boomn29

iTrader: (47)

2 Tracks in 2 Days! Part 2 of 2

After a challenging but successful trackday with NASA @ BlackHawk Farms here I took 1st in class and set a class record
(https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/mo...s-raceway.html) we were headed to Autobahn for the Redline event. Along the I-88 tollway where I spent about $9 in tolls I stopped for gas and noticed my right rear seal on my truck was leaking. Nissan initially replaced the axle in April, then replaced the seal again the week before I left and it was leaking yet again. So we diverted to a walmart for some extra fluid, got held up 25min waiting on the drawbridge in Joliet and finally made it to Autobahn about 11pm. We pitched a tent on the trailer (ghetto I know) and sacked out for the night.



I was just happy to be there. Sat had been so hot and frustrating. Heck, the whole week was a chore to get ready. As my car is prepped for NASA TTB, there's a whole different set of rules for Redline Street class. Here's what I had to do just to make the car legal:

• Misc RTA license registration
• 3.5" clearance issues. My Buschur muffler hung below the 3.5"
  • Installed a smaller muffler; clearance!
• Needed 2 front seats.
  • Installed a Sparco Circuit in the drivers side.
  • Moved my Sparco Fighter over to the passenger side
• ReInstall center dash console

The next day I switched to my street tires, got teched and was ready for Street AWD practice. Because of the previous days issues, the car still had 93oct in the tank that needed used up before I could switch to 100 and up the boost. My best practice lap was a 1:39.9 I think on pump gas. Here's some vid from practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCEaXHwf-5Q
I filled up with 100oct, switched maps, turned the boost up to what ended up being 24psi and was ready enough. For the first TA; I was gridded 8th of 15 in Street. They did not tell us how they were dividing us up, I just got pointed at and said go - even though I wasn't even belted in! I frantically got belted in and to the start/finish where I had to wait for everyone else in the first group to do the same!

I ran a 138.3 which put me into first! But only because I was the first car to complete a lap...haha. The car was understeering badly in T2 and 'patience' and was running with 3/4 tank of fuel so I knew it had more time in it. I made it through impound where they only looked at my tire wear rating went back to my paddock area.

I ran over to hear the times from the 2nd group in Street and it was a slugfest! Cobb ran a 35 flat; Prof Awesome (aka rawkus) ran a 1:34.7 I think and Fortune Auto was right there with a 1:35.7. Then all hell broke loose.
The cobb car caught fire somewhere on the back-straight, an S2000 blew a motor in the final turn - T14 - obviously spilling fluids on the track. Coincidentally, T14 was the same spot last year at this same event where I nearly rear-ended another Evo because he was crossing the track from right to left in mid-turn about 30mph when I was coming in at 80+mph with no flags at all. Anyways, they didn't black flag for either issue this year and things kept going. The next car through the turn was a FWD civic that slid through the turn, narrowly missing the broken S2000 and stalled in the grass. The next car was a black evo that again slid through the mess but pinballed off of both stalled/broken cars. This finally brought out the black flag. It was a mess and I was soooo happy I wasn't out in the 2nd group and potentially been involved.

So, while they cleaned up the 4 broken cars I went back to make setup changes for TA#2. I turned the boost up a few psi as I'm tuned for it. I made a few suspension changes, studied my traqmate data and was about to make some alignment changes when the rain set in. The track never dried out and all the times stood. I think with some luck I could have ran a 36-37 which would have had be challenging for 3rd perhaps, but that's how it goes sometimes.

I ended up 4th out of 9 in Street AWD. I bettered my time time from last year by 3 full seconds but unfortunately just didn't have the horsepower to challenge the top guys. If I had been at full tilt, my car puts down about 360whp @ 3250lbs, the top 2 cars I know put down 400whp (mustang dyno) and 525whp! Even if I wasn't prepped fully for the series, it's still great to get out and run and compare your car and laptimes to some of the fastest cars in the country. If only the Redline series made more than 1 stop within 16 hours of my house perhaps I'd build my car specifically for the series...

Anyways, big congrats to Prof Awesome / Rawkus for the win. And a reminder that you owe me for letting you borrow tools or you wouldn't have been out there at all!! (So happy the biggest trailer with the biggest support team did not win)

They did let Street go back out for TA#2 even though the track was wet, so I went out to try and set the fastest lap in the wet - 2:06 anyone - and then had some Drifto fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nICtSr7BKCA

Fortune-Auto

iTrader: (24)

Saw you out there, car was looking good!
I was a little bummed that we only had 1 session in our run group. Effectively we only got 1 good clean lap in and our fast lap was interrupted by the carnage.

Thats awesome that you ran a NASA event the day before! I know how diffirent the NASA rules are from the Redline Rules. Its really almost impossible to be ultra competitive in both NASA and redline at the same time, so you did one hell of a job

We got a 135.70 btw

Terry

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

(updated your time in my main post...haha).

Yeah, I had 2 laps ruined last year by the T14 mess-up - and when you only get 3 laps that kinda sucks. We had a 2nd session last year and it was even more helli-humid.

If it wasn't for the rain; I was going to make my way over to introduce myself. I met most of the other guys so sorry I missed ya. Congrats again on the podium while navigating through the carnage that was Street AWD group #2!

Fortune-Auto

iTrader: (24)

Thank you!
And yeah I would have come around myself and talked to more people but we were so pre-occupied with our modified car the whole weekend that I wasn't doing much socializing lol


Terry

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

Here's my spectator vid from the Super Session. It took place about 20min after my drifto vid was taken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qm1rIhO6h8

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

Wow I was considering heading over there for the weekend but had too many surprise issues come up for work and on the car. I would have been in the street class as well, looks like that Mazda was one of those crossover SUV's... that didn't happen to be the same one that ran One Lap this year with a swapped in engine and coilover suspension?

Looks like it was a blast despite the carnage, I also agree that they need more than 2 events on the east coast. Nice in-car video on that dry practice session. What tires are being used, that wet video looked slick!

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

I'm on Dunlop Z1 StarSpecs - but just 245's while the max allowed in street is 255. So I left a bit on the table there as I just used what I had.

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

Wow finally digging through all the rules after just seeing the front page mention 140+ treadware I figured I would be fine, but it Looks like I could never run in the street class without buying a 2nd set of wheels/tires:

FWD cars have no limits on maxiumum width on tires
AWD cars are limited to 255mm wide tires
RWD cars are limited to 285mm wide tires

I guess they really don't like AWD cars as that is quite the penalty.

Nikolas@Redline

RE: tire rules

It's certainly not that we don't like AWD cars! LOL We're fanatics just like the rest of you! Who doesn't love seeing EVO's and STI's do battle in Time Attack?! ;-)

We came up with the rule in 2008 as a way to effectively reduce the significance of power in Street Tire Class. This has forced teams/drivers to direct efforts to other areas of the car (driver skill, aero, suspension, etc.) rather than simply throw more power at the car to make it go fast. 255 tires limit the vehicles ability to put power down, and to carry speed through corners.

turbo911cm

Agree with your philosophy!

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

Perhaps place a note or "*" next to the general rules page listing?

http://redlinetimeattack.com/ti/rl/c.../8tEGtjTm.html

I guess I was just bummed out that I couldn't take my street car, throw a high flow cat on it and be competitive in the street tire class. Pretty much anyone that preps their Evo X to run road courses ends up mounting 265-275mm tires on wider wheels as one of the first steps of the modding process. I'm just worried this will turn away some people away that want to try Redline Time Attack but didn't prep their car based on those tire width rules. What happens to the RWD cars that have wider than 285mm tires on the rear from the factory?

There is no way I could afford to buy a seperate set of wheels with narrower street tires just for those rules so I would have to play in the Modified class where my car would be undergunned for sure as it's a daily driver with full interior. I guess I could arrange to borrow some stock wheels/tires from one of my local friends for next year though. Just some things to think about as I thought the AWD, FWD, and RWD classes were listed as seperate classes in the results pages anyways.

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

You can't make everyone happy with all the rules. I think RTA's tire width rules have always been this way.

Think about us non Evo X people.
For Evo VIII/IX people and 04-07 STI people to mount up a 265+ tire we've got to do some fender work; it's just not that simple.

fwiw, I didn't even run the max tire. I just had 245's on a stock 17x8 rim. Most of the top guys have 255's on 9" or 9.5" rims I know which would be a better setup for grip obviously.

In the end it's always the same - you've gotta pay to play. To be competitive in any series, you've got to have dedicated rims/tires. I ran 3 sets of rims/tires last year in NASA TT to try and balance heat cycles on Hoosiers with practice laps on street tires, etc.

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

I agree that it's impossible to make everyone happy but just thinking out loud on what they can do to attract more people to run their cars and grow these events. I know you have to pay to play but the Enthusiast and Steet classes seem to be designed to attract those with lower budgets as compared to the Modified and Super Modified classes. If there are seperate categories for AWD, FWD, and RWD I wasn't sure why they were trying to balance speeds between them via tire width restrictions???

Does a Nissan GTR have to find narrower wheels and tires to run in the street AWD class? (255/40-20 fronts and 285/35-20 rears)

Sorry for bringing up so many questions in your thread, Car looks solid out there even with the narrower tires! Remember that us poor Evo X guys need the wider tires and slightly more HP to haul that extra weight around!

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

The tire size restrictions try to balance the overall class winners I think. At the end of the event, there are 3 podium spots; Overall class winners for Street, Mod, Super-Mod. I think AWD has been pretty much sweeping the Overall class wins and I believe the tire restrictions are there in an attempt to even the playing field. Just my guess.

I think the GTR goes straight to MOD class as it's classified as a 'supercar'. MOD class has it's own set of rules that are obviously a bit looser that Street. The biggest being treadwear of 80 or higher, along with fancier suspension, aero and the ability to remove a lot of interior bits for weight. I believe AWD MOD tires are 275 or 285 limited.

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

Ah ok, I didn't know how they did podiums for the classes and wasn't sure how that was handled when a car is already super.

I'll likely just play in Modified class next year when it comes nearby so I can gauge if I want to get more serious with the series.