Hammer wrote:Great work Bryan. Even with the limitations you mentioned above, you're over a second faster on the RE55s compared to the Adrenalins.
Where in Wakefield do you think you're gaining the most time with the RE55s? And what's the different in the feel between the two?
I was making up time pretty much everywhere except in the fishhook (???). Looking at my "typical best" split times with the circuit divided into 7 sectors ...
There's more time to be saved in turn 2 (I was braking too early), possibly turn 3 (flat, no lift?), and definitely turn 8. The big differences in feel between the two were the extra feedback you get through the steering (helps with sensing understeer), and the ability to brake harder (haven't checked the PBox data yet). But they're also trickier to find a quick lap with because they take a couple of laps to grip, and then you need to manage traffic to get a clear run. During the middle of the day I was getting frustrated because I kept catching traffic on my 3rd and 4th laps.
Interesting to note that the Wakefield owners have widened the little concrete pad at the turn-in point for turn 3. It's wider and has less lip on it than I remember. I'll get some screen grabs from my spycam video to demonstrate the difference.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
hamx5ter wrote:1:16:17 wow.. What an awesome time Guran. You just keep lifting the bar for us mere mortals!
When are we ever gonna catch you?
Never fear. I'll be back on Adrenalins for the next club trackday, so expect my times to climb back into the 1:18s. Given a bit more practice, I'm sure you'll be joining me there soon enough.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
Practice??? ... i'm hoping to make it to the c/club trackday on monday if a) spots still left and b) wifey doesn't have a fit...
Thanks for the pbox data and the tip about RaceChrono. It's awesome that I could just export all the data to Performance Tools and your track data was super awesome to compare with. I can see some improvements coming my way, but geez Bryan 1:16 on stock NA6? I'd be pleased if I can get that time on my (now modded - ss / lsd / braced / achilles) NB8A! ... aaaaauuugh!!!!
But where you've been spending on mods, I've been spending on trackday entry fees and fuel.
Get yourself a harness Deen. Makes a big difference in the corners if you're not sliding around in the seat with the stock belt. And you can use it with the stock seat. Good luck on Monday at the CC trackday!
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
I'll stop hijacking your thread Guran, but i forgot to mention one mod - sparco sprint v, which made a big diff at the last track outing.
No more mods, i promise!
About the c/club day, went to the website just after my post and they're sold out. Guess i'll have to just wait for another club day that falls on the w/e, or hit the SOTS (at least i have timing now).
I'll be doing a SOTS in July sometime, and will let you know when in case you'd like to join me. But it'll be midweek so not sure if that helps. Actually I won't be driving. I've given a friend an all-expenses-paid trackday in my MX-5 as a birthday present. It's time I delivered with the present.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
Guran wrote:Interesting to note that the Wakefield owners have widened the little concrete pad at the turn-in point for turn 3. It's wider and has less lip on it than I remember. I'll get some screen grabs from my spycam video to demonstrate the difference.
Whoops! Bum steer there. The serrated ripple strip at turn 3 entry has just been painted blue/white sometime between December and May. For some strange reason I didn't notice at the doubleheader back in May!
6th Dec 2009
3rd May 2010
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
My last visit to Wakefield Park for the double-header in early May was a bit disappointing since I struggled to match the pace of previous visits. This time though, I was running with RE55S semi-slicks for the first time at Wakefield, and had high hopes of improving my PB (1:17.72). I had also discovered that the current 1A record at Wakefield was 1:17.29 by a bloke named Kenny Tan in a Honda Civic, way back in 2006. I had plenty of inspiration go fast today.
There were 76 drivers entered and the day started at around 5C with a heavy fog that lifted by the time of the first run. Luckily the scattered showers that were forecast never arrived and the entire day was cool and dry.
Run 1: The warm-up and first laps were both very slippery as the tyres were cold, the track was cold, and there was bugger-all grip. On lap 2, I set a new PB of 1:17.102 despite running wide onto the dirt in the fishhook. On lap 3, I caught up to Charles Shipway's Fairmont at turn 4 and managed to get past him on the inside between 4 and 5, but it cost me a couple of seconds. My last lap was clear, and even though I was a bit tentative in turns 4 and 5, and had a slight lock-up into the fishhook, I had another new PB of 1:16.770! This was my first visit to the 16s in Little Reddy. I could have gone home now and still been thrilled with the day's effort.
Video of my 1:16.770 lap
Run 2: Glenn Thomas (1B NB8B) wanted to follow behind me on this run and check my lines, but that idea went out the window when I overcooked turn 2 at the start of the first lap and had to make my way back from the grass. So now I was following Glenn, at least until the back straight on lap 2 (1:18.02) when he waved me past. On lap 3, with Glenn following close behind again, I had a good run until turn 4, but drifted wide on exit and then had to pass the Fairmont on turn 10: lap time was 1:17.049. On the last lap I didn't quite have enough pace to pass Dweezle's NA6, so slotted in behind him up the hill and got some nice video of his rear suspension pogoing on the corners (his shocks were busted), before he spun at the fishhook. Very entertaining! After crossing the finish line, I kept pushing with the intention of practicing turns 2 to 8, but had a bit too much drift in turn 5 and ran wide onto the dirt for a bit. It turned out that this first split (up to turn 5) was actually my best of the day.
Video of Dweezle's spin, courtesy of his Youtube channel
Run 3: This run started well with a 1:17.555 and then 1:17.391, but I caught the Fairmont at turn 2 of the third lap and was fast catching a string of cars ahead. Lap 3 was a 1:17.292 and then on the final lap I had a yellow flag because Tony Chan's Celica had understeered through the last corner, and I finished with a time of 1:17.568. Hmmm. Back in the pit garage, I forgot to turn off the gum camera while I went off to lunch, which filled up the memory card unnecessarily and also wasted the battery. Bugger.
Run 4: Again, this run started well with a 1:17.785, then a 1:17.304, and I was on a flyer with the third lap on target to drop into the mid 16s easily (44.0s up to the end of the 2nd split in the fishhook - my best split time of the day). But I had to overtake a slow car at turn 10 which stuffed the lap. This third lap was 1:17.687, but would have been at least a second quicker without traffic. I caught more traffic at turn 5 on the fourth lap and had a 1:17.667. We were given a fifth lap for some unknown reason, and after the frustration of dealing with the slower cars, I carried too much speed through turn 4, drifted off the top of the circuit into the dirt and had a wild ride around the outside of turn 5. Final lap was 1:19.426. Maybe it would have been all worth it to watch the video afterwards. However, the memory card on the camera had filled up and I got no video for the entire run. Grrr.
Run 5: After clearing some space on the camera memory card, my fifth run was virtually a replica of the previous one. Two clear laps to warm the tyres: 1:17.375 and 1:17.298. The third lap was on track to drop into the 16s again, until I caught a Commodore at turn 9 which added a second to the lap (1:17.584). Then the bugger planted it on the straight and overtook me, which ruined my fourth lap too (1:21.764). It goes without saying that I was getting bloody frustrated by now.
Run 6: This time I got lucky with the division of the groups, and managed to be first on the grid behind Bradley Cecil's Evo. I had a 1:17.478 on lap 1, and lap 2 started well with a 25.3s first split that was only 0.2s off my best. Then I overcooked turn 5 and spun off into the dirt. Back on the track, lap 2 finished with 1:26.882. Lap 3 was right on the money except for a slight hesitation on turn 5 (understandable!), and I crossed the line for a 1:16.176 - my new PB. I hit traffic again on lap 4 which held me up from turn 2 to turn 8 (1:19.693). I was delighted with this run! Only problem was that the camera battery ran out on the first lap so I didn't capture any of my PB lap on video.
Run 7: I didn't think I'd get another run but joined the queue immediately after returning to the pits, and managed to tag onto the end of the final run of the day. Lap 1 was a 1:17.047. On lap 2 I ran wide on turn 5 again and went for another dirt excursion (4th for the day!), before getting back on track for a time of 1:18.640. The last two laps were heavenly - no traffic, and the corners flowed nicely. I ended the day with a 1:16.476 and 1:16.944.
The final wash-up (1:16.176) was that I finished 3rd in class 1B behind Paul Bower XR4 (1:15.466), and Tony Chan Celica (1:15.482), but ahead of Ian Vickers NB8A (1:16.826), and Glenn Thomas (1:17.373). Better still, my new PB was also a new Class 1A record for NSW Supersprints at Wakefield Park!
After five rounds, the MX-5 Club is still leading the club championship on 555 points, followed by NSWRRC on 518, and ARDC on 428. With Stewart Temesvary missing this round, I'm still running 2nd in both the Type 1 and Class 1B pointscores.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
The graph below shows a 1:17.7 lap on Adrenalins (15th Aug 2009, BLUE line) compared with a 1:16.2 lap on RE55S semi-slicks (5th Jun 2010, RED line). Both are timed from the MX-5 Club start/finish line in the fishhook. You can see that I carried heaps more speed through turns 2, 3, 4, 5 and even a bit extra in the 110km/hr flat-in-3rd turns 6 and 9. That's the benefit of semi-slicks over street tyres.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
CoffeeBoss wrote:Wow - massive congrats on the PB! 1:16:176... that's rather quick. I know some NA8 drivers who would agree *snigger*
Thanks.
I've had the RE55S experience driving a friend's car, and I've hankered after a set of my own ever since. They really do provide lots of grip.
How are they on breakaway, Bryan?
I'm very impressed with the RE55S but admittedly don't have any experience with other R specs to compare. I still had my share of spins. Provided that they were up to temperature, they gave up grip in a much more gradual way than the Adrenalins. But with the extra grip, I found it harder to drift them through turn 5. It was a case of too little (slow and no drift) or too much (run wide onto the dirt). With only 4 laps per run, a lap or two to get tyres up to temperature and then two hot laps, with traffic to dodge, it takes a lot more focus to get in a good lap. More practice required.
Participating in any of the club shenanigans in the Highlands this weekend? If so, we may finally catch up!
I'll be at the club trackday on Monday but can't make the events on Sunday as I'll be at the Wakefield Park Supersprint. Busy on Saturday too (watching World Cup football and flushing brake fluid / prepping for two trackdays).
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
After taking Alex to play football in the under 6s, I spent the remainder of the morning changing the brake fluid and fitting the semi-slicks for tomorrow's Supersprint at Wakefield Park. The old fluid was Penrite 525 Super (275C dry, 183C wet) which was all I could find on the shelves last time (they were out of Castrol Response Super, 286C dry, 184C wet). It lasted four months including six trackdays: three at Wakefield Park, two at Eastern Creek, one at Phillip Island. The fluid was definitely past it, as I was getting a soft brake pedal at my last trackday. I got much better life out of the Castrol fluid. This time around, I couldn't get any Castrol fluid ... AGAIN ... so I've gone with Nulon XBF which has the same boiling points (286C dry, 184C wet). Should at least be better than the Penrite stuff.
Also noticed last night that one of my front parker lights had blown so I fitted a pair of replacements this morning.
Standard 2006 NC - YouTube WP 1:11.89 | SMP-S 1:05.90 GP 1:54.93 N 1:18.09 L 2:22.49 | PW 1:02.52 PI 2:00.55 | W-S 1:12.44 W-L 1:43.36 | SR 1:33.25
I've been running RBF600 in my car for over a year now without really changing it and I've never had fade on it. I've actually only flushed it once since I've had the car (3 years ago). I know it's only supposed to last a year but with periodic flushing of the caliper which was just when I changed pads it's been fantastic. I literally just open the valve when I push the old pads back to evacuate the fluid. It was $30 for half a litre but that did the whole car. I probaly only use 2 sets of pads a year.
Never fear. I'll be back on Adrenalins for the next club trackday, so expect my times to climb back into the 1:18s. Given a bit more practice, I'm sure you'll be joining me there soon enough.
