NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

This past weekend Extreme Speed had a track day at Willow Springs International Raceway aka "The Big Track". This was my first track event and I caught some crap about it being too dangerous or fast for a beginner, but whatever. I signed up in the Beginner Class and ran 1:58 my first open session with a Civic coupe, Volvo POS, and Cadillac CTS holding up everyone since it was only wave by passing on the 2 straights. Hindsight would have been me bumping up to Intermediate class, but I always side with caution, rather than crashing. The last session (of 5 total) was the Intermediate and Beginner Group running together, that's where I ran my 1:51.2. I have a LOT to learn about tracking but I showed steady improvement all day and I think if I had bumped up to where there was less lap traffic I could have broken into mid .40s. There were quite a few crashes, but no one got hurt. Shockingly even though a GT500 went off hard at turn 9 and flipped 5-10 times. My buddy Eric tested out his side bars of his roll cage too all in a racecar's day.


All in all I had a great time, and my Z and I made it home in one piece.

Here are some pictures from the event.

enjoy!

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

Pix of my Z having some fun!

SE5spd

iTrader: (17)

NICE! Great to see a Z actually getting on a track

Voboy

iTrader: (58)

geeez that sounds like a lot of incidents for an event...

Glad you had fun though.

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

Lots of people were saying that people were bad mouthing Extreme Speed for "lack of safety"

This is Tom Foolery.

Men will be men no matter how much you tell them not to be. Testosterone and race gas cause crashes, not lack of safety----usually.
We were ALL told that this is a SUPER fast track and there is HUGE potential for catastrophic failure. Whether people listened or not was up to them.

I have 276rwhp in my Z, and I KNOW I'm a novice tracker. I had nothing to prove except that I would have fun. The GT500 crashed on the FIRST LAP of its session. Cold tires-500+rwhp and track confidence made sure that Ford never sees teh road again.

My biggest issue was basically my own fault. There were 3 SUPER slow cars/drivers in the beginner class. This held up a lot if not all the cars every lap. And being wave by passing only on the straights didn't help.

That Volvo was in front of me when we started, he got to the back straight and wouldn't wave me by even though I was basically touching his bumper. then we went into 8 and 9(9 saw a lot of cars off that day) and in 9 he was trying to not let me get by him on the straight so he ended up under/over/under steering and almost crashing right in front of me.... and STILL didn't wave me by. No wave needed on the back straight of that next lap. VQ35HR POWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAH!!!

I had a great time and as you can tell, I can't stop talking about it.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Great times, good to see you out there. Can't believe you posted no pics of my car Come on out next month and play some more.

ETK

Any one have any idea why there were so many crashes at this event? Seems like a lot to me.

KingBaby

iTrader: (3)

thanks for sharing

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

I don't have a sweet camera to get on track pictures, Ans Jason was on the track with you so he couldn't either..I'd ask Brandon, jenae was snapping pix all day!

ETK, Read my previous posts for MY opinion of crash causes

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Only 2 crashes at the event. S..t happens, it is a fast track , people were having fun , perfect conditions for fast laps. Lots of offs, people just pushing past limits.

ETK

OK, good, spins and offs are no biggie. I thought there was more carnage.

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

Oh, sorry....I forgot to mention my car is basically a daily driven garage queen. So even Having tons of dirt/grime on my car is devastating. I didn't meant to make it sound like everyone totalled their car, but to me, going off and smashing my door in would be gutwrenching, let alone flipping multiple times!

Thanks for clarification Len

BornSlippyZ

iTrader: (1)

Looks like you had fun! And at least you listen to instruction about passing, because ish could happen (especially with other novice drivers on the course) real quick. I am a novice and the last time I was at a track was in someone else's car, and I had an instructor riding with me.

BTW whose SB Z is that with nice marks on the side?

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

Yea, I ALWAYS heir on the side of caution. I know my limits and I stay really far from them. I would have been probably 10 seconds faster at least if I did REAL late braking like I should, and stayed in the car in front of me's behind. But, I was there to have fun, and I did. I learned A LOT of what myself and even MORE of what my HR can do... I said I could have been 10 seconds faster..... my Z could have been about 25 seconds faster with a more ballsy to the wallsy driver behind the wheel.

My buddy has a GoPro video I'm waiting for him to upload.... Passing lots of cars, including a 911 S and an FRS just to name a couple

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

That is etarui's car

BornSlippyZ

iTrader: (1)

Holy ****!

Besides the body damage any frame or suspension damaged?

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Just rear fender and door. It may be at the track with a damaged rear fender for a few. PM him if you know of an available door!

BornSlippyZ

iTrader: (1)

Will do!

350Zdj

iTrader: (3)

Great that you had fun. Your car looks sexy !

One of the things that's frustrating, driving in Novice class is people who won't wave by.

2 crashes in one track day is a lot in my books, especially it's not even a competition event. Is it that common in that circuit?

I've witnessed only one car crash on all of my trackdays and it happened right in front of me (a modded G35c which I was battling with)

NoQuestionZ

iTrader: (93)

HUGE thanks for the compliment!

We were told there was high potential for off tracks and spins and even some flipping. I am not sure if that is "normal" but that was a VERY fast track in my opinion, and I was going "SLOW"!

It was for sure scary to see the crash. I've seen videos of bad crashes but to feel the impacts of the car hitting the ground and see the pieces of suspension/wheel fly off was like an out of body experience for me...

We knew it was a "Mustang" by the way the underside looked and our friend with a Boss 302 was "missing" at that time.... Luckily, he had just left the track after the session to look for some gas..... Poor timing!