Over Labor Day weekend I drove down to Pocono Raceway to participate in a NASA HPDE. The car was extremely well balanced when running full tilt. If you are smooth with the controls the car rewards you by carving beautifully through the turns. If you happen to push a little too hard it breaks free in a predictable and easily recoverable manor. I've never driven a car that is this easy to drive fast. Sure I've driven cars that are faster but they have all been fast in a white-knuckled kind of way. After spending two hours on the track with the RX-8 I was left grinning from ear to ear and was begging for more! :D

So let's hear it folks, if you are a proud owner of an RX-8 and you have made it to the track post some pictures and tell us about it!

Sweet!....any more pics? I hope you dusted that rustang behind you!

I was able to get around the red mustang but the blue one with the white hood smoked me on the Super Speedway. That didn't surprise me when I found out that it was supercharged and cranking out almost 500 Hp! The funny thing is that he ran out of gas towards the end of the day and was trying to bum a ride so that he could fill up a gas can! :p

I guess I shouldn't laugh too hard, I only got 7.8 MPG when I was zipping around the track and at the end of the day I left with the low fuel light on.

Hey Eccles,
Do you have any photos from your last auto-x?

Originally posted by Speed Racer
Hey Eccles, do you have any photos from your last auto-x? Only one, and it was taken as I crossed the finish line so there's no real action evident. We normally have at least a couple of folks taking great pics at our events, but - just my luck - none of them were there last time. :(

I'll have pics from Nationals next Sunday though. :D

7.8MPG?? Whew.. Spirited driving makes you thirsty dont it.. hehhehe

Very cool Speed Racer. So how did the tires held up? I assumed you ran on the stock RE040s.

I'll be taking my out to Sebring Raceway this weekend.

Originally posted by eccles
I'll have pics from Nationals next Sunday though. :D

I'm curious if you have done any special to get ready for the Nationals? Alignment, tires, exhaust...

Regardless, have fun and tell us about it on Monday!

Originally posted by Good Duck
Very cool Speed Racer. So how did the tires held up? I assumed you ran on the stock RE040s.

I'll be taking my out to Sebring Raceway this weekend.

The tires did surprisingly well on the damp track (light rain through out the day) and they are surprisingly still in good shape (i.e. no flat spots, cupping, or a lack of tread). I don't know what they will look like after two days at Watkins Glen but I guess I'll find out when I hit the track on 9/22.

I was just looking at the track layout for Sebring. It looks like it will be a wild ride. Have a blast and post some pictures when your done.

Originally posted by Speed Racer
I'm curious if you have done any special to get ready for the Nationals? Alignment, tires, exhaust...

Regardless, have fun and tell us about it on Monday! I've had it aligned, and I have a set of Hoosier R3S03's, but that's it. I'm toying with the idea of dropping the rear muffler completely. I'll probably give it a try and see if it's totally insanely loud. Every little bit helps. I was hoping that Borla would have their system available by now. :(

I'll be in Topeka all next week - my class actually competes on Thursday and Friday - so look for a report sometime after the 13th.

Originally posted by eccles
I was hoping that Borla would have their system available by now. :(

The fixtures went over to production today. The machines are being set up and the run will begin shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Hi David!

Glad to hear the Borla exhaust is in the works. When it's available, how can I get details about performance and where can we purchase? Will the system be dynoed?

Thanks!

/me glares at david

Originally posted by Kurt Bob
Hi David!

Glad to hear the Borla exhaust is in the works. When it's available, how can I get details about performance and where can we purchase? Will the system be dynoed?

Thanks!

In an effort to maintain the integrity of this forum, the moderators have implemented a policy in which advertising on this site is forbidden. They have been very cool about allowing me to communicate with you guys and in return it's only right that I show them the respect they deserve and play by the rules. Unfortunately, the questions you asked warrant answers that will surely irk the moderators of this forum and therefore I can't really give you an answer while in this forum.

Originally posted by Good Duck
Very cool Speed Racer. So how did the tires held up? I assumed you ran on the stock RE040s.

I'll be taking my out to Sebring Raceway this weekend.

Good Duck,
So what did you think of Sebring? Do you have any photos that you can post?

Originally posted by Speed Racer
The car was extremely well balanced when running full tilt. If you are smooth with the controls the car rewards you by carving beautifully through the turns. If you happen to push a little too hard it breaks free in a predictable and easily recoverable manor. I've never driven a car that is this easy to drive fast. Sure I've driven cars that are faster but they have all been fast in a white-knuckled kind of way.

Sounds kind of fun! Was that with the DSC On or Off?

Originally posted by M-ster


Sounds kind of fun! Was that with the DSC On or Off?

I experimented with the DSC a little bit while I was there. When I left the DSC on I found the car was very stable on the wet track but when I disabled the DSC things became much more interesting. The back end no longer feels like it is super glued to the ground and it allows you to introduce throttle oversteer which really helped to get through the hair pin a little faster. What can I say, either way the car is a blast to drive. :D

I just had my first Watkins Glen experience. Wow, that track is awesome! The corners all flow nicely from one to the next and allow you to carry a lot of speed around the track. If you get the chance to make a few laps I would highly recommend it. :)

More photos (http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32d7f3c453e)

Dang dude, that is tight!

Do you have to go to some sort of school to drive it? I would have no clue on how to drive that track correctly. Or race my car for that matter..

Sweeeet.

RX-Nut,
You should definitely check into NASA (http://www.nasaproracing.com/aboutnasa/newtonasa.html) or one of the other driving clubs. They schedule the track time, provide driving instructors, and in general make sure that you have a good time. All you need to bring is a car that is in decent shape, a helmet (Snell 95 or better), open mind, and about $150-$200 for a one day event. You'll spend about 1/3 of the day in class discussing everything from flags to the best line around the track. Another 1/3 of your day will be spent on track (normally four 25 minute sessions) and the rest of the time you get to hang out with a garage full of car buffs. It is a lot of fun and you'll be surprised at how much you will learn about driving a car fast.

Awesome!!

I need to see if Hawaii got any of these... I'd just like to try for the fun of it. I know I'm not going to compete or win anything.. just mainly to see what this car o mine can do.. hehe

Originally posted by RX-Nut
Awesome!!

I'd just like to try for the fun of it. I know I'm not going to compete or win anything.. just mainly to see what this car o mine can do.. hehe

Hey, that's the whole point behind NASA's HPDE. It is not a race/competition but rather a safe way for you to learn how to drive around a track at your own pace.

hey Speed Racer,

Did you all ran in one group? Or was there separate groups for different level of experience? ie, Novice, Intermediate, and such.

Originally posted by Good Duck
hey Speed Racer,

Did you all ran in one group? Or was there separate groups for different level of experience? ie, Novice, Intermediate, and such.

Good Duck,
There were three groups running: Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced/Instructor. With only 15-20 cars per group it left plenty of space on the track for you to stretch your legs!

This looks awsome!!

Man, maybe I will not wait until next year to buy one. I would race with my current car, but I am sure it would blow up (it is an '87 with over 90,000 miles).

I just came back from a DE event at VIR. It was a blast except for the limitations of the stock tires. I had a hard time keeping ahead of the cars with race tires (almost all of the cars). The RX-8 is very easy to drive fast, and is very balanced. No weird or unpredictable handling characteristics. On the straights, it kept up with the 3rd gen RX-7's that weren't highly modified. The Miatas with race tires hunted me down in the corners. So did the Viper and Porsche Turbos; but that's OK. If only I had some race rubber and some adjustable shocks ... maybe next year.

nice post

maybe next year is RIGHT, the aftermarket is coming

Nice pics and writeups ;)

I have only been playing with the limits in industrial parks, and this car is just friggin' awesome! I'm also running 245's now on the stock 8" rim.

I have these next two weeks as track days either at the vegas speedway http://www.lvms.com or at the pahrump track (awesome track) http://www.bragg-smith.com

10/3 - mazdaevents.com
10/11 - private
10/12 - private

I should need new tires after these days. No slicks yet, I'm waiting until spring.