Tom1200
SuperDork
3/8/21 11:52 a.m.
Saturday I was instructing at a PCA track day as well as running my Datsun 1200.
The day went well except; the last session of the day when one of my fellow instructors passed and left me in an SUV.........the shame of it all.
OK so it was a 400hp Macan but it still made me laugh; I'm sawing at the wheel like a fiend in my 80whp wonder with it's skinny bias ply Hoosiers and the Macan was totally planted.
On the plus side it inspired me to get the 1500cc motor back in the car, I'm sure the extra 20 hp will let me keep up.
It happens.
A few years back, I'm heading to Orlando. It's an early weekend morning, and I-4 is largely empty. I'm in the middle lane just cruising in the 911. The engine's right in its sweet spot. All is right with the world.
I see someone coming up over my left shoulder.
And here they go, motoring right past me.
It's a smart car.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
It illustrated two things very well:
Technology is a wonderful thing, my car has every Nismo suspension part ever made for a 1200 bolted to it (granted the Hoosiers are almost 2 years old) and it was probably 2 mph slower though the corners. The Macan was bone stock..............I suddenly like Macans.
You don't need a 400hp car for track days; I'm sure I was the slowest car in my session but with designated passing zones it didn't matter. I was faster than a lot of cars in the corners but even if they held me up it was only for 4-5 corners and they were gone. You could read a book down the straights in my car (it just barely manages 100 mph) so having to wave 3-4 cars by isn't a big deal as I'm not doing much anyway.
Tom1200 said:
On the plus side it inspired me to get the 1500cc motor back in the car, I'm sure the extra 20 hp will let me keep up.
Well then you'd have to change your username. You know, for the sake of parity.
Tom1200 said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
It illustrated two things very well:
Technology is a wonderful thing, my car has every Nismo suspension part ever made for a 1200 bolted to it (granted the Hoosiers are almost 2 years old) and it was probably 2 mph slower though the corners. The Macan was bone stock..............I suddenly like Macans.
You don't need a 400hp car for track days; I'm sure I was the slowest car in my session but with designated passing zones it didn't matter. I was faster than a lot of cars in the corners but even if they held me up it was only for 4-5 corners and they were gone. You could read a book down the straights in my car (it just barely manages 100 mph) so having to wave 3-4 cars by isn't a big deal as I'm not doing much anyway.
When I went from a full season in my 640hp Camaro to Spec. Miata my first impression was how much longer the straights were.
I used to laugh when I ran my 90 Civic Sedan on track. It was light, had great brakes, and lots of suspension work. I would pass people in their new Mustang's and Corvettes under braking and pull away through the twisty bits, but once we hit the straight, they would rocket past me and be gone. 110 HP will do that I guess.
I got destroyed by an SUV at an Auto-x. Granted, it had amazing amounts of power, 315's at all 4 corners and was driven by "Brad" from the Tire Rack.
Matt B (fs) said:
Tom1200 said:
On the plus side it inspired me to get the 1500cc motor back in the car, I'm sure the extra 20 hp will let me keep up.
Well then you'd have to change your username. You know, for the sake of parity.
The car may end up with an L16 instead of the A15 so I may have to change it to Tom1600...........although I admit Tom5000 sounds a lot better.
In your defense, a Macan barely qualifies as an suv in my book ;)
ShawnG
UltimaDork
3/8/21 2:10 p.m.
I bet you were having way more fun though.
It's apocryphal, but I read somewhere Dan Gurney used to love hunting BMW's and Porsches on twisty highways with his Previa.
BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:
In your defense, a Macan barely qualifies as an suv in my book ;)
Quoted for truth. If you haven't been in a Macan it would be hard to understand, but they are way closer to a 911 than they are to a Highlander, looks notwithstanding. Serious performance capability with those.
That said, I was doing a track day at Road Atlanta a few years ago and a guy showed up with a rental Hyundai Santa Fe CUV. He was absolutely FLYING, it was hilarious to watch him working those rock-hard all season tires. That was just a case of superior driver though, had nothing to do with the car.
In reply to ShawnG :
Yes my little car is as much fun as a rental car on a dirt road. One of the 911 GT3-RS drivers refers to it as the drift car. People love the car.
I'm well aware of how capable a Macan is, I just found it so amusing. It was like a featherweight boxer punching Godzilla's tail.
In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :
We have a Santa Fe and while the steering feedback isn't great they corner decently................I could how someone could abuse / hustle one around a track.
If the engine upgrade lets you win, I look forward to a "My new Porsche got passed by a Datsun on Track, Oh the Humanity!" thread.
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
Win at a track day? One can only lose at a track day............."I tried to keep up with a Macan, cuz me ego told me to and flew off into the dirt and bent many things etc"
With the 1500 the car is mid pack in the intermediate group.
As an instructor the car is a great tool, when I offer up advice people are much more apt to listen having seen me on track.
As for new Porsches being passed by a Datsun, they've already endured that. Several years back we ran one of the short course layouts with only one long straight.
I just thought my being passed by an SUV was priceless..............I'm routinely passing cars high end cars, so it's about time they returned the favor.
I really want to make a "oh the huge manatee" joke, but I don't think a Macan is that big. I was thinking you were going to talk about a Trackhawk when I opened the thread...
In reply to thatsnowinnebago (Forum Supporter) :
Let the manatee jokes fly; A Datsun 1200 is 6 inches shorter and 6 inches narrower than an NA Miata...............A Macan is huuuuge by comparison. A Macan also weighs 2500lbs more than a 1200.
I did a Porsche event a few years ago and for the last few laps you chose the car and a driver did a few laps at speed. I chose the Macan and a buddy asked why not the gt3? I said when is the next time I'll be at speed on a track in the back seat of a suv? I've already been in the GT3....
We both got in the back for a few laps and were laughing the entire time. That's a crazy piece of machinery.
Shadeux (Forum Supporter) said:
It's apocryphal, but I read somewhere Dan Gurney used to love hunting BMW's and Porsches on twisty highways with his Previa.
Not apocryphal at all....
On the Road
Are you man enough for a minivan?
By Thos L. Bryant, Editor-in-Chief
December 2003
Our frequent vacation drive up and down nearly the entire length of the Pacific Coast has come and gone once again. After 2500 miles on the round trip, my mind is agog with visions of sport-utility vehicles, semis, pickup trucks, minivans and, yes, even the occasional car, batting along Interstate 5. It fascinates me how minivans became so associated with soccer moms that most self-respecting, beef-eating American males won't be seen driving them.
This year, my wife, Patty, and I, along with our golden retriever Lucy, elected to make the great drive in a Mazda MPV. Two reasons for this cropped up: First, we always seem to find a whole slew of stuff that needs to be moved from California to Washington; second, Lucy is more than 10 years old and hopping in and out of high-riding vehicles is more difficult for her now. So, the Mazda seemed perfect for the trek. It has plenty of space when you fold down the third-row seats, its ride height is very carlike, and it's quite comfortable for 10- and 12-hour days on the road.
It always amuses me when I hear men disparage minivans as though they are to be driven only by women. I think so often of our friend Dan Gurney, racing legend extraordinaire and a man to be taken seriously in every way. For the past several years Dan has been driving Toyota minivans and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it. He says he always orders his with as few trinkets or extras as possible to keep the weight down, but does get the good wheel/tire package.
"Some time ago I was driving up toward Mammoth Mountain ski area when a guy in a BMW X5 went by me. So I raced with him all the way to Mammoth and took him quite by surprise. I had a similar episode on the local toll road when a Mercedes M-Class AMG went by and I tucked in behind him and we had a lot of fun until I finally blew on by. If you keep the weight down, minivans are really a kick to drive."
Another outstanding racing driver who has spent a lot of time in minivans is Rod Millen, rally champion, king of Pikes Peak and other series. "I spent a good 10 years driving minivans and I loved them for their 'sleeper' aspect," Millen says. "I had a Toyota Previa with all-wheel drive and a supercharger, and it was a lot of fun because I could go really fast and nobody ever noticed. And I think I still hold the record in competition with Jeff Zwart [R&T Contributing Photographer] for getting from Newport Beach to Aspen, Colorado, the fastest — 930 miles in less than 12 hours, most of that in the dead of night, of course."
I learned many years ago that I'm no Dan Gurney or Rod Millen when it comes to driving anything, but going through the Siskiyou Mountains in Northern California and into Oregon, the Mazda MPV was a sure-footed delight, with predictable handling and great grip. And while I didn't set any records, I did enjoy the fact that you can maintain relatively high speeds without drawing undue attention.
Think of it this way, your MPH/HP ratio is FAR better than his!
I got served my SUV humble pie about 15 years ago. Was in my Stalker V6, somewhat tired after a track session when a Cadillac SUV got the holeshot on me when I missed a shift. He earned his thumbs up fair and square.
So here is the video evidence. Actual on track action starts at 9:55, becuase I still not learned how to edit these (yes I know it's easy) Also ignore the shuffle steering I am still nursing a sore right shoulder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcLeGQTMyGY&t=102s
ShawnG
UltimaDork
3/8/21 10:34 p.m.
I had a customer's Bugeye Sprite out for a test drive and was giggling my way through 4-wheel drifts.
I had almost forgotten how much fun a little angry car can be.
