willow springs

[coyled]

I took the cobra to willow springs with a buddy that brought a stock car. We ran open track on friday and the nasa event on saturday and 1 session on sunday for me. I ran a transponder for the first time which was not always working, picking up false signals.Well, most of the stock cars and race trucks were running 1.28's to 1.31's, which was fast enough to beat me in the cobra at 1.35 to 1.37. The stock car guys are flat footed all the way thru turn 8 and also flat footed from the entry to the turn 2 carousel all the way to turn 3. In the race, I saw a few stock cars and trucks go off turn 8 at 140 mph, thru the desert they went. I ran in the nasa group 4 on saturday and was faster than all but a zo6 and an aix mustang, both cars with slicks, cages, the whole shooting match. I was faster than the vipers, 911's, and several other zo6's in the group. The zo6 and aix mustang have the balls to stay in the throttle thru turn8 and also have turn 9 figured out, at least better than I did. I could stay with them in turns 1 thru 3, but they were faster in 4, 5, and 6. I would start catching them at the entry to 8 but would lift, turn and start to roll back into it before the brake and downshift for turn 9. I wish there were some kind of visual reference points in 8 and 9 instead of the desert blur. I was always bouncing and drifting at speed in 8, wondering if I could straighten the car and down shift for 9 before the track turns. I was having a great time drifting the cobra thru turn2 at like 6,000 rpm in third gear and hitting the rev limiter at 8200 rpm before the brake for 3. It had a slight push on corner exit that I was chasing around. Wound up down to 15 pounds in front and 17 inback cold, hot was 27 in back and 24 in front. I still had a little push in front and the rear of the cobra was bouncing in 8 and unstable in the brake zone for turn 1. I later saw my left rear shock with a puddle of fluid so the shock was toast. This could be why the cobra was getting to be more of a handful in the bumps. The brakes were starting to go away too. It was the most fun that I have had at a track with the cobra and the fastest I have gone so far. I know there are lots of guys faster than me at willow but I will go again and improve my times. There is nothing like driving the cobra with slicks and open pipes at a balls out track like willow springs. I can't wait for the next track event. There were 3 other cobras there, but they were in different groups.Scott