davefzr

There is an event at California Speedway this Friday. It allows people out on the track and there are 3 stages..

I'll be in the first class since I have never done this before.. No passing except for the back and front straights and even then you have to wave them on... Should be cool..

Just wondering if anyone is going.. I'll be there

TownDrunk

On the roadcourse or the oval?

davefzr

It will be on the road course.. Basically the same course as AMA Superbike with suttle differences.. The first turn has been extended to the opposite side of where the bleachers are and other minor changes... Which means a bit more time on the banking....

Should be fun!

TownDrunk

Hmm... I didn't know about this. I suspect there are details on the CS site. I'd love to go, but since I just found out now I doubt I could make it. I'll have to keep my eyes open in the future though. It would be awesome.

davefzr

Here is the course....

ByeByeHonda

Please post some results. Tell us all about it... Who raced? Who won? How did the ole '8 feel?

davefzr

Hey Guys.. this is a little write up on my track day....

Speed Ventures are the people that made this happen. It's similar to NASA if anyone knows of that.

We first got their at 7:00 for tech inspection which consisted of signing a sheet of paper saying that our cars were up to specifications. Nobody actually looked at our cars.

After that we had a drivers meeting. We found out that Speed Ventures splits up the seasoned racers from the novices with colors consisting of Red, White and Yellow.

Red were full on racers. Passing was allowed at any part of the track.

White was a little more caucious in that you could only pass when waved by but it was for more experienced riders.

Yellow.. The group that I was in.. was for those people who had never gone out on a track before or who had little experience plus you could only pass after being waved on.

It was really a lot of fun... We got 4 sessions which lasted 30 minutes each. 2 before lunch and 2 after.

It wasnt really a race though. They did have a race for the Red colored group but only they were allowed in it.. This track outing was more for the pleasure of being able to open up your car and have fun.

When I signed up I got a transponder to track my lap times (2:20 was my average) and I had an instructor go out with me for the first one. He was pretty impressed on my driving ability so I didnt go out with him again.

I was expecting integras... Talons.. SRT 4's... cars like that in the yellow group but instead there were Turbo Audi TT's.. Corvette's.. Acura NSX's... Turbo Supras.. These cars were fast!!! Probably lapping under 2 minutes.... and that was just in the yellow group...

All in all the RX8 was a champ. I went with three guys at work.. One had a G35 and the other a Saleen mustang but he was in the white group.

The only problem that I had was my tires... I was pushing the car so hard that the tires started to roll and give way. Keep in mind that I have 18,000 miles on these tires and they are the OEM tires.... They would handle great but fade fast when they warmed up. You really need to get a great set of race tires if you go on an outing like this...

You know.. I was expecting the car to fade some because of the heat but I couldnt notice that much fade. The car would just keep accelerating and it was a blast.

California Speedway has the banking and your on it for more than a mile. I got up to 125 mph before I had to slow down for the banked turn.. There was no way I was going to take it any faster than 105 because I only have the Eibach springs.. makes me wish that I had a good set of tires and had purchased JIC or a similar product coil overs....

The track had Banking.. short straights.. Double apex corners.. Switch backs.. Chicanes.. and the one I love.. A corner which forced you to break as late as possible while turning and braking at the same time....

I could notice the 8 start to drift wide because of my tires and I was fighting that a lot more as the day grew on.. The technique that I used to shift was heel/toe all day long and I really got good at it.....

All in all a great day and I would reccommend going out.....

SilverRX8

yeah it was a blast....you did really well out there! it was cool to get a ride in the 8 around the track...I can't wait to get ours back so I can experience first hand the joys of driving the car on the track...hopefully you will come out again some time soon! -Brian

TownDrunk

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing. I'll have to try to make one of those events some time.

chinx

wow sounds like it was really fun!

davefzr

Dude.. now you had an awesome car!!!!!!

I meant to talk to you afterwards and tell you not only that but thankx a lot for going around the track with me..

I just wish that I had gotten new tires for the event... I'll be better prepared next time. I think the next event at the California Speedway is sometime later this year.. Either October or November....

Maybe next time you will give me a ride in your car???

Now that would be awesome....

hint hint.....

This guy had the meanest RX7 I have ever seen... It was sooo fast!!!

SilverRX8

thanx alot! I was really having a great time in that car, it was the first time I had ever really gotten to drive it....there are still alot of quirks that I gotta work out, but I still had a blast and look forward to getting out there again. I do every Speedventures event so if you ever go out there again I will make sure to give you a ride, I normally do give my students a ride and felt kinda bad afterwards that I didn't get a chance to, next time though for sure! and hopefully I will have the 8 too so you can get a few laps in that thing also....take care....oh yeah...some pics of the event have been posted...mostly just s2k's but there is a good one of my 7 and some of the vipers, ferrari's etc....check out forums.speedventures.net and go to Event Talk and the Cal Speedway race thread.

davefzr

Hey guys.. There is going to be another event held at the California Speedway on December 17, 2004. Just wanted to give this thread a bump in case anyone was interested in attending this.

Their website says that there are still plenty of spots available. Some guys from work are going with me as well.

They own a Saleen Mustang and an Infiniti G35 coupe.. A great car to race against for the RX8..

I am going to be entering into the white session this time since I have some track experience under me now... Hope to see you there

That definitely includes you SilverRX8

Later.. David...

DOMINION

https://www.rx8club.com/west-rx-8-forum-34/japan-touring-car-championship-jgtc-41765/

davefzr

Posted in another thread, but it's to good not to post here too

For those of you who are in town you may want to come out to Ca. Speedway one day early and check out the SpeedVentures event. JGTC will also be practicing for about 1 1/2 hours on that day. Rumored cars for the event on the 17th are the following:

10 Radicals
1 Turbo Radical
Skyline GTR - (fully race-prepped car, slicks)
Viper GTS - (full race prep, not sure what series)
GT3 Cup Car - (2004, slicks)
Trans-Am Series car - (brand new, don't know what kind (does it matter?))
Buscher Evo - (Fuller - 1:24's at Streets on RA-1's!! and I think he's bringing slicks to CS)
F360GT - (factory, slicks)
Wurth Ultima (350hp, DOT-R)
K&N Ultima (650hp, slicks)
The Flamemobile
S2000 - (Hazelton, slicks)
S2000 - (Kennedy, slicks)
S2000 - (Rauch, slicks)
RSX - (slicks, 450hp)
Van Diemen
Lister
All American Racers Gurney Eagle F1 (1970)
996TT - (slicks)
Swift
Formula Zetec
Factory Nissan 350Z Grand Am - (Maybe Boris Said)
Factory Nissan 350Z Grand Am Car #2
Factory Nissan 350Z Grand Am Car #3

and me.. in the white group though

Happy times ahead

To top it all of, the event is free to watch.