Mazdeuce does One Lap

Someone did it in an Ariel Atom last year. They're signed up again. Couldn't have been THAT bad.

They probably saved a lot of time. Don't have to stop and eat when you have mouthfuls of bugs all day

mazdeuce wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: How much lap time do you actually get in the One Lap? The schedule shows 14 3-hour blocks for "time trial". But with 100-odd cars, you're not going to be on track for the full 3 hours. If you assume four 25-car groups running for 20 minutes, that gives you roughly 45 minutes of track time per time trial. That's a half track day. If those assumptions are correct, you'll go through the equivalent of 7 track days.

The people I've talked to say this is about right. The fast guys actually spend less time on track. They've got about two good fast laps before they overheat street tires. They go out twice. Set a good time, pack up and hit the road. It's us slow people that actually spend more time on track. Some fun math off that schedule you posted. The V burns about four gallons of gas in a 20 minute session. There are 14 track events, estimate 28 sessions, or 112 gallons of gas on track. Add to that 3245 miles of transit at 18mpg (if we baby it) is another 180 gallons of gas. It's 1112 miles from my house to Tire rack, so 2224 miles round trip for another 123 gallons of gas. If we don't take any side trips and baby the car we can estimate using 415 gallons of gas. Of course the V demands premium. If oil prices stay down we might average $2.50 per gallon (I paid $2.07 in Texas the morning for premium) so I should budget $1037.50, just for gas. I'll keep track of the real numbers of course, but it's good to plan.

I think my diesel bill for the 2011 Targa Newfoundland was $4000 I'd have to go back into the spreadsheets to find out what the car ate.

With only a handful of laps per day, it sounds as if your brakes should be fine. And while Andy has that autox mojo, I know he also did his homework and visited a number of the tracks beforehand.

You could get up to Hallett as early as March for a track day, maybe earlier, no problem.

Does iRacing or any of the game consoles have all the tracks so you could at least have an idea of corners and such?

Thanks for posting this. This has long been on the list of things I will never get around to doing.

I'm going to have to decide how much I want to 'prepare' and how much I just want to roll with it. I talked with a group of time trial guys at the last NASA event. Very fast guys, setting track records and such, and they suggested to one of the really fast guys who was thinking of doing it to just go and have fun his first year. They said they format and the pace of the event make it pretty unique on the pointy end of the field and you need at least one time through to get a feel for how to do it.
I actually know one of the guys in my class. He was a housemate of my wife in college and they ran cross country together. I think this is his ninth One Lap.

berkeley, I really am under the gun, aren't I? Alright... time to get off my ass.

Wally wrote: Thanks for posting this. This has long been on the list of things I will never get around to doing.

It's that whole 'never get around to' part that has me doing this.
I didn't grow up in a car family, but one of my best friends did, and his dad subscribed to car magazines. From seventh grade until we graduated the very first thing I did when I went to his house after school was check to see what was new on the coffee table. I remember reading about One Lap every year and must have read about every event from 1988-94. For a small town Midwestern kid who had never even seen a road course, One Lap was as exotic as Paris Dakar or LeMans.
When I bought the CTS-V I flew to Dallas to pick it up. When I got back I was telling my wife what and incredible car it was and how it would be the perfect car for One Lap. Then I had to explain what One Lap was and showed her a GRM with Andy Hollis on the cover in his Civic. She asked me when it was and I looked it up. She said since her mom (who is a CPA) was retiring after this tax season, I should call and see if she could come watch the kids.
What? Really?
She laid it out like this. I'm a stay at home dad, I have been for almost 13 years now, I have four kids. I'm at a very narrow crossroads where I don't have any little ones at home full time, but I don't have any in highschool yet. My in-laws are still young enough to be healthy and easily able to take care of the kids, which they do for one long weekend a year while I go up north. Now is a good time. Once I have kids in highschool and college this will be much harder. I won't have them out of the house for 12 more years and at least 16 for college. I have the car and the opportunity and I might as well do it.
So, like everything good in my life, I have my wife to thank for this. For encluraging me to do it now and not wait until I get around to it.

A perfect storm of awesome.

needs moar BOV plumbed to tuba mouthpiece

In reply to mazdeuce:

Once again mazdeuce proves he has the world's most awesome wife.

mazdeuce wrote:

Wally wrote: Thanks for posting this. This has long been on the list of things I will never get around to doing.

It's that whole 'never get around to' part that has me doing this. I didn't grow up in a car family, but one of my best friends did, and his dad subscribed to car magazines. From seventh grade until we graduated the very first thing I did when I went to his house after school was check to see what was new on the coffee table. I remember reading about One Lap every year and must have read about every event from 1988-94. For a small town Midwestern kid who had never even seen a road course, One Lap was as exotic as Paris Dakar or LeMans. When I bought the CTS-V I flew to Dallas to pick it up. When I got back I was telling my wife what and incredible car it was and how it would be the perfect car for One Lap. Then I had to explain what One Lap was and showed her a GRM with Andy Hollis on the cover in his Civic. She asked me when it was and I looked it up. She said since her mom (who is a CPA) was retiring after this tax season, I should call and see if she could come watch the kids. What? Really? She laid it out like this. I'm a stay at home dad, I have been for almost 13 years now, I have four kids. I'm at a very narrow crossroads where I don't have any little ones at home full time, but I don't have any in highschool yet. My in-laws are still young enough to be healthy and easily able to take care of the kids, which they do for one long weekend a year while I go up north. Now is a good time. Once I have kids in highschool and college this will be much harder. I won't have them out of the house for 12 more years and at least 16 for college. I have the car and the opportunity and I might as well do it. So, like everything good in my life, I have my wife to thank for this. For encluraging me to do it now and not wait until I get around to it.

I'm showing this post to my wife tonight, then I'll tell her the costs.

My wife has given me approval and knows costs but she gets new kitchen floors and cabinets first.

So that has me doing it in like 2018.

Loving this.

Trailer: As for the recommendation on the trailer...
The Rec Vehicle and Motor Home Hall of Fame is located just 25 miles from The Tire Rack. Most all of the larger manufactures are located right in that area.
Could it be possible to get sponsorship from one of these manufacturers and get a "loaner" for the week?
Could you just rent one?
"We'll only need it for 7 days." No mention of how many miles expected to travel.

Tuba and self promotion:
I was going to suggest that there is a huge music retail and warehouse at the same exit as The Rack, but...
Research shows that the location may have been closed. The business was named Woodwind and Brass.
I was hoping that they could get an all tuba band together for your send off and return.
Could you possibly use the power of social media to get tuba players to gather at the various tracks and "trumpet" your arrival?

You need Darth Vader's tear drop trailer.

Inspiration

Definitely just go and have fun. After spectating several times and participating in 2007 I can tell you that the guys at the top of the field tend to be professional drivers. Basically hired guns so to speak and the cars they're driving are uber prepped rockets like heavily modded GTR's, 911 Turbos etc.

Basically any finish in the top 20 is a great accomplishment, but you should just go to have a good time. The only prep I'd do is new brake fluid and maybe a more track oriented set of brake pads.

Just paid the rest of the entry.
And called Tire Rack and ordered my tires.
While Mrs. Deuce watched.
It was.....uncomfortable.

mazdeuce wrote: Someone did it in an Ariel Atom last year. They're signed up again. Couldn't have been THAT bad.

I think I just saw that car at this year's Amelia Island C&C event.

Keith Tanner wrote:

icaneat50eggs wrote: Strap it to the roof and figure out how to get some compressed air up there. My son just started playing the tuba in 6th grade this year. Those were some interesting noises at first. And you can get tuba and kid to school in a miata

Luckily, Cadillac equipped the engine with an air compressor. You could use the tuba as a boost annunciator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8DAAF9KHyM

• tuba = AWESOME

mazdeuce wrote: Someone did it in an Ariel Atom last year. They're signed up again. Couldn't have been THAT bad.

Maybe they just have short memories.

It's kinda like, in 2012, I drove the penalty box to Tulsa to go rallycrossing. I stopped partway home and cried at my sister because life in the car sucked so much and I just wanted the suckage to end (she was the only person on my contacts list to answer the phone)

Ten months later: Go to Tulsa again? Sounds awesome! (Drives someone else's car. A quiet Subaru)

Twelve months later than that: Hey, I know, I'll drive the penalty box to Nebraska this year! What could possibly go wrong? (Also: Brought earplugs and muffs)

I'm not sure how I missed all this back in January, but I'm glad I found it now. I'll be following this one as close as I do your other threads.

mazdeuce wrote: Brock Yates just called to chat and give me some pointers and to let me know he's reading this thread.

Just for clarification, you're talking about Brock Jr., right?

JohnRW1621 wrote: I was going to suggest that there is a huge music retail and warehouse at the same exit as The Rack, but... Research shows that the location may have been closed. The business was named Woodwind and Brass.

They are gone. I bought an expensive double French horn here. And twice I've bought and had tires installed at The Tire Rack. I've spent a lot of money in South Bend and I never attended Notre Dame.

Yes, Brock Jr. He introduced himself as Brock Yates, no Jr., so I decided to roll with it. I'm looking forward to meeting him in person.

Unrelated, you need to call Tire Rack to order your tires, for two reasons. 1. They brand them. With a branding iron. I'll post pictures when they arrive. 2. You get a tire discount. This may vary with brand or some other factor, in my case it was the cost of one tire. Pretty sweet.

Vacation time submitted to see you guys at NCM. Can't wait!!!