JackOlsen

I've got to say, the idea of a truck and a trailer holds no appeal for me at all. The same goes for getting a spec racer or a dedicated track car. It may be something backward and blue collar in me, but I like the idea of a race car also being the car I drive on the street. And I think the best track day is the one you drive to, beat up on all the trailered cars with your daily driver, and then drive back home with your gear in the trunk.

I suppose it's also the way I keep this hobby from getting too far out of hand. But to me, the fun is fiddling around with the car during the week, then taking it out on the weekend to see how it stands up to the competition.

Simple.

And that's not to say I judge the track car guys, in any way. It's just not what brought me to my little corner of the sport.

Wreck Me Otter

Jack...do you really enjoy the trek from LA to Thunderhilll in the Summer in your car? I'm assuming you have no AC or radio...but maybe I'm wrong.

The first time I towed in +100 degree heat, I was convinced that it was the way to go when I got to Thunderhill and felt fresh, cool, and not at all tired. A trip up there in either track car w/o radio or AC and a stiff suspension can be brutal and fatiguing. Then looking at the same thing back home after a long hot track weekend had lost its appeal for me.

JackOlsen

My car blows 37-degree AC, thanks to a big aftermarket condenser on the bellypan. And I have an iPod and noise cancelling headphones, but no radio. Just this week, I worked out a way to pipe the Valentine 1 warning sounds into the headphone circuit.

I enjoy driving the car to the track -- especially when I'm not carrying sticky tires. My car is kind of overdone in the tire department, precisely so it will stick well with street rubber.



I know that it's not even a real race car -- but it's a blast to take up north.

Does anyone know of any good open lapping days in February at Thunderhill, Sears or Laguna?

carreracup21

That's a sweet looking car Jack. I was tempted by a RSR clone I saw recently on Ebay. I believe it had a 3.6 as well. What kind of camber numbers are you running there ?

JackOlsen

Thanks. My apologies to ColorChange for hijacking the thread a little, here.

But that's -3.2/-2.2. With the less-sophisticated early suspension, you need more static camber. It's also got 600/400 pound springs -- but it's got an 'active tender' two-spring setup in front that actually makes it pretty comfortable to drive around town in.

And if you want to see sweet, you should see the pictures Zach Mayne took of it last month:



So, pretty on the street, and then -- when you throw on a wing and some decals -- she goes out and wins the touring division of the Open Track Challenge.



(Can you tell that I really like my car?)

Wreck Me Otter

Here's a good online track calenader site: http://www.motorsportreg.com/calendar/index.cfm


Feb 13-14 Laguna Seca Sun/Mon Green Flag Racing (http://www.greenflagdriving.com/) - Only the fast group is okay...the rest are WAY to restrictive on passing.

Feb 26-27 Thunderhill Sat/Sun NorCal Racing Club (http://www.ncracing.org/) combined with American Racing Club (http://www.amracing.org/) - NCRC is good club to run with. Lots of seat time as you can run down a group in addition to your run group...basically doubling the seat time.

carreracup21

Very nice !! All you R Gruppers out west really have some impressive rides. How do you keep the paint looking so nice with all the track driving you do ?

JackOlsen

Thanks, CarreraCup.

And Kim, I've done one event with NCRC before. I'll see if I can swing the Thunderhill event. I love that track.

ColorChange

Jack: Can you please answer the following questions.

1. How long does it take you to get the racks on and off?
2. How strong is the mount and how confident are you when you have it connected that it is "correctly seated"?
3. Have you gouged the roof after repeated mounts/dismoints?
4. Any strength concerns?

TIA

RJay

Theres no doubt that some of the most highly admired people at the track are those who actually run what they brung. I bow low and salute your fortitude. BUT, I suspect if you or certainly I tried the Boston to LCMT run you'd make it 5 miles into Canada and then have to find a physician to sew your tongue back on. Its really rough up there. Not really up on my CA roads or how far the travel distances are, but here in the NE, outside of NHIS, which is no ones favorite, most tracks are 6 to 8 hours away. The exception is LRP, about 2.5 hours, but its miles of back roads to get to and going to LRP is a special once or twice a year treat as its very difficult to get into, events fill up the day they open. Being in the Chicago area, I suspect much of the above applies to CCs situation.

And if you're taking a family with you to a 3 day event 500 miles away in a 911 if your really can't fit the luggage, tools, tires and kids even with a bumper trailer. The only Porsches that can almost do it is a 944/68/28. Plus, towing gives you serious peace of mind that if something does go wrong mechanically or shunt-wise, you can drag the thing back home. If you circumstances allow, you definately can drive in, zoom around and drive home with out suffering like the Messiah, PCA DE and even CR (originally) is built on this premise, but for a lot of us, there isn't really any alternative but to tow.

sjanes

I drive to LCMT all the time, but it's only a 2 hour drive for me. Yes the roads are rough, but I still love driving my 87 Carrera (23/30 torsion bars, monoballs, big sways, no radio, no heat, no A/C, stripper interior, rollcage, straight cut gears) to the track. I tow a small trailer for tires/tools.

It's my 5 hour drive to WGI that gets a little hot, but I just take the targa top off and get a tan. Although the last few years that my wife went with me, she rode with one of the guys that was towing

CC: One of our local instructors tows with his GT3 and he doesn't use the bumperette type of hitch, but has some type of hitch receiver that comes out from behind the licence plate.

ColorChange

Thanks sjanes, but it is still probably mounted to the bumperettes and then behind the license plate. I really don't want to do that to my bumper.

sjanes

I don't know what it's mounted to, but there is just a little hole behind the licence place where the receiver is. All of the mounting is behind the bumper. I just figured that cutting a small hole in the already aftermarket bumper would be better than risking marking up the top with a rack.

RJay

You too are a better and probably younger man than I although its 7 hours for me. I can barely handle the ride on 133 in the F250. And then theres the Montreal traffic to consider. My car is licensed at the moment and similiar in spec to yours, i.e everything ripped out 21/31 TBars, solid mounts roll bar going to a full cage and coilovers this winter. I do drive to AX events in it on occasion and I dare say I could probably do the trip once, but I'm not unhappy that I probably never will.

mpaton

I'm not Jack but I have the answers to your questions.
For a 2002 C2, use the Porsche Roof Transport System. This is what is in the picture Jack posted of the California tagged 996 Turbo with tires on the roof. This consists solely of 2 lateral bars. This what you need for your 996 Turbo. You have to find or make something to secure wheels and tires to it.

1 It takes 1.5 mins each to remove the blank screw from the roof, and attach the mounting block and foam gap seal to the car. There are 4 of these and they stay on at the track (apart from the seals). It takes 5 mins to attach and lock each of 2 bars. It then takes me 5 minutes to attach my wheel cradle and secure it with 4 3/8" coach bolts. Loading and aligning the 3 wheels takes an additional 1.5 mins. Securing the wheels to the cradle takes another 5 minutes.

Removal is about the same for the bars, and about half the time for everything else.

2 The mount is quite strong and very secure. That being said, it is attached with 4 M6 screws. (I think they are M6, 6mm dia. They are the same, obviously as the plastic screws you take out from under the 4 flip up covers in the roof)

That being said, while I am confident at driving at tripleigit speeds, I don't doubt that in an impact that seriously crumples the car, the roofrack load will probably depart the car.

3 I have never gouged the roof. The only way to do that would be to drop stuff on it, or be careless in attaching the bars.

4 I have no strength concerns barring serious impactsm but I have made a very strong cradle. I do replace the attaching screws regularly.

Michael