My first race car

It's all ready for my first track day tomorrow... I however, am just a wee bit nervous.

Looks like a perfect day tomorrow, enjoy it! I'll be there in 3 weeks, hopefully we will be as lucky.

In reply to BMWGeoff :

Come run Luckydog with us,growing car counts every race and much better $$ to driving ratio then CASC.

 You can do a sprint race within the endurance portion too.

 We're at Calabogie this weekend,stop in:)

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Lucky Dog is ian option for the future. I'm crewing for a guy in CASC at Mosport this weekend, so Calabogie is out.

In reply to BMWGeoff :

Nervous is good; it means you're putting some thought into it

Take your time and have fun

Looks good, go have fun.

Well, I survived. Some thoughts on my first track day:

1. I am slow, lots of practice is required

2. I didn't find the limits of 9 year old Falken Azenis

3. I need a gym, or power steering

Lots of work to do over the winter.

In reply to BMWGeoff :

Sounds like a fair to-do list. Yeah, fresh tires will help. 

BMWGeoff said:

Well, I survived. Some thoughts on my first track day:

1. I am slow, lots of practice is required

2. I didn't find the limits of 9 year old Falken Azenis

3. I need a gym, or power steering

Lots of work to do over the winter.

No power steering is "ok" for the sprints but no fun for 2 hrs straight.

 Long Canadian winter to sort out your wish list :)

 Congrats on a fun day out with the new car.

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Yeah, I'm definitely not trying endurance racing with manual steering.

We always used manual steering when ever possible as it was another system to go wrong or better yet coat everything in oil.  These were rwd cars. I can see a fwd car being much more of a work out. 

BMWGeoff said:

Well, I survived. Some thoughts on my first track day:

1. I am slow, lots of practice is required

2. I didn't find the limits of 9 year old Falken Azenis

3. I need a gym, or power steering

Lots of work to do over the winter.

Practice is always good. 

New tires are like  Superman medicine. D.W. quote. 

I suggest a gym and power steering. I  raced circle tracks for years,  slinging a car around a dirt track for 25-30 laps or an occasional 50 lapper is one thing.  But the 2 hour stint in a  Champcar was something else totally.  Even with power steering and a good seat, an hour and a half in, I was thinking the clock was broken.  When they radioed me that time was up, I was ready. 

Sounds like you had a good time! Consider a column electric assist steering, easy to swap in and I've heard good things. Here's one way to accomplish it. I'm doing it over the winter to my track Miata

https://preparedmiata.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/electric-power-steering-conversion-p1/

In reply to accordionfolder :

Interesting... I never would've thought of that. I'll have to look into it.

Have you had the car set up?  If not try that before you start spending money on upgrades.  They can probably dial in less caster and give you much less steering effort.  I've never owned a race car with power steering.  They're tough to wheel around in the paddock but no problem at speed.  If you think actual racing might be in your future than I would keep a mind to making sure that you stay compliant with whatever class you're trying to race in before making modifications.  It will also make the car more valuable if you ever sell it.

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

Have you had the car set up?  If not try that before you start spending money on upgrades.  They can probably dial in less caster and give you much less steering effort.  I've never owned a race car with power steering.  They're tough to wheel around in the paddock but no problem at speed.  If you think actual racing might be in your future than I would keep a mind to making sure that you stay compliant with whatever class you're trying to race in before making modifications.  It will also make the car more valuable if you ever sell it.

I definitely have work to do before I commit to power steering. Fresh tires and a proper setup are on the winter To Do list, along with lots of other little things.

The car looks alright on track :D

In reply to BMWGeoff :

Awesome, flipping that Porsche guy the bird.................oh wait you're waving him by. Well maybe next time.

(Do note I spend a lot of time waving Porsches past the Datsun) 

In reply to Tom1200 :

I definitely pointed a lot of cars by, but I did get the pleasure of passing a Ferrari, twice, once coming out of 5... he was not putting his foot down hard.

BMWGeoff said:

In reply to Tom1200 :

I definitely pointed a lot of cars by, but I did get the pleasure of passing a Ferrari, twice, once coming out of 5... he was not putting his foot down hard.

He musta been pushing the wrong pedal to get passed by a protege out of 5.

 Nice to see he at least took his ferrari on a track and not just to a coffee shop.:)

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Novice drivers in fast cars get a big big big break IMO. Not only are you learning how to make car go fast - your car's limits are hilariously high. 

In other news the car looks fantastic on track!

In reply to BMWGeoff :

As an instructor the Datsun is a good tool; when the 80 whp wonder catches up to a Z06 the driver is much more receptive to suggestions on how to improve.  

Regardless of what your driving most drivers are going to be pointing someone by; it's part of track day driving.

In reply to accordionfolder :

Sure but if there's anyplace at mosport to feel safe enough to use the throttle its out of 5:)

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

My last event there I had caught another car quickly somewhere between 3 and 5 so as we came out of 5 they gave me a point by, then they proceeded to drive away from my 184 hp E28, I groaned and my instructor heard it. He replied with "Let them have it, it's all they've got" as they accelerated away. We laughed (lots of time for that up the back straight) and were back on their tail coming out of 8 for a point by on the start finish straight lol. 

I find it's funny giving or taking point by's from other hp challenged cars, we're all so used to just keeping our foot planted on the gas because most of the other cars have double the horsepower or more. All of a sudden the light goes on and you have to lift otherwise there'll be a line of traffic behind the 36 year old family sedan and the BRZ drag racing side by side the length of  the straight.