After some discussion with the BSpeed group (for Nissan Se-R and G20 enthusiasts, among others), I've been able to schedule another date at LaJunta Raceway for Saturday, April 24th.

For more details, please do a search of this forum on the last LaJunta event that we carried off in late February. We will again leave from the rest stop just south of the Larkspur exit on I-25. (about 5 miles south of Castle Rock) at 8:30 am. Plan on a straight drive thru (about 160 miles) to LaJunta and a good, but long day at the track. Track rental will again be $35/car (this remains the lowest track fee in the country) and we will need to bring our own helmets, drinks, lunch and/or snacks.

Once again, we will have an agenda for high-performance driving exercises in the morning and then tour/walk the track a bit. After that the plan will be to gradually work everyone up to speed in increments. If we get a larger entry for this event, we will need to discuss and implement passing rules for everyone's safety.

Please confirm your interest and/or questions with a brief post here.

 

Thanks for setting this up, David. I'll be there.

Gary

 

David,
Not sure if I will be able to make it yet. I will keep you posted.

I have plans to join the Mrs. at some event that day.....i.e. her birthday. I will see if I can arrange something. Her birthday is actually on the 23rd, but I am missing that day due to it being the start of Bandimere's racing season.
I obviously have my priorities right.......jk.

Brian

 

I'd like to go, if you'll take someone with 2 strikes!

 

Oh No, right in the middle of the LA MSA show.

Bummer!

Bob

 

I'm interested.. but I need some track brake pads. Any suggestions? (I'm on the stock non-brembo brake system)

Carbotech Panther XP maybe?

 

Dkmura - What is the exit # going southbound on I-25? Would love to go but need more info.

azrael - I think you should be fine with your stock brake system. I'm going fully stock with no mods whatsoever....taking it slow so I won't brake anything on my Z.

 

Carbotech XP8 is a good choice (Carbotech is one of the very few available choices for the non-Brembo rears.) Just be aware that Carbotech uses the 'embedded rivet' method for providing a low-pad-life sensor. There is no squeal clip on the backing plate, and the rivet head is positioned pretty high above the backing plate within the compound, so just doing a visual check on pad life while the pad is still in the caliper is insufficient if you want to save your rotors (it looks like the rivet heads could do a serious number on your rotors very quickly if your pads wore down to them.) That's not a reason to not go with Carbotech, but it's something to be aware of before you buy.

And I respectfully disagree with alexj74 that you'll be fine on stock pads. Experience has shown that the non-Brembo OEM's will not allow you to have much fun at the track without at least an upgraded pad (but then again we all have our own comfort zones at the track, so what's relevant for some might not be for others.)

 

Checked the map and I believe the southbound exit just past Larkspur is #172. The print is pretty fine, but I hope that helps.

As for brakes, the standard 350Z brakes are fine up to a point. They will begin to fade within five-seven laps, depending on your ability to modulate them properly. As most new folks tend to overuse their brakes, I'd suggest at least upgrading the pads and fluid.

As for pads, try Hawk HP+, which is available from a variety of sources (Cobalt Friction is one that comes to mind). I haven't tried the Carbotechs, so I cannot comment. BUT anything will be better than just heat glazing your stock pads. Keep that in mind before thinking that you can just dial it back. LaJunta is moderately hard on brakes and you'll be kicking yourself if you go all the way down there and are less than fully prepared...

 

I cooked my stock pads at the first track day, so that's why I'm absolutely certain that I need new pads before another track day. I put some Hawk HPS pads on my car for street use, and I have no intention of ruining them at LaJunta.

I'll look at the HP+ and the Carbotech Panther XP. If I can get them in before the track day, then I'll go.

 

If you decide to go with the Carbotechs, mention my350z.com for a discount when you call Carbotech to order.

 

Just a clarification: the rest stop where we'll meet this coming Saturday has no designated exit number. However, it is easy to find, being about two miles south of Larkspur (exit 172).

I'm also going to update the departure time as we will have a long drive down to LaJunta. Unless there are a lot of objections, let's plan on leaving the rest stop at 8:00 am (rather than 8:30) sharp!

 

I'm sorry to tell you guys that I will not be able to make it. I am coaching this Saturday at 11:00 am , which is right in the middle of the day. Was thinking about meeting you guys later during the day but I'm not sure how long you guys are planning to stay at the track for. If I left at 12:00 from Denver I would only be able to make it by 2:30 at the earliest. How long do you guys plan on staying out there? In case I can't make it at all, it would be very much appreciated if you guys could keep me informed on the next event and let know how the day went for you guys.

Thanks,

AJ

 

As of now, i've seen forecasts for La Junta to have rain on Saturday morning. Is this going to be a game-time decision on whether we go?

 

I've seen nothing but rain and snow (6"-12") forecast between Thursday afternoon and Friday night on the route between Denver and La Junta. Even if it's sunny on Saturday, the roads may not be clear enough for us to make it down there. It'll be dkmura's decision, but right now it's not looking too good.

But at least we found out the answer to Colorado's drought problem: schedule a track day in La Junta! That's proven multiple times to guarantee rain and snow.

 

I know we're all going to look out the window tonight and tomorrow morning and see nothing but SNOW. But I suspect that the moisture content will be quite high and the white stuff will melt quickly. I will check with the track manager tomorrow evening and post an update here. Stay tuned!

Gary is right- we can sell our services to water districts and ski areas! We're guaranteed at least a couple million each if we can schedule these track days throughout the year- LOL!

 

David,

Not sure about everyone else, but it snowed in Parker last night... and it's STILL snowing!!! arghhhHHHHHH

Sunday looks much better for this weekend than Saturday, but we probably can't get the track on that day... can we?

Frustrated AGAIN!!!

 

Yeah, Sunday would be much better since its going to snow/rain till mid-day on saturday. Do we really want to drive all the way down to La Junta in this kind of weather to end up racing on a wet track?

 

I definately doesn't look good for tomorrow.... http://www.weather.com/weather/local...om=search_city

I hope David gets some better news tonight from the guys down at the track.

David: If you logon and get this before 10pm (i'm sure you will from the voice msg you left for me) then I really need to know if Sunday is a backup day or not. I expect that it has been scheduled for some other race or event... but I ask anyway.

Cheers!

 

It's been a busy day, but I've finally got the word: Saturday (tomorrow) is ON! The LaJunta track manager says that it rained a lot, but that there was no snow at all! The road report is for mostly dry roads past Colorado Springs with Monument Hill now clear. Remember that LaJunta is quite far SE of the metro area and as long as our cruise down to the track is relatively snow and ice-free we should be fine.

I expect that we will have to do some scouting of the track before we set up our driving exercises in the morning. We may even incorporate some of the wet spots into our accident avoidence exercises once everybody gets some practice. I promise we will give LOTS of runoff room so you'll not be hitting anything more solid than orange cones if you make a mistake. Before we start any serious lapping of the course itself in the afternoon, we will be evaluating the conditions at each corner (this also gives us time to incorporate some instruction as we drive and stop at each corner as a group). LaJunta Speedway is relatively flat and dries quite quickly, so I think we'll be in good shape overall. So to PeterPutter and Alex74- stop the frustration and put on your happy faces- we're going!