Its been a very busy last few weeks and my last event of the season was GridLife at Road America the other week. It did not go well....
I wanted to be testing more aero at RA because of the high speeds but didn't have time to finish fabricating the diffuser or any other aero parts. Didn't even have time to do my normal post/pre event check over which bit me. I'm still not quite sure of the whole weekend and this "off" feeling I have. Saturday kicked off bright and early with hours long fog delay. Then considering the further delays after ADV HPDE and TA group A I'm pretty sure a car was wrecked in both...because of delays I was early to grid and pulled off to the side. While waiting group B started rolling out and I get told everyone is going this time to try to make up for delays, it a BIG track so not a problem of space. At this point I'm a little rushed to get going and once out of the pits I start warming up the brakes but they're just not coming in as quickly as I expect. Its cool and the track looks wet in places so I'm being cautious. But the cars in front are just about gone and the one behind are stacking up...I pick up the pace but start getting anxious (not normal for me) with not know what the track conditions are/overall grip level. By the time I get to turn 8 I realize that I can't feel what the tires are doing. Its handling fine and seems to be plenty of grip but I can't tell where the limit is (odd). After turn 14 I let everyone by, I didn't want anyone else around me since I was less than confident in grip at this point. By turn 1 the brakes are good but still lacking a little over normal (or at least I think they are) and I run lap at where I think grip is but in a mind set of just waiting for the rear to snap around on wet spot or too much throttle without warning. Starting the second flyer I'm feeling better about the brakes but still not confident in grip with zero feedback from the tires. Yellow flag at turn 5, there's a Subaru out into the wall pretty hard which does not help....I continue the lap as its still way up from the previous one and by the time I get to the line its a checker on the session for possibly the 3rd wrecked car.
I didn't realize it until I got out of the car that I am not ok....I feel hyper, confused about zero tire feel, motivated to do something, fix the car...anything, and stressed out all at once. Looking back I had just done 3 laps around RA basically white knuckle wondering/expecting the car to just snap around on me. A friend said I was shaken which I think describes it well. I've had offs, slides, spins...hell I've been in a plane crash and didn't feel this way. Others I talked to said "it happens" but man was it outside of my normal....First time I've ever gotten out of the car and did NOT have a good time. BTW I had run a PB that 2nd lap....
After calming down (as best I could) I realize that the zero feel was that I had forgotten to turn the shock setting up from street/trailer. After that I go to rotate the tires and notice a couple cracks in the rotor that I think are about to be a problem, then see nearly 3/8" tapper in the drivers front brake pad. With zero comfort that first session I don't trust the car. I have new rotors in the truck but no pads, luckily another racer had some on the way as backups but wouldn't get there till the afternoon. I miss a session but take the time to clean and free up the caliper pistons that were sticking and check over the car. Getting back on track for the evening session I was able to cut 3 seconds having the tire feel back and while the brake pedal was better the pad compound acted differently so I was getting used to that. 2:46.xx that lap with a lift for traffic after the kink and into Canada corner wasn't bad and I expected I could make a low 2:40 sometime on Sunday.
Sunday morning was soaked wet but at least without fog. First time attack call was quickly changed to open track for any TA car that wanted to go. I went out wanting the laps to just get the practice in. Throttle oversteer and and being real easy on the brakes to not lock up is how it went and I was more comfortable with this session than the first one on Saturday. Up until lap 3 when I had rear lockup going into turn 8 which caused aggressive wheel hop and before I could get it under control something broke. A loud Snap followed by a short grinding noise made for no gears. Engine still running just fine but no movement in any gear and 3rd is messed up (gear it was in). I thought I'd blown a U joint at first but its most likely either the input shaft or clutch. Not how I wanted to end the season...with yet again a broken car leaving RA (3 for 3 now). I'm disappointed in myself and how the weekend went. I never got the chance to see my and the car's full potential, for constantly preaching prep work to others I was unable to do my own and it cost me. I didn't crash so that's something, many others weren't so lucky in the damp to wet conditions.
End of season thoughts:
Since getting back I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want out of this hobby. Not because of how RA went but because the '85 is "so good" right now as a street/track car and I'm afraid making it a better track car will ruin it as a fun street car. Showing it's weight the last several events I think the only real answers going forward are more power and weight reduction as the "easy" gains while getting way more scientific with the chassis setup is where some more could be found. Being described as "doing it the hardest way possible" and being told "literally anything else would be easier" hasn't been lost on me either. I'm just not a "what everyone else does" or "what's easiest" kinda person.
Building the '82 as a track car only is an option but one that is out of budget as far as a spring deadline for being ready.
I also have involvement with a Gen 4 Prelude build and a Gen 2 Eclipse but they're group projects and slow going. They're options, however still require substantial work and investment.
While the winter goal is to make progress on them all I've come to the conclusion that I've not achieved the full potential of the '85 yet and on the upgrades front I should finally be getting all my new engine parts this week....same engine I thought I'd have been running all this year. That will put me into at least the lower end of the competitive HP range of cars in Street Mod. Lightening the car will be a major undertaking. Easy level stuff I estimate 100lbs with just a fiberglass hood and LW battery and up to around 230lbs can be reduced with just parts, getting farther into the fabrication stuff a potential total of 450lbs+ could be removed, most of it at the front of the car. There also the option to widen the car but that, like the weight reduction, I just don't know what it all will add up to.
At my best finish this year I was 12 seconds off class winner at Autobahn with a close 2nd best of 13sec behind at Heartland on shot tires. Which I'm pretty happy with. At RA it was a distance of nearly 30 seconds. Granted it think I never got the chance to put an extra 5 or so on my time but the HP wasn't there for anything better at such a big track. I came up short of my goal of a top 5 with Autobahn being 7th. Going forward the goal is still a top 5 as there's little doubt that the competition will be faster next year.