Buttonwillow Apr 18/19.

[magnusfeuer]

I just signed up for both days in the green group, which seems to correspond to NASA HPDE3.

http://www.speedventures.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?id=246

The green group is on 1.30PM-7.30PM, and I will actually drive up there both days from my home.

I have a co-worker who is a Speed Venture instructor who will be there.

Both days is $310. Transponder is $20.

Feel free to join. If you are joining, make sure you register your account with full racing experience in order not to block your event registration from the green or red group.


/Magnus F.

[Mondo]

I may come out and watch/visit... only live about half hour away.

Not quite ready to take on the track plus I recently found out my motorcycle helmet won't do for car racing.

I really wanted to do some solo events to get used to the car first but that doesn't seem to be very popular around here (used to be..)

[magnusfeuer]

Ok.

Speed Ventures just pulled a fast one on us and required registration by 07:30. I will get up there Friday night and stay two nights.

>grumble<

/Magnus F.

[Boxologist]

I ...
I really wanted to do some solo events to get used to the car first but that doesn't seem to be very popular around here (used to be..)

Martin may be able to direct u.

[moosetestbestanden]

I will get up there Friday night and stay two nights.

It's only a 2 hr. & change tow. Last fall I drove up on Saturday morning w/ no problem. There's virtually no traffic early in the morning on the 405 or over the Grapevine. Waaaay less tiring than doing the Friday afternoon / evening struggle in my experience.

[sdcat]

Magnus,

I'm thinking of registering for this. I clicked on your link and it says "defunct BW." The current link doesn't mention half-day formats:

http://www.speedventures.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?id=251

Do you know anything more about this? I've gone intermittently to Speedventures events for about 7 years, and like the way they run them. Aaron has let me show up late since I'm in San Diego. It would make sense if they were running am and pm to not require drivers in the pm group to be there very early.

Justin

[magnusfeuer]

Justin,

They changed the schedule after I signed up.
Here is email #1 I got from them:

We have made a change to the format for our event at Buttonwillow on April 18 and 19. We're no longer doing split (4 sessions morning, 4 sessions afternoon) days but are instead doing a normal schedule (5 sessions, full day). Because there is an additional session of track time, the price is going up by $20 (to $180) but because your sign-up came in before the change, you will be charged $160 for your 5 sessions.

Be aware that all drivers must now arrive in the morning, even if you originally signed up for afternoon sessions.

Please drop me an email to confirm that you received this message and are aware of the change. And don't hesitate to contact me with questions.

And here is #2

Thank you for signing up for our event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Please read this email carefully to ensure that the event runs smoothly and to make sure that you do not miss any of your track time.

1). If you are paying by Pay Pal or check, please make sure that your payment is received 2 days after your registration date, or you may lose your reservation. If you are planning to pay at the track, you must get prior approval.

2). Buttonwillow Raceway is located just off Interstate 5 at the Lerdo Hwy exit, which is 10 miles north of the 58/I-5 interchange and 10 miles south of the 46/I-5 interchange. The track is on Lerdo Hwy, آ½ mile west of the freeway.

3). The day will run smoothest for you if you show up at the track by 6:50am. Check-in will begin at 7:00am and end at 7:45am. Our drivers meeting will start at 7:50. This meeting is MANDATORY for all drivers unless you have received prior clearance to miss it. Cars typically go on track at 8:30am! PLEASE SHOW UP AT REGISTRATION NO LATER THAN 7:15am if you do not want to potentially miss your first run session of the day. When you arrive at the track, please go straight to registration inside the large building BEFORE unloading your car. Note that there is a $10/person gate fee charged by the track. This fee applies to spectators as well.

4). The event schedule will be provided in the registration packet you’ll receive at check-in.

5). Either TOW HOOKS or some TOW POINT is mandatory before going out on track. The important thing is that you have a place picked out that we can hook on to in order to tow you off track. Please determine an appropriate tow point - it is your responsibility and we will not be responsible for any damage done to your car!

6). CAR NUMBERS are required. We will have tape available at the track for making numbers. Your numbers must be at least 8" tall, located on both sides and the back of your vehicle. You can make up a 3-digit number - we will notify you if it is in use by another driver at the track.

7). The TECH FORM is a must-have at the event. Be sure to print it out, fill it out before the event, and bring it with you to registration: http://www.speedventures.com/events/techform.pdf

8). There is also a track event checklist available if you're not sure what you should bring: http://www.speedventures.com/events/trackchecklist.pdf

9). Our HOST HOTEL in Buttonwillow, which we hope you will support, is The Red Roof Inn (661-764-5121), which includes WiFi, Speed Channel, HBO, and other amenities geared towards race car drivers and people who think they're race car drivers. When you book your room, please state that you are with "SPEED VENTURES" to get your discount. If you have already signed up at the Willow Inn and not mentioned Speed Ventures, please call back, let them know, and get your discount!

/Magnus F.

[sdcat]

Thanks Magnus! I'll sign up for Saturday or Sunday. I usually drive up in the morning, so I might miss the first run group. Four sessions ends up being plenty for me!

Justin

[magnusfeuer]

They seem pretty insistent on that you attend the driver meeting at 7.50 unless you can talk to them ahead of time.


/Magnus F.

[moosetestbestanden]

Either TOW HOOKS or some TOW POINT is mandatory before going out on track. The important thing is that you have a place picked out that we can hook on to in order to tow you off track. Please determine an appropriate tow point - it is your responsibility and we will not be responsible for any damage done to your car!

This is a no-brainer on a Caterham. Loop it around the roll bar. Worked easy at Thunderhill when my battery went away (following the alternator, unbeknownst to me). Make sure the slack in the tow rope clears any protruding objects, like bonnet attaching boingy spring hooks before they tension it up for the pull.

We(Jon & I)'d much rather have seen you there the following weekend Magnus. But, have fun just the same:D

[magnusfeuer]

I'll see if I can afford a set of new tires for the NASA event. That is what is holding me back right now.

/Magnus F.

[sdcat]

I think Kumho has a newer, even stickier version of the V710 since last year. I used to go through a set of Kumho's in two or three events in the corvette, but with the caterham, tires lose their stickiness long before the tread wears down! Once I get the suspension re-sorted after my suspension rebuild, I'm eager to try out some of the new 710's.

Justin

[magnusfeuer]

Same experience here.

The 710s would go from wonderful to suicidal in three laps. I'd spin off, get yelled at, find that the treading was fine and blame that bong I had before I hit the track. But bong, or no bong, the 710s are gone long before they look gone. I have a set on now with a single track event on them. We'll see how long they last this weekend.

/Magnus F.

[moosetestbestanden]

Sounds to me like you guys are talking about heat cycling. Read this page about heat cycling and get Tirerack (or Discount tire who performs the same service) to put one on your next set before it ships. You should get more consistent performance during the life of the tires. I'm sure ya'll know this but under any circumstances you should expect to see a *gradual* degradation in speed as the number of cycles on a set of tires increases, and wear isn't necessarily the only reason. The degradation will be slower and more gradual if you've properly cycled your tires.

As far as wear is concerned, some tracks take it out of the tires faster than others. My experience is that Willow chews the shit out of my fronts much faster than Buttonwillow. I've literally been hit in the faceshield by chunks of rubber shedding off of the fronts there. After 4 sessions on Willow the car is plowing so bad I expect to see corn growing in my path.:D Fontana takes it out of the right rear (for obvious reasons) 1st and right front 2nd.

In my attempts to be competitive in TT I have to use a set per day, w/out regard to the amount of wear. If I don't change, Sunday is a waste in terms of being able to set a best-possible time.

[sdcat]

I signed up for Saturday for either the black or red group. I used to run red, and much prefer it due to the higher level of experience of the drivers and faster pace. But I so rarely get to the track these days that I think I'll be taking it easy, especially since I just put the car back together! It doesn't look like they will have a green group on Saturday. Looking forward to driving with you, Magnus!

Justin