.

0) TWS - great all around track, but it's gone 1) ECR - new surface, facilities, and configurations are going to rock! (I'd have had it tied or slightly behind MSRC in its old config and condition). I have no doubt that it'll be the top track in the state once it reopens. 2) MSRC - 4 configurations, no annoying sections or overly punishing corners, lots of events, but sucks in the rain. It's a great home track to monitor progression and track improvements in both the driver and the car. The 1.7ccw is pretty straight forward though, and doesn't take too long to figure out. If it weren't for the other configurations and how often they are available the track could start becoming stale. 3) COTA - Expensive but a F1 track with some interesting sections (and a straight that's just too long), once or twice a year is plenty though (even if one of those events includes free entry) 4) MSRH - No elevation (well, there's a hump), pit wall (really, you couldn't have the track/buildings farther apart), and it's too much of a drive for me for no real unique or interesting elements (it'd beat out COTA if it was closer) I'm just over an hour from both ECR and MSRC, so it's hard to justify the time and cost to go to many other tracks. I know I'll start making trips to Hallett and NOLA but I don't see them as more than a once or twice a year type deal. Since I'm a teacher and I've got summers off, I should go somewhere cooler to track some summer. Traveling somewhere basically doubles the cost for me (or more), but broadening my horizons and at least trying some new tracks is probably worth it.

I'm in for the TT as well, looks like it is either full or nearly full (I think there are a couple of reserved spots for the event staff and I believe 40 is the cap).

If they kept throwing them out then they'd weigh less, that's why it's just one that they reuse.

Most groups require the same type of seats and safety equipment for instructors and drivers, so if you've got a seat with a harness on the driver's side you'll need the same on the passenger side (they don't have to be the same brand or anything, just the same type/level, so if the driver has a 6pt harness the passenger needs one too).

Hollywood's got the best ideas. SM or a car with an interior you can rip out when you go SM if you're thinking about ending up there. If you're planning on long trips, the FRS/BRZ is hard to beat since you can get a full set of tires and tools in the back without a tire trailer. The S2k is great but much smaller (check if you fit) but they'll tow a tire trailer just fine and make great DE/TT cars. They are starting to become 'classics' though and prices have started to go up, but the rougher examples are still affordable. There is a Spec FRS/BRZ class (SSC), it started out as an SCCA autox class but is starting to get incorporated into other programs. You have to use a first gen (2013-2016) car, the '15-'16 are the best starting points since the 2013 have the valve spring recall of death and both the '13 and '14 have the annoying coilpack failure problem (some were fixed under warranty, like mine, which required swapping out a new wiring harness).

Terry doesn't go and hot lap at a TT, he does a warm-up lap then about 3 laps then either comes into hot pits or does another cool-down lap. So he's only doing half or fewer hot laps during a session, and he doesn't do all the sessions. If you're pushing for an entire session, you start burning through the RE's which start to get greasy after 3-4 hot laps. If you drive a momentum car, pulling off means that you take a full lap or sometimes 2 laps to get back to speed instead of half a lap for a horsepower car. I can't afford to waste laps babying finicky tires, and I especially don't want to deal with that on a non-competitive trackday (especially on the 3.1 where you're only getting 5-6 hot laps during a session anyway, at least there I'm good to go by the start/finish). The RE's also don't like too much slip angle, so your driving style really affect how long they last. I prefer Hankook RS4's that'll work for a full session and last 12-15 events. I might be giving up 0.5-1s but I've got more opportunity to hit a good lap and a higher probability to get a fast lap for the TT. The RE71r is a great tire, if you want to try a set go for it. Maybe they'll work for you or maybe you'll burn through them in a weekend, you won't know for sure until you try.

In most cars you need to rotate your foot more (hence the heel-toe name) so that you're using your toes/ball of your foot on the brake and the outer edge/heel on the gas: The farther apart the pedals, the more you have to rotate your leg/foot.

You can look at longitudinal g's to get braking/accelerating input and lateral if you want steering/cornering (I stick with speed trace, longitudinal g, and time difference). G sum can be used to determine how much of the available grip you're using (Pythagorean theorem with the lat and long g's).

I'll be there on Saturday instructing and driving but I have to go to the SCCA autox on Sunday since I'm on the BOD.

The 3.1 has a lot to learn, so first time on there is always a little rough. One of the biggest places you can gain time is by getting back to full throttle faster. You are spending too much time at partial throttle. The only places where you shouldn't be full throttle are under braking and around toilet bowl. Everywhere else on the track you should be at or working towards full throttle (get there as quickly as you can without upsetting the car or breaking the rear loose). I wouldn't be surprised if you knocked off 3-5s next time just from being more familiar with the track. You are at least 5mph too slow through most of the corners (you kept up the speed well at the bottom of rollercoaster and up hairpin). Your car has 2:30's in it (maybe sub 2:30 depending on tires), just keep whittling away at it and you'll be there before you know it. With long tracks like the 3.1, there are so many places to make small mistakes that add up to lots of time that it is tough to set a flyer. Combine that with how seldom anyone runs the 3.1 and setting fast times there is tough. I've done more days on the 1.7 than laps on the 3.1. I know I've got another 2-3s to find there and that's the norm for the 3.1, just about everyone is still learning that configuration. If you double click the vertical scale the graphs should auto-scale which should help you see your speed and steering angle graphs a bit better.

I got my AIM Solo2 about this time last year and it definitely helped me become a better driver and figure out where to find time. I don't look at too much data between sessions (I'm usually instructing so I don't have time) but the Solo2 has LED's that tell you in 0.1s intervals how much faster or slower you're going and there are some on device analytics that you can look at without a computer.