okami

I don't work at Byers. Actually I work all the way down in Reynoldsburg. Some say I am an Engineer by day and astronaut by night. Others say I invented peanut butter. All I know is that I'm called the okami.

I'm on the Columbus side of the river close to Sawmill. Sort of like the ghetto of Dublin.

This is a really good informative thread. I still need to get brake pads for my E36 M3. I was thinking to get Hawk HT-10s. It seems like those would be a good compromise between long life and heat handling capabilities. Does anyone have any experience with these on a BMW? BTW, I used Hawk DTC-60 pads on my MS3 with good results, but the fronts only lasted 4 track days. Granted I brake as hard and late as possible, but i still expected them to last a little longer. The MS3 seriously needs brake ducts because boiled fluid at 100+ MPH is unnerving.

I wanted to live abroad, and after some research, teaching English in Japan looked to be a good option that also paid better than some other countries. It is getting harder since NOVA went bankrupt and flooded the market with teachers, but there are still a lot of private schools out there. I happened to know someone who had taught there, and that person connected me with the company I eventually worked for. My wife is indeed Japanese. The company sponsors work visas, but now I could get one because I am married to a Japanese woman. -勉

When I ran in HPDE 3 they allowed passing anywhere with a pointby, but passing in corners is frowned upon in the earlier sessions. HPDE 4 is usually open passing, and has run with Time Trial and HPDE 3 depending on the number of drivers registered. If you feel you are ready and want open passing, then I would encourage you to sign up for HPDE 4. Just be aware that there are some really fast and really slow cars out at the same time, so you have to pay attention. The TT group can get fairly aggressive sometimes. I like running in TT because you go out according to lap time. That means that there is not too much passing because you should be faster than the cars behind you and slower than those in front (until a Z06 laps you).

I will be out of town this Friday, but it would be fun to go up for one of the track days there. It looks like the next Funday there is June 4th. Details can be found here: http://www.nelsonledges.com/GOTFunDays.aspx

I'll be there with my M3 in time trial, and I can bet that xyster will be there in his MR2 in HPDE. Mid Ohio is a great track. It has a few spooky corners, but that is what keeps in challenging and interesting lap after lap. What group will you run in?

If you go to Nelson Ledges, it is just an open track day. It is not affiliated with NASA or any other club. They don't have instructors, but do have you grouped according to experience with limited passing for the beginners. I understand your fear of ruining your DD, but you can always go and just push it to 8/10ths to see what its all about. Don't forget you will need a helmet too. I am not sure what is required at Nelson Ledges.

Don't let the heavy wheels fool you. I still managed a 1:43.966 lap time on the Mid Ohio Pro course in April. Besides the wheels and Nitto NT01 tires, I only have a Cobb rear sway bar, camber plates, and upgraded brake pads. So for a basically stock car the Speed3 does pretty well. I ran down a late model Mustang GT with big sticky tires too. That is why the Mazdas are taking over this forum one grocery bag at a time. I only hope the M3 can beat that time.

Boosted98gst, I lived in Aichi prefecture in Okazaki City. It is about a 20 minute train ride from Nagoya. The company I where I worked is called Peppy Kids Club (cool right ). We taught kids from about 2-15 years old. I managed to learn some Japanese, and to learn a lot about myself and the world there. I loved the little cars there too. They make so much sense on the tight roads, and are super practical. Sometimes I would take my wife's car and drive it on some mountain roads and really push that little 600cc motor.

boosted98gst, I raced the Miata back in 03 in Colorado. I traded it for the daily driver white 99 Miata because I couldn't afford to keep racing at the time, and the race car needed a radiator. I was on a really tight budget, and used to drive the car to the track, change tires, race and drive home. I actually got everything I needed including a set of tires in the Miata with the passenger seat removed. I recommend Spec Miata to anyone looking for tight and affordable racing. You can get a race ready car for around $10 if you look hard, or do it yourself. It may be budget like mine, but since it is a spec class, that doesn't mean you are slow.

jeffro, I thought I broke the car when I got to the speed limiter. I just shut down for a second until the speed dropped. I had the same thing happen out in the middle of nowhere, Nevada in my element at 115mph. DrinkItDown, I taught English for 2 years in Japan for a pivate school for kids. It was not through the JET program and paid a little less, but I didn't have to work as hard either. It was the best learning experience I have ever had. pdqgp, I think the MS3s just might be able to hold a super majority. We can out vote anyone...well i guess we need something to vote on first. How about fastest grocery getter? I vote MS3!

What's up Brian. I am new here too, but good to see you on the board. He says the GTi is lightly modified, but that thing moves. I was really impressed at Mid Ohio. VW must really detune the engine from the factory.

Thanks Doc. I appreciate you sharing your Century with me. That is one of the most unique cars I have ever seen. Sorry I had to rush out, but I had plans with my wife and was already late. Xyster thanks for the extra pic.

This is a stock photo of the first car I owned. I thought it was the greatest handling car, but probably was not all that great. http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/85HondaPreludepic.jpg First New Car http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/MVC-015F.jpg Compromise with my GF at the time. It sucked. http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/100_0335.jpg After blowing up the aftermarket turbo on the Impreza, I traded it for this: http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/100_2185.jpg This replaced the lame Del Sol: http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/Miata.jpg I drove this for a year in Japan. It has just 63hp, and was governed at about 85. People thought it was crazy I even got it up that fast. It was my wife's car. http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/P1010510.jpg http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/P1010498.jpg Finally, back in 2003 I did some club racing. This is the car I miss the most. It could turn so hard, I actually had sore ribs after my first race. I wish I never had to sell it. http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/100_0373.jpg http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/headingtopractice.jpg http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/100_0729.jpg

Little Guy, The best thing about the Neon is that I really don't care much about it, so it is fun to drive. Last year I did some rallyx in it to give it a try. At times I thought something would break, but it has actually been pretty reliable.

http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/Z06_0361small.jpg http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/IMG_1151small.jpg http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx18/bkirkbride/CIMG5080small.jpg

Hello all, I am wearing Nomex, so I can withstand at least a few seconds of direct flame. That is probably not enough though with you bunch of flamers. (Edit: <Fingers crossed for luck> Everyone is strangely being nice. I must have been misinformed as to how brutal the oven is.) Some of you may know me from NASA events at Mid Ohio, and Cars and Coffee (not the snobby supercar one). I am more of a driving guy than a car guy, but here are my rides. beater: 04 Neon SXT Good: 07 Mazdaspeed 3 Better: 95 BMW M3 Pics to follow if I can put these stone tools down and figure it out. -Ben