OFFICIAL ROAD TRACK VIDEOS:

[suzbndt]

The driver side front didn't like mid Ohio

[X25]

Originally Posted by suzbndt

Ovr pca mid Ohio October 19: http://youtu.be/K_xgKc7-xNs

Just edit your post and replace the URL with full version that includes YouTube.com ; )

[suzbndt]

Using taptalk kinda looked right guess it wasn't

[tomster]

Back at MidOhio put down 1:40.3

[BaylorCamaro]

One of my videos from yesterday at GrandSport Speedway. There's a slowpoke GT500 that I get stuck behind mid way through the video..

[Arubberbaby]

Here are my videos from my first track day ever.
I'm @ the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park

Here are 2 laps with less traffic...



And then here is all of my video from the day.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Fastest lap 2:13.59 is the first lap then chasing a C7

[Balok]

Originally Posted by Stephen12ZL1

Fastest lap 2:13.59 is the first lap then chasing a C7

AWESOME lap Stephen! You must have been leaving just as I got there Sunday evening. The more I think about it, the more I'm happy with my hot lap below. I'm in a stock 2SS other than the Hankook R-S3 305's and coilovers. I turned a new PB this trip and I'm still 7 seconds slower than you but you give me something to shoot for!

[Balok]

Woohoo! Back from VIR with car and driver in one piece! Here's the video of my best laps on both configurations we ran.

FULL COURSE


GRAND WEST COURSE




HIGHLIGHTS - Got to drive the Grand West layout for the first time and it was incredible and a welcome change from the Full course. I honestly was hoping to break 3:20 at the most, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a 3:13 when I compiled the video! That's beyond what I hoped for and I made a LOT of mistakes that would probably take about another second off of that!

Also, I took SEVEN SECONDS off my personal best on the full course with a 2:20:03! I couldn't believe it! Also, my instructor said I was ready and kicked me out of the nest and I ran solo for a full session on Monday and 2 full sessions on Tuesday! I was a little scared at first but got settled in pretty quickly. It was good for me as it forced me to watch the flag stands.

LOWLIGHTS - But the weekend wasn't without a bit of drama. Apparently, my brand new Forgestar rims couldn't take the rigors of aggressive driving on a racetrack as I actually bent BOTH front rims and made them slightly out of round. The vibration was definitely noticeable but I told myself to ignore it, lol. I honestly thought a weight fell off and one of them was out of balance which is exactly what it felt like. Unfortunately my lug nuts eventually vibrated loose and it got really loud at the end of the 2nd session Tuesday. There was really only two lugs fairly tight on the left front which is insane when you think about it. The thing is that I know better, and know to torque before EVERY run on the track, I was just an idiot and failed to do so. It's a good thing my wheel didn't fly off at 130 mph heading into turn 1. Anyway, we found the problem and fortunately the speed shop was open and I got them to spin and re-balance them so all was right with the world other than I'm out $1800 for bent rims if I can't get them straightened out. Even if I can straighten them out they're useless to me if they can't be used for the purpose they were purchased for and that is running them on the racetrack.

Here's my walk-through for the video of the lap on the Grand West layout for anyone who might like to read it. If you do, see if you guys see the same things I'm finding. I'd love you experienced guys feedback.

Turn 1 - I'm still working on my threshold braking and need to drive it in a little deeper and brake harder, but I hit the apex pretty well. I fed in a touch too much throttle on exit for the grip level of the tires. This was the first hot lap after my outlap and the tires probably weren't quite hot enough. As a result, I had to modulate more then I like through T2.

Turn 3 - The sun was blinding as it was early evening, so the exit of T2 and going into T3 was damn near impossible to see and judge how close to the right I was when setting up for T3 and I was too near center track and took too early of a turn in. I had a decent exit and got back to throttle but it still messed me up in my setup to enter Turn 4.

Turn 4 - WAY too early entry and it killed me going into 5a but I recovered half-way decent and got a good run through Snake.

Turn 7 - I had been playing around with my entry into the Climbing Esses and trying to muster enough gonads to drive it past the cones before I lifted. I ran out of balls and lifted slightly before the cones, but only a slight touch of brake to set the nose and maintained from there. That was one of the fastest times through there.

Turn 10 - I had also really been working on maintaining momentum through here and I hit it pretty dang close I think. I got back to the gas almost before apex and had a good launch down the hill!

Turn 11 & 12 - Really worked hard on braking less and letting the hill slow me down as this turn was really deceiving and you think you have to brake a lot harder than you really do, so I had worked it down to one deep stab and roll off as I'm turning in and basically let the car roll through the entry, point it to the left, then a light brake to set the nose to turn into Oak Tree. The one thing I really fought with Oak Tree was that hitting the curb at the apex would tend to unload the car and trigger the nannies. Hitting the curb the the left on exit also seemed to make the nannies angry which kills it going back to throttle, so I was trying to be as smooth as I could and not wake them up. The car also fought wanting to step out turning into Oak Tree and if I was really on the limit the nannies would wake up on turn in as well. This is a really tricky section to nail, and I'm still working on what I need to do here.

Turn 13 - This turn is affectionately called "Bitch" for a reason! This was almost one of my "oh shit" moments as I was again working on where the threshold was with my braking, and I damn near found it here! As you can see I definitely use ALL of the track, lol, so my entry was FUBAR and damn near out of control, lol. However, the botched entry allowed me to really use the late apex and I had a good recovery and a really good exit and got a GREAT run down the hill. So good in fact that I was almost on the chip setting up for T16. From here on out I think I had a decent run through the twisties, back up the hill and into Roller-Coaster and pretty routine from there.

[Stephen12ZL1]

that lap looks really good on the full layout. I honestly can't see where you left much time on the table. Great driving. I probably only have hp and grippy tire advantage.

[hammdo]

That is awesome -- would love to do that with my 2SS here in Texas -- now that I've done all the suspension mods and have those ZL1 Wheels with the new shoes!

Thanks for sharing!

-Don

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by Balok

LOWLIGHTS - But the weekend wasn't without a bit of drama. Apparently, my brand new Forgestar rims couldn't take the rigors of aggressive driving on a racetrack as I actually bent BOTH front rims and made them slightly out of round. The vibration was definitely noticeable but I told myself to ignore it, lol. I honestly thought a weight fell off and one of them was out of balance which is exactly what it felt like. Unfortunately my lug nuts eventually vibrated loose and it got really loud at the end of the 2nd session Tuesday. There was really only two lugs fairly tight on the left front which is insane when you think about it. The thing is that I know better, and know to torque before EVERY run on the track, I was just an idiot and failed to do so. It's a good thing my wheel didn't fly off at 130 mph heading into turn 1. Anyway, we found the problem and fortunately the speed shop was open and I got them to spin and re-balance them so all was right with the world other than I'm out $1800 for bent rims if I can't get them straightened out. Even if I can straighten them out they're useless to me if they can't be used for the purpose they were purchased for and that is running them on the racetrack.

Thanks for posting - nice runs!

Question for you: Do you think you bent both front rims and then later on the lugs came loose as a result? I bent one rim at VIR last year when I hit the edge of a gator coming back on after swinging a little wide at Hog Pen. I felt it - it was loud and hard - BANG. You would have noticed if you had a hard impact on each front, no? I am wondering if maybe what really happened was that the lugs came loose and as a result the rims got bent as they wobbled around on only a few connection points....

Anyhow, just a theory.

I ended up finding a mobile rim repair place based in Richmond that got the rim almost perfect for $100 or so. Then, wheel weights did the rest. Can't tell at all that it was ever out of round.

Pete

[Balok]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

Thanks for posting - nice runs!

Question for you: Do you think you bent both front rims and then later on the lugs came loose as a result?

Pete

Definitely bent them first as I started to feel the vibration in the 2nd run of the first day, and I torqued before I started on the 2nd day after it was already vibrating. I'll be taking them to Kwiksilver in Greensboro to have them looked at so I'm hoping for the best. It's just disappointing that they may not be what I need for the track. The next time I go back I'll definitely be trailering my street rims just in case, lol.

[X25]

Originally Posted by Balok

Definitely bent them first as I started to feel the vibration in the 2nd run of the first day, and I torqued before I started on the 2nd day after it was already vibrating. I'll be taking them to Kwiksilver in Greensboro to have them looked at so I'm hoping for the best. It's just disappointing that they may not be what I need for the track. The next time I go back I'll definitely be trailering my street rims just in case, lol.

This is very disappointing. I have not even received my wheels yet, but they are pretty much the same, Forgestar CF5Vs 19x11 all around. It. Sucks.