Carl Fausett

Last week, we took the 928 out to setup the suspension with the tires and wheels we will be racing at Pikes Peak.

BF Goodrich (our tire sponsor) has equipped us with Radial TA KD's, and I needed some seat time to see how much better they were than last year's KDW's. (short answer: a LOT)

We arrived at Blackhawk Farms Raceway to see that it was National Drivers Instructors training day for the PCA. Lots of nice cars, lots of good drivers, in training to become accredited drivers instructors.

It rained in the morning, and I did the fastest time in the wet on these tires. But in all fairness, most of the cars were on racing slicks and they did not even bother to go out in the rain. My "street tires" did OK, but with the characteristic 928 greasy feeling in the wet.

In the afternoon, the sun was out and the track dired off. The Big Boys came out with their racing rubber.

The video that shows how we did is here:
http://www.928motorsports.com/othervideos.html

There are two versions available, 19Mb and 32Mb.
KEEP IN MIND: RIGHT-CLICK on the link of your choice and select "save target as" to save it and play it locally. Much better than trying to run it as a streaming viudeo off the 'net. Also: I have a governor on the T1 line that will cap it at 5 downloads at a time. If FTP server is busy, please try again later. Enjoy the video!

In a nutshell: after Wednesdays performance, I'm calling the car "done" and ready for Pikes Peak. I like the camber angles and setup I have very much. We are just checking the oil, replacing the front brake pads, and adding the engine belly pan. It goes in the trailer!

Here is our Pikes Peak schedule:

Saturday July 12th Load up the trailer with race car and gear

Sunday July 13th Leave for Pikes Peak

Monday July 14th Arrive at our Hotel.

We are in the same Hotel as last year, although it has now been renamed the “Crowne Plaza Colorado Springs”

Tuesday July 15th Tech Inspection and Drivers Meetings

Wednesday 16th – Practice/Qualifying Day 1

Thursday 17th – Practice/Qualifying Day 2

Friday 18th – Practice/Qualifying Day 3

Saturday – “off”

Sunday July 20th Race Day

Monday July 21st – Leave Pikes Peak for Arnold NE, film the SORC race course for study.

Tuesday July 22nd Leave Arnold NE for Horicon, WI

Wednesday July 23rd – arrive Horicon, WI

I'll post reports from Colorado as we go as I did last year, depending on time and work load.

Did you see the cars that are registered in the Open Division?
http://www.ppihc.com/content.aspx?tabid=2&contentid=252

There are some darn good drivers there: Moberly, Tsukasa/Gushi, Schmidt. They will be fast. Note how many of my competitors are AWD models. Also note how a "1978" 928 sticks out in a field where all the cars are 2000 or newer! I'm surprised the Mazda team is not coming back this year. They were good guys.

The Official PPIHC schedule might also interest you. It is here:
http://www.ppihc.com/content.aspx?tabid=2&contentid=167

Keep the faith!

bigmac

Carl, Good luck, it looks like you were toying with those guys.

I love my new SS exhaust from your company.

Best, Mac

Mike Frye

Carl,
I guess the second time around is a little more laid-back. Weren't you still dialing in your car and trying to figure out last minute details at this time last year?

Who is your navigator this year? I think you said last year that you got someone with lots of experience at the last minute, right? Do you still need one or do you know it by heart already?

Carl Fausett

Yes - last year at this time we were installing the motor and needed to break it in and try to get some seat time in the 10 days before we left! That was not our plan, but delays in the engine build and roll cage welding made it that way.

This year of course the car already passes Pikes Peak tech, and the engine is in the car. Much different.
It has allowed me to get some seat time with this suspension and this engine and we have found another 20 HP more in tuning than we had last year.

My co-driver is Guido Hamacher from Germany/San Diego again this year. He and I have been practicing via phone and internet. Guido has written and re-written his rally notes for me/with me several times already. His 190 pounds is a small demerit to the safety and speed he adds.

Carl Fausett

Mac, pretty car. Its a shame you don't have a bigger picture of it

Glad you like our SS dual exhaust. Thank you for your business and feedback.

Leon Speed

Sweet, sweet sound Bobbing and weaving through traffic.

Btw do all superchargers have blow-off valves that loud??

jorj7

I hope you have a great race. Wish you the best of luck.

atb

Take it to 'em Carl!
(BTW, What is up with the barricade wall that pops up in the middle of the front straight? YIKES!)

Bill Ball

Carl: Tell us more about the tires. Are they better all-around or in some specific way that might help in the unpaved sections?

Carl Fausett

No. This one is kind of a godzilla BOV at almost 1.5" dia and no muffling. The one I ship with our kits is 3/4" and I put a silencer on it, so you cannot even really hear it.


The people at BF Goodrich/Michelin said these were the tires they wanted me to run, they regreted discontinuing them but the powers that be in Marketing/Sales had pulled the KD's from the product line. The engineers said they were the best street radial they ever made.

Here are two pictures of each: the first two are the KDW I ran last year, the second two is the KD model they want me to run this year.

I had no tire sponsor last year (although I tried like the dickens) so I had to buy my own rubber. I picked the KDW because the World Rally was won on BFG KDW's on 2005 and 2006 - so I figured there must be something to it. (not neccesarilly so - just because Toyo sponsors an event, everybody has to run Toyo's, and beleive me, itsnot cuz they want to)

The best answer I can give you Bill is from my on-board data. On hoosiers, this 928 can produce up to 1.2 lateral G's in the corners on hot dry pavement. With the KDWs, we got little more than .5 G's when they would let loose on the same car in similar temp/pavement. We have already measured 1.06 G's on the KD tires, again, on the same car, same circumstances.

Thats surprisingly close to the Hoosiers, especially for a street tire. On dirt, I think that the sipes and grooves of the KD will have better bite because they are much more perpendicular to the rotation, where the KDW's are more angular.

Bill Ball

WOW! And I thought the KDW2's were sticky.

Mrmerlin

Goodluck Carl, I hope you win your class, Keep em Flying!, Stan

Carl Fausett

We're here. Tech inspection is today, we've been up since 4 anyway, so I'm sure we will be one of the earliest teams in line to get inspected. I get my credentials and passes for my team at 8 AM.

We went up the road yesterday and was alarmed/surprised to see heavy highway repair equipment and cement trucks still working on the road and pouring concrete. They are adding drainage controls and washout ditches to the side of the road.

The race course in the section just above the W's is still gravel, and they are pouring concrete wash basins off the road to the side - some times on both sides - that have about a 2.5 inch lip on them. This is in preparation for paving that section, when the asphalt will fill that and the groundwater will run off and into the drainage ditch smoothly.

Problem is - there is no asphalt - so the drainage ditch sticks up on one or both sides of the gravel and makes quite a lip that will cause trouble.

I beleive it'll be nothing for the Pro Trucks (who roll over a 3" bump like nothing is there) but the automobile drivers that over-drift the corner are going to hit it hard. This lip will tear up chin spoilers to say the least, but worse will be the throwing of the car to the outside or a driver that over-corrects from the impact.

Guido (my co-driver) arrives today from San Diego and he and I will run up the road again to check the newest version of our ralley notes. I'll stop and take a photo of this lip they have added if I remember.

The next thing I know will effect this year for all of us is the weather. Thunderstorms are in the forcast for each day this week. We have rains with us, but at the moment I still have the Intermediates on the 928. Its a guessing game. The probable outcome as I see it on race day is dry down low for the first section or more, and then rain will begin about half way up.

I'll try to answer as many questions as I can tonight - right now I am stepping away from the PC to start todays events.

sharknoob

Do you think your going to have a big problem with the weather and all those AWD cars in the group?

GOOD LUCK !

Fabio421

Go get 'em Carl. Have fun and be safe.