Lateral-g Forums - 1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

So... Yesterday I got my first real shot at doing what I have wanted to do since I started planning to build TOW many years ago. A full-on track day! There is a track outside of Austin that is owned and operated by a full-time racer in the World Challenge series (previously in the Grand Am series until this season), racing a Lotus Evora. They've had the track open for 8 years, and they do regular schools and private lessons for those interested. $500 gets you a 4-hour private lesson with an instructor, and probably all of the track time you can stand during that day...

After you pass through 2-levels of their school, you become qualified to come out for open track sessions on any day they have them. Which is basically any day they don't have a school scheduled. I'm going to find a day to do the private lesson in the next couple of months so that I am qualified to do the open days soon.

TOW did great for most of the day! There were 8 of us there for the class, and during most of the day, we ran in groups of 4. Here's part of the crowd:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pstsl9mvax.jpg

'13 Grand Sport, '13 Boss 302, Carrera 4s, Ferrari California (gorgeous car!), and not pictures were a Mercedes ML550 (yes, an SUV), a newer Shelby Mustang (the supercharged version), and this (just for you, Weld!):

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psdtnbgs33.jpg

And the Ferrari:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps9gkbut1i.jpg

The track is a 0.7 mile course with 7 turns. There are 2 high-speed sustained left handers, an off-camber right hander, a decreasing radius long turn, and a straightaway. It's a fun and pretty technical track for its size.

http://www.drivewayaustin.com/images...hortcourse.jpg

You never know what to expect with a class like this. 3 of the guys were doing it from gifts they had received, 2 (the Ferrari and Boss) were young guys (the Ferrari is the guy's mother's car!), and a couple of us who seemed to take it pretty seriously. The R8 driver was one who did. We were in opposite groups, so I got to watch him drive. The car sounded like a boat going down the straight (it is the V8 version), but it sure was smooth around the track.

Anyway, long story short, I put 52 miles on the car, which means about 70-75 laps. The best time of the day was when I was a passenger of the School's chief instructor (who is also the current driver of the WC Lotus). He could throw TOW around and do stuff that I definitely wasn't comfortable doing myself. They guys watching were saying he was carrying the left front tire after we used a curb to get through a turn, but they couldn't get a picture for me. That's too bad...

I discovered that I suck at heel-toe shifting/braking, even though I thought I was pretty decent at it. I only shifted twice on the track, and the downshift was at a tricky spot going into the tightest turn, so I struggled with the timing. During my last session, I just left her in 3rd gear and did a lot better with the line. The problem I had then was I kept catching people. I pulled into the pits 3 times to separate myself from the other drivers, as I was a bit faster than they were... (the Ferrari, Boss, and Porsche were in my group, and the Boss was the one I didn't pass, but I was catching him)

I got a little feedback from Scott, the WC driver, on the car setup. He felt she is well balanced, and he suggested that I soften up the front shocks a bit, but otherwise said she felt good. I personally was struggle with the power brakes some, I couldn't modulate them well, but that's also me getting used to the car. That got better during the day. The other thing is the accelerator pedal is a bit twitchy, and both drivers that drove with me in the car had to get used to that also.

The only thing that was a problem was my oil pressure light came on during my last session. I noticed it during one of the long left handers. I looked at the gauge, and I had pressure, but it was low. So I backed her down and took it easy the rest of the session. I was concerned this could be a problem with my oil pan, but when I checked the level today, I discovered that it's low about a quart. Not sure why, there are no leaks, but I haven't checked my catch can yet. So I topped it off today and will keep an eye on it.

TOW didn't escape completely unscathed unfortunately... I managed to take out 3 cones during the day, the same one twice exiting the turn onto the front straight. :) The second time was a bit ugly, I completely blew turn 7 and went way wide. Actually straddled the rumple strip on the outside and clobbered the cone there. I'm thankful that Eric used Plasticote on the front spoiler, some minor touchup may be required. ;) Also put a cone rash on the lower fender, but it should buff out...

It's interesting how sore I am today after the day of driving. I have a blister on my hand, and my back and hips are sore from keeping myself in place. But I don't care, it was a complete blast, and I cannot wait to get out there again!!!

More of these days to come, and soon! I have an auto-x next weekend at an airport, which should be a fun course, then another one at a different road course (the one that RTTA came to 2 years ago), then GG in Fort Worth. So the next track day will come after that...