Miller - GoPro, Happy - Sad

[2012YellowBoss]

Spend the day at PBIR, my first time out since instruction with Charlie at Miller. I was looking ahead - pointing the car at a spot and moving on to the next with my eyes and hands (1), finished braking before and not in the corners, exiting using the whole track and some better heal-toe. Man I learned a lot in one day there.

The day started out with a wet track while scrubbing in brand new tires. Even so I was still running at or better then my best time ever at this track. Switched back to my other tires for the remainder but then my GoPro vids for the third and forth sessions say corrupted, these two sessions I felt were the best.

Second session I was just getting comfortable and ran on average 1:39 best 1:38. Before I had averaged about 1:45 and my best time was 1:41. Last session was cut short due to a big thunderstorm but I did get one 1:36 in there with some light rain. I am positive I had better times in the lost third and forth sessions.

I was first car on pit lane every session and I did not get passed once the entire day, not really a big deal in my class but it still felt nice.

So mad about the vids but had a fun day. Still some downsides, limp mode twice, three check engine lights for misfires and was running above 245F. Car is still great but this is getting annoying.

(1) Took that too far one and hit a cone


Too bad the vid of this is lost.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Too bad the vid of this is lost.

LOL, I lost the one of me going off the track at MMP.

I think your faster lap times were from the new custom front splitter.

 

[rom]

I think you should feel HAPPY in the long run,
you did experienced a few saddish but not so important little mishaps,
but you seem to have GAINED a whole lot of IMPROVED SKILLS, and those will stay with you forever

 

[2012YellowBoss]

When I first started the club put me in a car with an instructor that was mainly talking about the last turn. At the time I had no idea what I was doing out there and honestly I just wanted to drive the Boss fast (without wrecking it) anyway. Miller was a totally different story, I wanted them in the car every minute. The instructors are first class drivers but also first class instructors, I am not sure everyone can be both. I am sure my willingness to learn was a big part. I did watch my vids from Miller over and over and while on the track I listened to the ghost driver in the passenger seat.

There were a few laps I really felt went well during the lost sessions and I pushed the car on the straights to get the best time. It would have been nice to know the overall best time, I would bet there was another two seconds in there. The car had some improvements since last run, camber plate, brake ducts and front splitter so that may have helped but only to the extent I was driving better and using the improvements.

I do feel the front splitter made the car more stable but as a beginner it is hard to explain. I don't know if it added any extra time, if so it would be something I could not measure with looking at time from the camera. The camber plates helped a lot, left the car in shock setting 5 and 4. The back end was a little loose a few times but that was from getting into the throttle too early, before the plates you had more room for error, with the front tires planted it is easier to break the back end out. The brakes felt great with the duct kit, the pedal stayed hard all day.

So it was a great day just wish I could see the vids and know how much different I ran.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

One short vid of the last session into the rain. The cone I hit was the one at the 46 sec mark but a few sessions earlier.

[youtube]f2NxTeqC3GI[/youtube]

 

[PJWANNABE]

Ouch on the cone strike. I got squirrely at Carolina Motorsport Park and the GoPro crapped out. You think there is some algorithm in the firmware that erases the video when you make a mistake?

 

[OLOABoss]

Scott,

You looked much better in that video than an earlier 1 from Sebring. I do have 1 comment. Your hand placement when turning is a no no. You should never place both hands together on the steering wheel. I don't run HOD much anymore, though I like Henry, I mostly run Chin and NASA Time Trials but I am sure we will run across each other sometime in FL.

Peter

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Still have a long way to go. I need to drive the Boss on the street more since I am trying to get rid of bad habits of street driving. When I do drive it I pay attention to hand placement, heal toe - etc, then I drive the truck and I go right back to relaxed street driving.

You can see one point when I entered turn one bad and did not steer correctly at all. I should have listened to Charlie and just give up on the turn when you make a mistake, I still tried to save it but made it worse. One thing I do on the track (and in life) is to focus on something I did wrong and let it affect me going forward. This time I just tried to forget it and move on, was not 100 percent but I did try and it helped.

I am going to try to make the next few Sebring events with Chin. I would like to get as much track time before Daytona in Dec.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Ouch on the cone strike.

It came out 100%, I figured most of it would but leave one noticeable gouge in it. Got lucky this time ;D I guess I can thank the new "cone catcher"

There was a new orange Boss there in my class and he took a rock into the front cover, put a deep gouge through the paint and into the plastic

 

[PJWANNABE]

Ouch on the cone strike.

It came out 100%, I figured most of it would but leave one noticeable gouge in it. Got lucky this time ;D There was a new orange Boss there in my class and he took a rock into the front cover, put a deep gouge through the paint and into the plastic

Glad to hear it came out. I need to put a couple of coats of Meguiar's NXT 2.0 tech wax on my car soon. It really did a great job of protecting the paint on my Bullitt.

 

[OLOABoss]

Scott

Yes watch the head games as they will get you in trouble. I got frustrated at VIR, a lot of traffic with nobody watching their mirrors, so when Igot a clean run on the climbing sss's I overcooked it and instead of just driving off the track up the hill I tried to save it. Cost me $15,000. Moral is if the head is screwed up get off the track and it isn't 1 mistake that gets you in trouble it is the compounding that hurts. Sounds like you have the right attitude.

Don't think I will be at Sebring in oct as the 3 weekends before I will be at HPR, Barber, and Sebring with NASA.

Peter

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Upcoming Sebring

9/17 pca suncoast 275 (want to go but Ford Fun Weekend at PBIR)
9/25 safe 350 + 55 member fee so I will pass
10/1 nasa 299
10/8-9 chin 299 ---> should be there
11/5 chin 299 ---> should be there
11/12 pca sun coast 275 ---> should be there
12/10 chin 299 maybe?

Keep in touch, maybe I will come out to the NASA event even if I do not drive. There are not many days at PBIR in the next two months, would like to get some more practice there There are some Homestead dates but I am not so sure that track is worth the haul.

 

[OLOABoss]

Yeah Homestead is not high on my list tracks. Really not worth the haul. You will like Daytona not really challenging infield course but everybody needs to run the banking 1 time. Of course since they repaved it it isn't near as intimidating or scary.

If you are at NASA Sebring in Oct I will be there with the M3 running TT.

Peter