MG On Track! BlueOsprey, Season 2
11-17-2011, 07:35 AM
#181
Former Moderator
Posting this here, so you will have access to it. Someone from the UK posted a link to this store in London on the Auto Racing Discussion Forum and described it as the one stop-shop for books related to motoring. Perhaps on your next trip there, Glen and you can visit here. Perhaps Nancy will like this store as well
http://www.motorbooks.co.uk/
http://www.motorbooks.co.uk/
12-06-2011, 02:39 PM
#182
Thread Starter
I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Hope posting a few pics from VIR will help.
All photos copyrighted by F & S Enterprises and may not be republished.
And my favorite picture of the year!
All photos copyrighted by F & S Enterprises and may not be republished.
And my favorite picture of the year!
12-06-2011, 02:54 PM
#183
Former Moderator
Dont you have a trip to the Juan Manuel Fangio museum forthcoming?
I think the sure cure is to get a cheap hatch and drive it in an ice race or autoX on a frozen lake.
Last winter, the local SCCA was supposed to have a winter rally that never happened because one of the key people organizing the event met with a bad accident while playing volleyball. Im not sure if they will have anything this year, but that looks like a good pursuit. Also keep an eye on the SCDA website. Last year they had a winter performance driving event at NHMS.
01-24-2012, 09:09 AM
#184
Thread Starter
An early career spin, lack of talent and dubious brakes makes for slow corner entry! 
So in 2012, I have to gird my loins, forget that I have no brakes and drive into those corners at full speed!
This video is taken, I think, from the car that is behind me in the above picture. This is just a snippet where he chases me down. I'm two cars ahead at the start.
After he passes, I'm thinking I have to come is since I'm two wheels off. I don't chase, but in a quarter mile decide not to come in.
In any event, his video shows that I've got a faster car on the straights, equal speed through the corners but that I'm slowing way too much on corner approach. I'm fabricating longer pushrods my master cylinder that I hope will help me solve my brake problems for next year - If they work as planned (Ha!), I may even get a set-up where I can heel and toe once in a while.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRZ-TBkBLo
So in 2012, I have to gird my loins, forget that I have no brakes and drive into those corners at full speed!
This video is taken, I think, from the car that is behind me in the above picture. This is just a snippet where he chases me down. I'm two cars ahead at the start.
After he passes, I'm thinking I have to come is since I'm two wheels off. I don't chase, but in a quarter mile decide not to come in.
In any event, his video shows that I've got a faster car on the straights, equal speed through the corners but that I'm slowing way too much on corner approach. I'm fabricating longer pushrods my master cylinder that I hope will help me solve my brake problems for next year - If they work as planned (Ha!), I may even get a set-up where I can heel and toe once in a while.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRZ-TBkBLo
01-24-2012, 06:01 PM
#185
Former Moderator
An early career spin, lack of talent and dubious brakes makes for slow corner entry!
So in 2012, I have to gird my loins, forget that I have no brakes and drive into those corners at full speed!
This video is taken, I think, from the car that is behind me in the above picture. This is just a snippet where he chases me down. I'm two cars ahead at the start.
After he passes, I'm thinking I have to come is since I'm two wheels off. I don't chase, but in a quarter mile decide not to come in.
In any event, his video shows that I've got a faster car on the straights, equal speed through the corners but that I'm slowing way too much on corner approach. I'm fabricating longer pushrods my master cylinder that I hope will help me solve my brake problems for next year - If they work as planned (Ha!), I may even get a set-up where I can heel and toe once in a while.
[media]http://youtu.be/lQRZ-TBkBLo[/media]
So in 2012, I have to gird my loins, forget that I have no brakes and drive into those corners at full speed!
This video is taken, I think, from the car that is behind me in the above picture. This is just a snippet where he chases me down. I'm two cars ahead at the start.
After he passes, I'm thinking I have to come is since I'm two wheels off. I don't chase, but in a quarter mile decide not to come in.
In any event, his video shows that I've got a faster car on the straights, equal speed through the corners but that I'm slowing way too much on corner approach. I'm fabricating longer pushrods my master cylinder that I hope will help me solve my brake problems for next year - If they work as planned (Ha!), I may even get a set-up where I can heel and toe once in a while.
[media]http://youtu.be/lQRZ-TBkBLo[/media]
clicked on the link to get the following message
This video is private. Sorry about that.
01-25-2012, 06:14 PM
#189
Former Moderator
I got to see it. What caused you to put a wheel on the grass at 3:28? Were you slowing down to let the other guy by or did he distract you? The way I see it you had the corner and he had the straight after the Oak Tree to get past you.
To me it did not seem like you slowed overly for the corners. You were doing good and would probably have held him off for longer from what I can tell.
To me it did not seem like you slowed overly for the corners. You were doing good and would probably have held him off for longer from what I can tell.
01-26-2012, 05:33 AM
#190
Thread Starter
It's like looking at a video of your golf swing and seeing what you are doing wrong! I wish I had seen the clip after the run. I think I would have picked up several seconds on my lap times.
I can see that I was distracted by my questionable brakes and that I am lifting too much before the corner - especially at the end of the main straight where #65 really pulls up. And I know I was trying to downshift in anticipation of corner entry as well. But since I couldn't possibly heal and toe, I was braking, then shifting, then braking as I was entering the corners. I should have just gone as far as I could through the corners in top gear and then downshifted after the apex. I think I would have been faster.
I'm not sure why I went off. I was pretty flummoxed by the Oak Tree throughout the weekend. I kept trying different lines and never found the right one. On the Saturday morning run, I was certainly distracted by the questionable brakes, but probably not so much by the guy behind me. I think my exit speed was just a little too fast for the car and it pushed me off. But I was distracted after I went off as I tried to figure out whether or not I had to come in.
In all honesty, I probably never tried the best line for the Oak Tree. I think that line would require treating the first half of the corner as part of the straight. That would involve turning towards the inside of the corner at brake board 2 and aiming straight to the back of the corner, braking hard at the inside corner rumble strip, and turning sharply at the far outside of the track. But that would leave no room for error. I kept going around too wide for fear that my brakes would fail.
In the next race, there was another AH Sprite that kept catching me at the Oak Tree, but then I pulled away on the back straight and stayed ahead until he caught up with me again at the Oak Tree. There are two lefthanders that I was lifting for, but which I should have been taking as momentum corners. I didn't figure that out until near the end of the weekend.
I can see that I was distracted by my questionable brakes and that I am lifting too much before the corner - especially at the end of the main straight where #65 really pulls up. And I know I was trying to downshift in anticipation of corner entry as well. But since I couldn't possibly heal and toe, I was braking, then shifting, then braking as I was entering the corners. I should have just gone as far as I could through the corners in top gear and then downshifted after the apex. I think I would have been faster.
I'm not sure why I went off. I was pretty flummoxed by the Oak Tree throughout the weekend. I kept trying different lines and never found the right one. On the Saturday morning run, I was certainly distracted by the questionable brakes, but probably not so much by the guy behind me. I think my exit speed was just a little too fast for the car and it pushed me off. But I was distracted after I went off as I tried to figure out whether or not I had to come in.
In all honesty, I probably never tried the best line for the Oak Tree. I think that line would require treating the first half of the corner as part of the straight. That would involve turning towards the inside of the corner at brake board 2 and aiming straight to the back of the corner, braking hard at the inside corner rumble strip, and turning sharply at the far outside of the track. But that would leave no room for error. I kept going around too wide for fear that my brakes would fail.
In the next race, there was another AH Sprite that kept catching me at the Oak Tree, but then I pulled away on the back straight and stayed ahead until he caught up with me again at the Oak Tree. There are two lefthanders that I was lifting for, but which I should have been taking as momentum corners. I didn't figure that out until near the end of the weekend.