My Track School Day
#1808184
04/20/15 11:09 PM
04/20/15 11:09 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664 IN
ahy
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664
IN
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I thought I'd share a bit about my drivers school day. I joined the NSSCC club and signed up for a day of HSAX training at Blackhawk Raceway. Mitch joined for the day as unofficial coach.
An early morning to get to the track then tech inspection at 7:00 AM. Spare tire, jack and tool box out and numbers on. Even the glove compartment had to be emptied.
There were about 12 students in the HSAX class with a mix of cars... 2 or 3 Corvettes, Mustangs, a Pontiac, a gen 2 Neon and a Audi TT. A nice bunch in all. The school was very organized and ran on or ahead of schedule all day.
I got paired up with Bill as instructor... an experienced racer and very patient with a newby. On the first "station wagon" laps in Bill's new Challenger he asked about my experience... easy answer, zero. Then into my old Challenger. All morning and into the early afternoon, we got 10-15 min of track time each hour. Very intense and lots of fun. Each time working on technique and picking up the pace. The car did great with exception of rear brakes... more on that later. The nut behind the wheel needs more practice.
An HSAX run has a standing start... like a drag race. It took some practice to get launched smoothly and feather the throttle through 2'nd gear to avoid spinning then into the first turn.
At first I was fighting moderate excess rear brake bias... its close with weight in the trunk but not so good emptied out. As the day continued it got worse. The Challenger goes right down the straights... ~80-90 on the short straight and ~120 on the long straight so the brakes get a workout. I can tell you what happens if the left rear locks up coming into a hard right corner... not pretty. I caught it a few times driving 7/10's on the slower corners... and was pretty conservative at the end of the straights. The front brakes (13" PBR/Cobra type) hung in all day with no appreciable fade but slight warpage of the rotors.
After lunch, I asked Bill what we were going to work on... he said going faster. OK faster it is. Trying to drive 10/10's and locking that rear wheel on a slower hard right put me in the grass... no damage save my pride. After that I stayed at 7/10's and almost got used to the locking left rear... there it goes again!
Last part of the day is timed runs... we did 4 each. The school official who delivered my times was very nice and told me each one was better than the last... improvement and welcome to come back (could have said much improvement needed!).
Attached are a few action pics. Also what my rear brakes looked like when I pulled them down the next day... one completely toasted and one oiled. Drum brakes and repeated HS braking do not get along well, even on the rear.
What's next? I'm working with Dr Diff on a better rear brake setup and may add front cooling ducts. Then more practice to tighten up the "nut behind the wheel". Maybe then run a competitive HSAX event.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day!
Last edited by ahy; 04/20/15 11:12 PM.
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: ahy]
#1808188
04/20/15 11:14 PM
04/20/15 11:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664 IN
ahy
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664
IN
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More pics
Last edited by ahy; 04/20/15 11:15 PM.
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: ahy]
#1808192
04/20/15 11:20 PM
04/20/15 11:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664 IN
ahy
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664
IN
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And my poor brakes
Last edited by ahy; 04/20/15 11:21 PM.
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: ahy]
#1808334
04/21/15 02:46 AM
04/21/15 02:46 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302 Nebraska
72Swinger
master
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master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302
Nebraska
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Have you ever bolted your rear tires and wheels on the front to see if they fit and clear?
Mopar to the bone!!!
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: Jerry]
#1808551
04/21/15 12:39 PM
04/21/15 12:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,440 NW Chicago suburban area
Mopar Mitch
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,440
NW Chicago suburban area
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It was great to have Andrew come out with his stunning Challenger... he had a great fun time! I'll be getting my car out there (Blackhawk Farms) for the wknd HPDE/HSAX event on June 6 (5 Fri camping, 6 HPDE/HSAX, 7 W2W Pace Car duties). www.mcscc.org see schedule Another "driver's school" (mostly track time) will be held on wknd of July 3/4 (but I can't make that event). Those interested and within reasonable driving distance... come on out and meet up with us sometime!
Mopar Mitch
"Road racers and autocrossers go in deeper and come out harder!"... and rain never stops us from having fun with our cars... in fact, it makes us better drivers!
Check out MOPAR ACTION MAGAZINE, August 2006 issue for feature article and specs on my autocross T/A!
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: Jerry]
#1808581
04/21/15 01:16 PM
04/21/15 01:16 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,649 On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,649
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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do you think the 1" torsion bars are stiff enough? no. Now you'll have to say just what you'll be doing with that car. And what car it is.
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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Re: My Track School Day
[Re: ThermoQuad]
#1818388
05/04/15 12:27 PM
05/04/15 12:27 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,385 Pikes Peak Country
TC@HP2
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,385
Pikes Peak Country
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Ahy, And lastly-you guys need to pay attention about motor mounts and torque straps from those who have been there & done that. Your right side collector is showing in the photo which is an LARGE sign that the engine pushing very hard on the right side motor mount and exhaust hangers - twisting in place. Solid mounts are not the answer but a pair schumaker style torques straps are. Tom, I'm curious about your experience of solid mounts vs a pair of torque straps and why you recommend the straps over solid mounts.
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