SCCA

The Z Transformation pt 3 – Road racing and Track Days

by Neil on December 10, 2010

in Automotive, Neil, Racing

If you are new to my little series, check out Part 1 and Part 2

After a couple years of autocross I was totally consumed with racing fever. Autocross was fun, but I was wanting more. I did my research and found that the next step up from autocross would be Road Racing.

Road Racing and Track Days

Wikipedia has a good description of road racing:

Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks (i.e. “road courses”), as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing. Temporary facilities built on paved airport runways and closed-off public roads (such as street circuits) usually are included in the definition also.

So what is the difference between autocross and road racing? Well for starters, the speed. In a typical autocross track you will rarely even reach highway speeds, however in road racing speeds well above 100mph are not uncommon. The speed increase is not only more demanding on the driver, but also mcuh more demanding on the car. Then there is the amount of time spent racing. In autocross most tracks take less than a minute to complete and you only get half a dozen runs at most. In road racing and track days you are often driving for 20-30 minutes at a time  with 5 runs in the day.

The closest road racing track to Columbia where we live was Gateway International Raceway, located across the river from St. Louis in Collinsville, IL. I was intimidated, but after doing my research, I took a deep breath and signed up for an event!

Gateway International Raceway (GIR) – Road course is in bold.

The particular program at GIR I signed up for was called the “Performance Driving Experience” (PDX). The event is classified as a performance driving education more so than a competitive event. The PDX program focuses on preparing novices as well as allowing experienced drivers to practice in a safe environment. What does that mean? Well, new drivers get a professional instructor that rides along with them. The instructor can communicate to the driver via a small headset in the helmet. Professional instruction is great, and it really allows you to learn the proper driving lines, breaking, and throttle techniques. It also means that there is no lap timing, as well as no competitive passing of other vehicles on the track (much to Jessica’s relief!). All passing is done in the designated passing zones, and only allowed when the driver in front of you gives you the “point by” to pass. Typically this is where many drivers that want to eventually participate in competitive racing start.

So wait, isn’t this really dangerous?

Some may think that road racing is quite dangerous, however I think it is quite the contrary. Imagine a controlled environment where everyone is focused and aware of  both safety and what is going on around them, versus driving on the street with teenagers texting, people driving+eating, moms disciplining kids, and people possibly driving intoxicated. I personally feel much safer on a track going 125mph down the back straight than I am on the public roads.

Needless to say after my first session at GIR I was wide-eyed, and all smiles. I thought I knew everything about my car and how to drive it, but road racing made me realize I had a ton to learn and there were a lot of new skills I would need to practice that I had never needed in autocross. The speed, the amount of time on the track and adrenaline really wear you out, and by the end of the day all I knew is that I wanted more seat time and more racing time, but wow was I was beat. The two hour drive home from St. Louis after a track day is certainly one that requires some coffee!

I could ramble on all day about what it is like experiencing the track and racing, but here are a few videos that will probably put it in a better perspective. You know what they say, a picture (movie) is worth a thousand words. Below are some videos of my driving my car around GIR.

You can also check out some of my thoughts from an event at GIR here.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 3rd Session from Kohler Created on Vimeo.

4-25-2009 STL PDX 2nd Session from Kohler Created on Vimeo.

Safety and precaution

After 3 years of doing track days on the road course I began to get faster, and faster. Of course when you begin pushing the limits of your ability and of the car, the margin for error gets smaller and smaller. I felt that I owed it to myself, Jessica, and my family to begin the process of installing the proper safety equipment in the car in the case that worse did happen.

Up next…

The Z makes its transformation from weekend racer and street car, to full out racecar!

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The Z Transformation pt 2 – Autocross and Racing

by Neil on November 17, 2010

in Automotive, Neil, Racing

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As I left off in my previous post of this series, I wanted to continue my hobby in motorsports but I was very bored of straight-line quarter-mile racing. So I began to research my options. Thankfully, Springfield, MO had its own autocross chapter, so I joined the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and went to watch several autocross events!

What is Autocross?

Well Wikipedia describes autocross as:

“Autocross is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competition and active participation. An autocross is a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a temporary course marked by traffic cones, rather than racing on a track with multiple other cars, as inroad racing or oval racing. Autocross tends to place more emphasis on car handling and driver skill than on sheer horsepower, and events typically have many classes which allow almost any vehicle, from economy sedans to purpose-built vehicles, to compete. Speeds are slower in absolute terms when compared to other forms of motorsports, usually not exceeding highway speeds, but the activity level (measured in discrete turns per minute) can be higher than even Formula One due to the large number of elements packed into each course. Autocross courses are typically 40 to 70 seconds in length, with speeds limited to 70mph for insurance purposes. In addition to being a national-level motorsport in its own right, autocrossing is a good way to learn skills that transfer to road racing, as drivers learn vehicle control and club ethics.”

So after seeing footage of some of these events, I began attending the local events myself. Here are a couple videos of my runs!

Autocross is a great sport that allows you to have a lot of fun in your street car at a very reasonable cost and very low risk. It’s also entirely legal too! Anyone who is wanting to learn some great driving skills, but are kind of on the fence as to how far they want to take it, should really start with autocross.

The Mod Bug

Of course once you start racing, you almost automatically get the “mod bug” and find ways to improve your car to enhance its overall capabilities and the driving experience. I immediately began saving money for parts and reading tutorials so that I could save money by doing all the work myself.

I started by first adding lowering springs, then sticky tires, then wheels, then some racing adjustable coil-over type shocks and struts, then exhaust, then more motor stuff and brakes. I wont bore you with the details, but the list goes on and on and on. It was a lot easier back then to stash money away for the car. I was single, making plenty of money and only had myself to worry about. I do not really regret any of the money spent in my car, but I do fully realize just how much money it was and that can make you cringe a little!

Here are a few pictures from some of the days and nights of part installs:

Brand new brake pads, rotors, and stainless steel brake lines

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New NISMO exhaust/y-pipe

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Jess modeling one of my coil-over shock/struts

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Me installing the coil-overs

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The “G”

One of the problems I ran into while modifying my car to become more faster, stiffer and more agile is that it became uncomfortable to really drive. The car was certainly taking on more of a “fair weather” role. Driving it in the rain or snow was now out of the question and even simple tasks like entering a moderately steep driveway or parking lot became more difficult if not completely impossible.

So I broke down and bought a daily driver (beater) of course. Meet the “G”, my 1992 Infiniti G20.

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Jessica and I were dating long-distance around this time, with a three-hour, 140 mile drive between us. The G took me back and forth to see her every other weekend for two years without a hiccup. Like an old friend who never let you down, it was a true hero and will be forever remembered for its service. Just last year I finally sold the G because I felt it was time to get something that was a little nicer.

Up next:

Moving from Autocross to performance driving education and track racing!

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05-08-2010 St. Louis PDX at Gateway International Raceway

by Neil on May 10, 2010

in Automotive, Neil, Racing

This is my 5th track day and my 3rd year of doing these after about 4 years of autocross.

These are just a few photos of the day. I suggest you check out the rest of the photos too.

My cousin took these. He is only 14 years old and takes amazing shots, you really should check out his other photos in his albums.

Here are my photos, we really don’t spend much time on photos because I am so busy with racing that there is little time for other mental thought.

I really encourage any one who is interested in these events to watch the videos! Yeah, they may be long, but they all give a real candid insight to the track and how a typical session goes. I warm up, I make mistakes at times, but in the end I get faster and faster. You will too if you do these events.

Write up of the day.

To sum up the day is to say that I love how my car is set up, and I love how much I am progressing with it. The day was a good day.

The morning started out COLD. Getting up at 4:00AM and to the track by 6:00AM is certainly not easy. The brisk morning wind reminded you of the first laps you would take under a lot of tension with the Hoosiers cold and traction limited. Nevertheless, after a safety tech inspection, and you more cars arrived you begin to feel the excitement grow.

The day starts and I take it slow. If you have raced on Hoosiers you know that its do or die when it comes to cold Hoosiers. After warming them up I eased back in to the familiar groove of the track and my line.

So, in all my videos the first lap will be slow and mostly a warm up lap for the tires and my mental readiness.

Second Session

Below is my second run since I did not record the first, but in this run was pretty no drama. While I was still getting in my groove as far as speed, I kept ahead of the pack with no one in sight and then caught up to a Volskwagen R32 GTI that was fairly modified and eventually passed him and a Pontiac Solstice.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 2nd Session from Neil Kohler on Vimeo.

Third Session

Below is my third run and perhaps the most exciting from a viewer’s standpoint. Behind an Austin Healey kit car, around 2:45 in the video he goes off the track. I check my mirrors and since there was no one behind me I slow to see if he comes back on the track or not. He does not and I move on.

I finally caught up to my friend James in the black Supra. Slowly gaining on him we were both pushing it pretty hard. I was loving the excuse to focus and execute on the track but unfortunately at about 10:00 and shortly after my friend James brakes too late on the end straight and has to bail out on turn 1. Turn 1 is a pretty scary turn as you are coming down it at typically over 120mph and your brakes are put to the test. Thankfully he had no damage and no problems and did what was right in that situation and took the safe route.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 3rd Session from Neil Kohler on Vimeo.

4th Session

Below was my 4th Session and it was a short one due to lunch crunch. However I did pass a chevy colbolt SS and a honda s2000 CR. I was moving pretty well through my lines and this session felt good, but short.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 4th Session from Neil Kohler on Vimeo.

5th Session

Below was the 5th session and starting out I always allow the tires to heat up. But after the second lap it was apparent that the R32 Golf was moving a lot faster than I was comfy with at that time so I pointed him by. Eventually a new Subaru STI came up on me and I decided to point him by as well and I would chase him the rest of the time. He would certainly take me through some turns that the AWD and superior power he had allowed, but I would catch him decidedly in some turns and really well in the hard braking areas. It was a LOT of fun having him challenge me.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 5th Session from Neil Kohler on Vimeo.

6th Session

Below was the 6th session of the day and I was rolling pretty quick through this since through the day I had been perfecting my line and driving. Unfortunately this run was cut way short because a Colbolt SS went off the track and into the wall and then resulted was a black flag to end the session. I am proud of this session as I feel that this session and perhaps the 5th session I was really getting into my fastest laps.

05-08-2010 STL PDX 6th Session from Neil Kohler on Vimeo.

I hope this was enjoyable to those who watched the vids and looked at the pictures and read the thoughts.

-Neil

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Track day!

May 7, 2010

This weekend is finally here!  Track Day! There is something about getting up at 4:00am and being at the track when its still dark, the peacefulness before the roaring motors that will fill the rest of the day. I always get video and pictures of my events so stay tuned for that next week! If [...]

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Our Belated New Year’s Resolutions

January 12, 2010

{image via Lumatic} Is it a bad omen when we’re already two weeks behind in getting these up? In our defense, tons of our (mainly Neil’s) projects had go-live/completion deadlines in the first two weeks and we’ve pushed ahead earlier than originally planned on one of our financial resolutions to replace a car with a [...]

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Road racing videos worth watching

October 28, 2009

Below are some great vidoes of road racing! Amazing battle at the GT2 2009 finals, watch until the very end! Nissan GTR battles a 700hp mustang at Thunderhill, great driving! Part 2 Nissan 350z lapping at Watkins Glen, I strive to be this fast. Niagara PCA – Watkins Glen – 350z Onboard – October 2009 [...]

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08-29-2009 PDX Videos and Thoughts

August 30, 2009

STL SCCA PDX at Gateway International Raceway Driver: Neil Kohler Car: 2003 Nissan 350z *if videos are not up check back later, youtube has to process them, can take a couple hours* **Also, please view them in High Quality if possible, they are much better that way** Begin The day went well aside from a [...]

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