Sunday's Danny Sullivan moment
 

Dude, that was awesome! :cheers:

Glad that it worked out well - that could have been much, much worse.

very lucky

Fetch my brown shorts!

I bet that red car had a serious pucker wondering if you were going to stick the landing.

Nice saving it from major chaos.

M

S--t bro! You pulled the right gear after as well :cheers:. Can't quite see did you actually get tapped?

yes, right side bumper

Oh dang, always fun to spin, when the last thing on your mind is a spin! Nice save!

Eeesh! That could have gone very badly in so many ways. Glad everyone was on their toes and avoided you. Gotta go change my shorts now...

** Updated heart rate data **

I recorded my heart rate data last weekend while racing at AutoClub Speedway. Looks like my racing heart rate is quite a bit higher than my practicing heart rate - 116bpm racing vs 85bpm practice or 36% increase!

You can see at one point during the race (annotated) my heart rate goes to 125 whereas it never got close to that in practice.

Overall, racing is about equal to fast hiking or jogging - in terms of physical exertion.

Mental exertion level is "extremely intense" to say the least.

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I want to say a big thank you to Tom for sending me one of his shift knobs. Initially while trying it in my garage, it felt a bit big to be able to grab it from the top (i have lady hands), but after getting it out, its bloody fantastic. Its right up by the steering wheel and feels terrific. When combined with my ebay chinesium short shifter, it really makes the car shift great.

Thanks again Tom, great job!

Thanks Oliver, I'm glad that it worked out for you.

If anyone else wants one, let me know. I'm not selling them but I will make them for those who want one.

Here is video from the first two laps of Race 1 at AutoClub Speedway two weeks ago.

As usual, the starts are intense! Be sure to look at the rear view camera to see what appears to be contact between the #9 and the #150 in Turn 4 (1:10 into the video).

My goal for the first two laps was to stay out of trouble and at least maintain position - then I was going to try and work my way forward in middle and later portion of the race.

Enjoy!

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Great video! Can't wait for the next one.

Did #100 cheat a bit on the exit corner onto the oval when chasing the Cayman? She cut under the cones. Just wondering if that's condoned or frowned on?

Stone, great video! Where are the next 3 laps? ;-)

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Pic of tom's shift knob on my chinesium short shifter

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I'm on the edge of my chair about 2" from the screen learning into the corners, and rocking back and forth during braking -- I'm sure somebody looking into my office is probably wondering what the heck I am doing ...

good stuff!

Mike

In this instance, generally ok. The cones in that section were obviously hit and moved by an earlier car and thus, they are more like obstacles - especially the first time that a driver sees the "new" configuration.

Also, it looks like the #100 is gaining on the Cayman and in previous corners the Cayman driver overslowed (and then made it up in horsepower on the straight), so the #100 might have also been taking the best line to avoid the Cayman.

Last, in subsequent laps, the #100 takes the traditional line which is what leads me to make the above statements.

Looks great! Glad that it works well.

I am in the process of building up an identical setup - Bens's short shifter, Function First metal bushings, and my rally shifter.

Today I installed Ben's short shifter kit and the Function First bearing kit into a used stock 986 shift assembly that I bought from eBay (keeping my 997 shifter as a spare).

The install was pretty easy and took about an hour. There is zero, and I mean ZERO, slop in the mechanism now!

I would have installed it into the car today but the shift cable adjuster ball socket that came with the used shift assy was worn and damaged (no surprise there!). I ordered new replacements for both cable adjustors to be sure that everything is a tight as it can be when I get it back into the car.

Everything lined up to start...
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Damaged ball cap...
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The shifter "frame" is the only part that I ended up using from the stock assembly...
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Here is the completed shift assy...
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Close up of the shift mechanism...
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Nice. I will very interested to hear how this set up works under track duress....I think the five speed is a lot easier shift than he six I have

To be honest I was secretly hoping to see this in the car:

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The funny thing about the six in my car is that I've never actually shifted into sixth. LOL. The tracks I run, no need for more than 5th.

Not currently track driving.......but I can say the same even at Mosport......look it up and check how fast it is

I have not been able to hit 6th gear either, even on the 1KM back straight at COTA. I get to 6K RPM (my shift pt) in 5th and there doesn't seem to be enough room left to make it worth shifting to 6th. If I can get off T14 at Indy faster next yr, I might be able to catch 6th. We'll see, something to shoot for in 2019.

Ok, I finally got the updated shifter installed and ran it at Buttonwillow Raceway last weekend (two days of practice).

It. Was. Awesome.

The combination of the Ben's short shifter, Function First bearings, and my rally shift knob was perfect! There is no slop in the shifting mechanism and the tall rally shift knob brings the shifter closer to the steering wheel within quick and natural reach. The shifts were effortless and I never had to think about a shift while out of the track.

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I had a blast of a Saturday racing at Buttonwillow with the PCA! (but I'm home a day early)

For the record, I qualified 6th of 14, worked my way up to 3rd, but did not finish (DNF) due to to a spin off track which knocked the alignment off and ended the weekend.

And per normal procedure at Buttonwillow, I had what seemed like 25 lbs of California Central Valley dirt both outside and inside the car! The dust there is super fine and when someone goes off course, it creates huge opaque dust clouds.

Overall, I am pleased with my progress and was definitely faster at this track than I ever have been. There were moments of brilliance but unfortunately they were often followed by mistakes. Now, I just need to work on consistency, consistency, consistency.

Video coming...

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Hmmmmmm........ jealous.

Green with envy.

Love that track.... but never been on 4 wheels. ;-)

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Good seeing you out there Tom! I did notice the car in the garage Saturday with a generous dusting of BW soil. Lots of cars got dirty this weekend but thankfully mine was not one of them.

My weekend went very well. I worked with a student in a 997 and he did great, getting signed-off to solo on Sunday. The weather, car, and tires cooperated and I managed a personal best in the final TT Sunday to seal a 2018 PCA CC07 Championship. A nice finish to a goofy season for me.

Now to prep for Laguna Seca in 2 weeks...

Congratulations on the TT Championship! Well done and well deserved!

Great catching up with you as well. Sorry you had to miss Sunday.

Congrats to Topless too :cheers:. Guess I have to suffer with 2nd place;) There is always next year :D

Do you feel that a 997 shifter and tall handle / knob is a no go?

My elbow already crashes into the arm rest / console with the 997 Porsche SSK. I would like an increase in control resolution that going to a standard 997 offers but I fear that this will put travel way too far back in the gate (6-speed)

My home made knob is mounted quite low out necessity ( just to mount it)so shift effort is very high........2 to 3 can be very difficult especially on track when everything heats up.

I am planning on trying a Cayman engine cover to take pressure of the shifter cables and chaining the transmission mounts....all in an effort to smooth out shifting.

Its all about trade-offs: the taller the shift knob, the longer the travel becomes. The tall knob with the 997 shifter had a longer throw than I wanted so I went to the short shifter, but everyone is different. If you want to try it, I'll be glad to print one and ship it to you to see what you think. PM me if interested.

Here is some video from last Saturday, including my spin.

The start was solid and I was able to make a nice pass to move up a spot on the first lap.

There was some back and forth with other cars, but later in the race, I got too deep into a turn and ended up out in the marbles, then lost the rear end and went into the dirt. The dust cloud was spectacular!

As always, full screen, 1080p, and audio improves the experience.

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I am glad to announce that the #254 House Automotive Spec Boxster is featured in the SSF Auto Parts 2019 calendar!

SSF provides parts on a daily basis to independent shops that repair European vehicles.

My friends have already started calling me "Mr. February" :eek: :D:D:D

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Tire Pressure Testing

Last Friday, I spent the morning at Willow Springs (prior to the race weekend) doing tire pressure testing.

Why? I've been running various tire pressures based on my own experiences and hearing recommendations from others. However, like a lot of drivers, I felt that I wasn't really maximizing or optimizing this important variable - it was all a bit of hit and miss for me.

What did I do? I ran the following test plan:

(1) 10 laps to warm up the car, the tires, and my driving. The goal was to run consistent 1:34 - 1:35 lap times to set a baseline. This isn't a super fast lap time for a Spec Boxster at this track (the record is 1:31) but it is fast enough to get the tires up to temp and to evaluate the handling and feel.

(2) Pit and quickly set the tires to 35 psi hot. Then immediately go back out and run 5-7 laps with as low of a lap time that I could muster while making note of the grip level, handling characteristics, and min lap time.

(3) Pit and quickly set the tires to 32.5 psi hot. Then immediately go back out and run 5-7 laps with as low of a lap time that I could muster while making note of the grip level, handling characteristics, and min lap time.

(4) Pit and quickly set the tires to 30 psi hot. Then immediately go back out and run 5-7 laps with as low of a lap time that I could muster while making note of the grip level, handling characteristics, and min lap time.

The total test time was about 50 mins and 28 laps. The goal was to keep the track and weather conditions as constant as possible. Of course, the biggest variable was the driver but I did my best to run consistent laps from group to group.

What did I learn? My fastest lap time came in the second, 32.5 psi group, however I felt that the car had more grip in the 30 psi session but I didn't take full advantage of it.

Based on these results and some other qualitative inputs like how I like the car to feel, I settled on a tire pressure setting for the upcoming weekend of racing that was highly successful in terms of providing strong grip and consistent handling characteristics throughout the three races.

The exact tire pressure that I selected is somewhat irrelevant since it is highly dependent on the setup of my car and my particular driving style - the key point to share is that if you haven't done any testing like this, you might want to consider it to help you dial in a more optimal tire pressure.

As usual, it was a weekend of very tight racing (so tight that I had a bit of incidental contact!). Race videos are coming soon!

That was a great test session - good info

Did you take any tire temps before adjusting?

I didn't take any tire temps on this test date. They were taken at another test day and then I had the car aligned/set up taking the tire temps into account. This was done before I attempted to fine tune with tire pressure. And yes, as the tire pressure changes, I might need to make minor alignment changes to make them all work together. The same is true if I happen to find more speed and lower my lap times which means the tires might be working harder. It can seem like an endless loop but at some point I just set up the car to the best of my knowledge and drive it!

This week I received a very nice (and heavy) gift in the form of a GT2RS paperweight for my home office from the folks at Porsche! It's always nice to be appreciated.

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Here is video from the three practice starts at the PCA Buttonwillow race last month. Starts are always a ton of fun and excitement! Lots of close side by side racing. I could do these all day. :)

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Another gift from Porsche arrived today!

Looks like I'll be at the LA Porsche Driving Experience Center to drive some new cars on their short track in January. Four hours in a GT-3 RS sounds like a lot of fun...

Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles

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Very nice, that should be fun :cheers: