NASA HPDE Newbie

[Billy Mild]

Originally Posted by RussMcB

Sorry. For some reason I assumed you owned a trailer. For your situation, you can probably do fine without the hassle of getting a rental trailer.

Will you have a buddy or two come with you to help out? Maybe one with a pickup truck? :-)

I will be on my own most likely. I know people who do run those days, but I won't be going with them by any means.

[Demps]

You'll be fine. Go for it! Take good notes because you'll be doing it again.

Ted

[lbszr]

Ontackinsurance.com is coverage for your car on the track if you would want it. I know some people at the track that have used them and they paid for repairs without hassle. About 2000 deductible though.

[Billy Mild]

In an attempt to make sure my car will be up to snuff for this track day I attempted to correct a few things. My oil lines were leaking, and what I can tell is the only oil leak I have currently. I also wanted to remove and clean my radiator of any debris.

I have been working on this process last night and most of today. During the "putting everything back together" phase my lower shroud was a little hard to get lined up. I end up getting it lined up and then I noticed that my radiator started to leak. One of the end tank seals had let go.

Is this a sign that I need to take my Regal GS to the track day? Haha.

[Billy Mild]

I got the new radiator in tonight. I pressured tested everything before putting the car back together. It appears nothing is leaking. I even forgot to put one of the clamps one the coolant hose. It all stayed together. I ran the engine up to temp on jackstands. It appears to running cooler. I topped off the surge tank while the engine was running.

Now to replace one front wheel bearing and I should be done for the track day.

[lbszr]

Sounds like your doing a good tech inspection. Have fun. Once your hooked and can't stop taking it to the trackLet me know when you want take the trip to NCM track, it would be good to have More than 1 zr1 there.

[Billy Mild]

Made it through my first NASA HPDE run. It was a lot of fun. The instructor that rode with me had a C7Z06. It is his first Corvette. Him telling me that reminded me to turn on the power key for the first run. I kept it pretty conservative on the first run, per their recommendations. The instructor mentioned at one point that my car pulled really strong and really throws you back in the seat. After he said that, I responded with, "It's that LT5 engine". Overall the I did decent on the first run, had one mistake where I forgot to let the clutch out before the turn. That made the rear end slide out a bit.

My second run was not good. I was overly aggressive, and overdrove my tires a bit. The pressures were a little too high when hot. They were around 40-42 PSI hot. At the recommendation of my mechanic I lowered them down to 34-35 PSI hot. That seemed to help with my 3rd run.

The 3rd run I noticed the car was down on power by a lot. That could only mean one thing, no secondaries. I looked down and realized the power key was on normal power, not full. I flipped the key on, but it seemed the secondaries never came on during that run. I did hit my highest speed, but I ended up getting passed by a lot of people due to lack of power on the straight away.

Overall great time. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to drive these cars how they should be driven. The ZR-1 handled it like a champ. My coolant and oil temps were well within normal range. I'm glad I cleaned my oil cooler and condenser along with putting in a new radiator. This seemed to keep my temps down.

[lbszr]

Does that track use part of the oval bank?

[Billy Mild]

Originally Posted by lbszr

Does that track use part of the oval bank?

Yes it does. Top speed I heard was 173 MPH during a time trial. This was achieved by a 911 GT3RS.

[lbszr]

Originally Posted by Billy Mild

Yes it does. Top speed I heard was 173 MPH during a time trial. This was achieved by a 911 GT3RS.

I have Daytona on my list, your track might have to get added to my bucket list also.

What angle is the bank? I found a track map, but it doesn't show details.