Pics: http://gallery.chargedperformance.com/gallery/SP20041121
Vid: http://gallery.chargedperformance.com/albums/SP20041121/EMRA_Spin.wmv

I ran my second competitive race at Summit Point with EMRA today.

Running in ST3 which is a small bore class.

Practice was wet and slippery but drying. Tempted to put wet tires on and fortunately was talked out of it. Qualified third in a field of 12! Not a bad start for my second race.

By the end of the second lap I am running second after a brief time (three turns) running first.

6 laps in I spin in turn 1 trying to get back into the lead. (Corner worker quote "I really thought you were going to save it.") The car stalls and unfortunately won't start. A field that the prior day had too many black flags suffers yet another at my hands since I have a wheel on course. EV bump starts me I get back at the end of the line for the restart. On the pace car restart lap the car is hesitating and spitting. I don't make the green and pit in - no chance of starting and running. Unfortunately, I know exactly what the problem is - the altenator doesn't keep the battery fully charged and with trying to start the car back up the voltage was too low to run at speed. (One of the lessons to be detailed below.)

First racing goal: Actually make the checker flag.

Lessons:
Get car communications. (crew didn't know what happened when I didn't show up on the 7th lap)
Have crew at the pits with gear (like the battery booster) instead of the other side taking pictures! (was my request - figured short sprint race what could a crew do? plenty in this case to get me back out for the checker.)
For goodness sakes when something isn't working properly that I know about and have time to fix - don't procrastinate (sp) - fix it!!!

Oh well that is two races in two weeks and a ton of lessons that you never learn on a track day.

Nice thread M8, well done.
Sounds like you were doing really well too.
Like your 'Sprint to Victory' decals too :D

STIr

Thanks for a translation that makes more sense than the one given to me by the prior owner. 'Crazy racer for victory.'

Of course I just tell people it says 'Silly American thinks this is a race car.' Referencing that it aint no silvia! :lol:

at least the hood stayed down :p . get that electrical sorted for vir and you should be good to go all of next year

-spenc/crew

Spin... ugly... no excuses.

http://gallery.chargedperformance.com/albums/SP20041121/EMRA_Spin.wmv

Video is important - happened much differently than I remembered didn't even snap back just slid around.

Time to relearn rwd car control. Guess it is time for some dgtrials drift training.

Early apex at turn 1=no. Fix that and the spin would have been a non-issue.

At least you didn't complicate things. You put both feet in at the right time and kept the slide on the pavement.

Ah, what motor is in the 240? Looks like a fun track car!

It is ITA/PS2/ST3 classed so it is a well built but still stock KA24E.

its all part of learning. you'll get it ed. you drove a good race up till then. next race you'll finish and trophy

Early apex at turn 1=no. Fix that and the spin would have been a non-issue.

At least you didn't complicate things. You put both feet in at the right time and kept the slide on the pavement.
So.. what the Miata did in that video is closer to ideal? The part where it briefly turned left and then turned right confused me.. do you think that was intentional or should he just have hugged the left side of the straightaway more?

tI: did your rear left wheel hit grass/dirt, and that's why you spun, or was it just the sharpness of your line?

john

the dip to the left before turn in is the line into 1. alot of folks do it. usually your not braking at 100% there so u can get away with it.

There are a couple turns at a couple tracks in the NE where the rotationally challenged load up the turn's outside wheels with a dip out before turn in. Some need it, some just copy it. I do it with the STi at this turn though I haven't found this car to need it.

I am notorious for trying to cheat turns with early turn-ins. You cheat them long enough and they will bite you for it. The track conditions were less than ideal and against the advice of numerous driving and race instructors I didn't leave myself any wiggle room.

The rear on this car is a little loose which I like in the dry, which the line was, but it was a wet and wild weekend and off line could have been damp or dirty. I could feel it getting loose well before it becomes obvious in the video. The turn in is a little early and I was being aggressive getting back on the throttle trying to get back to that miata which was leading. The combination took me to a less than ideal part of the course. I might have held through it up until the point I hit the rumble strip. The rumble strip might have finished me but I started by getting into the area. I mean it isn't like the strip jumped towards me! Or did it? :devil:

Watching the whole video of the race there are several points where it was obvious I was racing the miata when he was out of reach instead of driving the course and biding my time. There is no point me racing someone two seconds ahead, get to him first then race him.

BTW lo-buck has the advantage of seeing the whole tape and re-runs of the spin in raw AVI form on a TV rather than lower resolution wmv.

Very nice thread. Next time get more pics ;)

So.. what the Miata did in that video is closer to ideal? The part where it briefly turned left and then turned right confused me.. do you think that was intentional or should he just have hugged the left side of the straightaway more?john
I'm not sure whether the turn to the left is ideal or not. I've seen many people do that, instructors and racers included. I think the intent is to get deeper into the corner and make the apex as late as possible.

The problem with that move, for racing, is that you will lose the corner to someone on the inside trying to outbrake you.

In the video, turboICE was trying to keep pace with the Miata in front of him. But the Miata took a better line and was able to carry more speed. ICE's early turn-in assured he'd be unable to carry the same speed without running out of room on the exit.

Edit: :lol: I just read tI's latest post.

tI: did your rear left wheel hit grass/dirt, and that's why you spun, or was it just the sharpness of your line?
john
I was wondering the same thing. I'm pretty sure the 'sharpness' of his line put him in a bad spot. To correct it, he'd have had to lift mid turn in order to rotate the car and get it back on line. But maybe he was too focused on trying to catch that Miata?

It is ITA/PS2/ST3 classed so it is a well built but still stock KA24E.

Man, has EMRA ever been solid on their classing? My ITB car was classed in ST3... They told me that ITS=ST1, ITA=ST2, ITB=ST3... :/

The 12v 240sx (ITA) is ST3, the 16v 240sx (ITS) is ST2 - can't speak to the other cars. I didn't look for parallel classing just looked up my specific car.

I mean they have the Impreza L and Legacy Turbo are in the same class with each other - classing many varied cars is always difficult for a sanctioning body - especially if it is a car that rarely or never has run with them enough to test the classing.

I was wondering the same thing. I'm pretty sure the 'sharpness' of his line put him in a bad spot. To correct it, he'd have had to lift mid turn in order to rotate the car and get it back on line. But maybe he was too focused on trying to catch that Miata?

It would appear the corrections are pretty much as follows:

1. Drive the track and stop racing the miata - turn in properly and there would have been no other problems. My focus on the Miata was causing me to drive slower lines, causing me to focus more on the Miata, yada, yada.

2. Once I was on a bad line:

a. Not get on the gas so hard (too many days at that track with the STi where I am full throttle at or before apex).
b. Lift slightly to increase the rotation *prior* to getting onto the bad part of the track then roll back on to reel it in.

Sounds like you've got it pretty well figured out. I envy you. At least you're racing. Best I can muster are track days.

Keep us posted on how it goes next time.

I was picking up speed until my spin...

My lap times on first race (11/07) vs second race (11/21):

Lap# Lap Time
1 01:41.396 vs 01:37.022
2 01:35.443 vs 01:34.481
3 01:34.574 vs 01:33.700
4 02:40.152 vs 01:33.395
5 01:36.754 vs 01:33.015
6 01:34.263 vs 01:33.004
7 01:34.365
8 01:49.253
9 01:35.822
10 01:36.750

Other 11/21 EMRA results: http://www.emraracing.org/RESULTS/result_frame_setup.htm

hey, 1:33's aint bad at all at slummit. would have beat corey in the 2002. i see the crx in st2 running some 1:30's. id shoot for those times since your both in ITA. but again, not bad for your 2nd race and 3rd time in the car.

-spenc

Nah given the temps, humidity, tire age, lack of in car experience and 2005 rule changes - I am shooting for 1:28 in this car on a good track day.