NASA HPDE3 vid - La Junta, CO, 6/10/06
Jun 14, 2006, 02:33 PM
#1
NASA HPDE3 vid - La Junta, CO, 6/10/06
This was last weekend at the most recent NASA Rocky Mountain track event. The track is in La Junta, CO, at the airport and is 1.5 miles long with 7 turns. I was in HPDE3 with 4 other cars (3 C5 Z06s and an '84 Dodge Charger race car). They all had race tires, but I started out on my 255/40-17 Falken Azeni RT-615 with the intent of putting on my V710s for the 3rd and 4th sessions in the afternoon.
Your choice of 4 vid locations (all the same but different quality):
YouTube
20MB (right-click/save-as)
100MB (right-click/save-as)
275MB (right-click/save-as)
The vid shows us in the 1st session learning the course for the first time. You can see many mistakes and can see how I was really struggling with the street tires, since I am used to racing on my V710s, so I was going too hot into most of the turns. When I pass the Charger, he screwed up and moved to the right instead of the left, so I had to slow down and wait for him to move left and signal before I could pass right. When I catch up to the yellow and silver Vettes, the silver guy also screwed by giving the pit signal instead of the pass signal, so that is why I slowed down there, too. The vid is chopped so that it doesn't show all the boring footage of me by myself, so that's why it jumps at certain places - not perfect editing.
The last lap of the vid was my fastest lap of 58.4s. The fastest lap of the weekend was a 57.4s by a World Speed Challenge SRT-4 (Chronohunter has raced/beaten him here locally), 2nd was an American Iron Z28 that ran 58.0s, then 3rd was the silver Z06 in this vid that I passed but driven by the father of the two in TTU - he dropped down to 57.8 on day 2. I never got to put on my V710s, because I blew out a brake pad that then killed my rotor with deep grooves, so I had to go home. I believe that I could have maybe surpassed the 57.4 by the SRT-4 - there's no guarantee, but it would have been fun trying, especially since I put down that 58.4 on my first session. The SRT-4 only did one session, so it's possible he could have eventually done better, too, had he kept racing.
Here's some pics:
http://performanceimagery.com/track/...ton/index.html
Your choice of 4 vid locations (all the same but different quality):
YouTube
20MB (right-click/save-as)
100MB (right-click/save-as)
275MB (right-click/save-as)
The vid shows us in the 1st session learning the course for the first time. You can see many mistakes and can see how I was really struggling with the street tires, since I am used to racing on my V710s, so I was going too hot into most of the turns. When I pass the Charger, he screwed up and moved to the right instead of the left, so I had to slow down and wait for him to move left and signal before I could pass right. When I catch up to the yellow and silver Vettes, the silver guy also screwed by giving the pit signal instead of the pass signal, so that is why I slowed down there, too. The vid is chopped so that it doesn't show all the boring footage of me by myself, so that's why it jumps at certain places - not perfect editing.
The last lap of the vid was my fastest lap of 58.4s. The fastest lap of the weekend was a 57.4s by a World Speed Challenge SRT-4 (Chronohunter has raced/beaten him here locally), 2nd was an American Iron Z28 that ran 58.0s, then 3rd was the silver Z06 in this vid that I passed but driven by the father of the two in TTU - he dropped down to 57.8 on day 2. I never got to put on my V710s, because I blew out a brake pad that then killed my rotor with deep grooves, so I had to go home. I believe that I could have maybe surpassed the 57.4 by the SRT-4 - there's no guarantee, but it would have been fun trying, especially since I put down that 58.4 on my first session. The SRT-4 only did one session, so it's possible he could have eventually done better, too, had he kept racing.
Here's some pics:
http://performanceimagery.com/track/...ton/index.html
Last edited by Warrtalon; Jun 14, 2006 at 02:43 PM.
Jun 14, 2006, 02:55 PM
#2
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Nice. HPDE is awesome. Too bad there's so much wind noise on the vid; can barely hear the exhaust note at times. Are you still on the stock suspension? And brake upgrades (minus pads)?
I'm surprised there wern't more people there. I am hoping to jump up to class 3 my next trip in August. I'd like to take my Evo but I'll probably puss out and take my Eclipse again. Don't want to wreck a car I'm still making payments on, but it's only a matter of time before it sees an open track. I've got some videos of my trips around the track, but the friggen battery died after only three runs on day one, so my best laps didn't get recorded... I'd post but they're ~ 130 meg.
How do you feel about your camera mount? It was a nice view out the front, but didn't get much of the driver... only shoulder movement during shifts and the hand on the wheel. I am going to try and fab one this weekend that will clamp to the holes in the passenger seat for an AutoX next weekend. Worth a shot... if it works out I'll post.
I'm surprised there wern't more people there. I am hoping to jump up to class 3 my next trip in August. I'd like to take my Evo but I'll probably puss out and take my Eclipse again. Don't want to wreck a car I'm still making payments on, but it's only a matter of time before it sees an open track. I've got some videos of my trips around the track, but the friggen battery died after only three runs on day one, so my best laps didn't get recorded... I'd post but they're ~ 130 meg.
How do you feel about your camera mount? It was a nice view out the front, but didn't get much of the driver... only shoulder movement during shifts and the hand on the wheel. I am going to try and fab one this weekend that will clamp to the holes in the passenger seat for an AutoX next weekend. Worth a shot... if it works out I'll post.
Jun 14, 2006, 03:00 PM
#3
1) Yeah, not many people, since this is a brand new region as of this season, and the track was in a remote location that resembled the setting for The Hills Have Eyes (scary). There are a lot more people in HPDE 1/2, so it's mainly HPDE3 that is light in numbers.
2) Stock suspension, but this was with my recent brake upgrade of slotted rotors, new pads, and fresh SuperBlue. Unfortunately, they didn't help much since the pads crumbled and killed the rotors while I was on course.
3) Yeah, the wind sucks. No winde filter on the camera, so I'll need to rig up some foam for next time.
4) I'm cool with the mount for now, since it required no fabrication or anything - it's just clamped straight to the LATCH system in the middle of the rear deck. I can point it down more to show my shifting, but that reduces track view. I need to find a happy medium.
5) My original file was 275MB, but I was able to edit and make it 100mb, 20mb, and then the compressed YouTube version. You can do the same with Windows Media Maker. I, too, lost my 2nd session vid when it cut off on lap 3 for some reason.
2) Stock suspension, but this was with my recent brake upgrade of slotted rotors, new pads, and fresh SuperBlue. Unfortunately, they didn't help much since the pads crumbled and killed the rotors while I was on course.
3) Yeah, the wind sucks. No winde filter on the camera, so I'll need to rig up some foam for next time.
4) I'm cool with the mount for now, since it required no fabrication or anything - it's just clamped straight to the LATCH system in the middle of the rear deck. I can point it down more to show my shifting, but that reduces track view. I need to find a happy medium.
5) My original file was 275MB, but I was able to edit and make it 100mb, 20mb, and then the compressed YouTube version. You can do the same with Windows Media Maker. I, too, lost my 2nd session vid when it cut off on lap 3 for some reason.
Jun 14, 2006, 03:50 PM
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It's odd you mentioned "The Hills Have Eyes" because not more than 2 minutes later there was an ad for that on TV... guess it's coming out on DVD soon. Wierd.
Sucks about your brake pad... what brand was it? I had HAwk HP+ in the front, and the Hawk HP's (I think that's what they're called) in the rear. They lasted pretty well the whole weekend but began hurting pretty badly at the end of Sunday... I was hoping to get two weekends out of them. Mid-Ohio is a pretty open track and hard of brakes. There's that back straight that's ~ 1/4 mile plus where I was at about 130, then the schicane [sp?]. I had Valvoline synth 502* BP, as well as some ducting from the fog-light holes which helped a ton. Anyway, I am just glad I didn't have boiling brake fluid like I did the last time. Now I just have to do something about my oil temps.
Anyway, I am in the process of chopping the quality of my vids. I'll put some of each in one and try and upload it to Photobucket or something... just to get a perspective of the 'front seat camera mount'.
Sucks about your brake pad... what brand was it? I had HAwk HP+ in the front, and the Hawk HP's (I think that's what they're called) in the rear. They lasted pretty well the whole weekend but began hurting pretty badly at the end of Sunday... I was hoping to get two weekends out of them. Mid-Ohio is a pretty open track and hard of brakes. There's that back straight that's ~ 1/4 mile plus where I was at about 130, then the schicane [sp?]. I had Valvoline synth 502* BP, as well as some ducting from the fog-light holes which helped a ton. Anyway, I am just glad I didn't have boiling brake fluid like I did the last time. Now I just have to do something about my oil temps.
Anyway, I am in the process of chopping the quality of my vids. I'll put some of each in one and try and upload it to Photobucket or something... just to get a perspective of the 'front seat camera mount'.
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Jun 14, 2006, 04:42 PM
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I'd be leary of using a set of pads that I didn't know who made them...
Anyway, here's my video. It's two chopped together. The first part was my third run and the second part was my second run. I can't believe how timid I was being
. Ah well, just feeling the car out and the track... I was on street tires the whole weekend.
I really like being able to see the tach, so I like the angle of the first part, though the second part shows a little more track. Same deal, have to find a happy medium.
Hopefully this works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbXJUsRv-wU
Anyway, here's my video. It's two chopped together. The first part was my third run and the second part was my second run. I can't believe how timid I was being
. Ah well, just feeling the car out and the track... I was on street tires the whole weekend.I really like being able to see the tach, so I like the angle of the first part, though the second part shows a little more track. Same deal, have to find a happy medium.
Hopefully this works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbXJUsRv-wU
Jun 15, 2006, 04:45 PM
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Good Job....2nd Nil's comment regarding the red mist.
Looking at some of the tracks that folks drive on, I thank God for the quality and variety of tracks we have in California....That track looks like a driveway with corners.
Looking at some of the tracks that folks drive on, I thank God for the quality and variety of tracks we have in California....That track looks like a driveway with corners.
Jun 15, 2006, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by hagakure
Good Job....2nd Nil's comment regarding the red mist.
Looking at some of the tracks that folks drive on, I thank God for the quality and variety of tracks we have in California....That track looks like a driveway with corners.
Looking at some of the tracks that folks drive on, I thank God for the quality and variety of tracks we have in California....That track looks like a driveway with corners.
Jun 15, 2006, 07:11 PM
#12
Yeah, not much to choose from out here in CO, but at least we have a NASA region - it only started this year.
We have an incredible track in our region, Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, but that is over _600_ miles from here. The two closer ones really are rough gravel roads out in the middle of the desert. This last one is on some abandoned runways, and the other one nearby is a drag strip that makes up the 1/2-mile straight, haha.
Guys, what are these "red mist" references? Guess I need to look that up, heh.
We have an incredible track in our region, Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, but that is over _600_ miles from here. The two closer ones really are rough gravel roads out in the middle of the desert. This last one is on some abandoned runways, and the other one nearby is a drag strip that makes up the 1/2-mile straight, haha.
Guys, what are these "red mist" references? Guess I need to look that up, heh.
Jun 15, 2006, 07:26 PM
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Red mist refers to driving in anger, so to speak. The truest words you will ever hear related to competitive driving is to "slow down to go fast". When you are relaxed and in a rhythm you will be smooth and quick. When are consumed by catching back up after making a mistake or getting that past that guy that chopped you off 3 corners ago, you won't be smooth and consequently you won't be fast. I watched a guy this past weekend jump the start in a race, get a stop and go, and then almost pitch the car off the track on EVERY LAP trying to catch up. It didn't work.
That being said, I didn't watch the whole video so I'm not sure if there was a specific incident they are referring to or not.
That being said, I didn't watch the whole video so I'm not sure if there was a specific incident they are referring to or not.
Jun 15, 2006, 07:31 PM
#14
Yeah, I wasn't sure what they were referring to either. I caught and passed each car easily, but I _do_ agree with the "red mist" notion, because in the 2nd session, the lead instructor had me turn my boost all the way down and put the fastest Z06 in front of me. My challenge was to rely on proper driving to overcome the loss of power in the effort to keep up with the Z06. It went well, because I kept up for 4 laps and was having to let off on the straight each time, because I didn't want him to give me the pass signal. Well, I messed up a little on one turn and lost some ground, but then I tried to rush and catch up, which led to mistake after mistake. When I was right behind him and in a groove, it was a breeze.
Nils and Hagakure, where did you see some red mist action?
992gnt, watch the whole thing! My fastest lap was the last one on the vid, so I'm curious to hear comments (mostly critiques). I have a lot to learn...
Nils and Hagakure, where did you see some red mist action?
992gnt, watch the whole thing! My fastest lap was the last one on the vid, so I'm curious to hear comments (mostly critiques). I have a lot to learn...
Jun 15, 2006, 08:00 PM
#15
Not too bad. I'd try to break a little sooner, chop the inside of those sharper corners and really power out of them. Just my .02 after a track day with an instructor.
That track is kinda neat. Not very wide at all, but there's plenty of runoff just in case which can be comforting.
That track is kinda neat. Not very wide at all, but there's plenty of runoff just in case which can be comforting.