Miata-Track Day

[aeronca65t]

OK, this isn't exactly *British* car racing, so I'll leave it off the "Racing" Forum.....anyway, it's not really racing (it's time trail, with restricted passing).

I took the Miata to a ~C.A.R.T.~ event on Friday. I have lots of old friends in this club so it was great to see them again
(and we did some good grog and suds afterwards )

As it happened, I beat two SpecMiatas (plus others) and got First Place in class for C Stock in my well-worn daily driver.

~CLICK HERE~ to see photos from the event.

Here's an in-car video from the Miata (I spun at about 1:30 in this video):

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Some random photos.....

 

[DrEntropy]

I'd say t'were a bit daamp out there!

Neat photos, Nial. Thanks!

 

[Silverghost]

OK, this isn't exactly *British* car racing,

It was grey, wet, limited visibility.....sounds EXACTLY like British car racing to me!!! :laugh: LoL

Congrats on your finish, btw!!

 

[Eric]

Nice video - looks like fun. It was the lure of HPDE that got me out of my GT6 and into the Miata, which can take the pounding of track driving and shrug it off. Big, noisy fun! Looks like it was pretty wet, but you can see your tire tracks in the rear-facing shots - nice smooth turn in. Also nice to see a Miata passing a Vette!

I prefer passing Porsches! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qdl4j-4Jn0

If you've never done a track school, I highly recommend it. But beware - it's addictive.

 

[aeronca65t]

Hey, nice little track up there.

Yeah, it's fun to pass faster cars, even if they *should* be able to murder you.

Check out the first 30 seconds of ~This Video~ ....it's me hounding my pal Steve in his Porsche 996 with my $500 Escort GT NASA racer. He *still* hasn't lived this down.

By the way, some of the Vettes last week were impressively driven (considering their weight and size). But EVOs and Subies are the hot ticket on a wet day.

I have instucted at track day sessions, but I'm not crazy about it. I've done 140 mph in the right seat of a street Mustang with a total stranger. Just normal seat belts; no roll cage, etc. Not my favourite thing to do.

As for regular wheel-to-wheel racing......I'm ~Way Beyond Addiction~

 

[Eric]

Ah, the classic Porsche line through the corner! :crazy:

I understand your reservations about instructing. A good friend of mine (long time racer) who does some instructing (and introduced me to the addiction) has similar reservations. When he started instructing about 20 years ago (BMWCCA) people were coming out with 150 - 200 hp cars. Now people show up with Vipers and 500 hp Corvettes that are faster in a straight line than many race cars. My friend raced his 200 hp BMW 2002 with a full cage, 5 point belts, HANS, etc then goes faster in a student's Z06 with R compound tires. Many of the instructors are having 2nd thoughts about that. I would.

 

[Silverghost]

Maybe I am naive but doesn't the old adage you must learn to crawl before you can walk also apply to racing? Shouldn't it?? Just because you have the money doesn't mean you have the brains....imho.

 

[DrEntropy]

I've friends who "instruct". Track days in Porsches and BMWs. Plenty of stories of wannabe race drivers with more imagination than sense.

:shocked:

Personally, I learned long ago I don't belong in an open-wheel racing machine. Knees turn to umm... jelly... now at anything over 100. :smirk:

 

[Eric]

Maybe I am naive but doesn't the old adage you must learn to crawl before you can walk also apply to racing? Shouldn't it??

That's what a sane person would think, but what does that have to do with how the world works? :eeek: The really stupid part is that these track days aren't races - no trophies for the steely-eyed, square-jawed heros at the end of the day. There are always one or two doofuses (doofi?) whose Michael Schumacher fantasies get the better of them and end up being unteachable.

For those who can keep their ego in check, listen and learn, these events are huge fun. The ones I've been to, the organizers keep a pretty tight rein on the yahoos so it's a pretty safe environment.

 

[swift6]

Whenever I have attended a track day my only competition has been myself. I go to improve my skills. If I am lucky enough to get a ride along with an instructor then I value their input and try to better my times. If I actually pass someone then that is pure gravy for the day. Since they are not races, I follow my lap times. I've been to a few track days where just about everyone on the track had the same attitude as I did and those were a blast! But all it takes is one without that attitude and if you encounter them on the track it can ruin your whole day.

Just my thoughts and experience on the subject...

 

[DrEntropy]

But all it takes is one without that attitude and if you encounter them on the track it can ruin your whole day.

Johnny Gofast can do that. Glad that cooler heads are nearby!