Here is a video of me chasing Andrew Weyman in the #9 through the Star Mazda turn at Buttonwillow.

A couple of laps later, I was able to get a good run on the #9 coming into this corner and got alongside him on the inside but wasn't able to hold my line and pushed out into his line at mid-corner.

Andrew graciously backed out and let me have the corner. I immediately pulled to the right and gave him a point by to give him the position back. I never got another good chance for a pass and finished behind him. We talked after the race and he appreciated my gesture of good sportsmanship.

I'm still working on my driving and therefore, am far from perfect; but I do try and do the right thing out there.

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I prefer to be way outside here -- but I remember on race last year that I was straddling the candy-stripes, while at my door was a SPB, that hadn't rotated yet. I'm staring at his front bumper.

Fortunately he was just tip-toeing and no issue insued -- but the way T1 at CoTA is,
it is very enticing to take the inside line, but then you get squeezed out and you
basically have to park it waiting for the Walmart traffic to let you through :-)

I like the outside line for several reasons, there's room to bail further outside, you can maintain some semblance of momentum, and it opens up after the turn, even if T2 is a right hander, it can be taken at moderate speeds (race start speeds) and hold a decent line into the Esses.

That all said -- I'll get pinned on the inside this weekend just because I typed this :-)

Mike

I believe it was Scott Dixon who pulled your outside in T1 at the start of Sunday's IndyCar race and picked up 2 spots by doing it. Maybe he saw you execute that move and liked it. ;)

I was finally able to get a dyno test of my most recent replacement engine and while not quite as powerful as the last engine (195hp), it is certainly within the expected range (185-195 hp at the rear wheels). Not a bad deal for $2,450.

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What matters for racing is torque, right?

Where did you buy it? How many miles did it have?

It will be interesting to see how long it continues to make the same power and torque.


Greg

I was just watching F1’s Drive to Survive, the COTA episode last night and Seinz was penalized 5 sec for going beyond the racing surface on T1 start and gaining an advantage...

I’ll take 5 sec over a busted car :-)

Mike

Hey Greg, its an eBay motor from a salvage car with around 90K miles.

The last motor (also eBay sourced) made the right around 195hp right up until it started to fail.

Hi Tom,

What were your symptoms of "started to fail"?

Adding to my mental rolodex...

thx,

Mike

Hey Mike, all of the details are here: http://986forum.com/forums/568332-post1027.html

Got it -- thought that was more recent -- thx for the link!

Mike

I had a great weekend racing on the royal at the PCA/POC California Festival of Speed at AutoClub Speedway in Fontana, CA!

We had practice and qualifying on Friday, Sprint Race #1 (30 min) and the 70 min Enduro on Sat, and Sprint Race #2 on Sunday.

I qualified 11th of 20 overall and 9th of 14 in Spec Boxster using the same set of tires that I raced on at Buttonwillow which meant that the car was quite loose and struggling for grip in 2nd gear out of T4, T6 and T9. A new set of tires on Friday evening solved that problem.

Results:
Sprint Race #1: Started 11th of 20 overall and 9th of 14 in Spec Boxster. Finished 13th overall and 11th in Spec Box.

This was not my best race. I didn't get a great start and then with 3 laps to go, the low fuel light came on. I do some quick math in my head and decide that I'm not going to make it so I slow for 3 laps and then come into the pits before the checker.

Enduro Race: Started 19th of 24 overall and finished 16th overall. All of the race cars were grouped together for this race, so we had everything from 911R's and 911 GT-3 Cup cars to Spec Boxster's and 944's on track together. This requires paying a LOT of attention to your mirrors! Overall, I did well and spent the 70 mins of track time working on my line and technique. 70 mins might not sound like a long time to race, but I was beat at the end of that race.

Sprint Race #2: Started 11th of 16 overall and 9th of 12 in Spec Boxster. Finished 5th overall and 4th in Spec Box.

This was my best race of the weekend and I chalk it up to my improved fitness and getting 70 mins of practice during the enduro race to fine tune my driving. I had a great start and passed a few cars, then fell back a few positions, then made them back up.

There was an incident in this race so I edited that video first so the drivers involved could see what I saw.

As we come around NASCAR Turns 1 and 2, I see that the three cars ahead are all bunched up on the inside to protect any pass attempts, so I go wide to carry more speed through Turns 3 and 4 to try and make up some distance.

The #729 tries to go up the inside of the #318 and reportedly stepped on both the brake and the throttle at the same time. Thus, he was unable to slow and hits the #318 in the left rear quarter panel at the entry to Turn 3.

When this happens, I have already begun my turn towards the apex and have to quickly adjust my line to avoid the carnage and get by cleanly.

Full screen with sound for the best experience!

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NIce evasive maneuver. Noty a lot of room there!

What was the debris that you dodged? It looked like a gas tank but that couldn't be. At least I hope it wasn't. :eek:

That is a door. Great job Tom. Love to watch your videos.
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As 78F350 said, it was the passenger door from the #729! Watch the slo-mo carefully and you'll see it pop off.

A lot of race cars have doors that simply drop onto hinge pins so if the door becomes unlatched, its easy for them to come off.

In real time, I had no idea what it was, I was just trying to avoid something that looked too big to run over safely.

Ahhh… so he got his door blown off. Guess it really happens.

Need a tether to the roll cage...

I was thinking that was a very unusual line.

Sure you can gain on braking -- but you basically have to park it in the corner
and hope the outside guy gives you room or you sit there parked with a turn signal on
or you hit them.

At least on the outside you have room to bail out.

M

Just needs to be bolted. Unsafe

Here is video from Race 1 at the California Festival of Speed. I included a short intro clip showing me getting situated in the car while in the Garage. That is my wife outside the drivers window and my oldest son around the back of the car.

Like most drivers, I have a fixed order and routine that I go through each time that I get into the car: lap belts, door mostly closed, window net up, close door completely, left shoulder harness, right shoulder harness, gloves, steering wheel, key, check time (and I may sit for a several mins), start engine, one last mental check, and pull out.

For some unknown reason, my rear camera didn't turn on, so I decided to try something different for this video and created a side-by-sde of the front camera and the drivers camera to better show what I am doing during the race.

1080p full screen with audio provides the best viewing experience!

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That was cool!

cool video Tom

Dood.... fun stuff right there! Haha

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Love the in car prep sequence!

The Ben has more throw than I expected. Maybe it is close to a 997 SSK

The long (red) shift knob makes it look a lot longer than it feels. I really like this combo.

Once I get back home I will be installing the SRS (Stone Rally Sport) shift handle. Stay tuned!

Data, data, data!

I had my car dyno tested again at the PCA Festival of Speed. This was a different dyno but both were the same manufacturer, same software, and same environmental condition algorithms.

The results are within range of 8 hp and an average of 4hp.

Test 2:
High 193.53
Low 190.45
Ave 191.93

Test 1:
High 189.51
Low 185.75
Ave 187.85

I still think that this is a bit lower than the expected ~195hp ave. If you look at the A/F ratio from the second test (top image above), it shows that the engine is running a bit lean. This implies that the cylinders aren't getting enough fuel. I had the fuel pump tested which was fine.

Then we pulled the injectors and sent them out for test with results of low flow rates in 3 cyls. This might be the cause of the lean condition so we had them cleaned and calibrated.

I'll get another dyno test to see if the injector cleaning made any difference as soon as the opportunity presents itself.


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Good stuff -- thanks for sharing... Did your Butt Dyno tell you anything?

Mike

I don't trust the butt dyno. Its been wrong far too many times!

Here is a short video from Race #3 at the Festival of Speed. Lots of really close racing at the start when everyone is battling for every position. As an amateur racer, it doesn't get much better than this.

Full screen HD with sound for the best experience!

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Cool video as always. Thanks for sharing.

Did the 911 miss a shift coming off the oval? He lost a lot of positions.

California Speedway has an interesting format / layout for their roval. Looks like they have several variations that they use.

Transitioning onto the banking is brutal. It was that way at Kansas Speedway too. Very hard on LCA bushings.

Nice, thanks for sharing! I see the 318 car has "rub strips" down its sides, as in rubbin' is racin'?

I assumed that he decided to let the front of the Boxster field go by since the 911 is technically in another class - this let the SPB's race it out amongst ourselves without any interference. Also, (another assumption) this let him race his way back up thru the Boxster's and have some fun rather than just time trialing alone out in 1st place (he caught back up to me and passes me at the end of the video clip and then continued to work his way forward thru the field).


Yes, there are a couple of variations but this one is by far the configuration most often used for sports car racing.

And yes, transitioning onto the banking is really hard on the suspension and there is definitely a trade off - the quickest line though the sweeping left turn before the banking is tight to the inside like I ran but this also places the car at a greater angle of incidence to the banking which results in a harsh transition. Alternatively, you can drive wider through the final corner and then you'll exit more alongside the banking and merge where the angle isn't as abrupt but then you loose speed and distance to the cars on the other (faster) line.

I believe that those are just lines painted down the sides of his car. Branimir, do you use those as rub strips? :D:D:D

NO rub strips, just painted lines. Missed you at Spring Mountain Tom

Testing, testing... 1,2,3...

I recently tested a SCCA Spec Racer Ford (SRF) at Buttonwillow Raceway!

What an amazing car. There isn't much comparison between a street-based race car like the Spec Boxster and a purpose-built, tube frame, inboard shock car like the SRF. The SRF was an absolute blast to drive.

The suspension of the SRF is perfectly balanced in terms of stiffness vs grip. The car probably has 30% more grip than a SPB due to the much improved suspension and, of course, the Hoosier slicks. Even though the tire width of the SRF is relatively small (185F/205R), the SRF is about 4-5 sec's per lap faster than a SPB at Buttonwillow. That performance comes from the greater cornering ability and a better power/weight ratio (SRF is 135 hp in a 1560lb car = 11.5 lb/hp vs Boxster 200 hp in a 2650lb car = 13.2 lb/hp). Both of those weights include fuel and the driver.

The SRF feels very light and agile. The #11 that I drove was well balanced and didn't understeer nor oversteer. I was consistently over-braking since my brain was calibrated to the much heavier SPB. It really doesn't take much brake to slow a 1560 lb car (that is 900 lbs less than a SPB and 1400 lbs lighter than a stock Boxster!)

There are two things that I want to get out of my racing experience: (1) the opportunity to drive some great race cars, and (2) the opportunity to drive some great race tracks. This is a step towards (1). Oh, and I'm working on (2) also!

Thanks to Alexander Bermudez, three-time SCCA National SRF Champion Mike Miserendino, Mark Bellangee, and the entire MBI Race Team for making this happen and graciously hosting me for the day.

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Ya, those parallel arms really make a difference in handling. I never understood why Porsche has stayed with the MacPherson strut for so long. Even the lowly Miata has parallel arms!

As you said, the SRF is several seconds a lap faster than SPB at every track, especially with the new engine in SRF3. At Thunderhill, the records are 1:58.7 vs. 2:02.7--4 seconds.

The SRF3 is 135 HP and 131 ft-lbs at the crank for 1560 lbs (Ratio W/(P+T)=5.86), while the SPB is, I estimate, 232 HP and 209 ft-lbs at the crank for 2650 lbs (ratio=6.01). But it's really about the tires, weight, and handling, and not the acceleration.

And then there's the costs. The SRF3 costs 25% less per hour to operate than the SPB. And it's not even the cheapest purpose-built car--Formula Ford/Club Ford and Formula Vee/First are all cheaper to operate per hour than SRF3, and FF/CF are faster than SRF3. Spreadsheet.

I'm not sure why so many people stick with street-based race cars. Is it the perceived safety issues of an open-top or open-wheel car?


Greg

Greg, that is a really comprehensive table of race car class info!

I think part of the allure of racing a street-based car is exactly that - it is easy for everyone to relate to it since it looks like a street car. That point notwithstanding, your point about costs is very accurate.

The thought about safety concerns for an open cockpit race car is valid. My wife isn't exactly a fan of open cockpit race cars. But after driving the SRF, I can say that I wouldn't have any safety concerns - the roll bar is super strong and you sit much farther down in the car than it appears when looking at the car.

New pads and rotors.

During caliper re-installation, I ran into a problem described here: http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/75217-stripped-brake-caliper-bolt-hub-threads.html

I decided to try Pagid Black RS-14 pads and solid rotors all around this time. These pads are known for incredible grip and being somewhat hard on rotors. In fact, some drivers report that they are either full ON or full OFF and thus, hard to modulate. I'll let you know what I think in a couple of weeks after racing at Willow Springs.

This is a side-by-side pic of the old Pagid Orange front pad and the new Black. The heat turns the originally orange pad backing plate a nice shade of brown!
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The new Pagid Blacks...
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Everything done and ready to roll!
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When I drove a spec Boxster at The FIRM it was a big difference over my regular stock heavy Boxster. So to a lesser degree I can feel.what you felt in the SRF. I was braking too early, unused to the better grip of the Toyo RR tires and the 255 fronts, so much grip!

Exactly! Same situation as my experience in the SRF.

In the Boxster, high grip 255's in the front really let you stand on the brakes along with way more grip at corner turn in. That is really how the Boxster should have come from the factory.