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NASA NATIONALS and italian_stang

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Ok..many will say I'm wasting time and money. Some will even put the sad face in the comments..
But
I signed up for NATIONALS TT at Daytona this sept 18.

I feel is a once in a life time opportunity.
Daytona speedway with some of the fastest car in USA. And I live with "you never know what can happen next so live now. "
Wasting of money? Guarantee
Wasting of time? Probably.
But i mean what isn't in our expensive hobby?

Now i really hope in 2 things.

1. Your help :) You are my "virtual racing family" and i trust your advice so pls don't give up on me.

2. that the car doesn't break lol in the next 3 events I have here in Cali.

I have an objective.
Top 10. I'll do my best to make it happen.

Car will be upgraded for more power and less weight.
And also better cooling.

Game on.

Ale

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SoCal
Awesome news Ale - so happy for you!! You will represent the Mustang track community well. I think you’re selling yourself short on Top 10 - more power and less weight, I predict Podium.
 

Ludachris

Chris
Staff member
Moderator
1,658
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Exp. Type
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5-10 Years
Newcastle, CA
Ok..many will say I'm wasting time and money. Some will even put the sad face in the comments..
Maybe on FB. Doubt you'll get that kind of response here in the forum. And who cares what others say? You're doing this for yourself, not them. Go out there and compete! Have fun! That's what it's all about. I think you might surprise yourself.

Make us proud!
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
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1,698
Phoenix, Az
Good luck! I wish I was able to make it but its just not realistic in this economic climate.

For nationals - keep your head on a swivel. I mentioned big dawgs will come out with their crazy money printing machines shooting for the podium (and plastic trophies) - closest I've been to a real bad collision was in ST2 practice in 2018 nationals, a NP01 made a really ill-advised 4 off pass on me at COTA.

For nationals at DAYTONA, do not mess around with tires - bring several sets of fresh tires, get some setup advice for the oval (your outer tire is going to get worked!), alignment, aero, spring rates, pressures, etc all are super important not just for speed, but for safety. Unrestricted mustangs regularly see above 160MPH there. Make sure your brakes are in good shape, safety gear is set, and patience is the biggest one. Getting through credentialing, dealing with tech inspection (which can be a surprise) and even dealing with other competitors can be challenging.

After all that, have fun! Its a wild experience for sure. Daytona is on the dream list for me - I've watched mustangs race there for years and years, and dreamed of what it would be like to be in a car on that grid. Hell, for those that know, just imagine how my yellow screamer would sound there. Next time, I hope.
 
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Alex,

I have raced 30 tracks around the country. Most of them only once just show up qualify and race. Daytona I have been to 3 times. You gotta go because it is Daytona. Staying on Daytona beach is good. Plenty of high rise hotels there. Fishing is awesome there too. When I travel race I add a day on either end of my trip to fish. Think about that if you fish. At the SCCA Runoffs they let us fish in Lake Lloyd in the middle of the track. We fished while waiting for our turn on track. What a rough life! They got big bass in that lake. It isn't pretty but it is a great way to kill time before you hit the track. I do not know what time of year you going but check if there might be rain. That may effect tire choice. If your car is working temp wise at BRP in summer it should be OK at Daytona. Daytona is punishing on tires and very high loads in the banking and can overload tires. This is the time to not be cheap. Buy new tires especially if you are using Hoosier's under the recommended tire pressures. Daytona is Blacksheep's neck of the woods and he can tell you what is safe PSI. Even our detuned power restricted non-aero corvettes and mustangs ran 160mph there. You should be quite a bit faster. If you have time it would be great to do a test day before the nats. Weird stuff happens at 160 like maybe all that ventilation for cooling just causes more drag and you find you have enough cooling and are faster with less drag if some of those vents are taped shut.

Are you going to ship your car there? If so you can bring lots more stuff like extra sets of tires, jacks , and tools.
 
Thanks all for the wise and kind words
@captdistraction Chris thanks for the advice and the big help on the fuel surge tank!
@bob thanks ! Yeah bringing family. Plan is Arriving Wed. Practice thursday. Universal studios friday.
Sat sun race days.
Mon Tue going around in Florida or north car. To see if we like there.

Shipping the car with WR TECNIKA.
Planning
2 set of A7
1 set or rain Slick
1 set of used A7 Or fresh A052.
And tools of course. Hope some of my "sponsor ish" would be there too for help :)

I'm taking as example what IVE done in AUTOCLUB SPEEDWAY. oval with 160mph top speed.

Adding headers for some extra juice.
Fuel tank surge to shave 50-70lbs of gas and avoid starvation.
Remove the windows and their motors.
The AC condencer for better cooling. (To avoid exploding lol )
Hope to loose 100lbs.
Still heavy. But a little better.

@Mad. Yes i have rollbar. 6points. Fire suppression (going in these weeks) neck restraint. Firesuit.

Just hope it won't rain.

Ale
 
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what's the schedule? because honestly, you're going to need a 3rd set of tires.
Also, I have a set of Goodyear supercar tires mounted on 07 Gt500 wheels, you could use them for rains if needed, not sure what the difference would be between them and the s197s, I'm sure someone does around here.
 
what's the schedule? because honestly, you're going to need a 3rd set of tires.
Also, I have a set of Goodyear supercar tires mounted on 07 Gt500 wheels, you could use them for rains if needed, not sure what the difference would be between them and the s197s, I'm sure someone does around here.
Thursday practice
Sat 4 sess
Sund 4sess

Was thinking 3 dry tires and 1 rain?
 
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so, that's the time trial portion?
I'm not familiar with this stuff, so bear with me

thursday practice,.. how many sessions and what is the time?

sat & sun 4 sessions @ 4 laps each?

that's what I'm seeing?
 
Yep.
So 4laps is what i do.
Timetrials are 20min session but as u know u really get only 2 fastlap with A7 and also you hit traffic.
I foumd 4 laps is a pretty cool spot.
Thursday i dont know the format.
I suspect is a hpde style?
I'm not planning to go crazy with thursday. Just the little necessary to get familiar with the track and speeds.
 
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Here's the absolute best advice I can give you on banked ovals.
If you start to lose the rear of the car, you get 1 instantaneous right then left of the steering wheel to gather it up (right, then left...that's all, not right.. and then left, but right. left) if you stay after it (counter steering) you will go into the wall nose first.
So if the rear steps out, right, then left, if you don't save it, stay left and jump on the gas. Once you know you're not going to back it into the wall, get on the brakes.
Wear a Hans.
 
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