Track Weekend #4: Willow Springs Big Track!

[cornerspeed92]

This is really good stuff Todd.It is amazing to see the difference in my stock 1LE and yours.The best i could get on the front stretch was 127,and your getting 144,that difference is huge. About you running 1:33's that is IMPRESSIVE as one who can speak with authority on this.My best time there racing my 2001 YAMAHA R6 was 1:27.34 which is plain smoking,and for a car to get into the 30's is fantastic,so great job Todd.

[Orange Crush 1LE]

Thanks cornerspeed, that means a lot coming from you! You were right about Big Willow, an absolute rush of an experience.

Originally Posted by cornerspeed92

This is really good stuff Todd.It is amazing to see the difference in my stock 1LE and yours.The best i could get on the front stretch was 127,and your getting 144,that difference is huge. About you running 1:33's that is IMPRESSIVE as one who can speak with authority on this.My best time there racing my 2001 YAMAHA R6 was 1:27.34 which is plain smoking,and for a car to get into the 30's is fantastic,so great job Todd.

[mcsoul]

Can we get a rear quartering away and direct rear view shot. The car looks great, I wish you had some umodded baseline lap times at Willow.

There are a few track layouts at Willow, it sounds like you ran this one, and if so...wow you are in fast company!

http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/willow_springs.html

[Orange Crush 1LE]

Originally Posted by mcsoul

Can we get a rear quartering away and direct rear view shot. The car looks great, I wish you had some umodded baseline lap times at Willow.

There are a few track layouts at Willow, it sounds like you ran this one, and if so...wow you are in fast company!

http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/willow_springs.html

Thanks man, and yes that's the "Big Willow" configuration that we ran.

Here's the only rear shot I have, this one with the factory wheels as I hadn't mounted my track wheels yet. The car's in the shop currently getting the aero reinforced, so I can't take any more at the moment.

[markgws6]

Todd, that's a crazy ass wing! But I love it. You drive it on the street like that and I can't miss you around here!! Lol.

I was out at Laguna Seca yesterday and I was the only Camaro there. I was running in the A+ group and I was probably the quickest of the bunch (one AMG, and Porsche may have been the same or a bit quicker, hard to say.) I did not keep lap times but it was my first time there and I had no instructor becasue they were short instructors. I had a blast! When are you going to be doing the 5 mile TH course?

[Orange Crush 1LE]

Originally Posted by markgws6

Todd, that's a crazy ass wing! But I love it. You drive it on the street like that and I can't miss you around here!! Lol.

I was out at Laguna Seca yesterday and I was the only Camaro there. I was running in the A+ group and I was probably the quickest of the bunch (one AMG, and Porsche may have been the same or a bit quicker, hard to say.) I did not keep lap times but it was my first time there and I had no instructor becasue they were short instructors. I had a blast! When are you going to be doing the 5 mile TH course?

Haha, yep it looks like a big ass ricer wing, straight from Fast n Furious! At least to those who don't track. So pretty much to everyone, LOL. The crazy looks I get will be half the fun.

June 7 and 8 I'll be hitting the new Thunderhill long course, along with Brian (CrystalRedTintCoat) and about ten or fifteen other friends. David Ray says that A Group will be sold out in a few weeks, so if you can join us sign up ASAP. Some of us will be going to Steakhouse 99 on Willows Friday eve at 7:30. David's going to do a presentation about the new course, join us!

[markgws6]

What are wrong with Hawk pads? I'm so confused after seeing you praise them in your sig...

Originally Posted by TBone

I do the same as Cuda. Swap sometime before the event, drive to the event then home and swap out the pads. I also switch to my track rims/tires that you see in my sig before driving to the event. I do usually just scuff up the rotors with some sandpaper but it's nothing real aggressive. You could use some green pads as well I think.

I used DBA 4000's for street and track and they lasted for two years. I really liked them. I have heard mixed reviews on the RB's.

Pads, hmmmmm....... I could talk about this for days but I will give you my readers digest version. Hawks=NO WAY, Carbotech=Good, Cobalt Friction=Great. I am hard on pads and go through a set in one day @ Autobahn or a weekend @ Road America with good weather.

I have a new video up on my youtube channel, ChiTownTbone, that is from Oct last year at Autobahn. The cool thing is I have on from '12 and one from '13 and you can see how I get faster when you watch them back to back. It is only two laps and in the first I chase down a Z06 and the second a Porsche. Give it a look.

T.

[MMarsh]

Hi, great looking car, looks like its set up very nice. I've been lurking the boards for awhile and was curious what kind of times these cars could turn. I think you should be in the low 130 range with some more track time up there.

Curious why you felt you needed more areo. what was the car doing? I'm not familiar with these cars, but I'm surprised you would need that wing to achieve those times.

I used to W2W race and instruct with the Porsche owners club and a couple of other groups several years ago. I still have my Street legal 72 911 that i've driven to the track and run 133.xx. that was with a stock 3.2 200hp motor, Hoosiers and the small ducktail spoiler. Of course the suspension has been completely gone thru and the car corner balanced at about 2100lbs. with a full cage. With the big wing and a splitter on the front, I've run 129.s with the car then drove it home. I live about 30 minutes from Willow Springs. Between cars and bikes, I've done a lot of laps at Willow.

I've been very seriously drooling over a Ashen grey 1lE or really a ZL1 for a few months now. But cant pull the trigger till after my wedding in August. (which is killing me) I was hoping that these cars could run low 130s without a whole bunch of mods...IDK maybe its just the weight. What other plans do you have for the car?

[Orange Crush 1LE]

Originally Posted by MMarsh

Hi, great looking car, looks like its set up very nice. I've been lurking the boards for awhile and was curious what kind of times these cars could turn. I think you should be in the low 130 range with some more track time up there.

Curious why you felt you needed more areo. what was the car doing? I'm not familiar with these cars, but I'm surprised you would need that wing to achieve those times.

I used to W2W race and instruct with the Porsche owners club and a couple of other groups several years ago. I still have my Street legal 72 911 that i've driven to the track and run 133.xx. that was with a stock 3.2 200hp motor, Hoosiers and the small ducktail spoiler. Of course the suspension has been completely gone thru and the car corner balanced at about 2100lbs. with a full cage. With the big wing and a splitter on the front, I've run 129.s with the car then drove it home. I live about 30 minutes from Willow Springs. Between cars and bikes, I've done a lot of laps at Willow.

I've been very seriously drooling over a Ashen grey 1lE or really a ZL1 for a few months now. But cant pull the trigger till after my wedding in August. (which is killing me) I was hoping that these cars could run low 130s without a whole bunch of mods...IDK maybe its just the weight. What other plans do you have for the car?

Thanks, and agreed my times will improve with seat time. This was my first time at this wicked fast track, still working on my courage in turns 8 and 9, and I can see I could use lots of improvement in my line through 4, 5 and 6. Looking forward to returning on 5/24 - 5/25 to see how I progress. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm enjoying the process! No other mods planned, other than dialing in the aero and coil overs.

That said, I was very happy with my maiden voyage to Willow Springs, as I ran top 2 to top 5 in the advanced group in every session. Attached is a timeslip where I ran a 1:33.78. Names have been removed to protect the guilty, LOL. I was 4th fastest in this session, beat by a 700 RWHP turbo Porshe that had been more or less converted to a cup car, a 2600 pound 3 series BMW with big aero, and a surprisingly quick little modded MR2. The Porsche and BMW came in on trailers, I don't know about the MR2. I don't trailer mine either, I like to keep it simple so I drove the 6 hour drive from San Jose.

I bought the wing after seeing the dramatic difference that aero makes at Buttonwillow. At Buttonwillow, cars are typically 3 to 5 seconds per lap faster with aero such as a wing and splitter. This has been confirmed by several of the more experienced drivers I've met out there, that have done before/after testing.

I'd be surprised if a 1LE with minimal mods could run low 1:30s, at least based on the times I saw that day. The fastest time of the entire weekend was a 1:29, run by that Porsche. There were 7 or 8 other Camaros out there, I believe the fastest time turned by the others was a 1:40. Must be quite an experience to break though into the 1:29's.

If you're available on 5/24 or 5/25, I'd love to take you for a ride in mine and get some pointers. Congrats on tying the knot, I just gave my lady a promise ring yesterday.