Just a couple days remaining for the next RTA event. For the first time ever, kenchimsg will venture out to the nether regions of Pahrump, Nevada. Our destination recides a 3.1 mile road course where the corner workers could possibly be corner workers at dusk.
Very little has changed in the performance department of the mr-s. Ichiba 15mm wheel spacers have been added to the rear which increase flushness and rice factor. Because we will be so far from home, I installed an oil pressure and oil temperature gauge in order to monitor the activity. This way I will know when enough is enough.
Aside from those small differences, here is the big news. The mr-s received new livery featuring KINOD, TrackHQ, and Pho Broadway. These are a few of my supporters who have been there every step of the way. The man behind the graphics, Jon Pham of J's Graphics, did an amazing job in putting the design together. Can't thank everyone enough for supporting me!
Come see the car this weekend at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada for the 7th round of the Redline Time Attack's 2009 season.
www.redlinetimeattack.com
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
DTSD2 preview
2 more days...
to get the car ready i needed to do a few fluid changes. i ordered some torco 80w90 for the transmission yesterday and it arrived today but was not what i ordered. they gave me 85w140 (commercial truck grade). i have no choice but to run coastal 80w90 with lsd additive. hopefully it will be enough to handle.
the front end has been raise 1/4" to comply with the banked turns of horse thief mile.
this will be my 2nd time running this HTM. it is said transponders will be included so i will post times when all is done.
to get the car ready i needed to do a few fluid changes. i ordered some torco 80w90 for the transmission yesterday and it arrived today but was not what i ordered. they gave me 85w140 (commercial truck grade). i have no choice but to run coastal 80w90 with lsd additive. hopefully it will be enough to handle.
the front end has been raise 1/4" to comply with the banked turns of horse thief mile.
this will be my 2nd time running this HTM. it is said transponders will be included so i will post times when all is done.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Redline Time Attack Rd. 2 results
Round 2 of the 2009 Redline Time Attack took place at "the fastest road in the west"... Willow Springs International Raceway. It is a 2.5 mile track consisting of 9 turns and a 1/2 mile front straightaway.
The events leading up to race day were far from staggering to say the least. My MR-S received new Dunlop Z1 Starspec tires which were purchased from fellow RTA competitor Manly Kao. Along with the new tires, I added 15mm Project Kics spacers at the front of the car to compensate for the stance on 195 tires. On the aerodynamics department, the diffuser received further strengthening to prevent flex at high speed.
photo by cristina g.
This was the first time I had ever driven at Big Willow but I assure you, it looks scarier from the sidelines than it does when you're actually on the track. There were a lot of drivers that day and I believe 60 of which were in street class alone. One practice session we saw almost all the drivers out on the track at the same time, making it hard to produce a clean lap as well as a safe one. On the last lap of practice, I came out of turn 6 and the engine had lost all power. It felt as if the car was on limp mode. I immediately turned off the engine and let it roll all the way back to the pits. Luckily everyone else was already on full alert from the amount of cars on the track.
photo by cristina g.
When I pulled into the pits, I started to diagnose certain parameters that I was able to pull up on my powerfc. First thought was maybe the alternator had been fried but remembering events of a few years back I determined it was not the case. Out of nowhere I blurted out that it could be the MAF sensor. So I took off some panels to access the intake. Behold, the MAF sensor dangling on it's wires! The screws holding it into the pipe had unthreaded itself competely. No choice, it had to be secured with zipties. Slight drama, but it was good enough to run the rest of the event.
photo by cristina g.
My first timed session went very well. I repeated the line I was able to figure out during practice and put them to work as perfect as I possibly could. Turn 1 could be taken faster, around 85mph would be ideal. Turn 2 approached without breaking at all. On turn 3-4, I believe my large rear tires were prohibiting me from utilizing 3rd gear fully. I gained a little bit of courage and dove into turn 8 full throttle. Turn 8-9 is still something I need to work on but I have the concept grasped. On the last lap of the session was when I clocked in at 1:37.835.
photo by the octane report, octanereport.com
A few things I think my car needs in the short run is a slightly larger front splitter, and the front fenders to be rolled to prevent rubbing. Down the line, I would like to get some new coilovers to replace these blown JIC's.
photo by grady nguyen, coldtrackdays.com
Overall an eventfully semi-dramatic successful day. I placed 9th and was 5 seconds away from a podium finish. Next time I come back to big willow, I will prepare a stronger fight.
Thanks for stopping by...
-kenny
r.i.p armando flores jr.
The events leading up to race day were far from staggering to say the least. My MR-S received new Dunlop Z1 Starspec tires which were purchased from fellow RTA competitor Manly Kao. Along with the new tires, I added 15mm Project Kics spacers at the front of the car to compensate for the stance on 195 tires. On the aerodynamics department, the diffuser received further strengthening to prevent flex at high speed.
photo by cristina g.
This was the first time I had ever driven at Big Willow but I assure you, it looks scarier from the sidelines than it does when you're actually on the track. There were a lot of drivers that day and I believe 60 of which were in street class alone. One practice session we saw almost all the drivers out on the track at the same time, making it hard to produce a clean lap as well as a safe one. On the last lap of practice, I came out of turn 6 and the engine had lost all power. It felt as if the car was on limp mode. I immediately turned off the engine and let it roll all the way back to the pits. Luckily everyone else was already on full alert from the amount of cars on the track.
photo by cristina g.
When I pulled into the pits, I started to diagnose certain parameters that I was able to pull up on my powerfc. First thought was maybe the alternator had been fried but remembering events of a few years back I determined it was not the case. Out of nowhere I blurted out that it could be the MAF sensor. So I took off some panels to access the intake. Behold, the MAF sensor dangling on it's wires! The screws holding it into the pipe had unthreaded itself competely. No choice, it had to be secured with zipties. Slight drama, but it was good enough to run the rest of the event.
photo by cristina g.
My first timed session went very well. I repeated the line I was able to figure out during practice and put them to work as perfect as I possibly could. Turn 1 could be taken faster, around 85mph would be ideal. Turn 2 approached without breaking at all. On turn 3-4, I believe my large rear tires were prohibiting me from utilizing 3rd gear fully. I gained a little bit of courage and dove into turn 8 full throttle. Turn 8-9 is still something I need to work on but I have the concept grasped. On the last lap of the session was when I clocked in at 1:37.835.
photo by the octane report, octanereport.com
A few things I think my car needs in the short run is a slightly larger front splitter, and the front fenders to be rolled to prevent rubbing. Down the line, I would like to get some new coilovers to replace these blown JIC's.
photo by grady nguyen, coldtrackdays.com
Overall an eventfully semi-dramatic successful day. I placed 9th and was 5 seconds away from a podium finish. Next time I come back to big willow, I will prepare a stronger fight.
Thanks for stopping by...
-kenny
r.i.p armando flores jr.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
1 week til round 2
A week from now, motorsport activity will resume for kenchimsg. First will be next friday, MR2OC event at streets of willow. This event will be tentative for me because my permission has not been granted from work to take the day off. It is one event I would really like to be a part of because of all the great people who I hardly get to see will also be in attendence. We'll have to see.
May 31st marks the day for Redline Time Attack's 2nd round in the 2009 season at Big Willow. Not much has changed to the mr-s for this event. The rear diffuser will receive extra reinforcement to prevent flexing. I just picked up new set of direzza z1 starspecs and will have them mounted next week. Also, to comply with RTA's constant change of rules, I have now a Hans device. Good thing though because I lack medical insurance.
May 31st marks the day for Redline Time Attack's 2nd round in the 2009 season at Big Willow. Not much has changed to the mr-s for this event. The rear diffuser will receive extra reinforcement to prevent flexing. I just picked up new set of direzza z1 starspecs and will have them mounted next week. Also, to comply with RTA's constant change of rules, I have now a Hans device. Good thing though because I lack medical insurance.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
YouTube video - Building a Formula 1 Car
I just found this today and it is just fascinating. It gives you a sneak peak at the parts development in Redbull's f1 facility in UK.
Great quote from the video by Sebastian Vettel...
"a racing car is never complete. it is constantly being developed."
enjoy
Great quote from the video by Sebastian Vettel...
"a racing car is never complete. it is constantly being developed."
enjoy
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Redline Time Attack Rd. 1 results
Yes, a little bit late on this one but results are set. I now found time to bring to you a recap of the event that occurred in Buttonwillow, CA on the 29th of March 2009. Let me take you to the morning of the event.
For the 2nd track day in a row, I was awaken by snoring.
I got on the track at about 8:30am for my first run. This being the first time I've driven configuration 13 ever so I looked for someone to follow. I was passed by a white s13, driven by Matt Johnson, during my warm-up lap. I felt that car would be suitable for me to follow so I did that. In the few laps I tailed him I was able to pick the pace up and become comfortable. The best lap of that practice session for me was 2:08.673. Not bad for first time out I guess. :)
I paid close attention to what the car was doing and pointed out a few problems. In Riverside sweeper, the rear driver tire rubs against the fender. Traveling at speed of about 90mph can be dangerous to have a blowout. In the paddock I rolled the fender using a baseball bat. The job was not so great, not much choice.
The second session I had Sherman coach me on the track. I did not push the car on this run so I could take in everything he was teaching. He warned me of which apexes to hit, which to avoid, what gear is safe. His teaching soon brings results.
There were two time attack sessions. My best time was posted in the latter session about 3 in the afternoon. The weather was looking bad. Wind blew dust all around. The track became a bit dirty with many loose spots. I was second in my pack to grid and this to good advantage for taking. The car ahead of me was faster slightly and behind me was slower by not much. Three laps of clear road and nothing to lose.
The first lap was sloppy. Cotton corners section I lost time due to a drift. Too much throttle applied upset the traction which caused the car to go into a long drift. I controlled it enough to stay on the road and not lose momentum from it but this lap pretty much lost. Lap 2 began and I did better, at least stayed on the road.
The last lap of the day, no looking back. It's all or nothing. So I gave it my best to make no mistakes. Onramp, braking took place a little bit early as to not make mistakes to sabotage the lap. Entrance to the turn was acceptable, only a little oversteer at the exit but acceptable. Cotton corners was a little bit slow on the first 2 but the 2nd downhill turn went 2 wheels off. This was easily 1/2 second loss. Then I had to push harder. Going through bus stop I was pushing pretty hard even through Riverside, which I was still not comfortable with. Lost hills was taken as perfectly as I could. The big u-turn before the slalom section was taken conservatively. Along with that I don't think it was approached properly for the 2nd apex. A few more turns and I finish the lap.
My finishing lap was 2:05.663. Nothing spectacular compared to the rest of the Street RWD grid, but good for first time. Next time I go there, I can probably take off 2 seconds just by driving with more familiarity.
Now here the video of my best lap of the day.
For the parts I had developed for the event, I think they are great. Front splitter helped keep the front stable even in fast speed. The rear diffuser is undetermined. Running mismatched tires did slow the times a little bit but it also aided in exit stability. It neutralized exit oversteer effect which is still apparent.
Next round, I will have more preparation to be more competitive. We will keep you informed of updates. Good day :)
Bonus video...
For the 2nd track day in a row, I was awaken by snoring.
I got on the track at about 8:30am for my first run. This being the first time I've driven configuration 13 ever so I looked for someone to follow. I was passed by a white s13, driven by Matt Johnson, during my warm-up lap. I felt that car would be suitable for me to follow so I did that. In the few laps I tailed him I was able to pick the pace up and become comfortable. The best lap of that practice session for me was 2:08.673. Not bad for first time out I guess. :)
I paid close attention to what the car was doing and pointed out a few problems. In Riverside sweeper, the rear driver tire rubs against the fender. Traveling at speed of about 90mph can be dangerous to have a blowout. In the paddock I rolled the fender using a baseball bat. The job was not so great, not much choice.
The second session I had Sherman coach me on the track. I did not push the car on this run so I could take in everything he was teaching. He warned me of which apexes to hit, which to avoid, what gear is safe. His teaching soon brings results.
There were two time attack sessions. My best time was posted in the latter session about 3 in the afternoon. The weather was looking bad. Wind blew dust all around. The track became a bit dirty with many loose spots. I was second in my pack to grid and this to good advantage for taking. The car ahead of me was faster slightly and behind me was slower by not much. Three laps of clear road and nothing to lose.
The first lap was sloppy. Cotton corners section I lost time due to a drift. Too much throttle applied upset the traction which caused the car to go into a long drift. I controlled it enough to stay on the road and not lose momentum from it but this lap pretty much lost. Lap 2 began and I did better, at least stayed on the road.
The last lap of the day, no looking back. It's all or nothing. So I gave it my best to make no mistakes. Onramp, braking took place a little bit early as to not make mistakes to sabotage the lap. Entrance to the turn was acceptable, only a little oversteer at the exit but acceptable. Cotton corners was a little bit slow on the first 2 but the 2nd downhill turn went 2 wheels off. This was easily 1/2 second loss. Then I had to push harder. Going through bus stop I was pushing pretty hard even through Riverside, which I was still not comfortable with. Lost hills was taken as perfectly as I could. The big u-turn before the slalom section was taken conservatively. Along with that I don't think it was approached properly for the 2nd apex. A few more turns and I finish the lap.
My finishing lap was 2:05.663. Nothing spectacular compared to the rest of the Street RWD grid, but good for first time. Next time I go there, I can probably take off 2 seconds just by driving with more familiarity.
Now here the video of my best lap of the day.
For the parts I had developed for the event, I think they are great. Front splitter helped keep the front stable even in fast speed. The rear diffuser is undetermined. Running mismatched tires did slow the times a little bit but it also aided in exit stability. It neutralized exit oversteer effect which is still apparent.
Next round, I will have more preparation to be more competitive. We will keep you informed of updates. Good day :)
Bonus video...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
building the mr-s for RTA (pt.2)
I've been slow on updating the progress of my preparation. I have now 3 days remaining to finish any preparation. All that is left to do is bleeding brake and clutch fluids. If time permits, I can make the car pretty for the event.
As of this past week, the front splitter was complteted. I coated it with flat black paint and a layer of Varathane clear polyurethane just for some water resistance. The center section of the TRD lip was filled with expanding foam and shaped to the contours of the rest of the lip to keep air from being trapped.
To comply with regulation, a catalytic converter was installed. I chose Magnaflow's spun metallic catalyst for it's small size of only 4"x9". Joseph of Midnight Squad did the welding work on the exhaust which came out beautiful. HE IS TOP CLASS WELDER. Total weight of entire system was less than 10 lbs. The new exhaust installed is very loud. Resemblance of a dc2 with buddyclub spec2 exhaust. My ears bleed.
The last piece to be created was the rear diffuser. Brian and I had spent much time discussing the design of this piece. The old diffuser was better suited to a unmodified bumper and looked rediculous on the modified bumper I installed. Substantially noticable difference is the width, now almost doubled. For now it is sitting nicely, but perhaps during the week I will add more fins.
As of this past week, the front splitter was complteted. I coated it with flat black paint and a layer of Varathane clear polyurethane just for some water resistance. The center section of the TRD lip was filled with expanding foam and shaped to the contours of the rest of the lip to keep air from being trapped.
To comply with regulation, a catalytic converter was installed. I chose Magnaflow's spun metallic catalyst for it's small size of only 4"x9". Joseph of Midnight Squad did the welding work on the exhaust which came out beautiful. HE IS TOP CLASS WELDER. Total weight of entire system was less than 10 lbs. The new exhaust installed is very loud. Resemblance of a dc2 with buddyclub spec2 exhaust. My ears bleed.
The last piece to be created was the rear diffuser. Brian and I had spent much time discussing the design of this piece. The old diffuser was better suited to a unmodified bumper and looked rediculous on the modified bumper I installed. Substantially noticable difference is the width, now almost doubled. For now it is sitting nicely, but perhaps during the week I will add more fins.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
building the mr-s for RTA (pt.1)
Good day friend,
I've just now had something exciting come up that pushed me to write to you again. Just last week I signed up for the Redline Time Attack which will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway on March 29th. This is the real test to see if my home built car is capable of delivering competition worthy of mention.
I researched information about last year's competitors as well as the regulations for each class of competition. The way the car sat would place it in modified class, which was dominated by baller ass shops such as Evasive Motorsports, so it left me no choice. I had to comply to meet a level of competition I can stand a chance with. So it begins.
The two things that held me back were tires and a catalytic converter. I was able to come up on a set of re01-r for cheap and replaced the rear r888 on my Enkei rpf1's. The front tires are now hankook rs2. They are now mounted, balanced, and installed on the car. the catalytic converter is one tough job. The RTA rulebook says a catalytic converter must be installed on the vehicle, but does not have to be in the factory location. So I began to get creative on the design. My idea was to make the catalyst a part of the axleback, this way I can swap the muffler out if need be without having to sabotage the midpipe. Catalyst is not complete yet but parts are on their way and I hope not to worry.
Aside from the necessities to compete, I'll be tackling past issues. I will be working on the aerodynamics department very much for RTA. The car suffered from understeer due to unbalanced aerodynamics of the rear wing and lacking of a working front splitter. This time, version 2, will be more developed and braced properly to ensure stability. The splitter again will be made of 1/2" plywood. Additional brackets were installed to support the stabilizer rods to the splitter. Also it will be bolted at 8 different locations between the bumper and the splitter. To keep air from being trapped in the center indentation on the lip, I have filled the void using greatstuff expanding foam, purchased at homedepot. Just a note, wear gloves when working with this stuff.
The rear bumper has been cut in half horizontally to eliminate as much drag as possible. The way it looks is raw. I can't help but think I need to make a new rear diffuser to give it a more complete look. I will look further into designing a new diffuser if necessary. Also new is installed brake ducts. Although using carbotech xp8 pads on a light car, I had experienced brake fading before. This light weight addition will help cool down the brakes after heavy use in the front and rear straightaway. I am very proud of this work.
I will be updating the work log as work progresses. For now enjoy these few of recent work...
this is the first few cuts i made on the plywood for the splitter.
it starts to take form, complete with adequate spacing for the tire to maneuver.
the splitter mounted on the car without a bumper. i'd really love to drive it like this once.
here shows the newly installed brake ducts, as well as the bracketry for splitter support.
lunch time, dirty dogs!
expanding foam on the lip, very messy work.
my attempt at bodywork and paint. just fixing a few blemishes from 2 years ago.
I've just now had something exciting come up that pushed me to write to you again. Just last week I signed up for the Redline Time Attack which will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway on March 29th. This is the real test to see if my home built car is capable of delivering competition worthy of mention.
I researched information about last year's competitors as well as the regulations for each class of competition. The way the car sat would place it in modified class, which was dominated by baller ass shops such as Evasive Motorsports, so it left me no choice. I had to comply to meet a level of competition I can stand a chance with. So it begins.
The two things that held me back were tires and a catalytic converter. I was able to come up on a set of re01-r for cheap and replaced the rear r888 on my Enkei rpf1's. The front tires are now hankook rs2. They are now mounted, balanced, and installed on the car. the catalytic converter is one tough job. The RTA rulebook says a catalytic converter must be installed on the vehicle, but does not have to be in the factory location. So I began to get creative on the design. My idea was to make the catalyst a part of the axleback, this way I can swap the muffler out if need be without having to sabotage the midpipe. Catalyst is not complete yet but parts are on their way and I hope not to worry.
Aside from the necessities to compete, I'll be tackling past issues. I will be working on the aerodynamics department very much for RTA. The car suffered from understeer due to unbalanced aerodynamics of the rear wing and lacking of a working front splitter. This time, version 2, will be more developed and braced properly to ensure stability. The splitter again will be made of 1/2" plywood. Additional brackets were installed to support the stabilizer rods to the splitter. Also it will be bolted at 8 different locations between the bumper and the splitter. To keep air from being trapped in the center indentation on the lip, I have filled the void using greatstuff expanding foam, purchased at homedepot. Just a note, wear gloves when working with this stuff.
The rear bumper has been cut in half horizontally to eliminate as much drag as possible. The way it looks is raw. I can't help but think I need to make a new rear diffuser to give it a more complete look. I will look further into designing a new diffuser if necessary. Also new is installed brake ducts. Although using carbotech xp8 pads on a light car, I had experienced brake fading before. This light weight addition will help cool down the brakes after heavy use in the front and rear straightaway. I am very proud of this work.
I will be updating the work log as work progresses. For now enjoy these few of recent work...
this is the first few cuts i made on the plywood for the splitter.
it starts to take form, complete with adequate spacing for the tire to maneuver.
the splitter mounted on the car without a bumper. i'd really love to drive it like this once.
here shows the newly installed brake ducts, as well as the bracketry for splitter support.
lunch time, dirty dogs!
expanding foam on the lip, very messy work.
my attempt at bodywork and paint. just fixing a few blemishes from 2 years ago.
Friday, January 16, 2009
view the full album Sunday, December 7, 2008
Motors 4 Toys
kenchi's garage, hard parking yet again. brian and i showed up to this years motors 4 toys show in woodland hills. it's like a cars and coffee meet, but bigger. the car show was free to enter but they do ask that you bring an unwrapped gift which were collected to be given to needy children. for rich fools, they had a lapd motorcade for you to haul ass down to toysrus to buy 50$ in toys to be put in the toy drive. i brought a toy so i did not partake in the motorcade.
the lot was filled mostly with ferrari, lotus, porsche, and classic american cars. there was a row of ae86 i parked next to. brian and i were the only mr-s there, and there was 1 aw11. by far the dopest car there was a light blue austin healey sprite. the owner runs weber carburetors and original drums were replaced with disk brakes on all 4 corners.
in the bike department, a carbon fiber framed gsxr stole the show. the fuel tank was integrated within the carbon exoskeleton which also covered up most of the mechanics and acted as the seat. the weight lost extracted from the original chassis was approximately 150lbs. the engine was bored to 1300cc has seen speeds of 210mph limited by gearing. it was one of the craziest bikes i had seen.
attending this event made me feel joyed that i was able to give a child something to look forward to this christmas. my donation was a keyboard piano. one which i also had as a child. you can record for a minute and play back what you played. know what, i might go buy another one just for myself. :p
Monday, December 1, 2008
Grip Day 1 / Miata Challenge
The night before, seanjay came by to rest up for the big day ahead. I too was excited for the event. We had set our alarms to go at 4:30am. Let this video entertain you.
The snoring had begun long before I even thought of getting the camera. I was awaken by this snoring while I was dreaming that seanjay had beaten everybody in miatachallenge and won all prizes (weird dream i know). I then realized it wasnt seanjay who was making the noise because he sat up and started looking around as I was doing the same to figure out what was making this noise. I look to my left and it was my sister's friend who had stayed over from sandiego.
Sean said,"this has to be a joke". I said,"Goddamn we have just one hour to go dammit". :'(
Sean and I began throwing pillows at him and pushing him pretty good, but the noise continued. As a last resort, I shook his pillow pretty damn good and lmao'd tears of joy. He continued to snore so I decided to wake up and just get ready. We went to Denny's for breakfast and got home just in time for everyone to meet up.
We got to the track at 7am sharp. As planned, we had enough time to unload and setup and still make it to the front of tech inspection line.
Miatas were first to hit the track. About 24 of them ranging from street, modified, and unlimited class roamed the track. A black NA with carbonfiber top was amazingly quick. William's red NA was probably the most well balanced miata i saw out there.
I was already encountering problems from the first lap out. The front splitter I just made began to rip the car apart. I had to put to fix the problem. I used a ratchet strap to hook the front of the splitter over the front bumper onto a frame brace. Out on the track again, the sagging was gone but at high speeds the splitter started making woodpecker sounds. So through trial and error, splitter = gone.
In my 2nd session, I managed to run a lap at 1:26.7. That is now my PB at streets of willow. Without the splitter, the car does tend to understeer at higher speed where a splitter would come in handy. I'll probably make a better designed splitter when i have done more research. After targeting the understeer, I replaced the front tires (195/55/15 r888) with my older set of 205/50/15 ra1.
I felt tired from the long day I already had. I was already satisfied with the time I set. But I went out for the 3rd session. Immediately I noticed a difference in stability but it still did understeer. This session was by far the worse. Coming out of the bowl is a long straight where 100mph is easily achieved. At the end is a set of chicanes where if targeted correctly, you can go through without turning. I targeted my braking point and aimed for a little bit further. I laid on the brakes just a little bit too late and ended up flying off straight into the dirt at about 60mph.
So I pulled in to inspect the car for damage. The only thing I noticed immediately was the front brakes smoking up. That's a good sign that it's working :p. By the time I was ready to go again, the next group up was already being announced so I just stayed in. Good thing though. I opened my engine lid, and the oil cap was missing. Oil was all over the engine bay. This had to happen during my offroad excursion because there wasn't a pile of oil on the ground where I parked before. This put an end to it for me for the day.
Driver Taka Aono was kind enough to let me use his oil cap to get home because his car was being trailered home. He is a lifesaver.
In the end, I placed first in 1.6/1.8 liter class. I'm very happy that I made it this far and did so well.
winning lap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF7euNd3lBE
The snoring had begun long before I even thought of getting the camera. I was awaken by this snoring while I was dreaming that seanjay had beaten everybody in miatachallenge and won all prizes (weird dream i know). I then realized it wasnt seanjay who was making the noise because he sat up and started looking around as I was doing the same to figure out what was making this noise. I look to my left and it was my sister's friend who had stayed over from sandiego.
Sean said,"this has to be a joke". I said,"Goddamn we have just one hour to go dammit". :'(
Sean and I began throwing pillows at him and pushing him pretty good, but the noise continued. As a last resort, I shook his pillow pretty damn good and lmao'd tears of joy. He continued to snore so I decided to wake up and just get ready. We went to Denny's for breakfast and got home just in time for everyone to meet up.
We got to the track at 7am sharp. As planned, we had enough time to unload and setup and still make it to the front of tech inspection line.
Miatas were first to hit the track. About 24 of them ranging from street, modified, and unlimited class roamed the track. A black NA with carbonfiber top was amazingly quick. William's red NA was probably the most well balanced miata i saw out there.
I was already encountering problems from the first lap out. The front splitter I just made began to rip the car apart. I had to put to fix the problem. I used a ratchet strap to hook the front of the splitter over the front bumper onto a frame brace. Out on the track again, the sagging was gone but at high speeds the splitter started making woodpecker sounds. So through trial and error, splitter = gone.
In my 2nd session, I managed to run a lap at 1:26.7. That is now my PB at streets of willow. Without the splitter, the car does tend to understeer at higher speed where a splitter would come in handy. I'll probably make a better designed splitter when i have done more research. After targeting the understeer, I replaced the front tires (195/55/15 r888) with my older set of 205/50/15 ra1.
I felt tired from the long day I already had. I was already satisfied with the time I set. But I went out for the 3rd session. Immediately I noticed a difference in stability but it still did understeer. This session was by far the worse. Coming out of the bowl is a long straight where 100mph is easily achieved. At the end is a set of chicanes where if targeted correctly, you can go through without turning. I targeted my braking point and aimed for a little bit further. I laid on the brakes just a little bit too late and ended up flying off straight into the dirt at about 60mph.
So I pulled in to inspect the car for damage. The only thing I noticed immediately was the front brakes smoking up. That's a good sign that it's working :p. By the time I was ready to go again, the next group up was already being announced so I just stayed in. Good thing though. I opened my engine lid, and the oil cap was missing. Oil was all over the engine bay. This had to happen during my offroad excursion because there wasn't a pile of oil on the ground where I parked before. This put an end to it for me for the day.
Driver Taka Aono was kind enough to let me use his oil cap to get home because his car was being trailered home. He is a lifesaver.
In the end, I placed first in 1.6/1.8 liter class. I'm very happy that I made it this far and did so well.
winning lap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF7euNd3lBE
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
work log : prepping for DA's time attack pt. 4
In one year's time, my car has been through so many changes. The exhaust has been changed from a oem celica header and a Magnaflow canister that had been completely blown out, to a LittleRocket header, JNZ downpipe, and Techno Pro Spirits titanium exhaust. Also for shits and giggles, I threw on a no name intake that was about 6 inches long with a HKS foam filter.
So we did a baseline run with the stock intake on and it pretty much ran as well as it did last year when my car first went in. As soon as the no name intake went on, without changing anything at all on the powerfc, 199hp. Now the tuning begins.
Shawn and Daniel started to do their magic and in no time, the car was seeing upwards of 200hp. The longest part was trying to fix the dip in torque between the cam change (lift). Speculation led towards maybe a better cam or perhaps the header design is limiting the flow in that part of the revband.
After the dust has settled and all the smoke had cleared, we came out with this...
:)
next up... gotta change the oil in the engine and transmission.
So we did a baseline run with the stock intake on and it pretty much ran as well as it did last year when my car first went in. As soon as the no name intake went on, without changing anything at all on the powerfc, 199hp. Now the tuning begins.
Shawn and Daniel started to do their magic and in no time, the car was seeing upwards of 200hp. The longest part was trying to fix the dip in torque between the cam change (lift). Speculation led towards maybe a better cam or perhaps the header design is limiting the flow in that part of the revband.
After the dust has settled and all the smoke had cleared, we came out with this...
:)
next up... gotta change the oil in the engine and transmission.
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