Perhaps it's odd to think about school and Fall coming soon, but that always seems to happen to me when I'm getting school supplies and clothes for the kids. But there is always an invincible summer in me when it comes to cars and driving! Albert Camus was spot on.
Despite the lack of posts, its been a busy month in and around cars for me and hopefully for you as well! Since the 7/20 autocross, there was talk of a MassTuning day down at ADSI, but that fell through unfortunately. I was going to help orient the MassTuning folks to the ADSI course and was looking forward to it. But the cancellation kept me from having to take a day away from a nice vacation in Newport with family - so I lived up to my ACF principles! I know you are all very proud of me.
The next event was very kid-oriented: attending kart racing camp. And not me, but my 7 year old.
It was at F1 Boston and used both the indoor and outdoor tracks. The kids did two days on the country course. Then one indoor on the city course. And then two days on the outdoor course. The days ran from 9am to 1pm-ish. There was a ton of seat time for all the kids. The indoor courses saw three run groups of about seven or eight karts in each group. They ran in sequence for the whole time. The outdoor track was even more intense.
Two sections of the track were used simultaneously so the bigger kids had a section all to their own. The two younger classes shared a track and ran sequentially. It was hot outdoors but luckily not extremely so. One eight year old girl named Ireland won my heart as she battled (often successfully) against experienced kids who were years older than her. She had no experience coming in, but was the only one who wanted to compete so much that she sought out advice as to the best lines around corners on the track! I hope she sticks with it.
A look at the outdoor section used by the youngest run groups:
My son got his competition license at the end of the week and is now officially able to race in the Junior Division at F1. And of course he isn't really too keen to do so. Something tells me I'm going to have to pull my daughter's hands from the kart when she becomes old enough for this camp.
As soon as that week was up, there was some more adult-oriented fun in store: my first day at the new Thompson Speedway road course!!! To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was up at 3am on the day raring to go. Our fellow member, Attilio, was tremendously kind to invite me to attend and I'll forever be in his debt for an amazing time!
Attilio and I set off from his house in the morning after perusing a few new tools in his garage. We arrived less than an hour later and checked in. They had coffee and some breakfast items ready, which was very nice. We were offered places inside the garage, which was great for getting out of the sun and not overheating during the day.
If you don't have a garage spot, it would be wise to bring a tent or some shelter from the sun of some sort. Putting on a helment and race suit ("snowmobile suit" as one funny participant called it) out in the summer, along with other fire-safety gear and racing gloves makes for a very hot day even when you're not in the sun.
We did a quick meeting to go over the plan for the day and some general safety reminders ("it's not a race, it's for fun. Passing zones are limited to specific sections and via a point-by...") and then the advanced folks were released for their first session. Us amateur newbies stuck around a bit longer for info about flagging, lines on the track, and some other good reminder tidbits of track etiquette.
When the green (beginner) run group's turn came up, it was go time! Attilio's coach, Mark, started to set the tone of the day for him and looked to be a valuable asset for providing instruction and mentorship. I had done a fair amount of video-watching and visualization to prep for my time out on track. What you can't watch or visualize unfortunately is the feel and grip of the track. That you have to get out and experience. On cold tires in the morning, there were a couple of turns that felt downright slippery. Turn 6 that goes under the bridge wasn't quite like glass, but if you bin it there, you hit the embankment. But you'd really have to work to do that.
The next turn on the inside of the oval has a transition in pavement grip from the old oval track with copious amounts of rubber and a good, rough surface to the smooth new pavement near the apex, and then back onto the oval surface. It was rather tricky to pick the right entry speed there not knowing if you'd be able to hold it through the apex. But powering out felt very nice. The turn off the oval was also a bit of a nail-biter. Its quite blind and rather wide at entry so you need experience to figure out where to even start figuring it out. I don't think I have a handle on it yet even after a day under my belt. The straight was lots of fun. As you take the last turn before the straight and try to get the power down early and hard, you then come over a crest that throws you up into the air a bit. I had fun timing my shift from 3rd to 4th right about there. I saw about 115mph on the straight before hauling things down for the hairpin at the end (turn 1).
Braking points were suggested in a rather conservative manner and I don't disagree with that approach at all. But I often I outbraked and overslowed the car going into turn 1. But it wasn't a race and I was 0% likely to win anything and stood to lose something if I screwed up. So outbraking myself was just fine. The highlight of the day for me was the last session where a fast, new Camaro came up behind me and looked to be a bit quicker than me (see lap 2 in the video below). So I pointed him by on the small straight of the oval. And the chase began. I wanted to see if I could hang with him.
Turns out I was almost quick enough to keep up, catching up in braking zones and some turns. But on the straights, he became a blur at times. It was great training to line up perfectly for the straights and get into the power early. Only then could I keep him from dusting me down the long stretches. We weren't racing, but we were (at least I was) having a blast! I had hoped to be around the 1:30s for lap times having watched the videos from other drivers. And it turned out my best time as 1:27.92! I was very happy with that. I was a little less happy with how squeaky my brakes were, but I had just put on some Pagid RS29 Yellow race pads on all four corners. They sure did haul me down from speed nicely, but oh, the noise. I just kept imagining I was driving a garbage truck. They didn't improve with heat but they didn't squeal if you really stomped on them. So they were actually good training to brake correctly - hard and in a straight line.
The day ended early for me as I had to get the kids from the summer camp bus stop. But I'll live that day in my mind many, many more times over the next few weeks.
So what's next you ask?
- Well, we've got an ADSI autocross event on 8/17 (Sunday). Attilio and I will be there and hopefully Fred in his Aston. Rich and his M3 will likely be there. Hopefully you will too!
- Then there is another F1 Boston endurance karting event Monday 8/18 but not sure if I'll have a co-driver for it (Alex? Anyone?).
- 8/24 will see us heading back to Thompson for the Wicked Big Track Day event that should be tons of fun. We'll see how lots of tuned up Subarus make out on the track.
- Then Labor Day and school.
- One more low key event that you shouldn't miss is the Porsche Club concours event down in Newport at the Elms Mansion on 9/6 Saturday 10am. My son and I went on a whim when they last held it a few years ago. And it was epic. The venue is so gorgeous and with cars, man! Great cars! Just put it on your calendar now and thank me later. And let me know you're coming so we can meet up!
Hope your summer has been outstanding and keep sliding sideways!