First Track Day at Road Atlanta in the New Car
03-13-2007, 12:12 AM
#16
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Originally Posted by Hank Cohn
On the hour-long drive home from the track, I enjoyed the remains of a great weekend with the windows down (sunroof too), the sounds of an amazing engine and the comfort of good seats and a nice ride.
03-13-2007, 12:26 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by Hank Cohn
The day after: Thoughts from the weekend.
On the hour-long drive home from the track, I enjoyed the remains of a great weekend with the windows down (sunroof too), the sounds of an amazing engine and the comfort of good seats and a nice ride.
I am very impressed with the range of competence of this car. It is very fast and the only cars to pass it are dedicated big-horsepower track cars. It’s not nearly as sharp as a dedicated track car but neither does it require a trailer, tow truck and all the stuff that goes with that. I did miss having the shade of the tent, chairs, table and food that I normally bring in the tow vehicle. This makes me wonder about one of those tag-along trailers for some of that stuff. I arrived at the track with a torque wrench, small air compressor, tire pressure gauge and a few wrenches to adjust the sway bars. I didn’t use the wrenches! I changed the oil the day before the event. It did not use any. I only adjusted the air pressure and put fuel in it (it uses a lot of fuel!!).
When I got home, I washed the car, removed the tire marks and put it away. . . . In total, I am very pleased with the purchase. The challenge that remains is to try to make the car a little better without diminishing its road worthiness by lowering it bit, increasing camber and using a better wheel and tire package. Oh yeah, there’s the driving part too.
Hank
On the hour-long drive home from the track, I enjoyed the remains of a great weekend with the windows down (sunroof too), the sounds of an amazing engine and the comfort of good seats and a nice ride.
I am very impressed with the range of competence of this car. It is very fast and the only cars to pass it are dedicated big-horsepower track cars. It’s not nearly as sharp as a dedicated track car but neither does it require a trailer, tow truck and all the stuff that goes with that. I did miss having the shade of the tent, chairs, table and food that I normally bring in the tow vehicle. This makes me wonder about one of those tag-along trailers for some of that stuff. I arrived at the track with a torque wrench, small air compressor, tire pressure gauge and a few wrenches to adjust the sway bars. I didn’t use the wrenches! I changed the oil the day before the event. It did not use any. I only adjusted the air pressure and put fuel in it (it uses a lot of fuel!!).
When I got home, I washed the car, removed the tire marks and put it away. . . . In total, I am very pleased with the purchase. The challenge that remains is to try to make the car a little better without diminishing its road worthiness by lowering it bit, increasing camber and using a better wheel and tire package. Oh yeah, there’s the driving part too.
Hank
Where does one want to fall on the street/track continuum? At some point of modification, a car requires a trailer and all the paraphernalia that goes along with it. OTOH, in stock-ish form it won't have the balance and quickness of a purpose built track car.
I don't earn my living driving cars (god help me if I did). The GT3 to me represents a hobby, enjoying a car with track bias, a track pedigree and toughness, but has to be enjoyable on the street. My way of thinking. . . as soon as the car requires a trailer, you're better off with a cup car. So, mods have to minimize degradation of its enjoyability on the street while improving dynamics on the track.
03-13-2007, 12:57 AM
#18
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Some of my most enjoyable track days were early on when I had an E36M3. Jeff and I often remarked how easily we could drive to the track, rip out some hairy laps and terrorize the Boxsters, and drive home. Then as the sickness caught on, the mods reduced streetability and also bumped up the total investment in the car. Pretty soon the car was both too nice and pricey to stomp and too rough to cruise with the SO. The car could not do both well, so you ended up with schizoid car which had more and more narrow applications.
I think the current PASM has allowed the 997's to do the very thing that was previously theoretical at best - a true dual-purpose car that one can pimp down the boulevard and burn up some great laps.
As Jefe is alluding the problem with the whole GT3/RS is - after doing a full-on track honing with shells, roll-bar, blah-blah, what are you going to end up with? A (heavy) street car which is no-longer streetable? Why not build a real racer instead which will be faster, lighter, even more raw, and save yourself enough for your kids' college fund.
I think the current PASM has allowed the 997's to do the very thing that was previously theoretical at best - a true dual-purpose car that one can pimp down the boulevard and burn up some great laps.
As Jefe is alluding the problem with the whole GT3/RS is - after doing a full-on track honing with shells, roll-bar, blah-blah, what are you going to end up with? A (heavy) street car which is no-longer streetable? Why not build a real racer instead which will be faster, lighter, even more raw, and save yourself enough for your kids' college fund.
03-13-2007, 01:02 AM
#19
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eclou and jeff are right on. that's what i have come to understand after several years of track driving. and having a session in a dialed 03 cup car certainly did not help. so with the RS, it will get aligned, maybe a set of 18", seats, pads, roll bar and then just enjoy it as is.
03-13-2007, 01:08 AM
#20
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Originally Posted by eclou
As Jefe is alluding the problem with the whole GT3/RS is - after doing a full-on track honing with shells, roll-bar, blah-blah, what are you going to end up with? A (heavy) street car which is no-longer streetable? Why not build a real racer instead which will be faster, lighter, even more raw, and save yourself enough for your kids' college fund.
Word is that a couple of VIP cars are going to a couple of true legends in US racing. You can bet they wont track them either.
