AudiOn19s

Despite getting bigger and possibly uglier depending on who you ask, they aren't getting any heaveir AND they just keep getting better and better. 991 might even be a touch lighter than 997 can't remember off the top of my head. 991 is an impressive machine including the PDK transmission which I don't care for but can't put down..it's fantastic. I chased a pro-driven 991 around putnam and being more agressive than I should have been I barely had any pace on that car...me on r-compound Nitto's and him on OEM performance street rubber. Suppose the Pro is worth some time over little old me but still impressive what he could do with that car. I later got a ride in the car asking him to show me exactly how far we could wait to finally brake then trail brake into T1 at putnam and the car impressed. The standard 991S is absolutely faster than my GT3 in a straight line. p.s. In my opinion nothing is more beautiful than a 993, then a 997 / 993 kinda tie for me. 996's are love hate for me, not my favorite design, only GT3 I could afford so what 'cha gonna do. I think my early 996 Aero car was better looking than my GT3. http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/Misc%20996%20pictures/Picture127.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/Misc%20996%20pictures/Picture151.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/Misc%20996%20pictures/plate.jpg

Best advise I can give for your first few Miata races while you're trying to build license points and safety rating (so you can get the hell out of the Miata's) is hang back for the first few laps...maybe even start from the pits (just don't join the grid on time). Let the carnage of the first couple of laps work itself out THEN establish your pace and as you catch people it'll be much easier to pass and move forward. Once you're comfortable in the crowd, qualify to get the best starting position possible (only have to qualify once a week) and race for wins. It's rewarding to win a Miata race, it's frustrating to start 10th and get wiped out on the first lap by some asshat. When I have an off that creates car damage I don't try go re-join the race, I just stay in the pits the remainder of the time. As soon as the car is hurt you'll just go out there and run a reduced pace and likely get quite a few more penalty points for dropping wheels and subsequent off's because the car is not right.

I played rFactor for a couple of years and though it was the shit...until I made the mistake of spending $12 for a 3 month trial of iRacing and now that's all over. The physics, car modeling, and accuracy of tracks (more in elevation and grip vs GPS plots) is un-matched in my opinion. Also I enjoy the fact that you get f'd if you mess up. Car contact, dropping wheels etc all of it will hurt your license and safety ratings. You have to learn the tracks, learn to hit your marks and learn the car behavior well before you can actually get out there and set the world on fire with pace. Otherwise you'll be stuck racing Miata's, Solstice and Spec Racer fords for all of your days. I will warn you, if you're like me you'll easily spend $200+ on iRacing in your first 6 months if you really get into it. Start running a full series for a points championship and you can only take 4 weeks off of the 12 week season, the points are based on your best 8 weeks and you won't have enough tracks to participate in 8 of the 12 weeks out there. Also I'm a sucker for a new car...the new McLaren FIA GT1 car is badass.

I run NT-01's and the cheapest source is always DiscountTireDirect.com plus they have a pretty local warehouse so they usually show up pretty quickly. This was all before Derek chagned locations, now that he is a dealer that carries Nitto I'd check with him first to see what he can do for you.

Yes. That's my issue is that I am really trying to run the game on a machine that's just barely within spec and I'm trying to run the highest graphics settings that I can. When you get out there in a race setting with say 18-20 cars in a race it can get pretty taxing on your machine.

Here is a listing of FIA approved seats from one vendor. As you can see there are still some relatively inexpensive units in there. If you're going to need to build a seat back brace for a non-FIA seat the extra cost up front for one of these may be worth it. The Recaro's listed are slightly different than the ones I have but they are the same shell up to the shoulders...they are spendy honestly it's the easiest seat i've ever crawled into and out of and they are actually really comfortable to be in. I drive 3+ hours to track days in them without issue. At your current weight some of these might be snug but you'll fit, if you get under 200 you'll fit in all but the smallest seats out there fine. If you are a lifter some of them can be pretty tight in the shoulders though. http://www.soloracer.com/fiaseats.html

You're correct, the only way you get these sensations are through the wheel. Maybe try playing around a little bit with the feedback settings in your wheel to get these characteristics to stand out a little more. I played with a cheap Momo Force Feedback wheel for quite some time, did pretty well with it but my performance is def. better with my G27 setup as it's a good bit better. There are also modifications out there for the G27 pedals all the way up to a real hydraulic loaded cylinder (load cell) for the brake pedal to get the feel as close to real as possible.

One more thought on the insurance, it's cheapest to buy it as a whole track season package instead of by individual event. Obviously for those first timers who aren't sure how many track days they will do this may not be an option but if you get in and get hooked it drops the insurance costs quite a bit that way.

I've been doing iRacing the past few winters. It's a blast and the best Sim I've ever used. Only downside is unlike a video game you really need to devote lots and lots of time to it to practice and be competative. The Mustang's are by far the best series on there if you ask me. There are more fun cars to drive but Mustang's are the most competative, always have big fields which means someone your pace to race with, etc. Miata's are much like they are in real life spec racing..crash fest. I managed to loose my regional points champtionship in the Mustang's by like 3 points last year...pissed me off to no end but it was great fun. Been having computer problems this winter that I haven't had time to look into so I haven't been on there much. I don't have the most elaborite setup but I use a game seat for seating, Logitech G27 for controls and play off of a relatively small monitor setup.

What's your height and weight? Size may dictate options. Most organizations in road racing ( not sure if it applies to what you are doing) require you to run a seat back brace on seats like Kirkey or Corbeau that don't carry an FIA safety certification. Not a big deal but adds to cost to build the brace. My brother has kirkey's in his FD and they are nice once you get into them but they suck to crawl in and out of. For a car that is primarily a street car there are some seats out there that are easier to get in and out of which may be key for you. The Recaro I have in my car is actually pretty easy to get in and out of for a race seat which is nice because I do drive it on the street more than I track it. Corbeau FX-1 is another I've been in that's on the easier side to get in and out of.

Yes...that's the very reason they banned journalist Chris Harris from driving or reviewing any of their cars because he called them out on always sending ringers to road tests then the "real deal" the consumer got was much less impressive.

Mid Ohio's club schedule isn't published yet, usually it's pretty standard when each club has their dates but with the addition of the NASCAR Nationwide series weekend this year everyone's dates got moved. Here are the club weekends I know of currently for Mid Ohio, I'll update as I get more info I know KY PCA will have a date in there probably in July, SCCA's got a couple of weekends at least one of which will have their PDX drivers education school and I don't even have BMW club in this listing. April 12-14 - Ohio Valley PCA April 19-21 - Mid Ohio PCA April 26-28 - NASA Great Lakes May 3-5 - Northern Ohio PCA May 17-19 - Northern New Jersey PCA June 21-23 - Audi Club **These guys have a FANTASTIC beginner program** July 5-7 - Mid Ohio Region PCA **Club race weekend no beginner groups available** July 26-28 - NASA Great Lakes August 23-25 NASA Great Lakes September 20-22 - Allegheny Region PCA September 27-29 - Northern Ohio PCA October 11-13 - Ohio Valley PCA

And depending on the company the deductibles are usually $10k or so on track insurance. Westfield is the one carrier in ohio that technically still coveres DE's on their standard policies, though after my buddy had to file a track claim through them they promptly dropped him, they did pay the claim though which was > $35k I say this cautiously because I have seen issues in beginner run groups but only a couple in the years that I've been attending these, but for the most part it's the guys in the higher gun groups that think they know what they are doing and start pushing beyond their own abilities after being signed off for solo runs that have issues out there. The job of your instructor when you are a beginner is to recognize when you are over your head and pull you back to a safe level. Perfect example from last year. I had a student who drove the "school" line at Mid Ohio exceptionally well. He was always on point, never pushed too hard, never got into situations where he was chasing faster cars trying to keep up. He had run the whole Friday solo day by himself without issue. After lunch on Saturday I asked him if he wanted to work on adapting to the race line a little more, push the boundries a little bit with me in the car to start his progression to that next level. He declined and said he was comfortable doing what he was doing, it was his last track day of the year and he was just going to go out there and enjoy it. I signed him off solo then jumped in with another student for a ride along in his session. Not 5 min into that session we come around T1 and I see him spinning off into the grass entering the keyhole!!!!!!!!!!!. Thankfully he didn't hit anything and all was well. When I caught up to him later I asked him what happened and he admitted he was chasing someone through the T2-T3 complex trying to figure out their line because they were much quicker than him through there.....something I would have gladly worked on with him if he had just asked.

Honestly....it's a lot of money for what you get and in the "beginner" portion it may be a bit of a let down doing what will ultimately be relatively low speed lead / follow situation. You don't get 1:1 instruction, you don't get classroom instruction, and you get 3 sessions at twilight for the early dates for $200 Porsche Club, BMW Club, Audi Club, etc all offer programs that in my opinion do a much better job of catering to the beginner crowd. You will get classroom instruction before you ever set foot on the track. You will get 1:1 instruction with someone in car with you the whole weekend. You will get ~4 20 min sessions per day (2 day schools most of the time) out on the track going as fast as you and your instructor feel comfortable pushing not dictated at a speed that suits the whole group you will be out there with. You will have at least 2 class room sessions per day, and you will have unlimited access to your instructor to answer any and all quesetions you may have. Thank the insurnace companies for messing up the ride along policy but you'll still be able to hitch a ride with your instructor at a pretty decent clip. New regulations dictate it won't be a "Flat Out" ride but it'll be enough to really provide an additional learning experience. Our local PCA group has it's first event 4/20-21. It's $370 as long as you sign up > 30 days in advance. You don't have to be a PCA member to sign up. Bring a car with fresh brake fluid, enough brake pad material and a good attitude to learn and I guarantee you'll be back for more. http://www.clubregistration.net/driver/event_sign_up.cfm?event_id=4503 Andy

patina is coming...I'm giving it a couple of weeks to be shiny and new and when that wears off it's going in a salt water bath so that the rest of the watch looks as vintage as the strap.

Fair enough...I'm not really a big Vegas guy so I'll probably have to pay to play but I'm not going on this trip to be a casual tourist...this is more of the "hair on fire, donuts in the middle of LV BLVD" type of trip The wifey has to have a place to sit in the club so bottle service is basically a must.

Love to hear anything more about the perks associated with starting a line of credit at the place you're staying. We're headed to Vegas in a few weeks, staying at the Cosmopolitan which also houses the Marquee day and night clubs where I'd like to spend a good bit of my time. If starting a line of credit with them gets me perks on bottle / table service I'm absolutely in. My favorite DJ is playing there the evening we get there and the DJ's the next night I wouldn't mind seeing either. Obviously the Day club is probably going to suck this time of year considering it's usually pool related activities.

Couple new ones in the last few months: Wifey got me the U-boat for our anniversary: http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/227E5F09-F11E-4D2D-A690-1CFF4AE3DE9A-5685-000004AA4E794C2A.jpg Finally..my bronze piece showed up. Pre-ordered this thing over a year ago...hell I've had the custom made vintage ammo strap since feb waiting on the watch to get here. http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/810BD331-4950-45FB-AB97-E2EC302D3C27-4531-000003728882DAA4.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/7B000A36-A8E4-404A-ACDA-A564676194CC-4531-00000372A8AB9960.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/7BA9F584-61C5-44EB-8099-71210BDD16E9-4531-00000372A266A312.jpg

The traction control on the M3 was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too intrusive. I couldn't even go hard around an exit ramp without it flashing at me like some stupid nanny. Forget trying to run a lap on a road course in that car with it still activated. HOWEVER...the traction control on my old ass 1999 Porsche 996 was probably the best I've ever experienced and that was on an old throttle cable car to boot. I could run whole track days on the limits of what the car could do with VERY little intrusion. GT3 doesn't have traction control but if it did I'd leave it on most of the time, I've actually nearly spun that car on more than one occasion on a cold road early morning on my way to work from being a little agressive. As a driving instructor if I get into someone's car where I know the traction control is very good and they refuse to leave it on that's my cue to get the fuck out of the car. In most situations it's an outstanding learning tool not something that's getting in your way. More than a time or 3 it's saved MY ass when I'm riding shotgun in a student's car.

My .02 from real world experience. I think having an STI or Evo as a daily driver / Auto-x'er, etc would be a fantastic idea. The fact that you get a car allowance and makes either of them relatively cheap to own is a bonus. HOWEVER, the ///M will get neglected, forgotton and under utilized. You've basically ended up with two cars with similar performance and you'll be hard pressed to find reasons to drive the M coupe other than the nicest days...many of those weekend / nice days you'll be using the other car for Auto-x so the M will sit even more. When we finally sold our M3 this year one of my biggest regrets in looking back was not actually using it and enjoying it. The M3 never went out unless weather was ideal, it sat there most of the time getting wiped down and being kept in pristine condition but in looking back it was a bit of a waste. It still saw track days every now and then but to be honest most of the driving we did with it in the last couple of years was just my wife driving it to work on nice days. We put 21k miles on that car in nearly 8 years. I really really regret not using it and enjoying it more. Going back to the reason it wasn't used was we either always has something else around that had similar performance, or had vehicles we didn't mind using in bad weather. Personally I'd get yourself a nice driver that has a mix of luxury and economy. Put a set of wheels on it, make it nice looking, functional, luxurious enough to put clients in, etc. Make it what it should be which is an oustanding daily driver but not a car that would rival the M as a weekend car. BMW 528, Audi A6, etc come to mind. Andy

yeah yeah repost, but it's a classic. I found it entertaining enough to result in this: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7241842494_4c79d4bc3f_c.jpg

Scott, I have a good friend from HS that works there and is a Subaru tech for them. Seems pretty happy from what i can tell. At one point he left for what he thought was a better opportunity at Germain and quickly came back to Byers. I can put you in touch with him if you want.

6:14. Still kicking

Ugg hope none shows up. Wife has surgery in morning and I'm hoping I don't have to deal with the traffic nightmare this town turns into when it snows.

This is a BRZ / FRS that makes sense http://elementtuning.com/store/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Element-UTCC-BCRacing.jpg http://elementtuning.com/store/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DSC05850-e1343146058366.jpg But honestly...running 285 hoosier radial slicks (one of the faster slicks on the market currently) and still only posting practice times of around 2:20 and to eek out a flying TT lap of 2:17 at VIR is...well....ummmmmm still pretty slow.