07-06-2011, 04:18 PM
Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit, May, 2011.
Trackdaze... A weekend instructing with Trackdaze at Shenandoah circuit is always memorable, some more than others for particular reasons. :lol: This one would be memorable for not only me, but Kyle C. as well, and he wasnt even driving!
After Summit at April with NASA, I was almost down to the backing plates on my PFC06s that had lasted me a good long while, and I had even bought them used! But alas I forgot to order the pads, so I was stuck using a set of pads I had relegated to backup duty: EBC yellows. Awful, awful pads. I also sold my PTG wing to my friend for his upcoming M3 Race Ka. Unfortunately my wing woudl be a week late in shipping, fawk. So I was without a wing, on shitty pads, and the forecast didnt look too good for my bald Dunlop Direzzas. Sweet.
Arrived at the track friday morning and had a good quiet sleep. Bright and early its looking good, we had a quick rain for one session that drenched us but quickly dried out. A beautiful saturday with very little rain compraed to the forecast. The car was feeling relatively good, but the pads had a ridiculous amount of vagueness, I cuoldnt threshold brake worth my life. They held up in the heat, and definitely braked hard, it was just really hard to read them.
Saturday went okay, had 2 students. 1, a red new-ish 135i, and 2, a guy with registration "2006 M3 ZCP". Oh god, a guy who just goes, its competition package yo! Turns out past the first 5 minutes of him BSing about the tractional control on the ZCP, he actually is a nice guy. Both tend to be overusing the wheel but for newbies, they were doing really well. It was fun instructing, and I had one issue pop up with the Red 135i. The driver liked to use the throttle...a lot, so we practiced a bunch leaving the car in a high gear and going around track. It ended up making the lines smoother and more consistent but it took him a while to "get it". He also tended to fade in his mind at about the 15-20 minute mark. Making more and more large mistakes and getting more agressive to make up for it. We fixed this by my reminder of his fatigue when it started happening, and by coming in at the 18 minute mark and making him sit for 2 minutes. This seemed to help immensely.
Back to me, Saturday night we have dinner and Cassie and I jump in the truck to pass out in bed. Legit 5 seconds after we get in the truck, it starts POURING rain. It would pour up until the point in the morning 5 minutes before driver's meeting. Talk about what luck! I was ready for another good day, and despite the car being a little loose the day before, I attributed it to the missing wing. I get in a good first session and im feeling great, the car rotates a bit but its fun when you dont have to care!
At this point Kyle comes to visit and asks for a ride. Sure why not? At this point ive only spun once in my entire time of driving on track, a good 6 years. So we think we are safe and out for a fun ride. Pace lap goes by unventful aside from the car feeling a bit frisky. I pick up the pace, and coming out of pistol grip on the first lap, the rear goes numb and I completely lose the back-end. Keeping my eyes up I catch the spin on its first rotation and let it drift backwards on the access road to get off the main track. Go...hmm...that was weird. Apologize to Kyle and come into a quick grid to talk to Jon Felton and say im sorry. Woot, now lets get back out there!
Go around and pick up full pace coming up to the back stretch under the bridge (again with kyle in passenger seat, first time back out on track), and just as I come down to the braking zone I see my abs light pop on as I reach for the brakes and "whiffffffff", rear tires lock up entirely and send me sideways going into the carousel at full speed. A quick throttle nudge and slow hands and we enter the carousel.......sideways..... :lol: Dont think ive ever seen somebody try to drift the carousel (not recommended, unless you like scaring the beejeezus out of everyone). Recover and pull straight into the pits. Damn WTF!!!?!! ABS light is on and I dont know what happened. Even if ABS was out, why did the rear end conk out so easily? Usually itd lock up fronts.
So I check all fuses and then reset the battery. Light goes away. Go onto wet skidpad, do a bunch of brake tests, abs is engaging no problem and no more light. hrmmm.
Decide to take it easy and go back out on track. First lap, man the car is loose, whats going on? Second lap, holy shit, cars getting uncontrollabe, no lights no nothing, but im just too worried at this point and pull it in. Right as I pull out to my paddock space I hear a PFFF!!!! TSSSHHHH!! as smoke pours out of my hood. Gauges are fine, but wtf? Of course I turn off the car immediately. Well only one session left, so F it, I get it on the trailer and check it out. Hmm looks like it blew the coolant tank (kinda common).
So...yeah...every session check your car for leaks. The car had been dousing the rear tires with coolant (saw the residue of course afterwards) and had been making the rear tires have very little grip. Ended up freaking out the ABS light. To this day, havent seen the ABS light again, so it is my assumption it was the coolant.
Scary day, but great event!! Not a good way for Kyle to come back out on track! :twisted:
Trackdaze... A weekend instructing with Trackdaze at Shenandoah circuit is always memorable, some more than others for particular reasons. :lol: This one would be memorable for not only me, but Kyle C. as well, and he wasnt even driving!
After Summit at April with NASA, I was almost down to the backing plates on my PFC06s that had lasted me a good long while, and I had even bought them used! But alas I forgot to order the pads, so I was stuck using a set of pads I had relegated to backup duty: EBC yellows. Awful, awful pads. I also sold my PTG wing to my friend for his upcoming M3 Race Ka. Unfortunately my wing woudl be a week late in shipping, fawk. So I was without a wing, on shitty pads, and the forecast didnt look too good for my bald Dunlop Direzzas. Sweet.
Arrived at the track friday morning and had a good quiet sleep. Bright and early its looking good, we had a quick rain for one session that drenched us but quickly dried out. A beautiful saturday with very little rain compraed to the forecast. The car was feeling relatively good, but the pads had a ridiculous amount of vagueness, I cuoldnt threshold brake worth my life. They held up in the heat, and definitely braked hard, it was just really hard to read them.
Saturday went okay, had 2 students. 1, a red new-ish 135i, and 2, a guy with registration "2006 M3 ZCP". Oh god, a guy who just goes, its competition package yo! Turns out past the first 5 minutes of him BSing about the tractional control on the ZCP, he actually is a nice guy. Both tend to be overusing the wheel but for newbies, they were doing really well. It was fun instructing, and I had one issue pop up with the Red 135i. The driver liked to use the throttle...a lot, so we practiced a bunch leaving the car in a high gear and going around track. It ended up making the lines smoother and more consistent but it took him a while to "get it". He also tended to fade in his mind at about the 15-20 minute mark. Making more and more large mistakes and getting more agressive to make up for it. We fixed this by my reminder of his fatigue when it started happening, and by coming in at the 18 minute mark and making him sit for 2 minutes. This seemed to help immensely.
Back to me, Saturday night we have dinner and Cassie and I jump in the truck to pass out in bed. Legit 5 seconds after we get in the truck, it starts POURING rain. It would pour up until the point in the morning 5 minutes before driver's meeting. Talk about what luck! I was ready for another good day, and despite the car being a little loose the day before, I attributed it to the missing wing. I get in a good first session and im feeling great, the car rotates a bit but its fun when you dont have to care!
At this point Kyle comes to visit and asks for a ride. Sure why not? At this point ive only spun once in my entire time of driving on track, a good 6 years. So we think we are safe and out for a fun ride. Pace lap goes by unventful aside from the car feeling a bit frisky. I pick up the pace, and coming out of pistol grip on the first lap, the rear goes numb and I completely lose the back-end. Keeping my eyes up I catch the spin on its first rotation and let it drift backwards on the access road to get off the main track. Go...hmm...that was weird. Apologize to Kyle and come into a quick grid to talk to Jon Felton and say im sorry. Woot, now lets get back out there!
Go around and pick up full pace coming up to the back stretch under the bridge (again with kyle in passenger seat, first time back out on track), and just as I come down to the braking zone I see my abs light pop on as I reach for the brakes and "whiffffffff", rear tires lock up entirely and send me sideways going into the carousel at full speed. A quick throttle nudge and slow hands and we enter the carousel.......sideways..... :lol: Dont think ive ever seen somebody try to drift the carousel (not recommended, unless you like scaring the beejeezus out of everyone). Recover and pull straight into the pits. Damn WTF!!!?!! ABS light is on and I dont know what happened. Even if ABS was out, why did the rear end conk out so easily? Usually itd lock up fronts.
So I check all fuses and then reset the battery. Light goes away. Go onto wet skidpad, do a bunch of brake tests, abs is engaging no problem and no more light. hrmmm.
Decide to take it easy and go back out on track. First lap, man the car is loose, whats going on? Second lap, holy shit, cars getting uncontrollabe, no lights no nothing, but im just too worried at this point and pull it in. Right as I pull out to my paddock space I hear a PFFF!!!! TSSSHHHH!! as smoke pours out of my hood. Gauges are fine, but wtf? Of course I turn off the car immediately. Well only one session left, so F it, I get it on the trailer and check it out. Hmm looks like it blew the coolant tank (kinda common).
So...yeah...every session check your car for leaks. The car had been dousing the rear tires with coolant (saw the residue of course afterwards) and had been making the rear tires have very little grip. Ended up freaking out the ABS light. To this day, havent seen the ABS light again, so it is my assumption it was the coolant.
Scary day, but great event!! Not a good way for Kyle to come back out on track! :twisted:
2020 Ford Raptor
2009 Z06
1986.5 Porsche 928S
2009 Z06
1986.5 Porsche 928S