jgray

Dave!? Did you make it? Give us a short update if you have time.

jgray

Bump!

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Hey there--just made it back today! It's been a long trek back and I'm afraid I'm too tired to write much more tonight. But I did travel across the flood-raveged areas in Iowa and Wisconsin to race at Road America! Driving at such a classic track back-to-back with MMP gave me some unique perspectives that I'll get into later. Also, ever wonder what ABS failure is like on a Z at triple digit speeds? Not exactly easy to describe, but I did my best on the Nissan Sport blogsite this evening:

http://www.nissansportmag.com/blog/

Apologizes for the blatant link. Feel free to give me feedback or questions either on the blog or here...

jgray

Welcome home David! Glad to hear you made it there and back safely. I know that I took many stories and memories from the experience and MMP, so I'm certain you have twice that experience with both MMP and Road America under your belt. I'm off to check out your blog...

Joel

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Hi Joel- I checked the Nissan Sport blogsite and found the piece I wrote last night was missing. Titled "ABS Blues", the text was GONE and I had to rewrite it. Here it is in cut-and-paste form:

Ever wonder what value Antilock Brake Systems (ABS) really have? I got a vivid illustration this past weekend while racing at the famed Road America circuit. The Nissan Sport 350Z T2 was on a qualifying lap around the 4.0 mile circuit, when a wheel speed sensor malfunctioned. Heading down the long backstraight, I wound my way through the flat-out in fifth gear bends to Canada Corner. This corner calls for maximum straight line braking (from 130 MPH+) and a fifth-to-third heel/toe downshift. I flashed past the brake markers to the ‘3′ sign and nailed the brakes.

The weight transfer forward is extreme and ABS usually pulses the rear brake disc brakes to keep them from locking. Not this time! I felt the rears instantly lock as the Z slewed from side-to-side. I released brake pressure and got the wheels turning again but there wasn’t enough room to turn the car without sliding into a pack of cars already in the turn. So I locked ‘em up again as I slid off into the infamous gravel trap that lines the outside of Canada Corner.

The ‘kitty litter’ was wide and deep enough to immediately arrest my speed and bring me to a stop before hitting the tire wall. I knew I was stuck the moment I came to a rest and waited for the corner crew to come to my rescue. As I waited, a red dash warning light (which wasn’t on when I started the qualifying session) was illuminated with the letters ‘ABS’. The safety crew used a front end loader with a chain to lift the rear of my Z clear of the gravel and pull me back. After getting back to the pits, we hooked a Nissan CONSULT diagnostic tool to the ECU. The appropriate fault code appeared on the screen and indicated that a right rear (RR) wheel speed sensor was not sending any signal. With the race but hours away, I went to work. After lifting the car and using jack stands, I inspected the RR sensor, which is actually on the inboard side of the rear axle. It was tight, with the appropriate spacing fixed and no apparent wiring issues. I took it apart and cleaned the connectors with compressed air before inspecting the harness again and reattaching everything. After clearing the code, I fired up the car and drove around the paddock. The same warning light came up again. Damn!

With no time (and no spare parts of this type) available, I was left with a tough choice: either abandon the race altogether or go for it, knowing I’d be without ABS. That decision didn’t take long: I didn’t travel thousands of miles and spend all this money just to spectate! But I knew what a significant handicap the loss of ABS would be- no electronic controller working millions of times a minute to sense even the slightest wheel lockup and allow the hero driver to go DEEP into the corners. My race strategy changed too. Rather then an aggressive start and seeking to improve my laptimes, I’d have to be conservative and work my way to the front.

As it turned out, my strategy kept me out of trouble until about lap five. Squeezing the brake pedal into turn one gave me momentary lockup, but I countersteered quickly and kept it on the track. But my momentum was broken and I lost contact with the next closest car, my teammate Rick Kulach in the other Nissan Sport 350Z. From then on, my confidence in the usually dependable Brembo brakes was less than stellar. My lap times fell off, particularly towards the end of the race when my VQ seemed to pickup a high-speed miss climbing the hill off the final turn. My attention turned to nursing the car to the finish, rather than catching and passing others. The checkered flag appeared just as I was being lapped by the leaders–another humbling fact heaped on top of an 11th place finish. Not what I was aiming to accomplish in any stretch of the imagination…

So despite a seasoned driver (with advance warning of ABS being off-line) behind the wheel, slowing 3200 lbs of a steel, glass and rubber proved to be a big challenge. The 350Z has had more than its share of accidents on the road. But I wonder what would happen if this modern safety feature wasn’t there? How many more accidents, both minor and serious, would any of us face every day with such a high-preformance machine? I’ve yet to actually fix the ABS in the racecar, but rest assured, this will get done (along with several other problems) before my next race on the Fourth of July weekend!

jgray

Really? It was there this morning... I read it!

Joel

Dave 90TT

iTrader: (4)

Me too. Good read, David. Hope it is an easy fix

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

wow, I didn't want the article to end. Now I really can't wait to see you race in PMP.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Thanks for the feedback guys. The mysteries of cyberspace are a bit like ABS troubleshooting for me.

The other thing to mention is that this appears to be the year of the Hoosier tire. EVERYBODY in T1 and T2 was running them and they are quick! But with a treadwear rating of 40 (!) it's for hardcore competition use only! Some of the BMW M3s had the kind of coin to use a new set EVERY DAY of practice, qualifying and the race itself.

jgray

Are you suggesting that competitiveness and race championships can be bought! If so, I lose.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

That's racing for you. Makes it that much sweeter when you overcome those kind of obstacles to win!

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Having driven MMP and Road America within a few weeks time, it's striking how many differences there are. Where MMP offers a lot of technical challenges in the layout of the full course circuit, Road America has an equal amount in terms of elevation and camber changes. There are several turns you must be on the correct line BEFORE turning in if you hope to make the following turn. MMP is more 'user friendly' from the aspect of having wide runoff areas and few obstacles to hit. Road America is lined in many areas with solid Armco barriers and if you go off, there's gonna be a BIG BANG!

One of the M3s found this out in Friday qualifying. Accelerating hard off Canada Corner and up a hill, the BMW driver somehow got off near T14 and the ensuing crash tore off three of the four corners of the car! The driver looked to be OK, but unleashed kinetic energy can be a terrible thing. At MMP, I suspect his car would have gone out into the high desert and gotten dusty.

But imagine winding through a beautiful forest, with enough canopy that only sun-speckled bits of pavement are visable on the track. That's Road America and you'll sense a bit of history as you run your VQ to redline time and time again. But that same forest can hold water and when the rains come, torrents of water not only soak the track (and everything else) but continue to drip as the treetops sway after the thunderstorm has past.

While there was some rain at MMP, the track drains effectively and there's no sweeping canopy to hold the moisture. Of course, there's few natural markers to help with visual identification and that's why I found the corner signs so helpful. In summary, MMP is a thoroughly modern road racing circuit with high levels of safety to go along with state of the art facilities (except showers) and multiple high-speed layouts. Road America's park-like setting belies mind-blowing speed as you fly over an amazing array of turns that rise and fall in a natural setting.

Which did I prefer? Let's just say that while I enjoyed MMP and look forward to racing there for years to come, IMHO Road America remains the best road racing circuit in America. Period. Unfortunately, the 350Z is not the most powerful car in the SCCA T2 class and Road America will favor the BMW E46, V-8s and turbo cars for competitiveness. Still, with SCCA moving the Runoffs there for '09, I'm happy to be going back for another fix.

Dave 90TT

iTrader: (4)

Dave

SCCA is doing a double regionals this weekend at Laguna Seca...why aren't you there!?!?! I would have gladly given you a place to stay (my house) and helped with pit crew support.

Oh well.

If you ever do make it out to LS, you really do have a place to stay here (my house, for free!!!), and if I am free, pit support from me as well.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Dave- thanks for your generous offer! This year all my $$ is going towards campaigning SCCA Nationals, but I'd gladly run a soap box at Laguna if it meant some track time at that legendary track...

jmark

iTrader: (1)

Nice read D! RA is a beautiful place.

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

uu
And if Dave can't, you know that I grew up in Salinas, CA which is 10min from LS. You have a place to stay as well and I'll show you all the excellent restaurant.

Dave: Have you tried Ginos in Salinas at the end of S. Main St.?
http://www.restauranteur.com/ginospastacom/

Great Italian food! Enjoy.

Dave 90TT

iTrader: (4)

I haven't yet, but I have driven by it. Have to try it sometime