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knate · 03-30-2021, 08:08 PM

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/2/15) - 7 hours - Portland International Raceway:

This is our first race with the new brakes, and a new format for us. This week is a combination of endurance and sprint racing, and we had only done endurance races so far. We also had ChumpTrucks in two for this weekend! These are some pretty wild beasts and very entertaining.

I take the car out for our first practice runs with the new setup. While the extra grip feels good, there is something unnerving about the way the car handles. When I push the car really hard and get a lot of lateral G's, the back end starts to get nervous. Pushing hard into turn 10 (very fast left hander), the car seems great.. then suddenly a snap of oversteer. We had been running both front/rear swaybars, but when I pull into the pits I decide to disconnect the rear sway bar to see if that helps the back end. As I'm laying on the ground unbolting it, someone swings by to tell me, "Dude, when you were going through turn 10 you were three-wheeling!" Well, that explains it.. and confirms that disconnecting the rear sway should help. I take the car out again, and confirm that the snappiness is gone and have my dad take the car out.

For this first race, Dave starts in 19th place. This time around it was just my dad and myself racing. Dave gets us up into third, and it's now my turn.

The extra grip feels great, although with cut factory springs there is a decent amount of body roll. The brakes squeal any time you touch the pedal, to the point where it becomes completely engrained into my brain and I can pretty much ignore it. I turn our fastest lap ever in the car at 1:33.7 and return the car in 3rd place.

Dave is in the car again, and gets called for a black flag for passing under yellow. I reviewed the video later, and was not able to find it happen. The black flag knocks us back to 9th place. It's now getting dark, and an out of control Acura Integra hits both my dad and a Probe while dive-bombing into a corner. Luckily the damage to our car is minor, and Dave continues on and pits in 5th place.

It's dark now so I get my stripes of tape on my visor and jump in the car. It's time to see if I can turn this into a podium position! The headlights are definitely not as bright as I would like.. but they are somewhat workable. I have to use very specific reference points on the track. Exiting Turn 6 becomes ".. roll in the throttle, aim left.. 1 second.. 2 seconds.. white paint stripe, turn right... Ok, there is the apex of 7.." In some ways I actually do slightly better at night, as it FORCES me to use my markers exactly. There's really no ability for my brain to try to get my throttle foot to lift coming to a corner early.. because I can't see it. I turn a 1:33.4, our fastest ever PIR time before it starts to lightly rain and throw some more variables into the mix. Since most people slow down at night, I was able to work my way back up to 3rd place again. Another trophy! This time it was a very cool looking dragon. And the best part? We did not touch the brakes at the end of the evening!

Video Overview:

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #1 - Portland International Raceway:

The sprint race addition to the event is an absolute blast! When we have a long race, you never want to venture too far away in case you are needed. But for the sprint race, if there is an issue the race is over anyway, so there is no problem going to the stands and watching. This is also one of the only times we've had that many competitors up in the stands together. It was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun.

Dave takes the Sprint #1 and finishes 9th overall, 3rd place in B class. Classes were done by engine size, and we were in the 2-3 liter class with our KA24DE.

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #2 - Portland International Raceway:

I get in for Sprint #2, and start of in 7th place. I get a good jump at the green flag, with two Mustangs and a Porsche 924 turbo in front of me. A pesky Miata keeps making his way into the fight, but eventually falls out of it. I slowly pick off one car after another, until the Porsche and I are battling it out. I pass him, he passes me back. He can't shake me but I can't stay ahead of him. Finally as we keep pushing each other further and further, he spins while braking into the chicane. I win the race by 36 seconds, which means we ge a "Margin of Victory" penalty of 36 seconds applied to our next couple races. This isn't exactly fair to my dad, who was out next.

Sprint Race #2 Video:

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #3 - Portland International Raceway:

Dave goes out for Sprint #3, and he finishes in 12th overall, 4th place in B class.

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - 6 Hours - Portland International Raceway:

The next race is a six hour endurance race. The car has been working great, and the brakes are still working nice and strong. I start the race in 19th place in the late afternoon. I have the top of my visor taped up in preparation to act as a sun visor. I am battling it out with various E36s, including #177 Finally Racing. They drive clean and are fast, and are difficult to pass. I finally manage to sneak by them, then it's on to our friendly rivalry with the Dog and Pony Show Mustang. I pit in 3rd place with a fastest lap of 1:34.5.

Dave is in the car next, and the sun is really killer at this point. On the front straight it's directly in your eyes. Dave also employs the taped visor trick and starts putting in some solid laps. The sun sets, and eventually it's completely dark and Dave is still circling the track. He sets a lap time just a second off of my pace at 1:35.5 and pits in 2nd place!

I get in the car and things are going well. The car feels good and I am creeping my way closer to the Lexus SC300 that is in 1st place. One problem however, is my headset never got plugged in so I have no communication with the pits. The Lexus is factory rated at 70 more horsepower and is also a great handling chassis. It's heavier than our car, but this is a bit of David and Goliath. In the dark my headlights finally pick up the black Lexus in front of me. I pressure my way past the Lexus, but then get caught up on lapped traffic and the Lexus disappears into the distance. I can catch them in the corners, but they have the horsepower advantage. I manage to get by them and keep them behind me by the time the race ends, only to find out that I was actually a lap up, and I fought that hard just to give us an extra lap of Margin of Victory penalty. Oops!

6 Hour Endurance Race Video:

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #4 - Portland International Raceway:

It's a new day and Dave goes out for Sprint #4, and he does great! With the MOV penalty of 26 seconds for winning a spring + another 30 seconds for winning the endurance race, he runs a personal best 1:33.9 and finishes 4th overall and 2nd in B class, which would be a 1st place overall with no time penalties!

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #5 - Portland International Raceway:

I take Sprint #5, and with the 56 second penalty I effectively need to lap the entire field, in 30 minutes. I am very focused, and in the Zone. The first lap I get past all the cars except for the two MK3 turbo Supras. The second lap I make it by them. My brain is calm and my senses are heightened. I am noticing things that I have not felt before. I can feel precisely how much grip I am giving up when I am not smooth enough on the brakes exiting the last corner. I can see the path I want to take through traffic ahead of me as if the other cars are just cones in an autocross course. Well.. moving ones that don't want me to pass them, but you get the point. I feel like I have hit the next level in my driving, and I am extracting that extra little bit out of the car I couldn't feel before. During this session with 18 laps, I turn 10 laps faster than my previous fastest lap! In those 18 laps I manage to lap every single car... except one. And while I don't get a trophy for this race, I came off the track feeling like I had really won something. I had just found the next level in my own driving and ran a 1:31.984, less than a second off of the fastest lap of the weekend in our little 4-cylinder!

Sprint Race #5 Video:

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #6 - Portland International Raceway:

Dave gets in the car for Sprint Race #6. We are now down to just a 20 second handicap for me having won a sprint race. Dave finishes in 4th place, 1st in B class.

PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #7 - Portland International Raceway:

Well it sure was fun being in the Zone in the previous sprint race.. but I'm not quite there this time. Things are going well, but I don't have Super Feeling or even Spidey sense. I get hung up trying to get past one of the Toyota Supras, and while I can get a good run at him, I just can't get a pass to stick before he walks by me on the straight. I also have a 20 second time penalty, so I need to also put more than a 20 second gap on him and that's just not happening. I finish the race in 2nd overall, 1st in B class.

Sprint Race #7 Video:

We got a super cool Batman trophy for our 1st place in addition to a little Predator for my sprint race and the dragon for 3rd place the first day. A very successful weekend!

And here is the best part.. I measured the brake pads after the race. We used up only 3 millimeters of front pad, and essentially none off the rears. That is with 13 hours of endurance races, 3.5 hours of sprint races, and another hour of practice! Finally some brakes that are not a maintenance nightmare, this is the best upgrade we have ever done for the car!

You can see the rears were hot and working.. but no measurable loss of pad thickness.

Here's a view of the dust shield turned brake duct. You can also see our camber spacers, currently set to 'MAX' (the other side says 'POOP').

A new series called Lucky Dog started by Cathy McCause popped up, but with their first race happening in the same month as our Chump Car race, we were not planning on doing it. I was contacted by Mark Scholz, who's rental driver had caused our crash at Laguna Seca. He said his car was not going to be fixed in time for the race, and he wanted to give us his spot. Wow, not going to turn that down. Thanks Mark!

It was originally planned to be my dad and myself again. Then disaster struck and my dad had a heart attack and needed a triple bypass. While the surgery was successful and he was going to be OK, there was no way he could race. One of our friendly rivals #177 Finally Racing put together a Get Well card and signed it with their whole team, forever cementing them as an awesome team and great friends. Now with a new series and a free entry, I asked Nathan Feigion if he would sub in, and he was up for it. So next up will be a late October race at PIR with Lucky Dog!

03-30-2021, 08:08 PM	#30
knate Leaky Injector Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Washington Posts: 138 Trader Rating: (0)	PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/2/15) - 7 hours - Portland International Raceway: This is our first race with the new brakes, and a new format for us. This week is a combination of endurance and sprint racing, and we had only done endurance races so far. We also had ChumpTrucks in two for this weekend! These are some pretty wild beasts and very entertaining. I take the car out for our first practice runs with the new setup. While the extra grip feels good, there is something unnerving about the way the car handles. When I push the car really hard and get a lot of lateral G's, the back end starts to get nervous. Pushing hard into turn 10 (very fast left hander), the car seems great.. then suddenly a snap of oversteer. We had been running both front/rear swaybars, but when I pull into the pits I decide to disconnect the rear sway bar to see if that helps the back end. As I'm laying on the ground unbolting it, someone swings by to tell me, "Dude, when you were going through turn 10 you were three-wheeling!" Well, that explains it.. and confirms that disconnecting the rear sway should help. I take the car out again, and confirm that the snappiness is gone and have my dad take the car out. For this first race, Dave starts in 19th place. This time around it was just my dad and myself racing. Dave gets us up into third, and it's now my turn. The extra grip feels great, although with cut factory springs there is a decent amount of body roll. The brakes squeal any time you touch the pedal, to the point where it becomes completely engrained into my brain and I can pretty much ignore it. I turn our fastest lap ever in the car at 1:33.7 and return the car in 3rd place. Dave is in the car again, and gets called for a black flag for passing under yellow. I reviewed the video later, and was not able to find it happen. The black flag knocks us back to 9th place. It's now getting dark, and an out of control Acura Integra hits both my dad and a Probe while dive-bombing into a corner. Luckily the damage to our car is minor, and Dave continues on and pits in 5th place. It's dark now so I get my stripes of tape on my visor and jump in the car. It's time to see if I can turn this into a podium position! The headlights are definitely not as bright as I would like.. but they are somewhat workable. I have to use very specific reference points on the track. Exiting Turn 6 becomes ".. roll in the throttle, aim left.. 1 second.. 2 seconds.. white paint stripe, turn right... Ok, there is the apex of 7.." In some ways I actually do slightly better at night, as it FORCES me to use my markers exactly. There's really no ability for my brain to try to get my throttle foot to lift coming to a corner early.. because I can't see it. I turn a 1:33.4, our fastest ever PIR time before it starts to lightly rain and throw some more variables into the mix. Since most people slow down at night, I was able to work my way back up to 3rd place again. Another trophy! This time it was a very cool looking dragon. And the best part? We did not touch the brakes at the end of the evening! Video Overview: PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #1 - Portland International Raceway: The sprint race addition to the event is an absolute blast! When we have a long race, you never want to venture too far away in case you are needed. But for the sprint race, if there is an issue the race is over anyway, so there is no problem going to the stands and watching. This is also one of the only times we've had that many competitors up in the stands together. It was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun. Dave takes the Sprint #1 and finishes 9th overall, 3rd place in B class. Classes were done by engine size, and we were in the 2-3 liter class with our KA24DE. PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #2 - Portland International Raceway: I get in for Sprint #2, and start of in 7th place. I get a good jump at the green flag, with two Mustangs and a Porsche 924 turbo in front of me. A pesky Miata keeps making his way into the fight, but eventually falls out of it. I slowly pick off one car after another, until the Porsche and I are battling it out. I pass him, he passes me back. He can't shake me but I can't stay ahead of him. Finally as we keep pushing each other further and further, he spins while braking into the chicane. I win the race by 36 seconds, which means we ge a "Margin of Victory" penalty of 36 seconds applied to our next couple races. This isn't exactly fair to my dad, who was out next. Sprint Race #2 Video: PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - Sprint #3 - Portland International Raceway: Dave goes out for Sprint #3, and he finishes in 12th overall, 4th place in B class. PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/3/15) - 6 Hours - Portland International Raceway: The next race is a six hour endurance race. The car has been working great, and the brakes are still working nice and strong. I start the race in 19th place in the late afternoon. I have the top of my visor taped up in preparation to act as a sun visor. I am battling it out with various E36s, including #177 Finally Racing. They drive clean and are fast, and are difficult to pass. I finally manage to sneak by them, then it's on to our friendly rivalry with the Dog and Pony Show Mustang. I pit in 3rd place with a fastest lap of 1:34.5. Dave is in the car next, and the sun is really killer at this point. On the front straight it's directly in your eyes. Dave also employs the taped visor trick and starts putting in some solid laps. The sun sets, and eventually it's completely dark and Dave is still circling the track. He sets a lap time just a second off of my pace at 1:35.5 and pits in 2nd place! I get in the car and things are going well. The car feels good and I am creeping my way closer to the Lexus SC300 that is in 1st place. One problem however, is my headset never got plugged in so I have no communication with the pits. The Lexus is factory rated at 70 more horsepower and is also a great handling chassis. It's heavier than our car, but this is a bit of David and Goliath. In the dark my headlights finally pick up the black Lexus in front of me. I pressure my way past the Lexus, but then get caught up on lapped traffic and the Lexus disappears into the distance. I can catch them in the corners, but they have the horsepower advantage. I manage to get by them and keep them behind me by the time the race ends, only to find out that I was actually a lap up, and I fought that hard just to give us an extra lap of Margin of Victory penalty. Oops! 6 Hour Endurance Race Video: PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #4 - Portland International Raceway: It's a new day and Dave goes out for Sprint #4, and he does great! With the MOV penalty of 26 seconds for winning a spring + another 30 seconds for winning the endurance race, he runs a personal best 1:33.9 and finishes 4th overall and 2nd in B class, which would be a 1st place overall with no time penalties! PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #5 - Portland International Raceway: I take Sprint #5, and with the 56 second penalty I effectively need to lap the entire field, in 30 minutes. I am very focused, and in the Zone. The first lap I get past all the cars except for the two MK3 turbo Supras. The second lap I make it by them. My brain is calm and my senses are heightened. I am noticing things that I have not felt before. I can feel precisely how much grip I am giving up when I am not smooth enough on the brakes exiting the last corner. I can see the path I want to take through traffic ahead of me as if the other cars are just cones in an autocross course. Well.. moving ones that don't want me to pass them, but you get the point. I feel like I have hit the next level in my driving, and I am extracting that extra little bit out of the car I couldn't feel before. During this session with 18 laps, I turn 10 laps faster than my previous fastest lap! In those 18 laps I manage to lap every single car... except one. And while I don't get a trophy for this race, I came off the track feeling like I had really won something. I had just found the next level in my own driving and ran a 1:31.984, less than a second off of the fastest lap of the weekend in our little 4-cylinder! Sprint Race #5 Video: PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #6 - Portland International Raceway: Dave gets in the car for Sprint Race #6. We are now down to just a 20 second handicap for me having won a sprint race. Dave finishes in 4th place, 1st in B class. PIR Holy Moly! Enduro Sprint Combo (10/4/15) - Sprint #7 - Portland International Raceway: Well it sure was fun being in the Zone in the previous sprint race.. but I'm not quite there this time. Things are going well, but I don't have Super Feeling or even Spidey sense. I get hung up trying to get past one of the Toyota Supras, and while I can get a good run at him, I just can't get a pass to stick before he walks by me on the straight. I also have a 20 second time penalty, so I need to also put more than a 20 second gap on him and that's just not happening. I finish the race in 2nd overall, 1st in B class. Sprint Race #7 Video: We got a super cool Batman trophy for our 1st place in addition to a little Predator for my sprint race and the dragon for 3rd place the first day. A very successful weekend! And here is the best part.. I measured the brake pads after the race. We used up only 3 millimeters of front pad, and essentially none off the rears. That is with 13 hours of endurance races, 3.5 hours of sprint races, and another hour of practice! Finally some brakes that are not a maintenance nightmare, this is the best upgrade we have ever done for the car! You can see the rears were hot and working.. but no measurable loss of pad thickness. Here's a view of the dust shield turned brake duct. You can also see our camber spacers, currently set to 'MAX' (the other side says 'POOP'). A new series called Lucky Dog started by Cathy McCause popped up, but with their first race happening in the same month as our Chump Car race, we were not planning on doing it. I was contacted by Mark Scholz, who's rental driver had caused our crash at Laguna Seca. He said his car was not going to be fixed in time for the race, and he wanted to give us his spot. Wow, not going to turn that down. Thanks Mark! It was originally planned to be my dad and myself again. Then disaster struck and my dad had a heart attack and needed a triple bypass. While the surgery was successful and he was going to be OK, there was no way he could race. One of our friendly rivals #177 Finally Racing put together a Get Well card and signed it with their whole team, forever cementing them as an awesome team and great friends. Now with a new series and a free entry, I asked Nathan Feigion if he would sub in, and he was up for it. So next up will be a late October race at PIR with Lucky Dog! __________________ Blue Bayou Youtube Channel Facebook Last edited by knate; 04-18-2021 at 01:19 AM..