Enjoy the media guys… If you like it, bump it, this shit took a long ass time to put together.
I Got a bunch of pics and a few GO PRO vids, if you JUST want to see media scroll down.
This is a detailed account of my first track day:
I Went to Pocono Raceway this Sunday, a Local club called "Exotics Rally" got together with an Italian car enthusiast group and rented the track for the whole day. I rented a room at the Best Western 3 miles from the track, though i would get a good nights sleep but tons of traffic on the way there and partying teenagers next door kept my sleep to 2 - 3 hours max.
The BestWestern parking lot was like a car show! Noticed a couple cars in the lot that were familiar, guys i have met at local Autocross races over the years, met up with them in the morning, filled up at the gas station on the way and headed over to the track. When i got there i was in awe! the track is and its associated ground are expansive, built on flat ground and not many tall structures you can see open skies for miles and miles, its a beautiful sight.
We pulled into the area and parked in the lot and MAN! What a sight. Street cars and race cars, Classic and modern, as far as the eye can see super bad vehicles, Ferrari's, Lambos. Porsches, Maseratis, Vettes, only one of ther Mustang ('11 GT500) and the only Rice present was a bad ass NSX and 90's RX7. A bunch of nice rides showed up as spectators, ther was en Enzo, 458 Italia, classic Daytona, F40, classic Maseratis, it was simply incredible. The place was buzzing with excitement, eye candy everywhere, hundreds of tur enthusiasts there to have a good time.
Pocono Raceway is used for Nascar races but for this event it was modified using the inner Autocross style Road course inside turn 3 on the speedway, it featured 6 tight turns with a gnarly 180 degree turn into the inner road course entrance (see map). The track was 2.5 miles, turn 1 is 675 ft long and features 14 degree banks, turn 2 is 750 ft long with 8 degree banks, the main straight is 3,740 ft long!
They broke us up into 4 groups based on experience level (Green, White, Blue, Red) respectively, there were 8 heats scheduled for the day, each heat about 15-20 min depending on timing, generally you would just run with your color group but they did mix us up through the day to keep things interesting. Since this is a non-competitive event you are only allowed to pass on a straight and you must be given the go ahead by the person in front of you but generally once you are up their ass they are glad to give you the signal.
Since this was my first time out, I was in the green group and required to run with an instructor. Sometimes people feel like they are good driverz and dont need an instructor, that feeling quickly fades on your first lap when your doing 130+ mph and about to take a 14 degree bank turn, this speedway is NOT like Autocross, your are going FAST! Every little input you give the car will disrupt its balance if not done smoothly and with precision, 130mph is far less forgiving than 60 mph, even something as simple as letting of the throttle too fast will affect the cars balance.
The pedal is to the floor, the boost gauge is pegged and the car is screaming, muffled by the sound of winds but you can feel the speed, it’s a sensory overload and although you want to go faster, your almost afraid to be too hot into the upcoming turn. So there I am on the straight in 4th gear and 5800 RPM doing 135mph and I simply don’t have enough room for it to make sense shifting to 5th because I have to slow down for the turn shortly but the car had more speed in it, the shift light was priceless as you don’t want to be looking at your tach. There are boxes painted on the road to show you your best lines and cones at the apex of turns, the instructor helps guide you through your lines and expose your bad street driving/Autocross habits that simply will not work at such speeds.
After the first heat you are relieved and excited all at once, its an incredible feeling and you are feeling much more confident for the next run. On the second heat you notice your interior getting very warm and by the third heat your floor pans are blazing hot and your seat feels as if it were sitting under a flame and simmering for a long while, I knew it would get warm in the car but it was HOT AS HELL!!!!
Luckily I installed the JPC Saleen intercooler res 2 weeks prior and had enough coolant to keep my AIT’s no higher than 150, many ppl have braking issues with the Saleen/Stop Tech 14” 4 piston BBK’s, I did not feel any brake fade and that’s one of the biggest issues to deal with after running the car that hard for a while. You literally beat the piss out of the poor car, all pedals to the metal, breaking and accelerating as hard as you car will allow, it’s definitely not something you want to do regularly with your street car. I cant see how a street car would keep up with that type of abuse, as stiff as my suspension is, it was a sponge at this intensity. Although I felt very comfortable on the Road Course, I found the Speedway to be nerve racking, it’s just something that ive never experienced before and there is really nothing like it, wide open lanes and 14 degree banks and SPEED.
We were allotted a total of 8 heats in the day, after 3 heats I was mentally and physically drained from the intense concentration and physical demands of keeping in your seat from the G’s, I had to take a break for the 4 the heat, we then had a 1.5 hr lunch break, I did 2 more heats after lunch I was done, I noticed that on my 5th heat I was very jerky with all my inputs and my reaction times were just not the same as they were in the morning, so I decided take the rest of the day off rather than meet the wall. On the two hour drive home from PA to NYC I was nodding off, I had no idea how draining it could actually be. I have a new found respect for open track racers a, particularly those that race for extended periods; I can’t even imagine how the 24 hr of Leman racers get through it. The technique involved to do better than the next guy is tremendous.
It was a fantastic experience; I will do it again without a doubt, however the mental, physical. Mechanical and financial equipment will keep you from doing it every weekend. To those who havnt done it, IT IS A MUST! Enjoy the media guys…
I Got a bunch of pics and a few GO PRO vids, if you JUST want to see media scroll down.
This is a detailed account of my first track day:
I Went to Pocono Raceway this Sunday, a Local club called "Exotics Rally" got together with an Italian car enthusiast group and rented the track for the whole day. I rented a room at the Best Western 3 miles from the track, though i would get a good nights sleep but tons of traffic on the way there and partying teenagers next door kept my sleep to 2 - 3 hours max.
The BestWestern parking lot was like a car show! Noticed a couple cars in the lot that were familiar, guys i have met at local Autocross races over the years, met up with them in the morning, filled up at the gas station on the way and headed over to the track. When i got there i was in awe! the track is and its associated ground are expansive, built on flat ground and not many tall structures you can see open skies for miles and miles, its a beautiful sight.
We pulled into the area and parked in the lot and MAN! What a sight. Street cars and race cars, Classic and modern, as far as the eye can see super bad vehicles, Ferrari's, Lambos. Porsches, Maseratis, Vettes, only one of ther Mustang ('11 GT500) and the only Rice present was a bad ass NSX and 90's RX7. A bunch of nice rides showed up as spectators, ther was en Enzo, 458 Italia, classic Daytona, F40, classic Maseratis, it was simply incredible. The place was buzzing with excitement, eye candy everywhere, hundreds of tur enthusiasts there to have a good time.
Pocono Raceway is used for Nascar races but for this event it was modified using the inner Autocross style Road course inside turn 3 on the speedway, it featured 6 tight turns with a gnarly 180 degree turn into the inner road course entrance (see map). The track was 2.5 miles, turn 1 is 675 ft long and features 14 degree banks, turn 2 is 750 ft long with 8 degree banks, the main straight is 3,740 ft long!
They broke us up into 4 groups based on experience level (Green, White, Blue, Red) respectively, there were 8 heats scheduled for the day, each heat about 15-20 min depending on timing, generally you would just run with your color group but they did mix us up through the day to keep things interesting. Since this is a non-competitive event you are only allowed to pass on a straight and you must be given the go ahead by the person in front of you but generally once you are up their ass they are glad to give you the signal.
Since this was my first time out, I was in the green group and required to run with an instructor. Sometimes people feel like they are good driverz and dont need an instructor, that feeling quickly fades on your first lap when your doing 130+ mph and about to take a 14 degree bank turn, this speedway is NOT like Autocross, your are going FAST! Every little input you give the car will disrupt its balance if not done smoothly and with precision, 130mph is far less forgiving than 60 mph, even something as simple as letting of the throttle too fast will affect the cars balance.
The pedal is to the floor, the boost gauge is pegged and the car is screaming, muffled by the sound of winds but you can feel the speed, it’s a sensory overload and although you want to go faster, your almost afraid to be too hot into the upcoming turn. So there I am on the straight in 4th gear and 5800 RPM doing 135mph and I simply don’t have enough room for it to make sense shifting to 5th because I have to slow down for the turn shortly but the car had more speed in it, the shift light was priceless as you don’t want to be looking at your tach. There are boxes painted on the road to show you your best lines and cones at the apex of turns, the instructor helps guide you through your lines and expose your bad street driving/Autocross habits that simply will not work at such speeds.
After the first heat you are relieved and excited all at once, its an incredible feeling and you are feeling much more confident for the next run. On the second heat you notice your interior getting very warm and by the third heat your floor pans are blazing hot and your seat feels as if it were sitting under a flame and simmering for a long while, I knew it would get warm in the car but it was HOT AS HELL!!!!
Luckily I installed the JPC Saleen intercooler res 2 weeks prior and had enough coolant to keep my AIT’s no higher than 150, many ppl have braking issues with the Saleen/Stop Tech 14” 4 piston BBK’s, I did not feel any brake fade and that’s one of the biggest issues to deal with after running the car that hard for a while. You literally beat the piss out of the poor car, all pedals to the metal, breaking and accelerating as hard as you car will allow, it’s definitely not something you want to do regularly with your street car. I cant see how a street car would keep up with that type of abuse, as stiff as my suspension is, it was a sponge at this intensity. Although I felt very comfortable on the Road Course, I found the Speedway to be nerve racking, it’s just something that ive never experienced before and there is really nothing like it, wide open lanes and 14 degree banks and SPEED.
We were allotted a total of 8 heats in the day, after 3 heats I was mentally and physically drained from the intense concentration and physical demands of keeping in your seat from the G’s, I had to take a break for the 4 the heat, we then had a 1.5 hr lunch break, I did 2 more heats after lunch I was done, I noticed that on my 5th heat I was very jerky with all my inputs and my reaction times were just not the same as they were in the morning, so I decided take the rest of the day off rather than meet the wall. On the two hour drive home from PA to NYC I was nodding off, I had no idea how draining it could actually be. I have a new found respect for open track racers a, particularly those that race for extended periods; I can’t even imagine how the 24 hr of Leman racers get through it. The technique involved to do better than the next guy is tremendous.
It was a fantastic experience; I will do it again without a doubt, however the mental, physical. Mechanical and financial equipment will keep you from doing it every weekend. To those who havnt done it, IT IS A MUST! Enjoy the media guys…
Back in 1997 I went to the Bondurant School of High Performance driving (Phoenix, AZ). I had a race Prepped '96 Cobra GT roaring down the straightway at 130MPH in 4th (and the car was still accelerating, when I had to break for the corner). Later, my instructor said that it was rare that a student could do that. Most don't go quick enought to get to 4th Gear.