SPLParts.com 350Z at Eagles Canyon NASA Race Oct 11-12
SPLParts.com 350Z at Eagles Canyon NASA Race Oct 11-12
The last NASA race of the season was held at Eagles Canyon Raceway http://www.eaglescanyon.com, just west of Denton, TX. EC is a brand new track and this was NASA's first time running there and the first time I had ever run there also. It's a 2.5 mile 10 turn track with 70 feet of elevation change. Many straight stretches and tight compound turns without any high speed sweepers. Although a new track it has some sections that have already been repaved. The runoff room was rather scary with a number of dangerous ditches and large rocks not far off the track.
Since the cage was installed and the car fully prepped for racing a few months back we've been working to dial the suspension back in so I can keep up with the front runners in ST2. It's a weight/HP class whereas PTA uses a base car classing and mod point system. In ST2 the ratio is 8.7lbs/rwhp and I'm nowhere near that. I can easily add 80hp and be within the limit of the rules. Since NA power isn't that easy to come by on the VQ and I'm not ready to sacrifice reliability just yet by going FI, I need to get the handling dialed in perfect to keep up with the competition (vettes, ferraris, porsches).
Before this event SPL tweaked the ride height, camber settings and bumpsteered the car. I've been running the SPL PRO outer tie rod ends and TEIN inner tie rods since the beginning of the year for strength testing but it wasn't till prior to this event that it was adjusted properly. Immediately after installation I noticed an instant increase in steering response but the biggest improvements came after their proper adjustment. Rough sections of the track were much smoother with noticeably less jerking of the wheel in my hands. This enabled me to maintain smoother steering inputs and we all know that smooth is fast.
It was a long drive up there from Austin especially since I was out of town all week and didn't fly in till 8:30pm or so on Friday. By the time I got home, packed up the truck, grabbed the trailer and loaded up the car it was midnight when I hit the road. I arrived at the track around 4:30am and slept in the truck for a few hours. I registered in ST2 class as last race had zero cars running in PTA. I wish I would have checked this time during registration as there were actually 3 entrants this time-2 thunder roadsters and a Honda s2000. Based on comparative lap times I likely would have won or placed at the very front of the field as I was usually a second or so faster than the other PTA cars!!!! Oh well, running ST2 is fun anyway as I get to play with many of the GTS M3's, 911's, a turbo 944 and of course the 3 other 355 Challenge cars running with me in ST2.
Unfortunately I didn't have time to study the track layout or watch any video footage and since I missed Friday's practice session I only had one 15 minute practice session sat morning and the 20 minute qualifying session to get familiarized with the track. I ran a best of 2:17.752 in practice and 2:05.144 in qualifying placing me pretty much at the back of the field.
Race #1 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1969579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1969579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1969579">Eagles Canyon Race 1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Spent the first race chasing down the blue 355 Ferrari and we had a pretty good battle for the first half of the race. He has a decent power advantage on me and can easily walk me in the straights. I attempted a few late braking passes but only really had a chance on one occasion in turn 3 after I had a clean corner exit from 2 but he shut the door on me. (right around 7 min in the vid). Shortly after that I experienced fuel cut as I started the race fairly low on fuel hoping for a weight advantage. I almost lost it braking for turn 6 as the car was completely unsettled when fuel cut hit just as I was about to hit the brakes. After that I had no chance of catching him. I had only had fuel cut issues running TWS clockwise previously so thought I was safe but I learned my lesson the hard way. I ran a fast lap of 2:03.018 in Lap 5 and finished 14 of 18 cars. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993500
Race #2 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1971585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1971585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1971585">Eagles Canyon NASA Race 2</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Starting 14 of 18 put me next to the blue 355 on the grid going into turn one on the inside and I was able to get past him on the start. I spent the next few laps chasing after an E46 M3 and he let me by on the back straight as a courtesy. I tried to catch a 911 and made some ground on him but pretty much ran the rest of the race alone. I ran a fast lap of 2:02.617 in lap 2 and finished 11th of 18 cars and 3rd of 4 in class. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993501
Sunday - Qualifying
I really tried to concentrate on the "slow in, fast out" mantra during qualifying and had clean track pretty much the entire session. I was able to run a 2:00.572 in lap 6, my last lap of the session. I was pretty happy shaving 2 full seconds off of Saturday's best time and that time was good for 11th place on the grid for race 3. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993502
Race #3 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1980295&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1980295&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1980295">Eagles Canyon NASA Race #3</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Starting 11th of 15 cars put me next to a 944 Turbo. One of the 3 355's went home so I started 2nd of 3 in class. Had a crappy start as they waved the green late and I had no momentum at all. The 944 got past me going up the hill between 2 and 3 and I chased him for several laps after that. I had an E36 M3 on my tail till I bobbled it in Turn 10 around mid race when he got by me. Luckily he spun out a lap or two later and I got the position back. Unfortunately you can't see it in the video but the last couple laps I had the blue 355 closing in on me. He was running well and this was one of the only times I was glad to see the white flag. He kept on my tail and I gained valuable experience thinking about driving a defensive line and trying to keep my car on the road while watching my rear view mirror. It was very close at the finish as I bobbled a bit on the last turn but was able to reach the finish line ahead of the Ferrari. I finished 8th of 15 cars and 2nd of 3 in class. The Ferrari driver stopped by afterwards and we talked about the battle we had and said he had to leave before the next race. I need to get his email address and send him the video from Sat while I was following him. So far all of the NASA guys I have met have been great to race and socialize with. I have no idea what the SCCA crowd is like but so far it's been a warm welcome with NASA. I ran my fastest time of the session in the final lap (7) of 2:01.291. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993503
Race #4
The camera battery died on me during the pace lap so no video of this session.
I spent a good portion of this race chasing the GTS5 black 944 turbo and was doing a better job of keeping up with him until I drove a little too aggressively as I drove off of turn 6 after braking too late and then I spun out on turn 3 of the next and final lap. I ran a fastest of 2:01.276 in lap 2 and finished 10th of 13 cars. Certainly not finest driving display but I was glad to have not sustained any damage to the car in the two offs considering how rough the runoff areas are in some places. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993504
Since the cage was installed and the car fully prepped for racing a few months back we've been working to dial the suspension back in so I can keep up with the front runners in ST2. It's a weight/HP class whereas PTA uses a base car classing and mod point system. In ST2 the ratio is 8.7lbs/rwhp and I'm nowhere near that. I can easily add 80hp and be within the limit of the rules. Since NA power isn't that easy to come by on the VQ and I'm not ready to sacrifice reliability just yet by going FI, I need to get the handling dialed in perfect to keep up with the competition (vettes, ferraris, porsches).
Before this event SPL tweaked the ride height, camber settings and bumpsteered the car. I've been running the SPL PRO outer tie rod ends and TEIN inner tie rods since the beginning of the year for strength testing but it wasn't till prior to this event that it was adjusted properly. Immediately after installation I noticed an instant increase in steering response but the biggest improvements came after their proper adjustment. Rough sections of the track were much smoother with noticeably less jerking of the wheel in my hands. This enabled me to maintain smoother steering inputs and we all know that smooth is fast.
It was a long drive up there from Austin especially since I was out of town all week and didn't fly in till 8:30pm or so on Friday. By the time I got home, packed up the truck, grabbed the trailer and loaded up the car it was midnight when I hit the road. I arrived at the track around 4:30am and slept in the truck for a few hours. I registered in ST2 class as last race had zero cars running in PTA. I wish I would have checked this time during registration as there were actually 3 entrants this time-2 thunder roadsters and a Honda s2000. Based on comparative lap times I likely would have won or placed at the very front of the field as I was usually a second or so faster than the other PTA cars!!!! Oh well, running ST2 is fun anyway as I get to play with many of the GTS M3's, 911's, a turbo 944 and of course the 3 other 355 Challenge cars running with me in ST2.
Unfortunately I didn't have time to study the track layout or watch any video footage and since I missed Friday's practice session I only had one 15 minute practice session sat morning and the 20 minute qualifying session to get familiarized with the track. I ran a best of 2:17.752 in practice and 2:05.144 in qualifying placing me pretty much at the back of the field.
Race #1 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1969579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1969579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1969579">Eagles Canyon Race 1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Spent the first race chasing down the blue 355 Ferrari and we had a pretty good battle for the first half of the race. He has a decent power advantage on me and can easily walk me in the straights. I attempted a few late braking passes but only really had a chance on one occasion in turn 3 after I had a clean corner exit from 2 but he shut the door on me. (right around 7 min in the vid). Shortly after that I experienced fuel cut as I started the race fairly low on fuel hoping for a weight advantage. I almost lost it braking for turn 6 as the car was completely unsettled when fuel cut hit just as I was about to hit the brakes. After that I had no chance of catching him. I had only had fuel cut issues running TWS clockwise previously so thought I was safe but I learned my lesson the hard way. I ran a fast lap of 2:03.018 in Lap 5 and finished 14 of 18 cars. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993500
Race #2 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1971585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1971585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1971585">Eagles Canyon NASA Race 2</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Starting 14 of 18 put me next to the blue 355 on the grid going into turn one on the inside and I was able to get past him on the start. I spent the next few laps chasing after an E46 M3 and he let me by on the back straight as a courtesy. I tried to catch a 911 and made some ground on him but pretty much ran the rest of the race alone. I ran a fast lap of 2:02.617 in lap 2 and finished 11th of 18 cars and 3rd of 4 in class. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993501
Sunday - Qualifying
I really tried to concentrate on the "slow in, fast out" mantra during qualifying and had clean track pretty much the entire session. I was able to run a 2:00.572 in lap 6, my last lap of the session. I was pretty happy shaving 2 full seconds off of Saturday's best time and that time was good for 11th place on the grid for race 3. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993502
Race #3 <object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1980295&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1980295&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1& show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1980295">Eagles Canyon NASA Race #3</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786756">Sean Farrah</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Starting 11th of 15 cars put me next to a 944 Turbo. One of the 3 355's went home so I started 2nd of 3 in class. Had a crappy start as they waved the green late and I had no momentum at all. The 944 got past me going up the hill between 2 and 3 and I chased him for several laps after that. I had an E36 M3 on my tail till I bobbled it in Turn 10 around mid race when he got by me. Luckily he spun out a lap or two later and I got the position back. Unfortunately you can't see it in the video but the last couple laps I had the blue 355 closing in on me. He was running well and this was one of the only times I was glad to see the white flag. He kept on my tail and I gained valuable experience thinking about driving a defensive line and trying to keep my car on the road while watching my rear view mirror. It was very close at the finish as I bobbled a bit on the last turn but was able to reach the finish line ahead of the Ferrari. I finished 8th of 15 cars and 2nd of 3 in class. The Ferrari driver stopped by afterwards and we talked about the battle we had and said he had to leave before the next race. I need to get his email address and send him the video from Sat while I was following him. So far all of the NASA guys I have met have been great to race and socialize with. I have no idea what the SCCA crowd is like but so far it's been a warm welcome with NASA. I ran my fastest time of the session in the final lap (7) of 2:01.291. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993503
Race #4
The camera battery died on me during the pace lap so no video of this session.
I spent a good portion of this race chasing the GTS5 black 944 turbo and was doing a better job of keeping up with him until I drove a little too aggressively as I drove off of turn 6 after braking too late and then I spun out on turn 3 of the next and final lap. I ran a fastest of 2:01.276 in lap 2 and finished 10th of 13 cars. Certainly not finest driving display but I was glad to have not sustained any damage to the car in the two offs considering how rough the runoff areas are in some places. Results here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=993504
Overall it was a great weekend. A little disappointing knowing I might have won in PTA had I entered that class but racing with the other run group is a blast. Running n ST2 will teach me much more right now than running at the front of PTA. The car made it through the weekend unscathed, I passed a couple more cars and I was able to drive the newest racetrack in Texas. As mentioned earlier, the car was smoother and faster after SPL bump-steered the car with the outer tie rod ends. The Torvec IsoTorque LSD worked flawlessly as well; will be nice when these hit the open market so others can experience them
For the next event I'll be running a new piece of SPL suspension, lightening the car some more and I also just purchased a Race Technology DL1 data logger, DASH2 display and OBDII interface to do more tuning.
http://splparts.com/main4/parts/Univ...gy/default.htm
I've been wanting a data logger and in-car lap timer for some time now. The combo is quite affordable compared to some of the other products out there and the OBDII interface is a nice bonus. I also purchased an AEM interface so I can use this on my 300ZX TT as well. This setup will take out much of the guess work in testing with having hard data to prove what changes work and what doesn't. In car lap timing will give instant feedback for trying new lines and section times can be analyzed to find the ideal line around any given track. Since it's GPS based I won't have to mess with any beacons either and can section a track any way I'd like.
I'd like to thank Kuah at SPL Parts for his expertise and continued development of the car along with Torvec for the IsoTorque differential.
Onto the pics
Chuck helping me with the window net(he owns a badass caged and dry sumped z32 TT)
Thanks to David Schilling (fellow z32 owner) for the above pics
Lower Parking lot
Couple of my ST2 competitors
was surprised to see this car racing-was in amazing shape
One of the top AI cars.
a couple DE cars
Some Time Trial car I used to run with earlier in the season
Some GTS cars from our run group.
Action from Turn 10
For the next event I'll be running a new piece of SPL suspension, lightening the car some more and I also just purchased a Race Technology DL1 data logger, DASH2 display and OBDII interface to do more tuning.
http://splparts.com/main4/parts/Univ...gy/default.htm
I've been wanting a data logger and in-car lap timer for some time now. The combo is quite affordable compared to some of the other products out there and the OBDII interface is a nice bonus. I also purchased an AEM interface so I can use this on my 300ZX TT as well. This setup will take out much of the guess work in testing with having hard data to prove what changes work and what doesn't. In car lap timing will give instant feedback for trying new lines and section times can be analyzed to find the ideal line around any given track. Since it's GPS based I won't have to mess with any beacons either and can section a track any way I'd like.
I'd like to thank Kuah at SPL Parts for his expertise and continued development of the car along with Torvec for the IsoTorque differential.
Onto the pics
Chuck helping me with the window net(he owns a badass caged and dry sumped z32 TT)
Thanks to David Schilling (fellow z32 owner) for the above pics
Lower Parking lot
Couple of my ST2 competitors
was surprised to see this car racing-was in amazing shape
One of the top AI cars.
a couple DE cars
Some Time Trial car I used to run with earlier in the season
Some GTS cars from our run group.
Action from Turn 10
Thanks for the pictures, videos and narratives. Looks like you all had a great time!!
Also, loving the loyal SBC members...even Ferrari and BMW aren't immune
-guitman (knows at the speeds they see a salad bar actually has function)
Also, loving the loyal SBC members...even Ferrari and BMW aren't immune
-guitman (knows at the speeds they see a salad bar actually has function)
My old JVC mini-dv was crapping out on me so I bought a cheap Aiptek A-HD+ from BestBuy and an 8gb SD card. Cost me about $200. It has limited features but works fairly well for what I want it for. Luckily Vimeo hosts HD video without degrading it much.
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That weekend I ran on a set of 17x9.5 ssr comps I picked up last year when they were on clearance at tirerack.
I was hoping to run some Hankook tires but since there wasn't a single 275/40/17 Z214 I could find in the country I decided to run a set of brand new Avon Tech-R's that have been sitting in my garage for the last 2-3 years.
I'm waiting to hear what the contingency programs are for 09 to figure out what to run next season. Hoosier was the best if you could take the podium but Hankook was a little friendlier if you didn't win the event for 08.
awesome post. And I think I said it in your cage buildup thread, but thanks for showing us all that the Z can hold its own with other higher power and more costly cars. Especially without going FI.
Can't wait to go out on the track again next season!
Can't wait to go out on the track again next season!
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B Esquire
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Sep 24, 2015 07:52 AM
