GGR PCA is hosting a DE and club race this weekend at Thunderhill. Weather forecast shows a high of 113F on Saturday.

The question is - how to make the most of it? Obviously grip levels and engine performance will suffer, so looking to improve lap times is out.

Is there any specific skill a DE driver could work on that's unique to this environment? I like to have a list of 3 things to work on every DE, an the heat is throwing my usual plans out the window.

 

113 f ambient?

Stay home.

 

Correction - 114F

 

IMO nothing to be gained and a lot to lose tracking in that

 

Just run before lunch, it will be manageable, then call it a day, should be below 100 till then. Hang out in the club house and enjoy the company.

I tap out at 100. Did Chuckwalla once in about 105 temps and 2 laps in tires are just sliding. Car was OK though... temps never about 250 oil.

Just keep an eye on your temp gauge (assuming you're driving the 993). Keep it below 10 o'clock.

The real issue is this heat wave we're having at the moment is pretty humid, at least here in SoCal.

 

drink lots of water

 

I'm sweating just thinking about it. I can't imagine running in that weather in a suit. Stay safe, drinks lots - and day of isn't enough, you should ideally start two or three days before!

 

I'll be driving the pseudo Spec E46 and will be monitoring water temp. The plan is to keep it below 113C / 235F.

 

I have run there in temps up to about 105 in a 951 and my 911 race car. I won't run my 911 at those temps any more because the cylinder heads get too hot and the risk of cracking goes up (993 cylinder heads in my car).

When temps are above 90, I try to get my work done in the mornings. In my experience, you can get some things done, like suspension tuning and working on some key corners.

I like to make sure my hotel room is cold when I get back in the evenings.

When it's above about 90, I take frequent daytime showers. Really great to do about 15 minutes before grid time-- I change into my suit right afterward, then get into the car. Then on really hot days I will take a cool down shower right after driving.

There are shower stalls at Thunderhill.

And of course, driver hydration is important. Great to use urine color as an indicator (it has been validated as a marker for hydration status-- see the work of Larry Armstrong at UConn).

Make sure to have plenty of salty snacks as well.

And of course some sort of shirt or vest with phase change material can be great in the paddock.

 

If I were racing I would spend all of the time between runs in the truck with the air on full blast. If I were DEing I would spend all of the time in the truck with the air on full blast.

 

That's a hot day. I don't have a lot of experience running in hot temperatures, and as a result, I find that I lose concentration really fast when I do. In my opinion, if you really feel like driving after noon, keep your sessions short, focus on your vision and brake release, and try to keep your distance from other cars.

 

Don't worry about the car - worry about YOU. Start hydrating one or two days before. Drink water and focus on electrolytes.

 

Bad advice if you have an air-cooled engine in your car. Of course you need to worry about you. But you need to worry about the engine too. I wouldn't drive my air-cooled engined race car in those temps, much less race it.

 

I did that a few weeks back - 114 at Streets of Willow. Luckily, it's a tight technical track, so sliding around was more fun than dangerous. The biggest thing was car temp - watch it really closely (every lap), cause it would hit danger zone really quick. As for myself, I kept pounding water and I was hot, but ok (mantra of the day was "shade"). I was instructing as well, so I was out on track 9 sessions each (2) day.

So, shade, mass quantities of liquids, watch those temps - and have tons of fun!!

 

Not to worry, the air cooled engine will be safe in the garage.

This water cooled beater will be taking its place on track.