I was there as well. Same group in fact...silver x. That was my 3rd time on a road course. I had a blast getting spanked by the R8 and a few porcshes. Kept up with the rest of the group though

 

Its all good, J5 . Props to my wife for taking em great pics.

 

awsome vid and enjoy all u can :] if i get a second evo (i will lol) imma track that one and my white one for drag.

 

The only turn at RA where the Evo felt poorly was turn 7. Flat, fairly tight sweeper that just made the car want to plow (understeer). But yeah, on the back straight especially, they walked me .

That does look nice! He was on all-seasons? That would make for tough sledding in an S2k. Very capable cars, but they can be a bit twitchy in the rear, not good when coupled with non-performance rubber. One of the RX8 guys I know was right behind him when it happened and said the rear end just washed out on that right turn exiting 4 and entering the esses.

I'm through till next year. I am debating trying to make the NASA-SE event at CMP in Feb. Drove that track a few weeks ago for the first time and really liked it. But last year it SNOWED at the Feb CMP event, so I don't know. Here's a vid from CMP of me chasing down a SpecE30.

http://vimeo.com/16718038

Autosports Events does an HPDE at Nashville Super Speedway in March that I will probably go to. It's run by a couple of Spec E30 racers who put on a well organized event. It's only 45 minutes from the house. The track is your typical Roval (Road course in a tri-oval) where you run on the front and back straights with lots of turns in the infield. Nowhere near the fun of RA or CMP, but cheap and a lot of track time.

 

That's a super clean X you are driving! Very nice.

 

looks like you are picking it up fast and whoever taught you did good. Nice and smooth...

 

I always love reading stories like this.

 

Definitely helped me. Thank you for sharing your experience. Also kudos for jumping in with both feet at your age. I'm the "glass is half empty" type and worry with every passing year (I'm 22) that it might be too late to really get into racing.

Good luck and nice driving!

Also a question for the other track guys here. Is it normal for road racing to kill an Evo transfer case? Drag racing is well known but road racing? Really?

 

Good Stuff Jim! Keep up the good Work!

 

Not sure about racing, but Evo VIII & IX seem to be pretty robust for spirited lapping. I haven't had a problem (knock or wood) nor have the 4 or 5 guys I know who track their Evos.

To the OP - you're not that old

 

Very well written OP. I've never road raced but the decision has been made that next year is going to be a racing year. Get some laps under my belt and see if its for me. I'm the guy that mods the car to be fast then lern how to manage it later.. maybe the wrong way to go around it as you stated. I'm currently building an FP black setup with meth (already cammed and such) but am wondering if my 500HP goal is going to be too much of a wild animal to handle under track conditions. I have to think about this a little more.. I daily drive my evo (winter and summer) and need reliability. I think im in a bit of a pickle here.

anyways sorry to thread jack on you there but just letting you know (because you may be my dad [i'm 20]) that your post means something to us young guys that just want the "go fast" evo. Don't act like i'm the only one!!!!!

 

great post, I love reading stories like these. thanks for sharing.

 

Driving an already modded car is harder to learn than starting with a stock vehicle, but it's doable. Just remember you have to be real humble and tame out there. It's NOT A RACE. Even when a Miata with 100whp passes you, just use that as motivation to get better over time. Don't think that just because you have an evo that there will be no way a civic or miata can pass you, because believe me it will happen.

 

Glad it was useful. Evo TCases seem to be a hit or miss proposition. I did buy my car used and I think it saw a fair amount of launches before I got it. I don't think track driving is all that hard on them if you change fluids regularly (I change my Tcase every 2 events). I suspect some damamge was done by the prior owner and the prolonged heat and stress of track driving brought it out.

500whp on the track is serious. I'm in the 370 range and one of the biggest things you have to watch for is as you throttle in through corners, the engine comes on boost pretty strong. Also with 500whp you need to look at SERIOUS brake upgrades. More HP means more straigthtaway speed and the brakes absorb that punishement. Dedicated track pads, SS lines, Good Fluid, even brake ducting (for the fronts) are all good ideas. I also recently added the Ti shims between the pads and caliper pistons.

^This x 100. I've blown by guys in $100k+ cars. I've also been schooled by a gutted race prep Civic on the track. I've got one vid of me trying to run down a SpecE30 BMW at CMP. I do, but it was work. CMP is not a HP track so despite me having probably close to a 200 hp advantage, running down an 89 4-door E30 was a job.

Ease into it, drive within your comfort zone until you are ready to start expanding that zone. Pay as little attention as possible to how fast/slow the other cars out there are. Never hit the track real tired (mentally as well as physically) and never hit the track if anything about your car is questionable. Listen to your instructor.

I was lapping at 1:49 at RA on Saturday. Sunday before lunch I had a friend (also instructor) ride along for some pointers. He really helped me get the turn 2-3-4 transition smoothed out, it dropped me 2 seconds a lap to 1:47 (in clean traffic). Never be too proud or stubborn to solicit advice from those who can help.

 

How rigorous is the process of getting a TT license? Id really like to get into track driving. HPDE's look like a ton of fun, just dont see any in NY...