The day started pretty well for us, although a little early. we got to TireRack a little after 8, and used the time to turn the rear suspension up about. It makes the car look more flat in stance, and has reduced the crashing we feel while going over the bridge expansion joints.
Then i got ready for the wet skid pad. we had a nicely low fuel tank, so i had us push the car through the queue. I had a goal of getting above 0.7, and was getting worried because all the front runners where much slower than before (tire rack repaved their paf in November). I went up and did my best, although i could tell I'd left a little out there when i goosed for the last .25 turn. but, i ended up with a 0.733. the times were posted earlier (but are now down), and they indicated that was good for 39th, and. 004 off from snagging the RX-8 in our class... probably the last time we'll be that close :(. oh wel, afterall that would have just been icing on the cake since i met my goal.
then we hopped in the car and trekked south 2hours for an autocross. we got there a little late, and Robert only got a quick jog around the course, while i took care of the car: unload, lug check, & set tire pressures. Robert's first run was a 64.742s, while the supercharged miata was @ 57s. The course was big and flowing, which favored the big powered cars. We tweaked pressures, yanked the hardtop off, and by the third run Robert had gotten down to a 59.463s. I was quite happy with him knocking off 5sec. We'll see where we end up, once the scores are posted.
Now we're cruising through ohio on our way back east. after a stop at walmart for snacks and a second headset... the intercom is now working! unfortunately the line-in signal isn't amplified... so music from Robert's phone is inaudible. oh well... small victories. :) maybe we'll have the whole setup working in time to drive back home ;).
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Day: 0
Today was tech inspection. We started the day after a 4 hour rest at 7am this morning, and hit the TireRack just before 9, ending up as a part of a convoy of 2 with Jim Roberts as the first cars there. :). I will admit to being a little over eager.
The tech inspection really has less to do with checking every nook, cranny, and nut and bolt. It's really your responsibility to make sure your car is setup and ready for this event. Instead it is more about managing the stickiness of stickers, and the predisposition of the (ever present) wind to make placing those stickers as difficult as possible. Hopefully you'll agree that we managed to triumph over the efforts of the wind with some success.
We ended up taking up most of the time, as we needed to put the last few R&R Automotive website address graphics to the car; and all the individual letters required some patience to complete correctly. As we were finishing that up, the Dunlop Brand Manager and two assistants walked up with two goody bags of swag and four stickers to put on the car! Heck ya! I'm glad that I followed the advice about these tires in comparison to the Kuhmos that Stephen Burke and Tim Harper from the Rochester DSM / Magnus Motorsports crew posted last year before their second One Lap!
It's been a lot of fun catching up with everyone that I met in 2009, around the paddock and during the driver's meeting. Some people are surprised to see me back, since I expected my run in 2009 to be a one-time deal. What can I say? Maybe, I'm a smoother talker and better salesman than I give myself credit for. Regardless, I know that I found *very* wonderful wife, who isn't a 'fixed in stone' type; a woman who knows me and makes me happy. Hopefully the same can be said of me.
None-the-less, all my OneLap friends seem to miss the Fit... ALOT. Brock even asked where his Fit was! They apparently, would have preferred that I brought it instead of the Miata. I'm not so sure it would have stuck out as much among the cast of Econo cars assembled this year... other than being soo slow ;).
Unfortunately not everything is "happy go lucky", "friends and stickers" for us. We've got some extended-family issues that we're keeping an ear to the ground about. Nothing any of you, dear readers, need to worry about. But, we'd appreciate it if you kept us in your hearts and prayers.
On a more lighted note, Robert is currently hacking up our recently acquired intercom and other recently acquired radio shack headphone jacks in order to get it to work. He seems to be in his element... although I'm sure he'd prefer to be relaxing in other ways.
That's about it for now. I'll try to update y'all about our doings tomorrow.
(edited to add a link to the RochesterDSM/Magnus Motorsports blog. Check them out, Tim and Steve are first class guys!)
The tech inspection really has less to do with checking every nook, cranny, and nut and bolt. It's really your responsibility to make sure your car is setup and ready for this event. Instead it is more about managing the stickiness of stickers, and the predisposition of the (ever present) wind to make placing those stickers as difficult as possible. Hopefully you'll agree that we managed to triumph over the efforts of the wind with some success.
We ended up taking up most of the time, as we needed to put the last few R&R Automotive website address graphics to the car; and all the individual letters required some patience to complete correctly. As we were finishing that up, the Dunlop Brand Manager and two assistants walked up with two goody bags of swag and four stickers to put on the car! Heck ya! I'm glad that I followed the advice about these tires in comparison to the Kuhmos that Stephen Burke and Tim Harper from the Rochester DSM / Magnus Motorsports crew posted last year before their second One Lap!
It's been a lot of fun catching up with everyone that I met in 2009, around the paddock and during the driver's meeting. Some people are surprised to see me back, since I expected my run in 2009 to be a one-time deal. What can I say? Maybe, I'm a smoother talker and better salesman than I give myself credit for. Regardless, I know that I found *very* wonderful wife, who isn't a 'fixed in stone' type; a woman who knows me and makes me happy. Hopefully the same can be said of me.
None-the-less, all my OneLap friends seem to miss the Fit... ALOT. Brock even asked where his Fit was! They apparently, would have preferred that I brought it instead of the Miata.
Unfortunately not everything is "happy go lucky", "friends and stickers" for us. We've got some extended-family issues that we're keeping an ear to the ground about. Nothing any of you, dear readers, need to worry about. But, we'd appreciate it if you kept us in your hearts and prayers.
On a more lighted note, Robert is currently hacking up our recently acquired intercom and other recently acquired radio shack headphone jacks in order to get it to work. He seems to be in his element... although I'm sure he'd prefer to be relaxing in other ways.
That's about it for now. I'll try to update y'all about our doings tomorrow.
(edited to add a link to the RochesterDSM/Magnus Motorsports blog. Check them out, Tim and Steve are first class guys!)
Day: Start -1
It's been a long couple of days since we got back from VIR Saturday night. R&R has been wrapping up some things on the car. Swapping the One Lap rubber from the Tire Rack onto the Enkei's. It's a bit odd to see the Kuhmo's from OLoA 2009 finally go, although Robert thought they still had a good bit of life in them... it's better to start off with fresh rubber, and no concern about wearing through the tires during the event. Plus, I'm not sure they'd be allowed back.
R&R also worked through our overheating problem, and then some additional items that cropped up while fixing the first problem. They tracked the problem down to a radiator cap that wasn't holding pressure. Then, while draining the fluid, they found that the AL radiator had an AL drain plug, which had completely stripped out the radiator's threads. So they retapped those, dropped in a helicoil, and then safety wired the plug shut.
R&R also swapped in our new rotors, a fresh set of Hawk HP+ pads (bringing the hardly used ones as spares), and tracked down our cruise control woes to a broken brake sensor switch. Finally they managed to get the R&R decals on the trunk, rear bumper and front hood. Unfortunately, getting all of this done wasn't completed until 5pm today. Which, fortunately gave Robert and I enough time to work through what we had enough time to take, and pack it all into the trunk of the miata. It's a tight fit, but we can make some space by bringing a few choice items up to the package shelf behind the seats and under the hardtop... a space made bigger, and more useful by the lack of soft top.
So, we finally got on the road about an hour and half later than I wanted to. But that's how it goes sometimes, and it's not like this is going to be an especially different drive from the rest of the ones we're going to be pulling the rest of the week. And I'd rather be an hour and a half late, with more peace of mind, than leave ontime or early and have a few things still outstanding... or at least that's what I have to tell my impatient side of myself while the clock ticks past my original schedule. Hopefully, I wasn't hovering too obnoxiously ;).
In conclusion, we're off! We currently in the bumps, slows, and construction of PA wending our way towards Wauseon, OH for the night... so that we're a short hop from South Bend in the morning. Assuming we manage to successfully navigate our way through the conspicuously absent of speed limit signs roadway that is the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I'll try to send another update after we get through tech inspection tomorrow.
R&R also worked through our overheating problem, and then some additional items that cropped up while fixing the first problem. They tracked the problem down to a radiator cap that wasn't holding pressure. Then, while draining the fluid, they found that the AL radiator had an AL drain plug, which had completely stripped out the radiator's threads. So they retapped those, dropped in a helicoil, and then safety wired the plug shut.
R&R also swapped in our new rotors, a fresh set of Hawk HP+ pads (bringing the hardly used ones as spares), and tracked down our cruise control woes to a broken brake sensor switch. Finally they managed to get the R&R decals on the trunk, rear bumper and front hood. Unfortunately, getting all of this done wasn't completed until 5pm today. Which, fortunately gave Robert and I enough time to work through what we had enough time to take, and pack it all into the trunk of the miata. It's a tight fit, but we can make some space by bringing a few choice items up to the package shelf behind the seats and under the hardtop... a space made bigger, and more useful by the lack of soft top.
So, we finally got on the road about an hour and half later than I wanted to. But that's how it goes sometimes, and it's not like this is going to be an especially different drive from the rest of the ones we're going to be pulling the rest of the week. And I'd rather be an hour and a half late, with more peace of mind, than leave ontime or early and have a few things still outstanding... or at least that's what I have to tell my impatient side of myself while the clock ticks past my original schedule. Hopefully, I wasn't hovering too obnoxiously ;).
In conclusion, we're off! We currently in the bumps, slows, and construction of PA wending our way towards Wauseon, OH for the night... so that we're a short hop from South Bend in the morning. Assuming we manage to successfully navigate our way through the conspicuously absent of speed limit signs roadway that is the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I'll try to send another update after we get through tech inspection tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Car 64
I looked at the entry list today, and apparently we've been seeded as car 64:
Entries List
Not that that means a 'whole lot'. But, it's cool to know the number.
Entries List
Not that that means a 'whole lot'. But, it's cool to know the number.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
VIR Shakedown
Robert & I ran a shakedown of sorts this weekend. Robert wanted to try and get another trackday in, and I needed to knockoff some of the rust that's built up on my track-driving since October. Unfortunately, this weekend was packed with plenty of other things, so we ended up doing a single day at VIR w/ TrackDazes. You might have noticed that I tend to favor their events. They're well run, you get a good amount of track time for the money, and the people that come are generally laid-back and fun to be around.
We drove down to Friday night and stayed at my wonderful in-laws. We got a little bit of a late start, leaving NoVA around 6pm, and getting down south about 11.30pm. Then after a short rest, it was off to VIR around 5.45am... good warm up for OLoA.
I had the first session out of the two of us, being in intermediate, and the track was still slick from rain that we drove through Friday. I had one 'brake too much' slide goin into turn one, which unlink last time did not develop into flat spotting... I've managed to learn that lesson. Then I had a fairly lurid slide through south bend (turn 10), which I managed to catch, and then catch again as going over the crest broke the car out a second time. My instructor was complimentary of my save. Both events were quite confidence boosting, although I continued to drive my sessions with a fair amount in reserve... especially since by the last session Robert clocked in a lap as fast as my fastest.
Robert probably made the most improvement. Getting used to the car, and managing to shake the 'shifting woes' that slowed him at Summit Point. I watched a couple of his sessions, and was quite pleased with how quick he was moving. Then I recorded his last session with the GoPro, and was humbled a bit with him grabbing an equally fast lap time. Although, he does have more RWD driving experience, and as such more comfort with putting a car sideways... something I'm still coming to grips with.
The only real fly in the ointment was that Robert had to cut his last session short because the car began to overheat. This has us all a bit worried, since it only got to 85F, and we've got Daytona to face down. Then again, we did leave the front plate in front of the radiator. We've got a couple of mitigation strategies that we're going to implement, and R&R is looking over the cooling system for any telltales. Like I've said before, it's quite helpful for me to have their assistance in making sure a 178,000 mile car is ready for the rigors of One Lap!
We drove down to Friday night and stayed at my wonderful in-laws. We got a little bit of a late start, leaving NoVA around 6pm, and getting down south about 11.30pm. Then after a short rest, it was off to VIR around 5.45am... good warm up for OLoA.
I had the first session out of the two of us, being in intermediate, and the track was still slick from rain that we drove through Friday. I had one 'brake too much' slide goin into turn one, which unlink last time did not develop into flat spotting... I've managed to learn that lesson. Then I had a fairly lurid slide through south bend (turn 10), which I managed to catch, and then catch again as going over the crest broke the car out a second time. My instructor was complimentary of my save. Both events were quite confidence boosting, although I continued to drive my sessions with a fair amount in reserve... especially since by the last session Robert clocked in a lap as fast as my fastest.
Robert probably made the most improvement. Getting used to the car, and managing to shake the 'shifting woes' that slowed him at Summit Point. I watched a couple of his sessions, and was quite pleased with how quick he was moving. Then I recorded his last session with the GoPro, and was humbled a bit with him grabbing an equally fast lap time. Although, he does have more RWD driving experience, and as such more comfort with putting a car sideways... something I'm still coming to grips with.
The only real fly in the ointment was that Robert had to cut his last session short because the car began to overheat. This has us all a bit worried, since it only got to 85F, and we've got Daytona to face down. Then again, we did leave the front plate in front of the radiator. We've got a couple of mitigation strategies that we're going to implement, and R&R is looking over the cooling system for any telltales. Like I've said before, it's quite helpful for me to have their assistance in making sure a 178,000 mile car is ready for the rigors of One Lap!
Friday, April 22, 2011
An overview of the transits
This gives you an idea of what we'll be facing. We've obviously got a long night ahead of us between Florida and Louisiana, mainly because of the drags @ Gainesville after running Daytona. Does this mean we'll actually pull in at 5am? Who knows. That depends on how far we make it through the bracket drags, or how are we try at the bracket drags. I've also got a 'somewhat' conservative average speed in there (recall that has to cover food/gas/bathroom stops too). Viewing this spreadsheet does help point out the places where we're going to have to be 'Johnny on the spot' with the pack-up and head-out after events:
CMP to BMW, Daytona to Gainesville, and Gainesville to Circuit Grand Bayou.
Hopefully doing a look at this now will help us avoid getting blindsided like Greer and I did in 2009 while driving between CMP and BeaveRun.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
?? unFit4Racing ??
unFit4Racing?
Maybe you followed the link from the One Lap 'entries' page, and you're wondering WTH?
(we're a PG blog)... the blog says 'L8.Apexr'!
For those less in the know, I ran One Lap in 2009 in a Honda Fit... grabbing the auspicious "All Remaining Cars" award: i.e. last of all the people who finished every event.
Hence: unFit4Racing
The inspiration for the blog was more 'universal car craziness' not One Lap 2011 only craziness. Maybe if I get real motivated, I'll change the banner graphic. Then again, maybe not.
Maybe you followed the link from the One Lap 'entries' page, and you're wondering WTH?
(we're a PG blog)... the blog says 'L8.Apexr'!
For those less in the know, I ran One Lap in 2009 in a Honda Fit... grabbing the auspicious "All Remaining Cars" award: i.e. last of all the people who finished every event.
Hence: unFit4Racing
The inspiration for the blog was more 'universal car craziness' not One Lap 2011 only craziness. Maybe if I get real motivated, I'll change the banner graphic. Then again, maybe not.
Getting Official
Well, the entry fee is on it's way in. Robert got through his track weekend at Summit Point two weekends ago. We've buttoned up some of the required paperwork, and then we should be ordering tires. Once the entry free clears, we're official.
Robert and I have also signed up for a day of HPDE w/ TrackDaze this weekend, which will hopefully knock some of my rust off and get Robert more comfortable with car. We'll also be able to muck around with the setup a little bit.
We've got a couple of other bits and bobs to fit to the car... some of which might not get done 'till we're in IN (like maybe the R&R graphics). But the major stuff we've got fixed & covered... other than maybe a stereo. But, that's more Robert's department than mine. He's a good electrical bodger... so we should be able to whip together something functional; even if it isn't especially pretty.
Robert and I have also signed up for a day of HPDE w/ TrackDaze this weekend, which will hopefully knock some of my rust off and get Robert more comfortable with car. We'll also be able to muck around with the setup a little bit.
We've got a couple of other bits and bobs to fit to the car... some of which might not get done 'till we're in IN (like maybe the R&R graphics). But the major stuff we've got fixed & covered... other than maybe a stereo. But, that's more Robert's department than mine. He's a good electrical bodger... so we should be able to whip together something functional; even if it isn't especially pretty.
Monday, April 4, 2011
OneLap Preparation #2
Whew! This weekend was a whirlwind for me, including 12hours in the shop working on the miata. She seems determined to make us earn her respect... or maybe she's just mad about sitting in the parking lot for so long.
We got the airbag computer fixed, finally on Saturday night after a long session of plug and check and diagnose. I've learned more about that system than I care to have. We installed some CGLock seat belt tensioners late Sat night to feel like we accomplished something else.
So, Sunday morning we went to work on replacing the brake pads, swapping in the new-used sway bars and finishing the airbag computer re-install. The bars took longer than expected, and required some shimming on the front bar. Also, it turns out the car already had aftermarket bars on it, albeit with smaller diameters. So we ended up with an upgrade after all; which makes me all the happier about not buying new ones. Although getting them into place with the new endlinks took a bunch of work that my pansy-sitting-on-my-whatoosie-in-front-of-a-computer-code-monkey bottom isn't used to. I enjoyed each minute of it, even knocking my head into the suspended rear brake caliper a total of 3(!) times.
However, we did find a cracked rear piston boot, and with the other assorted difficulties will have to lean on R&R to finish up preparations on the car before Robert's track day on Sat/Sun. Like I said, it's good to have their support, and experienced hand checking over the car before then.
We got the airbag computer fixed, finally on Saturday night after a long session of plug and check and diagnose. I've learned more about that system than I care to have. We installed some CGLock seat belt tensioners late Sat night to feel like we accomplished something else.
So, Sunday morning we went to work on replacing the brake pads, swapping in the new-used sway bars and finishing the airbag computer re-install. The bars took longer than expected, and required some shimming on the front bar. Also, it turns out the car already had aftermarket bars on it, albeit with smaller diameters. So we ended up with an upgrade after all; which makes me all the happier about not buying new ones. Although getting them into place with the new endlinks took a bunch of work that my pansy-sitting-on-my-whatoosie-in-front-of-a-computer-code-monkey bottom isn't used to. I enjoyed each minute of it, even knocking my head into the suspended rear brake caliper a total of 3(!) times.
However, we did find a cracked rear piston boot, and with the other assorted difficulties will have to lean on R&R to finish up preparations on the car before Robert's track day on Sat/Sun. Like I said, it's good to have their support, and experienced hand checking over the car before then.
Friday, April 1, 2011
OneLap Preparation #1
So, last weekend Robert and I spent most of Friday in the shop fixing items on the miata. We replaced the window and rear tail light that unknown persons decided to smash in with fist-sized rocks. After retrieving the window-smashing culprit from the passenger side pack shelf, Robert suggested we mount it in place of the "toilet-bowl" mazda logo on the front bumper. I've decided to pass on that, for now.
We also dug into fixing the airbag computer that had failed and started flashing '51'; which has precluded my getting the car through VA safety inspections... which unfortunately caused us to pull apart most of the driver's side dash and instrument console... whereupon we found that the speedometer cable was on it's way out. So I've got a new one of those on the way as well.
We also spent a couple hours cleaning the rust off a set of JacksonRacing Sway Bars sourced via craigslist... thanks mainly to the eagle-eyed watch of my previous OneLap co-driver (an miata nut) Greer. They're clean and painted.
So that leads to this weekend. The tasks ahead are pretty clear: finish up the airbag fix, replace the speedometer cable, and install the sway bars. If we've got time left over we'll look into the brakes... the pads have arrived, but I'm not sure about the rotors. The clutch and flywheel are here... but that task is a bit daunting, so we'll put it off for a bit more.
We also dug into fixing the airbag computer that had failed and started flashing '51'; which has precluded my getting the car through VA safety inspections... which unfortunately caused us to pull apart most of the driver's side dash and instrument console... whereupon we found that the speedometer cable was on it's way out. So I've got a new one of those on the way as well.
We also spent a couple hours cleaning the rust off a set of JacksonRacing Sway Bars sourced via craigslist... thanks mainly to the eagle-eyed watch of my previous OneLap co-driver (an miata nut) Greer. They're clean and painted.
So that leads to this weekend. The tasks ahead are pretty clear: finish up the airbag fix, replace the speedometer cable, and install the sway bars. If we've got time left over we'll look into the brakes... the pads have arrived, but I'm not sure about the rotors. The clutch and flywheel are here... but that task is a bit daunting, so we'll put it off for a bit more.
OneLap 2011 Intro
So, a funny thing happened on my way to a life-change. It looks like I won't be able to run OneLap after this year for a couple of years, so I sent an RFI to the usual car nuts I know. Eventually, a close friend from way back expressed some interest, and then (more importantly) managed to get spousal approval. I also go some interest from another friend, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to put things together.
Originally I planned to use the Fit again. However, after some consideration about the life-change, some introspection about not wanting to be last again, and then having someone vandalize the miata... I finally pulled my thoughts together and have decided to take it to OneLap this year.
Robert and I have some work to do to get it ready. We'll need to add back some of the interior, and figure out a way to play some tunes (an area Robert is quite qualified to assist in). I'm also going to toss a new set of rotors and pads on (moving up to HP Plus'), get some stiffer sway bars, and do a clutch change. I can't tell for sure, but I think the car is still on it's original clutch @ 175kmi.
Robert and I are also going to try and do this on a tight budget. Life-changes tend to shrink the excess income situation, plus I've been interested in trying this out after hearing people complain that they couldn't afford to do OneLap. So we're going to look into ways to reduce the costs of hotels, and food. The miata is already pretty good on gas, and a couple of the transits aren't going to leave much option other than sleeping in the car. As for food, bringing some of it along will be a little tough in such a small car, but not eating fast food the whole time will help our wallets and our waistlines.
So, that's the plan... for now. We're still gathering things together and working out how we're going to pull this off. Fortunately, we've gotten at least one sponsor: R&R Automotive who have offered to provide free lift time, and 'at cost' pricing on parts. They've been good to me over the years, keeping some expensive BMW's going, along with most of the rest of my mini-fleet of cars; and I look forward to having their logo on the miata's hood.
Originally I planned to use the Fit again. However, after some consideration about the life-change, some introspection about not wanting to be last again, and then having someone vandalize the miata... I finally pulled my thoughts together and have decided to take it to OneLap this year.
Robert and I have some work to do to get it ready. We'll need to add back some of the interior, and figure out a way to play some tunes (an area Robert is quite qualified to assist in). I'm also going to toss a new set of rotors and pads on (moving up to HP Plus'), get some stiffer sway bars, and do a clutch change. I can't tell for sure, but I think the car is still on it's original clutch @ 175kmi.
Robert and I are also going to try and do this on a tight budget. Life-changes tend to shrink the excess income situation, plus I've been interested in trying this out after hearing people complain that they couldn't afford to do OneLap. So we're going to look into ways to reduce the costs of hotels, and food. The miata is already pretty good on gas, and a couple of the transits aren't going to leave much option other than sleeping in the car. As for food, bringing some of it along will be a little tough in such a small car, but not eating fast food the whole time will help our wallets and our waistlines.
So, that's the plan... for now. We're still gathering things together and working out how we're going to pull this off. Fortunately, we've gotten at least one sponsor: R&R Automotive who have offered to provide free lift time, and 'at cost' pricing on parts. They've been good to me over the years, keeping some expensive BMW's going, along with most of the rest of my mini-fleet of cars; and I look forward to having their logo on the miata's hood.