Thunderhill - NorCal Shelby Spring event

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Sieg

Ron - Here's the last session, first 15 minutes was short shifting to avoid being flagged so I was attempting to stay on the throttle a little longer, brake a little deeper, and utilize more track when traffic allowed. 2:18-2:20's were the results. The last few laps were a little more aggressive......then the battery died. I'm certain those laps were in the 2:06-2:07 range.

So you suddenly found that the rev limiter is like 2000 rpm's higher than where you've been driving it? I had to run some carb cleaner in it when I got home to clear the carbon buildup out....

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

So you suddenly found that the rev limiter is like 2000 rpm's higher than where you've been driving it? I had to run some carb cleaner in it when I got home to clear the carbon buildup out....

Ha ha Ha!

What I feared most next to answering your "what corner did you run out of talent" question and hearing about it for 600 miles was the jerks waving this flag at me:

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I bet Ron is enjoying it just as much. I can imagine that helping a pro driver with a set up race car is a game of fractions and a lack of appreciation. No pressure to win, huge gains, and a fun spirit has to be a breath of fresh air.

Bingo!

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by Damn True

Particularly true in endurance racing given the tremendous disparities in speeds between the faster and slower classes.

So true ...True.

Sure ... you want to be fast on the perfect line. But more important is you need a car that will drive well on most any line.

We even saw this in SCCA Formula Fords. It is a 4 class group running, with FF cars all typically up front. In a short time you're coming up on slower cars to lap ... with fast competitors on your tail. You can't wait for the "perfect passing opportunity." To win, you gotta take unconventional lines ... and you need a car/suspension set-up that will do it.

So believe or not, we're on a high travel/low roll set-up in FF. Of course high travel is relative. Our front springs are half the rate of the rest of the field and the sway bar is on full stiff. This makes the car turn better & drive well in a wider range of lines.

Where our competitors' cars were typically soft on the bar & stiff on the front springs. Their higher roll angle (again relative to other FFs) makes the cars more edgy. It can be fast, but not as forgiving. You need to run the perfect line & be super smooth with high roll angles.

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by Sieg

Ron - Here's the last session, first 15 minutes was short shifting to avoid being flagged so I was attempting to stay on the throttle a little longer, brake a little deeper, and utilize more track when traffic allowed. 2:18-2:20's were the results. The last few laps were a little more aggressive......then the battery died. I'm certain those laps were in the 2:06-2:07 range.

The second half of that was looking pretty good. I thought we had you at a 2:13 best in the last session ... yes?

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by Ron Sutton

The second half of that was looking pretty good. I thought we had you at a 2:13 best in the last session ... yes?

I caught one relatively clean lap on one of my video's that was 2:11......coincidence?
I'm going to put a stopwatch on the video just for fun.

Have I mentioned that car is an absolute riot to drive!

The amount of grip leaves you pondering how much talent you left on your pit table.

Edit: 2:13-2:14 is what you told me. Most laps were typically 2:15-2:20.
Still haven't found that miracle lap.......

[Ron in SoCal]

[on.soapbox]

"Running out of talent"

Sieg not directed at you at all but I personally hate that phrase when describing driver/on track issues issues. If one were to describe a heroic effort at a best lap or race win and didn't quite get there, that'd be technically correct IMO. OTOH, if you're not driving at the edge, you're not tying hard enough. Why would anyone describe that as running out of talent?? No one here has ever gone off track? Is that running out of talent? Sheet, I hit the cones on the local go kart track. Now that's talent!

We're all amatuers here last I checked. If someone is a better driver than another and makes a joke because someone 'ran out of talent' than that's just assinine. F'n superiority complex and hanging out with the wrong crowd I'd say, cause that's not who most of us here are.

Lastly, if describing 'that guy' on the track (not you Sieg), than I think it's probably the 'proper' use of the phrase.

Been meaning to say this for a long time. JMHO...back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[/off.soapbox]

[Sieg]

When you're attempting to keep up with faster drivers or riders as in my motorcycle past, no matter if it's recreational or organized racing, I feel it is very accurate in describing the fact that you were driving or riding over your head in an attempt to keep pace with someone you knew was faster.......and in that case I absolutely perceive it as running out of talent and on bikes it hurts, sometimes real bad!

[73CPCAMARO]

Originally Posted by Track Junky

That's pretty much what he did with Greg. Doesn't get much more low budget than his Mustang. Last I heard Hobaugh did a 2:06 at T-Hill with cyclone on slicks. Greg's at 2:08

I wish I was out there with you guys. I was in Marina playing with pylons instead. I plan on getting on the new track this summer.

The 2:06 I did was on the Michelin Super Sports. The last time I was there I was running 2:03's with my Camaro on the Super Sports. I am running about 8-9 10ths of my comfort level. I really want to push it a bit more next time. I will also try the Falken's next time.

Brian

[FETorino]

It appears "running out of talent" has become an idiom within the PT community. It's figurative meaning is different than it's literal meaning.

For some, not all, the Figurative meaning is meant as an insult to someone's driving skills. If you've seen it used this way Bad Ron, then I understand why you don't care for it's use.

Now if Sieg wants to describe himself as "running out of talent" certainly no harm no foul. Self deprecation is a good way to ease the tension when you feel uncomfortable about something.

Of course it doesn't make sense literally in the context it was used because Sieg never had any talent to begin with; so he couldn't have run out. But figuratively we knew what he meant.