First time at the track

[CBattaglia]

Just got a call today from a friend who is a driving instructor. There is an open track event at the Montecello Motor Club in upstate NY. Its a brand new 4 1/2 mile 22 turn track that is primarily for club members only. Its only 30 minutes from me, so I often see a gaggle of ferraris, lambos and porches drive by on weekends.

Ive had my car for 3 years and have never been on a track. So this was a nice surprise.

The original plan was for the instructor to ride with me, but because of the single roll bar we got shot down. He asked me how fast the car will go, I really have no idea but I said 160 or 170..... His response was Oh, you will hit that speed we have to be safe They said that they would still let me go, but I would have to tail the instructor in his own car.

He has a race set up Miata but the engine blew a few weeks ago. Luckily he has another turbo miata "in stock". He is nice enough to bust his butt to get it ready since it hasnt been run in 2 years.

Im a bit bummed because the quality instruction I would get from inside the car is now going to be from interpreting his moves on the track and post briefings. Even though he could drive circles around me, Im sure I wont be able to fully gun it in many situations. Im not sure if I will be able to drive with out him in front of me at some point either.

I doubt I am going to sleep much between now and Monday. I feel like a kid 3 days before Christmas!!

I am going to try to get a roll bar camera mount to record some of this. Wish me luck.

[Three Peaks]

You're going to have the time of your life. Don't worry about the Miata slowing you down too much. You will have more speed in the straights, but the Miatas corner like you won't believe if the driver is good. If he is a good instructor, he'll keep just ahead of you so you won't be slowing down much after the first session.

At most tracks, once you prove you can handle your car and listen to instruction, they will let you drive in a novice group without an instructor for a few laps to check you out. After that it is up to you how far you progress.

You'll have the time of your life, but do take the time to listen to critique and instruction and follow directions exactly or you could have a very short and unpleasant track day. Just remember, you aren't there to win any races, just to learn your car and how to drive it close to the limits in a safe environment. Other drivers don't appreciate being crowded or, heaven forbid, damaged by an overly agressive newby on the track.

[car4jim]

Watch the adrenaline, especially if you are less than 35. It's real easy to get in over your head! from my experience of course!

[ack fia]

I too have to go it alone because of the roll bar rule. It makes learning the track difficult, Just take it easy and learn the track. Yes, you can go balls out down the straight, but why? Just bring it to a comfortable 120 or so and think about the next round.
Watch out for the corners at the end of the long Monticello straight, it is tricky and carrying too much speed into it can get you in trouble.
Get a "ride along" with an instructor, it is worth the time.

[Mark Thompson]

Trailing an instructor is a great way to learn the line and braking points. As was pointed out, the Miata will not hold you up. I have taken the Skip Barber course at Laguna Seca and was blown away by how hard it was to keep pace with the Mazda. The straights are actually a bit boring until you get to the end and see how far into the corner these guys place their braking points. Scary as hell the first few times into the corkscrew, where it seems like you are going to launch into the trees.

Have fun and don't bend anything!

Mark

[bobcowan]

I sincerly doubt your car will top out at 170mph. That's a lot more difficult than you might think; mostly because of poor aerodynamics. In any case, you don't have the seat time to be running that fast, so it's a moot point.

The Miata is a "momentum" car. They're not real fast on the straights, but they handle really well, and manage to keep their speeds up through the corners. You'll have a tough time keeping up with your friend if he doesn't want you to.

Be carefull about braking points. He'll dive deep and brake late. You can't do that. When you see him brake, that's when you brake. And brake hard; keep that safety zone. If he's a good instructer, he'll realize the car and experiance differances, and compensate. Trust what he says.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Take your time. Learn to be smooth before you try to learn to be fast. If you're smooth, fast just comes naturally. I know some fast drivers who could be a lot faster if they were a smidgen smoother

A screaming tire is a happy tire. When you hear the tires scream a little - smile! You're right at the edge.

Most of all relaxe, and have fun. It's a blast. But, be carefull - it's more addictive than crack. And probably more expensive.

[CBattaglia]

Well, I wanted to report back. Bad news unfortunately. Bob you are right, it was incredibly addicting! I rode in the Miata for 10 laps to learn the lines, brake points, apex, etc. After 2 class room sessions, it was my turn. We were conservtive and started at the end of the pack. Mid way through the 4th lap (about 10 minutes into the fun) I heard a horrible knock. I shut her down and had to be flat bedded home.

I didnt hit any high RPM's and the oil temps were within limits. No antifreeze in the oil or vice versa. Oil was not burnt. I was hoping it was a valve spring or something relatively cheap and easy to fix. I had it checked out and from what we can tell we seem to have a broken piston or wrist pin. I havnt pulled the pan, but by the sound of it, we are confident that is the issue. I have 7k relatively pampered miles on her.

I am going to talk to Eric at Perfomance Engineering today to see what he recommends. I am 8 hours away from his shop, but am leaning towards getting the car to him.

Thanks for all of the advice, it was all spot on.

[Clois Harlan]

I doubt the track caused your spun bearing or bad wrist pin but I hope you are able to make repairs for very few dollars. My friends 67 vette spun a bearing setting in the driveway while he was setting his timing. Sometimes things just break!

I have done the same thing at Texas Motors Speedway Track near Ft. Worth, Tx., but mine was strictly due to me trying to go faster by replacing my rev limiter chip with a 7000 RPM chip. I only got up to 159.725 mph before my engine spun a bearing while turning 7000 RPM. At that time I had a FE 428 CJ that was not built to go much over 6000 RPM and I wasn't watching my oil pressure which fell to near zero coming out of the roval onto the Nascar turn 3. After passing several cars in turn 4 and the straight a way my engine got real quiet! It let go before I got to turn one and onto the roll back went my car.

Clois

[bobcowan]

Sorry to hear about the trauma. Unfortunatly, track time does put some stress on the car. What's your oiling system like?

I just noticed you're in Goshen, NY. I graduated from Goshen Central HS back in... well, a while ago. My MIL still lives there.

[CBattaglia]

I dont have a dry sump (I think that is what its called). My wife grew up in Goshen. We graduated in 87'.

[Clois Harlan]

I think you may get away with a new set of bearings and turning your crank if you're lucky. Should be under $500.00 if you pull the engine yourself. Rick Lake one of your neighbors in East Brunswick, New Jersey has always been a good source to go to for technical info on these engines. Rick could at least refer you to his machine shop which is a lot closer than PE.

Clois

[CBattaglia]

So, it looks like a bearing problem after all. Eric at PE, had me pull the oil filter and what we discovered inside points to the bearings.

I have to say, that Eric has been phenominal in working with me on this issue. Without heistation he offered to fix everything for me at no cost. I will be making the trip out to Ohio from NY in the next week or so. I am looking forward to seeing the shop and meeting him in person.

For anyone looking for a place to purchase a Superformance and wants someone who will stand by their product.... Look no further. Perfrmance Engineering in Ross Ohio is top notch.

[CobraEd]

Do you run "Flat Out" ??? Have you ever driven on a track at 200 mph in the dark, . . . . while it was raining ????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7iUKaPlBl8


.

[brobehr]

outstanding

brobehr

[brobehr]

video that is, not spun bearing...sorry

[SwiftDB4]

Originally Posted by CBattaglia

I dont have a dry sump (I think that is what its called). My wife grew up in Goshen. We graduated in 87'.

Install a 3qt. Accusump if you're going to do any more track days. Dry sump is best, but the Accusump will work unless you have an extremely long loaded turn. Just a baffled pan is not enough on a road course. My Accusump on a GT40 with slicks has worked well over many track days.

[CBattaglia]

Thanks for the advice. Should I go with a Canton or would you recommend another? Looks like about $200.

[Tommy]

I don't know that the brand makes much difference. The bigger issues are 1) how large a cannister do you get, and 2) do you get the remotely opperated open/close switch. Generally speaking, bigger is better except it weighs more and requires more oil when you change the oil. I have a 3 quart can on my car and it seems very adequate for track day events. The remotely operated switch is handy if you a) want to pre-oil the engine before starting, and b) don't want to run an oil line and manual valve into the cockpit. I have an electrically operated remote switch and I like it. If you don't care about pre-oiling the engine, you don't have to have the switch.