Techno Duck

Season opener DE at NJMP Thunderbolt for MetroNY PCA region yesterday. I live about 3 hours away and was only doing 1 day there, so decided to just drive there the morning of and drive back after. So here lies an interesting day..

Went to sleep around midnight and probably didnt fall asleep until 1am. Woke up at 3:45am, packed the last few items in the car and decided not to bring the floor jack with me. I did however bring my spare bag of parts; alternator and power steering tensioner rods, and outter and inner droplinks for the front sway bar. Stopped at Dunkin Donuts and was on my way by about 4:15am. Making great time, i decide to take the Holland Tunnel to pick up the NJ Turnpike. I get onto the BQE only to make it about halfway across when i see 'Holland Tunnel Closed until 8am'. You gotta be freaken kidding me... all the while i am dodging potholes like orange cones at an auto-x on the BQE. So i make it into China Town and have to go uptown via 2nd ave which is like one long slalom trying to avoid ripping my front splitter off on sewer caps and uneven pavement. Hit the Lincoln Tunnel.. and onto the Turnpike. Fast forward another 2 hours or so i am right by the track and following my GPS. Its 7:25am and i am running uber late thanks to the Holland Tunnel extravaganza. I am following the GPS which tells me the most ******* way to go, taking all the backroads.. ugh. Arrive there to only realize i could have just gotten off at exit 27 for a relativley directly route to the track, instead of getting off at exit 29 and hitting the backroads..damn you Garmin..you gotta be kidding me.

Arrive at track at 7:45am or so. No more decent spots left and i am parked all the way by the gas pumps. Run down to registration at the garage to find out i was bumped into yellow because of so many green and novice drivers. Not really a 'you gotta be kidding me' moment but i was nervous as this is my 3rd track day and first time at NJMP. Run back to clean the car out and get it tech'ed. Last car to go through tech before closing...phew, i made it!

I have about 1.5 hrs before my first session and decide to get gas. Pumps at track still closed and are like $3.75 for 93. I decided to go out to one of the stations around the area. Look up on the GPS and see Wawa is closest. Get there, only 92 octane..look up GPS again and see Shell, Sunoco and a Mobil close by. I checked ALL OF THEM and ALL OF THEM were closed up..you gotta be kidding me, damn you Garmin GPS!! An hour later of wasting time i just bite the bullet.. go back to the track and put $20 of $3.75 a gallon 93...

1st session, i am coming out of turn 2 and feel a very slight 'pop' in the steering wheel. I didnt think much of it honestly, thinking i may have just hit the rumble strip slightly. Pull back into pits, my 2nd session is canceled due to someone having an accident prior to my run group. 3hr break over lunch and 20 minutes before my next session, i decide to do a once over on the car. Poke my head under and see the outter droplink for my front sway bar is completley mangled on the passenger side. I guess thats the pop i felt! 3hr break and i notice it now..you gotta be freaken kidding me, and i didnt bring my floor jack, but atleast i have my spare parts! Make a quick call to my friend (Jeeper31) to borrow his jack, said it would probably be easier to drive the car up on his trailer to change the droplink. Genius as the suspension would be loaded making swaybar removal about 100x easier. Droplink replaced in record time and only missed about 3 minutes of my session. Phew! By the end of the 2nd session i am getting some squeaking from the belts. I figured it was just the steering or alt. belt as i changed them the week before, they probably stretched. (more on that later)

The rest of the day went without a hitch (except for the ride home). Despite this being the most challenging track i have driven yet (Lime Rock and Pocono North previously) it was a good experience to not get too cocky about my skills. My instructor did sign me off into Yellow though, woo hoo! My instructor said i really need to work on my entry speeds as i am very conservative going in. My excuse is i need to drive the car home and my front pads are now glazed (was using Porterfield R4S which are definitely no longer up to the task.. time to move up the R4) so i did not have much confidence in braking any later than i was.

Now comes the ride home.. make great time until i get to about exit 8 on the Turnpike. Magical traffic congestion that seems to clear up at its own will appears. This goes on and off until exit 13 or so. I stopped for gas at about 7:30pm at one of the rest stops, 30 minutes of waiting in line for gas and a line out the door at Burger King. You can imagine what i am thinking. Back on my way i take the Holland Tunnel back again, i get down by the Liberty Science center and just see a sea of brake lights. Yes, the Holland Tunnel entrance is backed up all the way to the Liberty Science center...and i was thinking something a little more colorful than 'you gotta be kidding me'. I get back onto the Turnpike and decide to take the Lincoln Tunnel again, everythings moving great until i get to 34th street. Queens Midtown tunnel completley backed up.. so i cut back downtown to get to the Willamsburg Bridge. It took me about an hour and a half to get from 34th street to the Bridge. And finally make it home around 11:30pm.

I get under the car this afternoon to tighten up the squeaking belts. Turns out my a/c compressor was working loose off the mounting bracket, the rear most bolt had backed out completley and the front bolt was loose causing it to wobble and squeak. Fixed everything and am thankful i did not break the front mounting tab, sending the a/c compressor under the car and me stranded on the side of the road!

Broken droplink exactly as it was removed from the car, cant believe it was warped so bad!



Despite all that, it was still a great day...next time im getting a hotel room though .

Minoclan

I am surprised that your instructor wasn't yelling at you to keep both hands firmly on the wheel on the straight when you should have had the most speed.

Z-man

+1. I'd be tapping your hand and pointing to the steering wheel every time your hand stays on the shift **** for more than 3 seconds!

-Z

Bull

+2. Or anytime there is no need to be shifting.

I also believe in not waiting to investigate a noise that is not normal for your car.

Techno Duck

Figured i would take flak one hand on the wheel on the straight. Bad habit of mine, was corrected a few times at Lime Rock while on the straight for doing that. It was actually one of the first things that went through my head when i watched the video when i got home .

ajcjr

dude coming from LI just go over the GW next time, it may be a little out of the way but way better than the city or Stink Island!
Are the metro pca's open to other cars?

By the way where on the island, i am in huntington

Techno Duck

I try to avoid the GW if possible, the approach on the CrossBronx is even worse than the BQE in terms of unevenpavement and potholes!

And i dont even bother with Staten Island.. .

Im right in Syosset, 2 towns over.

I think Metro is open to other cars.. there were a few non Porsche's driven by PCA members. I would definitely check on that though. I think it depends on the track also.

Potomac-Greg

I'll be at NJMP in a few weeks. I can't wait! Looks like a smooth track without much braking. Sorry about the driving disasters.

I no longer bring a jack (I drive on street tires) and I've never had a problem borrowing one. My first track day in the 944 my outer sway bar link actually popped off the end of the bar.

TT Surgeon

TD, I was up there on Friday advanced drivers day, great day, got in 5 sessions and I left at 2:30. Next time take the throgsneck-gwb route, avoid the city altogether. I also did the 4am drive thing, you do what you gotta do!

schwank

Damn Jon! I have a couple bent up endlinks that I don't want to reuse... but none like that!

Those lower AC/Alt (deleted AC) bolts do tend to work loose. I check my alternator one in the morning and at lunch every track day. Also the tensioner rods as I've lost those bolts several times too. Now I blue lock-tite them.

DDun911

My bad on not catching that hand lingering on the shifter.
Overall great job.
David

buckwheat987

Sorry for all the trouble you had but a big thank you for posting the video.

I did NJMP as my first DE two weeks ago and your video is a great learning tool for me.

Techno Duck

Ill definitely do the Throggs Neck / GWB next time even if it does mean having to slalom up avoiding potholes!

Schwank, i think the bolts working loose were a result of me messing around with the tensioner rod so much. I bought the belts through my friend (has an account with WorldPac) and they sent me the correct part # Gates belts. I put the belts on (both alternator and PS) and the alternator belt was too short, PS belt was too long. Ended up buying the Contitech belts online. I have a feeling the compressor bolts worked loose thanks to the amount of adjustment i put the compressor through. I am wondering what happened to that rear mounting bolt. Im going to have to look around on eBay now for more spare droplinks to have as spares now also .

StoogeMoe

Hey Duckie, what camera were you using? Image looked nice and stable and you can actually here sounds other than wind noise.

NJMP looks like fun. I hope to be there later this year.

ajcjr

cool i use to live in syosset just moved out last year, actually went to high school there also.

NJMP was my first de last year , plan on going back sometime this year.