929 Evo - 2012 Season Updates
Jul 5, 2012, 08:49 AM
#304
Mid Ohio - 6.30.2012
After work on Friday I packed up and left with an empty trailer around 4pm for Mid Ohio. I had heard from friends that the #929Evo successfully made it to the track early that morning thanks to GP Racing Products as they were doing some setup & prep work to the car for me between races. Fortunately I would miss out on all the crazy weather that hit Chicago that afternoon and nailed Mid Ohio around 6pm with tons of rain, winds and left 100's of thousands without power. I'd make it to the track around midnight ET without much drama.
After a few short hours of off-and-on sleep, I started unpacking the car early Saturday as it had a total of 10 tires (mounted and unmounted) inside the car. After that I started to prep it by installing my camera and traqmate and about that time it started to sprinkle - then rain. After the driver's meeting the rain ended and I decided to mount the rains for warmup. I wanted to feel out the differences in the car after the corner-weight and the suspension tweaks as well as bed in the new pads and rotors all done by GP Racing. And I'd yet to run the set of Hoosier WETS that I picked up from a fellow Evo guy (Thx Marty). With the track still soaked and slick I didn't take too many chances with all the slower cars in our rungroup, but the times from warmup would set the grid for Qualifying. We'd be racing with 50 other cars including 30+ Spec Miatas and 5-6 Honda Challenge 2 cars that would all be running at best 10 seconds a lap slower; some would be 20-25 seconds a lap slower so you can imagine the closing speeds down the straightways we'd be seeing! Overall I ran a 2:07 and would be gridded 7th for quals.
I mounted up the new 265 BFGoodrich R1's for qualifying and really made no other changes. I new with all the cars in our group, it'd be difficult to get a clear lap after the first 1-2 laps so I'd need to hit it immediately which isn't ideal for tire pressures/temps - especially on brand new tires! Exiting the pit lanes for Quals, we have an immediate green track so I easily passed the 5 SM's in front of me prior to T2 and then modulated my speed enough to stay clear of them and setup for my qualifying laps. I ran about an 80% lap and all felt good until the first turn combination (T13-T14) where the car emitted a horrid high-pitched screech until throttle and I knew something was wrong. I wasn't sure if it was in the engine or the tires rubbing badly but I knew I wasn't going to improve on the crappy 1:42 I ran so I came in.
After quals, we had a host of changes to diagnose and attack. I opened the hood and pulled off the new undertray and started checking all the intercooler coupler connections - thinking that was the leaking screech sound. Everything up top looked good, but there was a loose connection with the LICP and that would be the issue - a simple one! So we fixed the LICP and tightened everything else up. I also took the opportunity to change the oil which was on my list to do that evening. And while we were at it we rolled the front fenders a bit at the DS showed some rubbing. We had about a 4.5hr gap before the race so there was plenty of time - it only got hotter as the day went on!
For the race itself I would be gridded 3rd overall in the first wave of about 10 cars. Wave #2 would be the SM's and the Honda Challenge guys would be 3rd; I think with a possible standing start. The start on the backstraight went fine, I was able to take 2nd and get right on the leaders butt. Coming onto the S/F straight I got a good run through T1 and took the inside line into T2 and the position. I led for about 3-4 laps I think as we started hitting the slowest of the traffic. My lead went away several times because of traffic and we actually traded the lead a few times working through traffic until around lap 8 when I made a bad traffic decision and was passed on the inside of T1 and then was gapped by more traffic slowing me down. Around lap #10 or so the pedal got a little soft; the brakes had been great until then - but nothing I couldn't work with. Oil temps were above 285 pretty much the entire time. The tires held well for the first 1/2 of the race, but the 2nd half my turn-in was crap. Race pace was 1:35-1:36 the entire way unless traffic slowed us which is just flying imo.
There were a few local yellows that I picked up some time through and about 6 cars off in 3 consecutive turns when I was gaining but a very very slow SM held me up and they checkered the race right after than on lap 14 and I'd take 2nd. I also broke the PTA track record with a 1:34.9 which was on my very first lap on a full fuel load. After the race I came in 55 lbs heavy too but I think the race ended maybe 2 laps early.
So we learned a ton from the race and how the car would change throughout the laps at Mid Ohio with respect to the tires and brakes. Traffic was horrible as you can see in the vid - and I knew that traffic management would determine the winner. David and I (1st and 2nd) both finished on the podium in TTA at last year's NASA Nationals so we knew each other's pace would be fierce.
Inside the car was; HOT. I'd been debating a coolsuit and wish I'd pulled the trigger. Ambient was low-mid 90's with zero clouds and racetime was 2:50pm.
All 3 of my ACD lights came on again; maybe 3 laps in and I think that was affecting rotation (or the new ballast in the trunk). The car itself ran great with respect to the Buschur tune - nothing to complain about there!
Entire race video from 6.30.2012 at Mid Ohio in the #929Evo:
Last edited by boomn29; Jul 5, 2012 at 09:01 AM.
Jul 5, 2012, 09:26 AM
#306
The R1's felt pretty good. They were a little slick the first 2 laps before they came up to pressure but that's normal. I've got some vid from Sunday quals where this is a lot more evident and I'll explain more. They def aren't as sticky as a Hoosier A6, but I think they're better than an R6 - but I haven't ran an R6 this wide before; just a 245 so that's not apples-to-apples. They felt good through lap 8 or so and then the turn-in fell off a bit.
The real factor for me is how they'll heatcycle as they get older. I've heard they do it pretty well, so we'll see...
Jul 6, 2012, 08:48 AM
#308
Only person I know of is CJ in the SCCA world on his X. I think he's on a 275. Similar to the A6 meaning you have to work to maintain it during a race.
There was an ST2 guy running the R1S last weekend I talked to, but he's in a super lightweight Lotus Exige. He said he couldn't tell a difference between the R1S and an A6.
There was an ST2 guy running the R1S last weekend I talked to, but he's in a super lightweight Lotus Exige. He said he couldn't tell a difference between the R1S and an A6.
Jul 10, 2012, 08:22 AM
#309
7.1.2012 - Qualifying
Finally had time to pull some more video from last weekend. This is vid from Qualifying on Sunday morning with the camera out back. Love the audio on this!
We were gridded for quals based on our warmup times - which I had a high 1:35x and was slotted first. We leave the pits to an immediate green flag, so I run about a 7/10's lap trying to heat the tires and maintain a decent gap but w/o catching the rear of the field.
Nailing it right away on the BFG R1 tires wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have a choice with 50+ cars in the field there was never going to be clear track. I had a skid right away in T1 that cost my .7 seconds in looking at my data.
I think the first lap was a 1:34.2 - if not for the skid in lap #1 it'd been a mid 1:33; and a low 1:33 had I not had to let off right at the end to dodge the black car. Lap #2 was worse; a 1:35x so I pulled it in after that. Man how I was missing the open track of TT at this point! My time still took pole position by a 1/2 second.
We were gridded for quals based on our warmup times - which I had a high 1:35x and was slotted first. We leave the pits to an immediate green flag, so I run about a 7/10's lap trying to heat the tires and maintain a decent gap but w/o catching the rear of the field.
Nailing it right away on the BFG R1 tires wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have a choice with 50+ cars in the field there was never going to be clear track. I had a skid right away in T1 that cost my .7 seconds in looking at my data.
I think the first lap was a 1:34.2 - if not for the skid in lap #1 it'd been a mid 1:33; and a low 1:33 had I not had to let off right at the end to dodge the black car. Lap #2 was worse; a 1:35x so I pulled it in after that. Man how I was missing the open track of TT at this point! My time still took pole position by a 1/2 second.
Jul 10, 2012, 09:04 AM
#311
It is awesome to see that view to see how you rocket out of the corners compared to the SM cars.
I did hear a couple small partial throttle hiccups coming up and over the left hand hill between Madness and Thundervalley. On your first lap you hammered it through there much more than I do. I think I'm too timid through that area.
I did hear a couple small partial throttle hiccups coming up and over the left hand hill between Madness and Thundervalley. On your first lap you hammered it through there much more than I do. I think I'm too timid through that area.
Jul 10, 2012, 09:09 AM
#313
Definitely a learning process... And I still say putting the 4 PTA cars in that rungroup was dangerous.
Jul 10, 2012, 10:07 AM
#315
Being my first ever race in the Lightning group back on Sat, it was a balancing act between what I thought was safe and how much I trusted those guys. I've driven an SM before and I dunno if they understand how fast some of us would be catching them. That and the fact that a majority of those guys don't care about contact; and I'm still on a rookie provisional license!
Definitely a learning process... And I still say putting the 4 PTA cars in that rungroup was dangerous.
Definitely a learning process... And I still say putting the 4 PTA cars in that rungroup was dangerous.
I would've asked them how much harder would've it been to have you guys run by yourselves. There should be some rule of thumb for the biggest lap delta you should have on a track at the same time...whether its seconds or percentage or both....