The Art of Racing (No, Just Driving Fast) In the Rain

[oletrux4evr]

I assume you had a good time........

[pdub]

I assume you had a good time........

Uhhhh....yeah.

The video is blurry a lot because the camera was trying to focus on the raindrops on the windshield. The first two minutes are just sitting on the grid, I started the camera early.

Drive, drive, drive. The fun starts at about 14:50 when I'm starting to catch the guys at the back of the pack.

At 15:00, I changed my line to pass the first guy after Turn 7 and just darned nearly turned Red around. Saved it, it doesn't look nearly as dramatic on the camera as it felt in the car.

Grin, grin, grin. This is slow, but I was going slow faster than everybody else. Whatta BLAST!

[JOES66FURY]

Seems that any sort of rear end kick out or slide is over dramatized in these cars, I pull out sometimes and the rear will slide out and it feels like I went half way around i nthe car but in reality it was probably in inch at the tires. Looks like a good time...I am reading up on some SCCA autocross events coming up...plan on giving that a go. I hope I dont like it that way I wont get silly upgrading parts.....

[pdub]

Seems that any sort of rear end kick out or slide is over dramatized in these cars, I pull out sometimes and the rear will slide out and it feels like I went half way around i nthe car but in reality it was probably in inch at the tires. Looks like a good time...I am reading up on some SCCA autocross events coming up...plan on giving that a go. I hope I dont like it that way I wont get silly upgrading parts.....

Red and Sally are just about too heavy to do well at autocross, I think. That's my excuse for doing so poorly at it at least. It's a bummer to have that much horsepower and get smoked by 10 seconds on a one-minute course by a skinny girl in a Miata.

[SSChevyManiac]

Your line looks so much better in the video than on the sim Pdub. Looks like you had a blast.

[Bob Holmes]

What fun. I really enjoy the rain.

[pdub]

Your line looks so much better in the video than on the sim Pdub. Looks like you had a blast.

That was....a buddy of mine when I was a young buck ran dirt track. He'd done it for a whole year and didn't win, he was pondering out loud what it would be like to put in a drastically illegal engine just so he could pass everybody, and lose the race due to protest and teardown inspection. Just to feel it.

That was my "win." That was the most fun I've ever had. That's the benchmark. Silly to most everybody else, but I can't possibly have any more fun than that, I don't see how. Even the next day (today).

I'll be watching that video for the rest of my life, driving Sue Unit crazy with it.

[pdub]

What fun. I really enjoy the rain.

Completely. If/when I go to another one, I HOPE it rains. That's just too much fun.

[pdub]

As a footnote: This is not the way you want to Leave Road Atlanta. This is the fancy racing Corvette I was talking about.

Folks don't typically wreck each other there, the track is dangerous enough by itself if you F-up for just an instant at real speed. I wouldn't know about real speed, but I came close enough to understand.

[kyhunter89]

Congrats pdub. What kind of tires did you have on Red?
Have you ran Red down the quarter mile? I know thats not your goal just curious.

One last question, are you familiar with the term :Monster Miata"?

[pdub]

Congrats pdub. What kind of tires did you have on Red?
Have you ran Red down the quarter mile? I know thats not your goal just curious.

One last question, are you familiar with the term :Monster Miata"?

Red's got 18x10 Continental Extreme Contact DW's, compliments of the suggestion of Fast Ed here on the forum. That's huge for grip, and Red's got StopTech Big Brakes on the front with Hawk HP Plus pads. That's another huge thing. Those together....ohhhh PLEASE let it rain, I'll eat 'em alive on the track.

I've never run Red in the quarter for speed, but by specs he should go about 99.

Never heard of Monster Miata, but I've been beat by more than a few with makeup and jewelry at autocross events here locally.

[kyhunter89]

Was curious if the tires were more for dry traction or rain?

Monster Miata's are Miata's with 302's/ls engines. How lotta power and handling in a light, cheap package.

[pdub]

Was curious if the tires were more for dry traction or rain?

The short answer is "yes." And they have a wear factor of 360 I think, I'd have to go look at them. I've never had a better street tire in my life. And they last. Three track events later, they are none the worse for wear.

[fast Ed]

The Conti DW are an awesome max performance summer street tire that can be tracked, that's why I suggested them to Peewee. Decent ride because the sidewall isn't super stiff, great dry grip, and stellar wet grip as he found out this weekend. I've got a set mounted up waiting to go on my 89 Mustang if it ever gets done, as my street / wet track tires. Only one better really for all around performance would be the latest Michelin Pilot Super Sport, but the pricing is a fair chunk higher than the Continentals.


cheers
Ed

[38P]

At the end of the last run today, the instructor was patting Red's dash saying, "You're a good girl." I had to correct him. It's a bromance. Fun fun fun.

I'm sorry, but cars are female. Trucks are male. As for CUVs and minivans . . .