Spin9k

256kb/sec 32MB video

Looking for fun and a new challange I decided to join the White Mountain Capter BMW-CCA at Loudon on 7/31 for their annual 'Summer Heat' two day track event with some 106 other drivers. I only came in on Sunday, figured everyone would have a chance to get all warmed up and practiced before I got there.

There are 5 run groups starting with '0' for instructors, then 1, 2, 3 and Vintage. I was put in Group 2 having had several track days experience. I had a great instructor for 1 1/2 runs, then he jumped out and said "You're good to go Solo, have fun!" He helped get my line down in two turns I was having trouble with, and I was measureably faster than last time at this track.

Any brand car can run, of course there were lots of 3 series, including M3s, 5 series, some Mini S's, and two other RX-8s, RPIRX-8 was in my group, and some misc cars. Some of the fancier cars were in more novice groups or the instructor group. Nevertheless, I guess my expectation was I would be walked on by some heavy German machinery.

At least in my run group, it didn't happen. Now that I've done this several times I see the same pattern on track, lap after lap. I only have stock power, but modded handling capability. Nevertheless, you'll see in the vid that I easily catch everyone and pass them all by using these techniques:

1) Outbraking - I simply don't feel the need to brake as early as others apparently do - BINGO! - bigtime gap closer, I'm on their tails like flys on, well, you know.

2) Going faster in the corners - it's simply no contest, I outhandle cars I thought had more capability - but don't apparently- another bigtime gap increaser as they fade in the rearview. Can it be so easy just because I have an 8? Yes!

3) Better through the turns, means more speed everywhere. No one gets by me, no one gets even close to me to try. Zoom Zoom!

4) Rev range flexibility - I use 3rd gear except for one turn, and 4th on the straight. The incredible flexibility and power the rotary gives from 5-9K means I can pay attention to driving, not shifting, keeping the car balanced and on the boil in varied circumstances easily.

Bottom line, the RX-8 is killer on these type of short, twistie tracks, where HP is only one part of the story. In the 4 sessions, nearly two hours on track, I didn't give one point by, because there was no one to give it to! In this vid the session eventually gets black-flagged by a dead Mini on the side of the track.

VIDEO --> http://www.spin9k.com/html/videos.html (bottom of the page - last video)

What a great rush the 8 is...unless, of course, you happen to be driving something else. :D Enjoy - I did!

PS I got to weigh my car. Its was 2970lbs (no driver).

xrider

Spin9k, that was a great video. I noticed that everyone else seemed to be breaking earlier, and their line wasn't as good as yours. Alot of the other drivers seemed to be taking similar lines. Congrats again.

Rotarian_SC

Nice video, I remember another video of the same track where an RX8 was passing a lot of cars too, but that might have been yours also.

RPIRX-8

I was on the track with Spin and have the same sentiments. I went into the weekend with a best lap time of 1:33 and exited the weekend with a best lap time of 1:25. Once I got the line down, it was no competition with most of the cars in the group. The only car I gave a point by to was an HMS Motorsport Mini that was throwing down 273 fwhp.

Unfortunately for the last 3 sessions Spin and I were on opposite sides of the track the whole time so we didn't get to dice it up. According to some friends we were running the exact same lap times. Like I (and spin) have said before, this car is a monster on technical tracks. A couple of Egos of drivers with expensive cars were "scarred".

missinmahseven

Hee hee... nice vid, Spin.

I can't tell, cause I wasn't in that car with you, but you're not even giving 'er all she's got, are you? I don't think I heared a single tire chrip from you... and you still wasted the field :D

khtm

I didn't watch all of the video but it looks like you're running with 3 series BMWs...did you pass anything that was actually a challenge?

No offense meant, just interested if you fought with an M3 or 5 series.

yandrs

Nice video. I enjoyed watching the cars you passed quickly fade away in the rear view camera........

RPIRX-8

There was a 5 series in this run group but I think he garaged the car for this particular run.

X-MAN S

Agreed. Great racing BTW. It just amazes me how easily you whipped the field. It almost seemed like the competition was driving slow no offense. :p
There was a video out a while back, where the RX-8 lost to everything on the track, including an Acura RSX. Our car did manage to edge out its little brother, the Miata. My question is do you think you could have done better?

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

What was the single biggest performance enhancement on your car, besides your excellent driving, that enabled you to whip the field so easily?

Spin9k

Quote:
Originally Posted by khtm
I didn't watch all of the video but it looks like you're running with 3 series BMWs...did you pass anything that was actually a challenge?

No offense meant, just interested if you fought with an M3 or 5 series.

Thanks X-MAN! Hard to tell really if I could, as there's two different things involved, preping the car right for the track, and then driving the track right with the car. A good race preped Miata or M3 is surely more competitive with the 8 - at least on this track. But then I have vids on my site where I'm equally as easily dispatching Corvettes, Vipers, Porsche's 911s, Boxters, etc. I have the right tool for this track, I can't help but believe..

khtm I generally agree there was no challange that you saw there. However, on the other side of the track, there were a couple M3s that were kicking along, one was race preped I think. Not to mention RPIRX-8, plus a Z model sportster you saw at the end. They were revolving through the field like I was, like planets on the other side of the solar system.

And missinmahseven I swear that when you are driving the 8 things seem to go in slow motion and it all looks fairly mundane like that even to me watching! But I have the .avi original file and can read the speedometer very well. Speeds vary between 45-100+ mph and are generally in the 65-90 range with my average speed something like 65mph over 1.6 miles there. It's fairly intense.

One day, when I feel more skilled, I'll consider exceeding my self imposed 8/10 limit I try to adhere to. Maybe, say with the BMW group, I'd find that useful in a Group 1 session. And this is not racing anyway, but still it is MORE FUN to find your correct level playing field so you can go as fast as you can, but just not do much passing - cause you just can't catch anyone easily.

xrider I do run a different line than many others. Watch this Spec racer Ford's line http://www.scda1.com/videos/ at NHIS - it's maybe 11-12 sec faster than me. I think the car is not so nimble as that, but no excuses necessary negotiating turns with grace and purpose. It's built into the design. Other cars seem to sway around more, the 8 seems to slice down the middle. That may be where the other 2/10 are to be found.

Cheers spin

MrJynx

was that a viper in the video?? if so why was he driving so slow, well it appeared he was driving slow..

great runs though, i noticed the other cars did not appear to be taking their vehicles to the limit, or maybe they were but they just couldn't keep up :D

Spin9k

opps! - it's a tie

Tires - the Falkens are a joy on and off the track. Prodigious grip esp. w/40 psi - abundant lateral grip makes point and shoot racing look easy. This is just great rubber.

Whiteline adj anti-sway bars full stiff front and rear. Double the crispness of you 8's handling for about $400. You don't think it's possible, but it is. Just do it.

spin

Spin9k

No viper in this new vid. It was in "[font='Arial Rounded MT Bold', sans-serif]Hot Lap Fun" [/font]You're right of course, he appeared to be going slow. Relativity, Einstein, who knows!

I haven't figured it out exactly - but sometimes what is ... just is. I figure people must be doing what I'm doing. I figure the're trying like me. I haven't driven their cars, but all cars have limits, and behavior. Maybe it's scarier for them, maybe it just doesn't go any faster, maybe they <you guess>.

I can only go with what I see and experience, which up to now is cool esp if it is continues like this or better

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

Falkens :D

Cattywampus

Damn! Nice videos. I saw that Viper(which is my all-time favorite car) and thought wow you stayed with him pretty good. I doubt he gave it all on the straight a way because then you would have been toast. But I loved the vid and am looking foward to my new purchase. Thanks for the vid. Also, what exhaust do you have. Sounds nice.

Rontec

Spin9k, what hardware did you use to shoot the video?

English

nice...it's good to be a good driver.

shakRpahX8

Yo spin
i was studying the video
did you hit somethin on the 7:14 into the video?
it's like you hit the curb or somethin

7:30-7:34 to be specific

Sigma

Great videos. All of them.

I was surprised that you have the AutoExe front strut bar. I could have sworn that I read that it didn't fit our LHD cars.

PaulieWalnuts

Nice driving

Spin9k

It is a newly developed spinMOUNT dualCAM with two camcorders mounted side by side. Using the same camcorders allows one remote control to work both simultaneously. See the original spinCAM in my mods section of www.spin9k.com with one camera. Like that but painted candy apple red and much much nicer! :D

Right on that downhill corner is a curbing sticking out into the track so you don't cut any closer I guess. It's a good place to aim for, just like ski racing and barely tagging the poles as you go. "KaaaTHUMP!" :D "Yup, I did good!" It happens to a more or less degree on every lap or at least i try too.

It's the MS 4-pt brace that fits as a strut brace, but it also has a brake brace attached on the right side, so some say 'it doesn't fit' our LH drive cars - but of course it does. The autoexe 4-pt brace has no brake brace and fits LH or RH cars the same. It seems to work great, but I feel the rear 4-pt brace is what is most improving the car as there is virtually no bracing structure back there, stock. See the install photos on my site.

Spin9k

HPDEs rules are different than race rules, and it's all good!

Even if you have BIG HP, the rules are that if a car is on your *** through the twisties, the martians didn't drop him there, he's faster than you overall , and you must point him by at the 1st available passing zone. You can't hold up cars on the turns then just floor it on the straights, just so they crawl up you *** again on the next set of turns. Therefore there is no advantage to a Viper or Vett, for example, if they can't negotiate corners well.

If you don't observe these rules the corner workers start waving appropriate flags at you and/or take the opportunity to haul you in off the track and discuss this with you in pit lane.

Yea I love my exhaust too, it has a great sound, nice shiny SS, and tiny too. It's a Cork Sport (www.corksport.com) saves quite a bit of weight. Install pics on my site.

downshift

Nice vids, Spin9k! They're getting better and better and so if your driving! . I like the PIP with the rear-view camera at the top of the video. You should line up with RPIRX-8 next time so we can see another '8 in the action from the outside

Spin9k

Great idea, and we'll do it next time. I do have a bit of RPIRX-8 on vid, but I think the only time I located him, tracked his blue backside down and passed him :D was on the 1st run where I forgot to turn the cameras on :o ! Besides that I had the extra unsprung weight of an instructor that time, but I still got him.

Hear that PRIRX-8, I'll be out there looking for ya! :p