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Well, the latest news from across the country is that winter isn't done with us yet. The next storm will bring rain and snow later this week to Colorado. I'll be driving my rig solo about 400 miles to HPT and want to beat the storm cross country. By the time it gets to Topeka, it'll be mostly rain, so I'm making sure the rain tires are inflated and ready to go. Rain is forecast for Saturday's race and possibly for Sunday afternoon as well. Ah well, great way to start off the race season!
On the way back from Topeka, so I'll try to answer best I can. The Z33 is really a tough machine and doesn't have any "high failure" items per se. But I always carry a fresh front and rear hub and bearing so at least one side can be replaced. The rear torsion rod can get bent in aggressive curb driving or wheel-to-wheel contact, so a spare is always in the trailer. Beyond that, there's a few suspension pieces I carry, but have yet to use them.
RACE #1 REPORT- Heartland Park Topeka was a tough first weekend back. After a dry practice session on Friday, the skies opened up for qualifying and the race on Saturday. The 2.5-mile 14-turn track was truly drenched and I qualified on the T3 pole with the Porsche a row back and Mazda RX8 R3 taking up the back after showing up late. It was so wet, the two ACR Vipers elected not to start (probably a good idea), but the cloud of mist at the start was truly frightening. I managed to get through cleanly and put my head down to put in clean, no-mistake laps. The 37mm restrictor didn't hurt too much in this race, as I used third and fourth gears primarily to keep wheelspin down. Raced with some GT2 and A Sedan competitors, but didn't take any big chances on the way to victory. What a return to racing- first 2018 Majors win!
SUNDAY RACE REPORT: Sometimes the weather gods just mess with you. I changed tires multiple times as we went from rain, to clearing to scattered showers throughout the day. At lunch, slow speed laps (behind the pace car in our tow vehicles) for race crews and workers were allowed, and that track was flooded. Just after mounting my rains, it cleared up and began to dry. Again, I started from pole in class but was eighth overall in the mixed field. This race was a fight from the start. The Porsche Boxter was yards off my bumper for most of the race. I was better in the fast sections of the track and he closed up in the slower corners. Driving had to be precise throughout this race, as any screw-ups would cost me the lead. A few laps from the end, he drafted me into the bus stop chicane and outbraked me on the inside. I waited as he skated past the turn-in and pulled the up and under move to repass for the lead. He recovered quickly, but was never close enough to make another serious challenge after that.
SUMMARY: A perfect weekend with two SCCA Majors wins for the 350Z, but man, am I tired for the drive back home!
Big wins not only on the track but to get back on the horse after a crash FAR WORSE than the one that "ended my career" (hahahaha, I volunteered) 35 years ago. To that I say, BULLY, DAVID, BULLY!!!! You are the man!!
On the way back from Topeka, so I'll try to answer best I can. The Z33 is really a tough machine and doesn't have any "high failure" items per se. But I always carry a fresh front and rear hub and bearing so at least one side can be replaced. The rear torsion rod can get bent in aggressive curb driving or wheel-to-wheel contact, so a spare is always in the trailer. Beyond that, there's a few suspension pieces I carry, but have yet to use them.
RACE #1 REPORT- Heartland Park Topeka was a tough first weekend back. After a dry practice session on Friday, the skies opened up for qualifying and the race on Saturday. The 2.5-mile 14-turn track was truly drenched and I qualified on the T3 pole with the Porsche a row back and Mazda RX8 R3 taking up the back after showing up late. It was so wet, the two ACR Vipers elected not to start (probably a good idea), but the cloud of mist at the start was truly frightening. I managed to get through cleanly and put my head down to put in clean, no-mistake laps. The 37mm restrictor didn't hurt too much in this race, as I used third and fourth gears primarily to keep wheelspin down. Raced with some GT2 and A Sedan competitors, but didn't take any big chances on the way to victory. What a return to racing- first 2018 Majors win!
SUNDAY RACE REPORT: Sometimes the weather gods just mess with you. I changed tires multiple times as we went from rain, to clearing to scattered showers throughout the day. At lunch, slow speed laps (behind the pace car in our tow vehicles) for race crews and workers were allowed, and that track was flooded. Just after mounting my rains, it cleared up and began to dry. Again, I started from pole in class but was eighth overall in the mixed field. This race was a fight from the start. The Porsche Boxter was yards off my bumper for most of the race. I was better in the fast sections of the track and he closed up in the slower corners. Driving had to be precise throughout this race, as any screw-ups would cost me the lead. A few laps from the end, he drafted me into the bus stop chicane and outbraked me on the inside. I waited as he skated past the turn-in and pulled the up and under move to repass for the lead. He recovered quickly, but was never close enough to make another serious challenge after that.
SUMMARY: A perfect weekend with two SCCA Majors wins for the 350Z, but man, am I tired for the drive back home!
Thanks! I was talking to some guys this weekend that race a Z and they mentioned that had issues with Cam sensors. I know for the Miata we carry plenty of front hubs, cam sensors, transmissions, and a rear diff amongst the typical consumables. Seems like the list of must haves is quite small. Thats is a bonus.
Also, congrats on the weekend. Wet weather always presents unique challenges especially if you don't know whether the track will stay wet or go dry.
Thanks! I was talking to some guys this weekend that race a Z and they mentioned that had issues with Cam sensors. I know for the Miata we carry plenty of front hubs, cam sensors, transmissions, and a rear diff amongst the typical consumables. Seems like the list of must haves is quite small. Thats is a bonus.
Also, congrats on the weekend. Wet weather always presents unique challenges especially if you don't know whether the track will stay wet or go dry.
Woops- should have mentioned the cam position sensor, together with spare brake rotors and spare LSD diff with wheel speed sensors. Only had to replace the CPS once, but it cost me heavily when it failed during a Majors race in St. Louis. I also carry a small box with and assortment of Nissan fasteners, clips and misc hardware.
One of the goals this past weekend was to bring a camera with me to get pics and video of races this season. I purchased a new Garmin VIRB camera, assembled and powered it up. On Saturday, I got the VIRB camera out and ready to mount, but where was the camera base mount? CRAP- left it back in my bag at the hotel. Ah well, I've got Porsches to pass and rain races to run...
Sunday I locate the mount and bring it with me to the track. Same song, different verse- got the mount ready, now where did I leave that dang camera? You guessed it- nowhere to be found!
So off to the Sunday races I went and the rest is history. I'll see if I can get some footage from the race from another source.
Upcoming race is the first weekend in May at LaJunta Raceways in SE Colorado. It's the Rocky Mountain SCCA Divisional opener and the Z will run in Touring 1 trim. That means: no air restrictors, no extra ballast and 275-35-18 or 285/30-18 (used) BFG tires. Minimum weight for the Z in T1 trim is 2450 # with driver- like I'd ever see THAT without building a tubeframe car (illegal in T1). Still, looking forward to driving the Z unfettered this coming Saturday.
The news from LaJunta is all of the good sort for the Z. In a historic first, Colorado SCCA ran SEVEN regional races, a driver's school and PDX in the same weekend. The LaJunta Raceway track is a short (1.5 mile) seven turn configuration which, to my mind is a bit like Lime Rock Park (in length) and Sebring (rough airport surface) and FAST. Lap times in T1 configuration were about a minute, and with almost 30 cars entered, things got very busy, very quickly.
Even though I used four-to-five year old BFGoodrich R1-S tires, they remained sticky and predictable throughout the weekend. It's a thrill to turn into turn 1 at 110 MPH, feel the tail tuck out and push hard through to the entrance of turn three! Only ended up cording one tire, but three are toast. There was tough competition for the overall win, with a Porsche 996 TT in SP, BMW E90 T2, Audi S4 turbo AWD STU and various E and F-Production cars that were quite quick. Honestly, most of the time the Z was only the fourth or fifth fastest car out there, but running hard and consistent was my goal throughout the weekend.
Durability was another factor, as cars broke under the strain of near 90 degree heat and running at the edge. By the time we lined up for the seventh race on Sunday, I was on outside pole and ended up winning when the STU Audi went out. After that, it was great fun running to the checkered, lapping Mazda RX-7/8s, IT cars and whatever else managed to keep running. On pure laps, the Z ended up covering the most ground, so I (unofficially) declare it the winner of the Seven Hours of LaJunta!
A comparison of lap times around the 7-turn, 1.5-mile LaJunta circuit turned up some interesting comparisons and memories. Back in '08, the last T1 lap record was set by Scott Tucker in a Ferrari Challenge F360 at a 55.521 seconds, while my 2018 best was a 59.429. While that's less than a four second difference, the cost to prepare, transport and race the two cars couldn't be more apparent.
Tucker had his own Level 5 Motorsports team transport the Ferrari to LaJunta and flew in and out of the airport on his Citation jet. Level 5 used a gorgeous black/red/chrome 18-wheel transporter with a huge awning and 4-5 crew to get that car to the track and prep it between sessions. Tucker went on to a successful racing career, winning several Runoffs titles, and competing at Daytona and LeMans with Level 5.
But there's a more ominous story behind it all: Tucker was running a payday scam operation, using Native American lands to flaunt Federal and state lending laws for years. While he made millions, he was eventually arrested and convicted under RICO and is now set to serve 16 years in Federal prison. He's also been ordered to pay back $1.2B (yes, BILLION) in illegal funds and has been openly unrepentant about crimes he perpetrated. That's racing- rubbing elbows with the famous and infamous alike...
Memorial Day weekend and the third race report for 2018. The Home of Heroes GP was held on the Pueblo Motorsports Park 2.2-mile race circuit. After Saturday qualifying, the results were sobering. Defending National Champ Derek Kulach was 3.5 seconds quicker than my best lap, and worse, pro driver Jason Ott was 4 seconds quicker in his BMW Z4 M Coupe! During the race, I held off the ex-Bob Shader 350Z NISMO (2015 Daytona Runoffs winner) for third while battling overheating in 100 degree weather.
For Sunday, we made a slight change to moderate oversteer (although I like a setup that is slightly loose) and did an change to fresh Mobil 1/filter. But I should have done more to address the overheating, as the HR usually runs hot in race mode and the timing gets scaled back. The race was a back-and-forth battle for third. The white 350Z NISMO was either in my mirrors or I was on his bumper all race long. My Z was quicker in the tighter sections of the track, while his HR was stronger on the straights. Predictably, I weighed my options on a risky pass and didn't put both of us behind the Porsche Boxster that was trying to close the gap. At the finish, I was less than a second behind in fourth, while the BMW took two wins over the weekend.
The BFG R1-S tires held up well to the heat, but 245-40-18s don't last very long. The 37 mm restrictor really cuts power starting at about 5500 RPM and the engine is very sluggish to get to redline. Better to throw a shift early and use the available torque. Weight? Being back to 3450# means adding more lead and calculating how much fuel to run. Ah well, that was great cut-and-thrust racing and brought into sharp focus what needs to be done to address the overheating issue as we hit the last two Majors races in July and August.
The race was a back-and-forth battle for third. The white 350Z NISMO was either in my mirrors or I was on his bumper all race long. My Z was quicker in the tighter sections of the track, while his HR was stronger on the straights.
The BFG R1-S tires held up well to the heat, but 245-40-18s don't last very long. The 37 mm restrictor really cuts power starting at about 5500 RPM and the engine is very sluggish to get to redline. Better to throw a shift early and use the available torque. Weight? Being back to 3450# means adding more lead and calculating how much fuel to run. Ah well, that was great cut-and-thrust racing and brought into sharp focus what needs to be done to address the overheating issue as we hit the last two Majors races in July and August.
Aero advantage of the Nismo?
Guess your post means you were running T3 this event, yes?
In any event, thanks for keeping us posted, David! Always look forward to your "real" race reports (versus my watching it on TV like I did couch potato fashion last night.)
Guess your post means you were running T3 this event, yes?
In any event, thanks for keeping us posted, David! Always look forward to your "real" race reports (versus my watching it on TV like I did couch potato fashion last night.)
Thanks, Mic and yes, I'm back to running Touring 3 trim for the Majors series. But those pricey NISMO V3 kits probably don't account for the top end advantage as much as his cooling system worked batter than mine. Sure, I use a Setrab oil cooler and Mishimoto aluminum radiator, but I need to go through them carefully to make sure they're working at optimum rates.
Reviewing lap times reveals my fastest laps are turned early in each race, the heat generated was probably pulling timing from the HR and putting me at a disadvantage. One thing is certain: with the true heat of summer coming on, I need all the cooling systems on my car to work well!
Start of a new month and pulling all the stops out in a quest for better cooling. Pulled the airboxes, fans and Mishimoto radiator out of the T3 Z for the first time in many moons. The aluminum radiator itself wasn't too beat up, but off to the radiator shop it went. Full cleaning and fin straightening later, it went back in with a fresh change of distilled water and waterwetter. Also took the time to check fan operation and it looks like the dual fans are stuck on low, if they come on at all!
I have a friend who's helping me with diagnosing the issue, but let's hope we can get this right! Also took the time to wrap some heat reflecting tape to the underside of the HR airboxes and under SCCA rules can also use some closed cell foam to block some air towards the oil cooler and radiator. This weekend, it's time to bleed the brakes (again) and do another inspection. Oh yeah, and while I'm at it, it's a great time to do a coolant flush and fill on my street Z too! Gotta wonder how many posts will come in this year on overheating a VQ b/c the radiators have never been adequately serviced? This is the time to do it, folks!
Point standings for the 2018 SCCA Mid-America Majors series show me in third overall with 85 points. There's three drivers within a seven point spread at the top, and another four contenders further down in the standings. Porsche leads the pack, with Mazda one point ahead of my Nissan. But it's the BMW Z4 M-coupe that took the last Majors T3 races at Pueblo that looks like the favorite going into the Freedom Sprints races at High Plains Raceway next weekend!
Still working on final preparations to my 350Z, and advance predictions are for triple digit temps next weekend. Gotta make sure my car is dead reliable and capable of running flag-to-flag for this latest edition of CAR WARS.
Point standings for the 2018 SCCA Mid-America Majors series show me in third overall with 85 points. There's three drivers with seven points at the top, and another four contenders further down in the standings. Porsche leads the pack, with Mazda one point ahead of my Nissan. But it's the BMW Z4 M-coupe that took the last Majors T3 races at Pueblo that looks like the favorite going into the Freedom Sprints races at High Plains Raceway next weekend!
Still working on final preparations to my 350Z, and advance predictions are for triple digit temps next weekend. Gotta make sure my car is dead reliable and capable of running flag-to-flag for this latest edition of CAR WARS.
Been a while David but, what percentage of drivers or how are the Runoffs qualifiers determined? Say, for example, is it the top three or four or however many points holders for a given class and for the region that qual or...?????
Guess I could look it all up but prefer to hear from you.
Used to know how this worked way back in 1980 but it wasn't like I was going to qualify given my limited run schedule while also having to work the events.
04-15-2018, 06:31 PM
