In reply to APEowner :
The little yellow car is an F500. Small 2stroke racer as far as I know there are used for autocross.
In reply to APEowner :
The little yellow car is an F500. Small 2stroke racer as far as I know there are used for autocross.
B13Birk said:In reply to APEowner :
The little yellow car is an F500. Small 2stroke racer as far as I know there are used for autocross.
Thanks. I probably should have recognized it. I've actually worked on one. In my defense I don't thing I ever saw it with the bodywork on. We had a student bring one to the driving school at my local track and it never ran a lap all weekend. I was both instructing and racing that weekend so it was Sunday afternoon before I had a chance to go over and see what they were struggling with. I traced the problem to a defective ignition box but they had no spare and it was late in the weekend.
In reply to APEowner :
That's pretty cool they are neat little cars. Where did you instruct at?
B13Birk said:In reply to APEowner :
That's pretty cool they are neat little cars. Where did you instruct at?
I'm an instructor with Southwest Motorsports. Our home track is Sandia Speedway here in Albuquerque.
In reply to APEowner :
Very cool man! Im sure you get to instruct in some cool cars out that way. Would love to hear about some of your experiences and such throughout this thread. I love learning from other instructors.
Standby for a track day post coming on Sunday. Ill be doing rally instruction for a corporate event but Ill have the chance to snag some track day photos.
I hope that all of you continue to enjoy this thread!
In reply to jj :
No, no rides in that one. That was an exquisitely prepared race car I have to say. Everything on it was high-end product, clean and well thought out. It ran very well on track. It's odd to think of these HUGE new cars as Civics but alas that's what they are!
The trackday photos make me realize how much I've missed track stuff over the last couple of years. Very glad to be getting back into it.
Keep posting. We're loving it.
Love me some chromalusion purkle on a EVO
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
I'm glad you are enjoying it. I have always enjoyed your threads so it means a lot to have you following along.
Man I LOVE THE Accord. I love the practical nature ( I have known a few climbers, you are obviously one because climbers are the only people I know who could sleep in trunk haha)
My Favorite cars at the track are always the ones that the corvette and mustang guys look sideways at. The cars that people view as a joke. I have often said that far too many people wait for the ideal situation. They wait until the have all the "right" parts. Or they wait until they can afford the best tires and gear. All the while they are missing out on the MOST IMPORTANT PART. Seat time. In fact, seat time not only fosters one's skills behind the wheel it also creates small investments of time over time.... Translation: More FUN.
One of my favorite cars that comes to our local track days is a 150k Mile Mazda 3. This car is so simple. Simple bolt ons. Lower springs on Koni Struts. Good tires and pads and a good seat... THAT'S IT. The owner has maybe 5k (includes the purchase of the car) into the entire build and He tracks it allll the time. So guess what? He drives the car at 10/10ths and chases down all the Vette,BMW and Mustang (we all know the ones, They aren't all this way) guys who then talk about how it must be "turboed" and how "B/A the motor" must be. Nope, Just a K&N Filter.
Moral of the story: I wish people would realize that no one really cares. No one is all that impressed with the guy who has the fancy high $$ build that gets paraded around the track and put back on the trailer. I love a track rat. Arrive, Drive. Enjoy. I know that idea is the heartbeat behind the accord, and for that. I commend you sir.
Here is the little blue Mazda.
In reply to 759NRNG :
YES!!! Im a huge fan of purple. I wanted to paint my 200sx purple back in the day but I went with white instead.... #liferegrets
Track Day Photo Dump. Followed by a some thoughts on instructing and the Focus ST and the 2017 BMW M4
Awesome pictures!!! Love this thread.
Thanks for the latest update. Really enjoy this thread.
That Targa is pretty cool (never thought I'd say that), I like how the enclosure over the rear seat area is an indiscrete spoiler.
Adam
It has been a bit since my last real post so here is my best attempt at updating and sharing my fun with you! My goal is to break up posts to not make them too long. I hope you enjoy.
Im not a huge fan of surprises. Ill be honest, Im a planner... Anyone else?
I showed up where I work under the impression that I was doing rally instruction for a private one day course. These days are great and intensive. We really get down to the basics and build the driver up to the point where they feel at home one our wooded stages by the end of the day. We do very little classroom instruction and instead choose to focus our time on seat time in the car. I like to prepare myself for days like this. I tend to wear my 5.11 plants and RAX hiking boots (Check out those boots, I highly recommend them) While this is not what I'm most comfortable in it is what is the most practical for spending most of my day getting in an out of a caged rally car in the woods. You know, clothing, the important stuff. Im not inflexible. In fact im quite the contrary, I just like to know what the plan is. Keep me in the loop and im a happy camper.
Anyways. Back to the big surprise..... 35 helmets. That meant, Corporate event.
This would be my first corporate event. They tend to be a mixed bag because these aren't people who decided to be here based on desire, interest or experience but rather (at some capacity) an obligation to their company. But, WE HAD A BLAST. It was a great group and everyone had an incredible time. We had 4 stations setup: Exotic Car, Rally, GoKarts, and the Shooting range.
These people had no idea what they were in for. Most had never driven anything like a Lambo or a GTR and they for sure had ZERO rally experience. I even had to teach one gentleman how to drive stick. I love moments like that. Nothing brings me more joy than watching someone who is really apprehensive about driving and may even be considering not participating choose to learn something, get decent at it and have a great time! That's really the goal for these events, provide a fun and laid back experience where we all go home in one piece.
I was one of 3 rally instructors that day and I made it through without getting car sick. For fun, I calculated the estimated number of Hand Brake turns I enured. Drum roll.... 320. I should be sponsored by Dramamine. (For real, can someone make that happen?)
***Side note. These cars are crap, I HIGHLY prefer the Fiesta over the Lancer.... But we broke a Fiesta... We Fiesta'd our way over a few cones and lost an E-Brake cable and the muffler. You might say that the Fiesta needed a Siesta... See what I did there? You are welcome.
The highlight of my day was sharing the car with a gentleman who at first glance looked like every other pissed off middle aged pencil pusher in your office building. I could tell he was anxious about getting behind the wheel and his lack of confidence was clear as he immediately began giving me disclaimers on why he would suck at this and why he shouldn't even try. After some seat time his confidence soared. We talked a bit during the lunch break and he shared with me how amazing the day had already been for him. He told me that he was in the middle of a nasty divorce and that this was the most fun he had in over 5 years. His words "today I really laughed, like really laughed..." I shared my story with him about my parents divorce and how even though things got crazy my relationship with my dad was held together by our car hobby and racing. He found hope in knowing that his relationship with his kids, the thing all parents care about most, had a fighting chance. He drives an automatic G35 coupe, I encouraged him to check out his local SCCA events and to bring his son along. That dude left that day on cloud nine. It was the highlight of my day.... My week frankly.
Bottom Line: Sharing the automotive experience with people, even folks that aren't car people is totally worth doing. Who was it that turned you into a motor head? Aren't you glad they shared this hobby with you? My challenge for you is to share your hobby. My hope is that you know some neighbor kid you can teach to wrench or maybe there is a Guy or Gal you work with who drives something even remotely AUTOX worthy. There is power in a simple Invite. This is a hobby worth sharing, so go do it.
In reply to Floating Doc and MazdaFace:
Thanks guys. Im really glad you are enjoying it so far. Please share feedback on what you like and want more of. Im enjoying sharing these experiences with each of you.
In reply to adam525i:
That car was an exceptionally clean build. Very well thought out and engineered to LAST. She screamed like a wild banshee out there on track
this thread is just reminding me how bad I want to get to a track day, and giving me lots of motivation too. Thanks! and keep the stories and photos coming
In reply to 79rex :
Get out there my friend! Track days are like therapy for me. I hope you have the chance to do one soon.
This is the part of our show where we review other peoples cars based on only one person's flawed perspective based on a very little facts and knowledge.
ENJOY.
I get to drive a lot of cars as a driving instructor. I never drive them hard its always at about 60% and for the purpose of showing them the line, feeling what the car does in the corners and under breaking and most importantly... To hear my instructions for three laps the same way they will hear them when I'm instructing.
This week I Instructed in a Focus ST and a 4 door M4. Both cool cars both popular at track days but very different.
M4:
Monster torque at low RPM. This car is a complete animal. The boost rolls on nice and early and fankly can catch an unsuspecting victim off guard. Im speaking from experience first time in an M4 I looked like a drifto boy coming out of turn 1. Missing the manual. Im all for the new fancy stuff but I have to be honest I really love shifting gears, just a personal preference. The dual clutch system is really nice it is crisp and smooth. Many of these new high end cars aren't smooth under hard acceleration when shifting and it can, at some capacity, unsettle the car. I think the car sounds so freaking good inside the cabin. It feels good. That engine just sounds mean, From the outside it sounds like and angry milk truck... But who cares. You bought the car, you're driving it, its for your pleasure after all. The M4 really needs more tire in my opinion this particular car as still sporting its factory tire specs. Its got room for more, and it would gladly welcome more rubber to the party. Twitchy when the toque comes on but then become super manageable. I preferred short shifting it and not revving all the way out. Both out of respect to the owner but also because it just felt more settled when driven that way. You don’t feel the speed at all the balance of the car is so freaking good. The M4 is scary for an instructor because you really can't feel how fast you are going you need to spend more time looking at the speedometer it's super odd.
Focus ST:
Amazing power band. This little car even in stock trim and being as heavy as it is has loads of power that will make you smile. It has an odd system that pumps the engine sound when on the throttle into the cabin which i guess makes sense? I found it kind of lame and tuner-y. The car has a good bit of body roll and lots of oversteer. The ST has great brakes at first but they really go away after short time on our track. I was underwhelmed by how long the lasted even with better pads and fluid. NO FREAKING LSD... WHAT!? The Focus ST has some type of electronic LSD that uses the brakes. I wasn't really impressed with it. C'mon man. Loads of torque steer. (Apparently this is part of what is ruining the brakes in the way the ST does) The ST has responsive and tight steering which when keeping the car settled and out of its desired state of oversteer its really a fun car to drive.
The car is a great daily/Auto/HPDE toy for the money. I highly suggest getting your brakes sorted before doing a track day. Your day will be cut short with braking issues.
Great stuff, keep it coming! 
Doesn't the Focus ST have some kind of 'virtual' LSD?? Might explain the brake issues...
In reply to Rodan :
Great. I'm glad you are enjoying it. Yes, that is exactly what it is. It uses the brakes. Which is funny to me. This is archaic. In fact I had a 1991 infiniti M30 that was rumored to have LSD turns out, it to had a very similar setup to that of the ST. It makes sense for a daily.... I guess?? But it makes NO sense for performance driving.
B13Birk said:In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
I'm glad you are enjoying it. I have always enjoyed your threads so it means a lot to have you following along.
Man I LOVE THE Accord. I love the practical nature ( I have known a few climbers, you are obviously one because climbers are the only people I know who could sleep in trunk haha)
My Favorite cars at the track are always the ones that the corvette and mustang guys look sideways at. The cars that people view as a joke. I have often said that far too many people wait for the ideal situation. They wait until the have all the "right" parts. Or they wait until they can afford the best tires and gear. All the while they are missing out on the MOST IMPORTANT PART. Seat time. In fact, seat time not only fosters one's skills behind the wheel it also creates small investments of time over time.... Translation: More FUN.
One of my favorite cars that comes to our local track days is a 150k Mile Mazda 3. This car is so simple. Simple bolt ons. Lower springs on Koni Struts. Good tires and pads and a good seat... THAT'S IT. The owner has maybe 5k (includes the purchase of the car) into the entire build and He tracks it allll the time. So guess what? He drives the car at 10/10ths and chases down all the Vette,BMW and Mustang (we all know the ones, They aren't all this way) guys who then talk about how it must be "turboed" and how "B/A the motor" must be. Nope, Just a K&N Filter.
Moral of the story: I wish people would realize that no one really cares. No one is all that impressed with the guy who has the fancy high $$ build that gets paraded around the track and put back on the trailer. I love a track rat. Arrive, Drive. Enjoy. I know that idea is the heartbeat behind the accord, and for that. I commend you sir.
Here is the little blue Mazda.
Pastor B ...this shot and your write up is brilliant...what say you is that in the background......uh...a GT350R that just had it's arse handed to it?!????!!?? Like you said, don't just think about it....do it regardless of your stead. In my case I've a V2 that I 'd dearly like to 'thrash'.....er exercise....peace out.
B13Birk have you raced against that YXZ1000 that shows up for rallycross out there?
In reply to 759NRNG :
Heck Yeah man. That is what it is all about. Get out there and let her rip tater chip!
In reply to Jaynen :
His name is Derek. Super nice dude and those side by sidess are really cool. Nasa Rally Sprint has even added a class for them in stage rally.... I want in!
He was in my class for stock all-wheel drive and we were always neck and neck. But I was able to edge him out in my impreza every time. The high center of gravity really freaked him out and I can understand it. Body roll city in those things. They are epic though. High RPM AWD yes please! He has since moved to Colorado and has done many modifications to it.
You'll need to log in to post.
