Sonic does One Lap 2016

Sonic wrote: I was 26th with a 6:42.

So what exactly is included in this number? Is it just the total of 3 flying laps or is there a standing start involved as well? I ran the Track Night event right after one lap last night and I'm wondering if I can compare my times to the one lap cars...

Teach me to let time get away, you guys are going to be racing in my back yard tomorrow. I have some work I have to get done early but can be to NCM by noon to watch the excitement.

It was great finally meeting you guys. I'm sure I'll be trying to steal shade for the next couple of days.

Crashdummy: that time is the total of three laps including a standing start from the start finish line for the first lap.

Allroad, excellent!

Seth: you're welcome to it in the event we get sun to shade from, looks like rain tomorrow afternoon

This is pretty cool. Wet track is entertaining

Sonic kicks ass, but he clearly sucks at updating this thread.

mazdeuce wrote: Sonic kicks ass, but he clearly sucks at updating this thread.

He has clearly underestimated how eager we (and I'm speaking for all of us here) want to follow along!

Update please!

Ha, ok, ok, I've been driving more of the transits in the last few days which is my update time. Longer update to come later, but things have been going well. Hit 142 at a dry Road America, who has some serious safety issues with their management attitude, ran a 12.9 at drag racing, then red lighted in bracket racing by .013. The AutoX was hillarious trying to hustle the boat around a tight course, most rotation was using the gas, final result was 35th (?) place. It is dry again today at Autobahn, I'm about to go run the south course.

The car finally had an issue, the keyless go is being flaky, so we have to actually put the key in the slot in the dash.

If the worst thing that happens is you have to use the key to start the car, it's a great week! Here's hoping that good fortune lasts next weekend too.

Glad to hear the update.

He drove the crap out of that car, big smokey burnouts in the water box at the drags, 140mph at Road America, incredible rain, and when I hopped in for parade laps with Ms. Sonic it was comfortable and perfect and the cooled seats were blowing. What an awesome car.

We made it to the end! What a whirlwind of a week, I can't believe it has only been a week and also how much we did this week. We are en route home now on the PA turnpike, eta home is about midnight. It will be great to sleep in our own bed.

I'll write a good post tomorrow with the last few days. Today at the dry skidpad we were way down near last with a .860g average, with solid understeer, the car needs more camber and a wider front tire to do better there.

Here is this mornings trip computer

Banquet at Tire Rack

Congrats!! Looking forward to the full recap!

Banquet with the smell of rubber...

I was in a bridgestone warehouse in TN and the smell was still in my clothes when I opened my suitcase at home! The OLOA looks like a ton of fun and I'm glad you guys continue bringing us along, thanks!

OK, time to wrap this up. I took today off to finish packing and head to the Lemons race at NJMP this weekend, so I can fit a few minutes in here.

Last real update we were heading to NCM, so let's pick up there. On the way from Summit to NCM we ran with some other cars for a while, including a local with an F150 who was going faster than any of the rest of us.

NCM is a very technical track, mores than I expected for a Corvette track. The videos we watched were tough to make good sense of, so we walked the track twice which helped greatly. We started off dry but the forecast was for rain at about mid day and then a bit afterwards. As such, we bought one of the last garage spaces the track had which turned out to be awesome for hanging out between sessions with friends and keeping everyone's stuff dry. It was great to meet KyAllroad, thanks for coming, sorry we missed you as we were leaving!

Here we are in the garages:

Here is the trip computer that morning

Because of the rain coming in at Mid day, we were going to put Chrissy out first in the dry. Well, here she is linking up for her first runs:

Yup, she ended up in the rain again.

As everyone else except the last 2 groups were in the dry, Chrissy ended up 57th with a 9:41. I had mostly dry track and ended up 51st with an 8:17. The tight nature of this track did not suit the Mercedes well, but it was fun, I wish I could drive it with my Honda.

The next day was the longest yet, with three different events. Road America time trials, then AutoX on the kart track at Road America, and then drag racing at Great Lakes Dragway.

We got to the track fairly early to walk it, as we had never been here and knowing how fast this track is, it was critical to walk it to be able to safely drive it. We made it about 85% around the track when a track "safety car" (a Mazda CX9) stopped next to us and told us that we were not allowed to be there, as he was "doing a hot lap, and was surprised to see us". WTF. They made us exit the track just after turn 12. As we were walking off the track, another track employee in a safety truck pulls up, gives the "come here" finger and then proceeds to yell at us for being on the track. At this point I was livid, what kind of safety attitude does a track have to ban walking it especially right before an event that specifically limits any motorized recognizance. As she proceeded to lay into me about being on the track, I got right back into it with her and forcefully asked who was in charge of safety at this track as I had some serious concerns that needed to be addressed. She backed right off at that point and advised that Mike Wertz is the head of Safety. As soon as I get a few minutes, I'll be writing to Mike about the borderline negligent attitude toward safety at Road America in banning any track walks (on a track that most of the cars were seeing 135+), and also that I witnessed several different track employees in the official "safety vehicles" who were really speeding through the crowded portion of the paddock.

I had been really excited to go to RA, but their attitude about safety really soured my experience, so much so that I'll never go back.

That being said, on to the track. It's huge. It's fast (we saw more than 140). It's surface is old and kind of crappy and bumpy. I'm glad that I can say I've run it, but that's it.

Slow mo video crossing start finish

I ended up 46th with a 9:13, Chrissy was 58th with a 9:54, and amazingly it was dry all day!

In between our sessions was the Autox. We walked the course 3 times with Mazdeuce, and it was a tight track, especially for a boat like the Mercedes. We did pretty well though, mostly through using the gas to rotate the car around the tight corners, and ended up 35th in the AutoX with a 57.8 as the fastest 3rd run.

One of the coolest things was that the Corvette C7R team was there at the track. Wow.

From here, we loaded up and slogged through Milwaukee traffic to Great Lakes Dragway. We had one chance for a fast ET run and then bracket racing. On the first run I went through the water box and did a big smokey burnout, because why not, lots of cheers from the crowd. The car did a 12.92 on that first run, transmission in automatic sport mode, traction control on. In bracket racing, I set a dial in of 12.85, and in the first round I ran a 13.0, but sadly red lighted by only .013, with my first time drag racing an automatic trans, all of my other experience was with manuals, which have a little bit more time to react. We ended up staying all the way to the end of the drag racing as our friends Tom and Eric in their 914/6 made it to the final four, and then the last round had the Honda factory team end up winning the whole thing with their MDX.

After this we were off to the Brat Stop, which was by far the best brat and cheese curds I've ever had. From there it was a fairly short drive to our hotel near Autobahn, our last track. I have to go keep packing for Lemons now, I'll try to fit another update in as I can...I'll wrap this up eventually!

I've never had any type of issues at Road America but I can't say I've ever actually tried walking around on track.

I was trying to make it to Autobahn but I just couldn't get out there.

Sorry about the track-walk issue. The General Manager of the track had specially approved track-walks for us but apparently the word didn't get out to all the staff. For some reason, it has always been against track policy to allow drivers to walk the track. Perhaps paramedics had too many calls for heart attack victims trying to make the distance.