Mazdeuce - Seth does One Lap 2019

Moar from NCM...

I ended up having to run off for part of the session, as nature called, but that meant I got this shot...

Back to the action...

with some Duebler apexes...

and Amanda trailbraking it in...

Now we get to our run group...

Not long after...

Fortunately mazdeuce stabilized the gap...

And grabbed the final track checkered flag

That Durango looks like my D350 felt body roll wise.

EDIT: Oh so there were 2 Durangos. Took me an unreasonable amount of time to notice.

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

Now we get to our run group...

 

 

 

 

That picture is rad. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before but I forgot the track a bit at NCM. On the out lap I thought the blind crest coming into 8 is where you open it up and just trust that the track is there. This is NOT the case and you actually need to wait for 8 to get done before you open it up. That had me all the way over the outside curbing, onto the runoff apron and within a foot or so of of the grass before I got it all gathered up. Kind of blew my confidence a bit. I like the track more than I did the last time I drove it, but man oh man do I need to go do about 100 laps there to get comfortable before I go fast. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

Now we get to our run group...

 

 

 

 

That picture is rad. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before but I forgot the track a bit at NCM. On the out lap I thought the blind crest coming into 8 is where you open it up and just trust that the track is there. This is NOT the case and you actually need to wait for 8 to get done before you open it up. That had me all the way over the outside curbing, onto the runoff apron and within a foot or so of of the grass before I got it all gathered up. Kind of blew my confidence a bit. I like the track more than I did the last time I drove it, *but man oh man do I need to go do about 100 laps there to get comfortable before I go fast*. 

I couldn't bold it from my phone so I made asterisks. Has conversation come up from anyone doing One Lap about practicing on SIM rigs, or just trying to learn the courses through racing games?

Not every track is available, but the ones that are have been digitally recreated very very accurately.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

Now we get to our run group...

 

 

 

 

That picture is rad. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before but I forgot the track a bit at NCM. On the out lap I thought the blind crest coming into 8 is where you open it up and just trust that the track is there. This is NOT the case and you actually need to wait for 8 to get done before you open it up. That had me all the way over the outside curbing, onto the runoff apron and within a foot or so of of the grass before I got it all gathered up. Kind of blew my confidence a bit. I like the track more than I did the last time I drove it, but man oh man do I need to go do about 100 laps there to get comfortable before I go fast. 

Forgetting where you are on the track is really embarrassing.  Particularly when you get the slow bits confused for the fast bits.  You did a nice job of recovering if you only got onto the runoff apron.  I once set up for what I thought was a third gear left hander when I was in fact heading into a 100 degree second gear right hander at Arroyo Seco.  Fortunately there's nothing but open desert when you get off the racing surface there because I was way off the racing surface by the time I got the car stopped.

In reply to RevRico :

I've seen several time attack people use sim rigs for practice. Of course I don't think anyone has accurately rendered NCM yet.

RevRico said:

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I like the track more than I did the last time I drove it, *but man oh man do I need to go do about 100 laps there to get comfortable before I go fast*. 

I couldn't bold it from my phone so I made asterisks. Has conversation come up from anyone doing One Lap about practicing on SIM rigs, or just trying to learn the courses through racing games?

Not every track is available, but the ones that are have been digitally recreated very very accurately.

Mazdeuce talked at OneLap about using a sim to learn the course, but only as an analogue to track walking, and only with a controller.

I used a sim (rFactor, the original) to speed up my eyes for car control, and used YouTube vids... preferably 15min or longer ones to memorize where the track was going until I could “visually sight each track” from memory at will.  Unless you’ve got a Miata, doing much more probably isn’t too much of a help... since the traccords’ gearing/power is unlike most other track-going cars.

edit to add:

I’ve got enough laps at NCM that I could already “site it by memory”... so I just focused on figuring out the short-course transitions... which worked pretty well, other than pushing too hard/late into the first of those on the North (?) course and put two wheels off.

Alright, and now we get to the skidpad.  I was definitely feeling the drain of the week by now, and I had to spend some time shifting my gear from the “three bag, and few stuff sacks” setup I’d been using (to minimize morning pack-out time) to a “two bag, stuff all the clothes” setup that meant I’d get through my flights as carry-on only.  So, that meant I only got a couple pictures of the skidpad... and this first post is going to be an “HDR-ish” series of spacecadet running the traccord:

So, the first reaction I have is this is a good way to show that the 2* of camber was really good for us this year.  Maybe I’ll dig around and find the shot of the TL from last year, with lower AR sidewalls, and rolling onto them big time.  The traccord is getting much more out of the squishy Conti ECS’ because of this setup.

The second reaction is w00t!  Three Wheels!  Also, it should be noted that I have pics to show he did it for about half of that last lap.

And the third reaction is kind of a light ‘tut-tut’ to spacecadet.  It’s easy to say “the pad takes no skill”, and “you’re just driving around in circles”... and at this point it’s probably not much of a secret that you need to get in close to the cones for a good “g”... but actually doing that, especially in the clockwise direction, is a non-trivial exercise.  Spacecadet is a good autocrosser, he knew what to do, and still drifted out a half a car width.

The pad might be simple, but that doesn’t make it easy.

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Was the pad already wet last year when you ran? Looking at 2017 the Acura pulled .899G average. We managed .925 this year in the Accord. That doesn't sound that far apart, but a .925 in the TL would have moved you up six places. If we could have matched the .95 that the car saw in the second direction that would have moved the car up about another five places. We can always do better. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Was the pad already wet last year when you ran? Looking at 2017 the Acura pulled .899G average. We managed .925 this year in the Accord. That doesn't sound that far apart, but a .925 in the TL would have moved you up six places. If we could have matched the .95 that the car saw in the second direction that would have moved the car up about another five places. We can always do better. 

Last year we had to rotate the 245 fronts onto the backs, and the 225’s up front for the dry pad.  In part because we’d worn down the sidewalks enough that I was concerned about chunking them between the tread and the sidewall bad enough that I wouldn’t get home; also because we didn’t know when the rain would hit, and the 225’s had more tread.  (Stock is 235)

So, weather was of a small factor in that pad #.  Also bobzilla about slide sideways through the green flag on the first left hand lap.  

So the difference is in how the tire wore over the event... but you “see” it best on the pad

edit#2:

here’s a photo from 2017 to show the difference.  Although all four from that year on the pad are illustrative.

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

Alright, and now we get to the skidpad.  I was definitely feeling the drain of the week by now, and I had to spend some time shifting my gear from the “three bag, and few stuff sacks” setup I’d been using (to minimize morning pack-out time) to a “two bag, stuff all the clothes” setup that meant I’d get through my flights as carry-on only.  So, that meant I only got a couple pictures of the skidpad... and this first post is going to be an “HDR-ish” series of spacecadet running the traccord:

 

 

 

 

The amount of internal screaming I am experiencing at this moment is a factor of how much you  beat me up and I in turn beat myself up about distance.  I look at this photo and go berkeley. 

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Yeah yeah.... rub it in. At least I didn't loop it :P Wait... that was my fault too. nevermind.

In reply to spacecadet :

you can't dwell on it too much... only look forward to doing better, having learned the lesson.

I mean, heck I've learned the lesson, and look how far out I was going "the easy direction" in that photo from 2017.  Like I said, it's easy to think "stay close to the cones", and a whole 'nother thing to actually do it, especially as you're trying to maximize your throttle input.  And, you know... not hit a cone, the flagger, or spin out... and absolutely bork your run.

Heck, I've yet to cracked the 0.9g barrier!

You did fine. 

And, to round off our skid pad discussion, I’ll start with what a Civic TypeR looks like pulling .961g on Conti ECS’...

and here’s Mike and Scott having some fun with their theme...

and I’m going to close off my pictures with Apexanimal wringing his Miata out, trying to get it to drift with stock power...

so... you know how we were talking about camber, and sidewall wear?

I think I owe my Dad, big time.  Anyone need a set of Optima wheels, and OEM TL wheels, cheap?

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

i do believe those TL wheels are a direct fit for Hazmat. 

I had to go check my CHMSL after seeing this picture.  It goes out a fraction of a second before the trunk lights go out when you get off the brake.  You were able to get the exact moment when I got back on to the throttle! 

In reply to spacecadet :

they are. I've seen more than a few SI's with them. Their exact specifications are 17x8, +45 offset. 4 years, 7 months and this information is STILL IN MY DAMN HEAD. 

bobzilla said:

In reply to spacecadet :

they are. I've seen more than a few SI's with them. Their exact specifications are 17x8, +45 offset. 4 years, 7 months and this information is STILL IN MY DAMN HEAD. 

I know the spec's, I was kinda hoping I could find a way to get them for hazmat for the challenge.. I'm looking for a set for the right $$

In reply to spacecadet :

Fun fact, first gen RDX stock wheels are 18x8, +45 and don't bend as readily as the TL wheels. 

bobzilla said:

In reply to spacecadet :

Fun fact, first gen RDX stock wheels are 18x8, +45 and don't bend as readily as the TL wheels. 

i didnt realize TL wheels had a issue with bending..

Yeah, in the rust belt/pothole central, these things would shatter. Cracked wheels were common, bent were the norm and a few that broke every spoke and rolled away were not uncommon to see on the hook. We used to refer to them as margarine because butter was harder.