I guess. I feel La Junta is a good track to learn on because it is super open, so most corners you can slide off or over shoot and not crash into anything. And most of the corners aren't difficult.


BTW, how many people are going? Because if you people are desired, I know of a few (Non-Z owners) that would enjoy coming down. Which I can invite/let them know about this day if others on this forum don't care.

 

Man I really want to go but am working.

 

We've probably got around 12-18 Nissan/Infiniti drivers from various boards interested. Sorry to say, I'd like to limit this track day primarily to our marque.

 

The wife and I will be going down the night before. We're curious to see what the desert of southeastern Colorado has to offer in terms of night-life. I suspect that the only "roaring" we'll be hearing is Mudd when he realizes that there aren't any bars in LaJunta.

 

are you for real?! no bars ? is there a hotel with a bar around there? or even a liquor store? Can you drink at the track if your just a spectator?

 

Believe me, there are bars in LaJunta. The Hogsbreath Bar and grill comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others as well. Just remember, o'dark thirty comes pretty early and I'm planning a full agenda for Sunday!

 

18 people would be a huge turnout. LaJunta is a small track, I think if no more than fifiteen show up that would be great. More than the four or five we had last time though, LOL. I might end up giving into peer pressure and heading down on Sat, but for now, I'll see you guys on Sun morn. I can't wait.
Will

 

No, I was joking; I'm sure there are bars in La Junta. But if you've ever been there, you know that it's pretty much a sleepy desert town that wouldn't ever be confused with the likes of LoDo. I'm sure we'll find somewhere to hang out. But like dkmura mentioned…Sunday will not be a good day to have a hangover.

 

OK.. Sorry to bring this up again, but more information about the Snell SA-2005 helmets.

I want to be able to try on the helmets for fitting before buying (as in not online). I have so far found only 1 place in Denver that actually had a stock of SA-2005 rated helmets and their stock consisted of only Simpson and Sparco. I am on a budget and I am looking for something cheaper, perhaps a G-Force or a low end Bell. Can anyone here recomend some auto sports stores in the Denver / Littleton area that stock these helmets.

Thanks,
Chris

 

Have you tried Morten's, or did they not have any? You might want to look at some SA2000's as they'll be discounted. Still a good helmet and certified for any sanctioned event by SCCA, NASA, etc..
Will

 

When we left off tip #2, your VQ35DE was gulping immense quantities of air and fuel in rapidly accelerating away from T3. Get ready for more fun! LaJunta Raceway's turn #4 and 5 are an interesting complex. Some refer to T4 as the "tree turn", as you approach a modestly sized tree to driver's right as you approach this corner down the short chute or straightway between T3 and 4 (see the course diagram for more detail: http://www.na-motorsports.com/Track...nta/lajunta.gif). As you accelerate hard down this chute, stay on the left side of the track to set up for T4. As we get closer to the braking point for T4, you'll be in the top of third gear or the bottom of fourth.

Then it's time to brake HARD and turn-in to the right for the first apex. Heel-and-toe downshift down one gear (I recommend using second gear) and get the car traveling in one smooth arc towards the curbing that marks the inside of T4. Clip a late apex and you'll find yourself (hopefully) in the middle of the track between T4 and T5. You'll begin almost immediately countersteering to the left to begin getting the car to the next apex at T5. Begin feeding in more throttle slowly as you make this second turn and get ready to throw another shift as you rocket down the back straightaway.

The T4-T5 complex really illustrates another speed secret: "slow in-fast out". Get the car properly balanced and slowed down in the first part of the turn and you'll find you can accelerate better off T5 and carry more speed down the back straight. But carry too much speed into T4, you'll find that your Z will push, or understeer between T4 and T5. The only option you'll be left with is to brake a second time to keep from going off the track, or possibly spin! Luckily, there's lots of runoff room, but any speed lost in this area will not be recovered the rest of the lap.

I hope these tips continue to pique interest in our upcoming track day. Please post here if you have any questions.

 

Some places to try:

AAI Speed Equipment in Arvada (I know that these guys carry Bell)
Morten's Motorsport Supply in Commerce City
Autosport Werks in Broomfield
3R Racing in Englewood

I've found that most places only carry 1 or 2 brands of helmet, so you might have to visit a couple of stores before finding a good helmet that fits. Good luck!

 

I don't know what stores are up in Denver but might just stop by any motorcycle shop. They usally have helmets in stock and you can test fit.

 

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks...ta/lajunta.gif

The weather report for the rest of February remains upbeat. While it's far from certain, the projections look good for this track day!

Let's get back to that lap of LaJunta: down the backstraight your VQ is howling as you upshift to third just exiting T5. Depending on how good your exit is, you may have to throw another shift to fourth before as you reach the turn-in point for T6. This turn is best described as a high speed "kink"; enter too fast and you'll be collecting the car in the dirt at the exit. Go too slow and you'll lose time. It's a fine balance to put in a good lap.

My suggestion here is to use ALL the road by getting over to the left side of the track, with your left-side (LS) tires almost in the dirt. Aim for a late apex across the concrete berm and brake very slightly (or breathe the throttle as you gain confidence). use one smooth turn of the wheel and carve a clean arc through T6. At the limit, you'll be in a four wheel drift and the car will just make it through with the LS tires being heavily weighted. At this point, you'll need a firm application of brakes and a heel-toe downshift to third gear.

This is where the exit of T6 and the all-important entrance to T7 blur and merge. Get the Z whoa'd down and in good balance before you begin your turn-in for T7. Use neutral throttle at the entrance and feed in gas as you carve around the outside of this unusual turn. That's right- you don't hit a traditional apex as this corner opens naturally on the exit. Keep your vision up and tracking down the front straight as your Z comes blasting off this turn. The revs will climb as you flash past the pit entrance and continue past the start-finish line as you begin another lap of this deceptively simple, but intriguing racetrack! In summary, T6 and T7 are linked and both must be done right for a quick and safe lap. The more confidence and speed you carry, the more precise the line you'll need through T6. T7 is arguably the most important turn on the track as it leads onto the longest and fastest part of the track.

Not many comments on any of these tips, but I hope that, whether or not you've been to LaJunta you find them helpful. Again, for those who don't have any track driving experience, we'll be doing several "warmup" exercises on Sunday morning to help get your feet wet. I'll be working on a syllubus and publishing it next week, so keep your fingers crossed!

 

Z

 

I've been reading them everytime you post. Looking forward to everything. Hope the wether holds out.

Mudd

 

Can we run with a M approved helmet only, I would like to try to make it but since my semester just started I may have trouble getting a SA approved helmet in time.

 

Just remember that a M-rated helmet is only tested for a single impact. If you think your head is worth that little, than that's a choice you make for yourself. Feeble excuses aside (like not having enough time to get the right helmet- pleeeze!), bring the helmet!

 

I've been following this thread and hoping for some bad weather because I can make the back up date, but can't make the original date.

Here's a nice in car video of La Junta and the website it came from that I found over on the NASA forum:

http://www.snymo.com/
http://www.whapp.com/sm/lajunta_944_june2003.mpg

Matt

 

Despite some snow a week before our 2006 track day, we remain on course to head down to LaJunta next weekend. For all those who are planning to stay overnight and sample the exotic nightlife in LaJunta, here's the plan: we'll leave on Saturday, Feb. 18th at 1 p.m. from the rest stop just south of the Larkspur exit on I-25. (it's about five miles south of Castle Rock). We'll continue south down I-25 to Pueblo before taking US-50 East to LaJunta. It's about a 160 mile trip, one way. A word about speed limits: the towns we go through on US-50 are well-known speed traps and a convoy of Z's will be easy game. So when the speed limit goes from 65 to 50 to 35- pay attention! We haven't had anyone to my knowledge get a ticket on one of our drives and I'd like to keep that record intact!

There is a good Mexican restaurant in LaJunta that I'd recommend for Saturday evenings' meal. If it's OK with the group, I'll make some reservations for around 6 p.m. Wish I could make some other suggestions for nightlife in LaJunta, but the best I can do is mention a local bar called the Hogsbreath Saloon (no kidding). As I said before, keep in mind that Sunday will be an early start, so plan accordingly.

Sunday will be a good long day at the track. let's plan to leave for the track at 8:30 a.m. and meet the track manager there to pay our "test and tune" fees. This will again be $35/car (remains THE lowest track fee in the country) and we will need to bring our own helmets, drinks, lunch and/or snacks (no concessions). Please unpack your cars on the south end of the concrete paddock as we'll be using the north end for the driving exercises. For those driving up on Sunday, you'll need to go through the town and then head north about 5-7 miles to the LaJunta airport. You'll take the first left after entering the airport grounds and look for signs directing you to the racetrack. Plan to meet us there by 9 a.m. As we've done in the past, we will have an agenda for high-performance driving exercises in the morning and then tour/walk the track a bit. After that, we'll assign instructors and play "follow-the-leader" to gradually work up to speed in increments. We'll take a lunchtime break and allow folks to refuel (it's amazing how much gas you can use at 100 MPH)! As we get into the afternoon sessions, we may need to discuss and implement passing rules for everyone's safety.

Two final points: this day is intended to provide an introduction to performance driving and exploring the envelope of your vehicle's performance. It is NOT a professional driving school and you are not paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for the privillage. I can assure you you'll be learning and processing a LOT of the same information! Second, you will be signing a waiver when you pay your track fee and will be taking responsibility for your own safety. This means that by participating in this event, that you agree that neither I, nor any of the instructors helping you, will incur any liability for any personal injuries or property damage caused in the course of the day. This is a standard disclaimer and we've never had any serious damage during any of our past Colorado track day events. Let's all do our part to keep that particular record intact as well!