December club track day

[gsu003]

OK.........you've seen it from the inside at the movies, now view it from the outside

[Blesif]

I ran towards the tail of Group 4 and no front runners came close so it all worked well. Everyone seemed to have a good day and the organisers did a super job keeping everything moving. I waited a little longer in the garage between sprints but spent noticeably less time on the dummy grid so quite happy with how the day panned out. Could have had 6 runs but stopped after 5 . Quite a few packed up early so that sped things up in the afternoon.

[Apu]

Thanks for all the positive feedback. The club officials very much appreciate hearing they've done a good job. Please share your feedback with competition@mx5.com.au.

The minute of engine noise for Russell Battisson was a wonderful tribute. Well done to Mike for organising this.

Must admit that I was amazed to get six runs after starting the day with 93 registered drivers. There were a few no-shows, but it was still a very full field. Great work by Joe on the dummy grid and Chris on the PA, who both kept the day flowing smoothly as the groups consolidated in the afternoon. Also, well done to all drivers for managing to avoid lost time for the recovery vehicle. I don't recall seeing any such stoppages.

What was the general thought on having 14 cars per group? We normally run up to 12 cars per group. It didn't make any difference to me, but I was positioned in the middle of my group. Did the group leaders have any issues with catching slow cars at the tail?

Bryan,

14 cars can get a bit cramped. In my first session as soon as I caught the Holden ute ahead of me, the checkered flag came out so, it was a half lap of not making an effort to pass but just backing off and being safe. That said, if I had tyres that were worn in, I might have caught him a bit sooner and had a go at it.

At the same time, I made one small mistake in the third session and Trevor was all over me. So the gap between cars isn't big - it's enough to have space, but if you make a mistake you'll have a fight on your hands (which is also fun!)

I do however think the sessions are too short. 6 minute sessions are less than 5 laps.

I honestly think that most attendees would pay a few more dollars - look at Circuit Club as an example. They charge $220(?) and still have a 60-70 car turnout. With that, you can have longer sessions, take a bit more time and have more than one opportunity to put in a good lap each session.

Bryan

[badface]

OK.........you've seen it from the inside at the movies, now view it from the outside

love it! haha Thanks for the snaps mate

[Tony]

With 14 cars per group, the timing between cars as they enter the track becomes crucial. While I didn't have any issues this weekend, it could very well become a problem if not managed precisely.

For example, I was toward the rear of Group 1 and I did notice on a couple of runs that I was just entering the track as Matilda was passing through the Fish Hook. Assuming she was half way through a lap and I was 6 seconds a lap slower, theoretically she would have caught me in about 5 laps; and I wasn't the last one in the group either.

Unless there is a specific need for it, my vote is for 12 cars per group.

[zossy1]

OK.........you've seen it from the inside at the movies, now view it from the outside

I have a much better view of this... ;)

[badface]

OK.........you've seen it from the inside at the movies, now view it from the outside

I have a much better view of this... ;)

Would very much like to see this!

[david_syd_au]

Hey Baden,
Doing a spin out got you featured in the story after you first track day. It won;t work again!

Speaking of which, may I have a volunteer to write a story on the Sun 8th Dec track day please?
Nothing too difficult, just the facts, and a personal touch is always nice!

[Blesif]

Despite not having any issues on the day with the 14 cars in my group I agree with both Apu and Tony. 6 minutes is too short a run when there are 14 cars e.g. on my first outing the checkered flag was popped out right as I approached the line so I (and the next bloke) only got 4 laps whereas the 12 in front of us got 5. With a 12 car field this wouldn't have happened so in fairness, and to allow for the glitches that will inevitably crop up, session times need to be slightly longer or we should stick to the 12 car format. My vote is for 12 cars. Were we being softened up to agree to bigger fields with the way the event was run over the weekend? If so, I would like this to be debated openly.

[Apu]

I should have also commented that it was a very well run day as they always are. It shows that the organisers have this down pat. Everyone knows their part, it is so well conducted (given there were 90 cars!).

Good effort on the logistics etc...but I'd really like fewer sessions, but more time in each session - otherwise, with 7 groups, 6 minutes each...we're waiting at least 45 minutes, then having a 6 minute run.

I don't mind waiting 45 minutes, but I would like a 10 minute run (as an example)

[Dan]

What was the general thought on having 14 cars per group? We normally run up to 12 cars per group. It didn't make any difference to me, but I was positioned in the middle of my group. Did the group leaders have any issues with catching slow cars at the tail?

I didn’t have a problem with the 14 car group, slightly longer sessions would be welcome though if you are running bigger groups.

The work at the dummy grid asking for times and sorting the groups when they were combining sessions later in the day was very good at keeping the groups lined up properly.

[hamx5ter]

The SOTS days have quite long sessions, can't remember if they were 15 or 20 minutes each, and that's great for building consistency, but longer sessions does mean you will wind up lapping slower cars, plus you may not get faster times as the tyres start to heat up too. Back in the ancient days, I found that the quickest times each session came in laps 2-4 and the rest just settling into a nice rhythm.

I wouldn't mind 6-8 minute sessions, but with longer sessions , a half lap cool down is not nearly enough, I think. the long sessions work at sots because their start /finish give you a full1 lap cool down

Just being a contrarian

Oh, I'm not really keen to spend $220. . . works for circuit club, but keeping costs down is always a better thing for asocial club.

[Apu]

I agree with you Deen. I've been on a couple of "open pit lane" private days and anything longer starts to wear heavily on the car - brakes, tyres, etc and you end up needing a longer cooling off period.

So again, I think 10 minutes works well.

[cwto24]

I found myself caught up and unable to overtake on 3 of the 5 sessions i ran. Impacted my times but i still managed a PB of 1:13:66 according to club's times. My data logger got my best as 1:13:91 but thats with the main straight as the start.

I was quite happy with the day, i ended up slowing down on some laps to give some leeway from me and the car in front of me.

[gsu003]

I took a few photo's at the weekend............well, let's just say there are more than a few so allow yourself some time to go through them and find your car.
I can't guarentee that I took a shot of each competitors car so I appologise if you go through a large Pizza and a six pack and not find a photo of your car.
The photo's start with the early runs and then about the last two runs. In between I was in the pits doing some tyre research and I could hear some serious tyre squeel out on the track so I dare say that I missed a few good shots but maybe you didn't want those incidents to be shared around anyway.
Just click on the link and sit back.

http://s1237.photobucket.com/user/sail4 ... 3406982426