A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the way to the Forum

[LancePearson]

You can see we are ALL interested and living vicariously with you in the driver's seat. Thanks so much for posting and more details as asked for will be thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.

Good man and good videos. I even looked the course up while watching them. Your Z can be pushed harder than they let you when you are ready for it. Great job sharing among us all who are fellow owners and really, really like things like you did and shared.

Congrats and gracias...now, more details, por favor?

Lance

[LancePearson]

the course as I saw it online Watkins Glen

[LancePearson]

that's the elevation map of the course...here's the course that's online..sorry.

[Bob Eyres]

Wow, thanks for the ride. If you go out again, please post.

That's a great track. Back in the day, (late sixties), we used to sit on the hill and watch Jim Hall battle Bruce McLaren in Group 7. What a show.

Next time, more sound please

[Hotdogand6pack]

Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with work and 'Unwinding' from the event.

The event was the June Event Series at the Glen hosted by PhoenixCMR. I would have never even heard of it had it not been for the owner of my company who is an instructor for them and also races NARRA and SCCA events across the country.

Yes, it was an HDPE event, High Performance Driver Education. Supposedly 'non competitive.' My instructor was a highly qualified SCCA race driver named Keith. He is an extremely aggressive driver, as am I. Our personalities matched perfectly as he understood my Z's limitations and he coached me to push them at every opportunity. I think he loved my Z more than me as he races a modified race configured C5 Z06.

My first few sessions were poor. I spent the time learning the track, and the car. I was passed by the entire 25 car field. It is what it is. My instructor was the technical sort, and I as the student was the technical sort. It worked out. Give me the variables to the equation, then I'll solve it. We went through topics as in depth as thrust vectors in turns, suspension reactivity, and torque relative to the liquification of the tires. And that was on the first session, let alone learning where the flag stations were.... He was a 'Nerd' and I soaked up every nugget of knowledge he dropped on me.

This was my very first time on a track of any kind. Beit the Glen or anywhere else. I was new to all of it. We had 4 sessions a day for 2 days. I lost a session and a half to rain the first day, which because I chose to run in the rain taught me a lot about handling at high speeds might have taught me a thing or two about the car.

I was on the track with those that knew the track by heart and those who have been there before and have done this sort of routine. I was the novice in the field of experts. I found myself ahead of the learned curve on the second day after the rain. The video is of two sessions during the second day.

My setup:

Corsa Exhaust
K&N air filter
tossaway centric rotors
Hawk HP+ pads
Vredstein ZR rated tires (mostly worn)
SS braided brake lines from DRM
NGK TR6's from DRM
Haibeck's air plenum support hoops
New Oil Cooler lines from Jerry
Air pump filter from corvette central.

Everything else, stock

[Hotdogand6pack]

Though now, I'm leaning towards hitting the drivetrain with a Fidanza single mass and 4.10's from Marc and a carolina stage3 clutch. And new wheel bearings so I can have working original ones in a box.

[Hotdogand6pack]

Oh, as far as the back straight goes, I short shifted to 4th as 3rd had too much torque for the esses. Too easy to make a mistake. Idea is to have a machine to bring back. Back straight speeds corresponded to my exit speeds out of turn 1 (90 before the esses) If I missed it, about 120-125, if I hit it about 130-135. I'm sure I could hit 150, but for being a first timer, I just didn't have the balls to hit the esses with enough entry speed to carry that kind of exit speed.

[4DSZR1]

Great driving and great videos. You made us all proud of our "old girls" :-)

[SteelBlueZR1]

So, how'd the Vredstein Sessentra's hold up to the track abuse? I've auto crossed with these tires on my Z several times and loved how forgiving and predictable they are + no edge wear or cupping.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Simply awesome........nothing else to say here. Thanks for sharing!!