Found out what "Lifting" means, the hard way at Blackhawk Farms Raceway

[RACER X #99]

Originally Posted by DAVID GAGNARD

Check with the track about instructions and such. Sign up for an HDPE day/days school, if need be, do the track day in your wife's car. Most any car will do as the basics apply to the proper driving techniques regardless of what kind of car your driving.

David

Right on Dave, one day instruction in your everyday driver will teach you more than 30 days of driving by yourself.

That's why you see inexperienced Cobra drivers getting blown away by experienced drivers in their 4 banger mini cars.

[John McMahon]

Originally Posted by RACER X #99

Right on Dave, one day instruction in your everyday driver will teach you more than 30 days of driving by yourself.

That's why you see inexperienced Cobra drivers getting blown away by experienced drivers in their 4 banger mini cars.

Very True....and don't forget when Fez rented that Dodge Neon and burned the tires up at Beaverun!

It ain't so much about the car...it's about driving ability and technique!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

True story,Doug was there to confirm this....
At our local road course track,there is a "lapping day",(practise/test,tune) the day before each of the 6 races in our series. it is open to anyone.They generally break it down to 4 run groups. the first two being street cars and the last 2 run groups being race cars.
I was there testing before the race and there was a guy that drove his daily driver,2/dr. Honda Accord there with his wife.They came from at least a hundred miles away, it was his second time ever on the track. His car was about a year old and other than some good tires and brake pads, it was showroom stock.....
I noticed he was running very well and someone was timing his laps and I was impressed,so I watched him as he was not in my run group.After the noon break, I loaded up my car and was watching the others before I left. The Accord was flying around the track and he passed a Z06 right in front of everyone much to the dismay of the Vette driver.
Next session out, I was timing him and not only did he pass the same Vette, within 10 laps he LAPPED IT!!!!!!!!!!when the session was over, the Vette driver came off the track never slowed down and headed out the front gate home!!!!!!!!!
No way should the Accord have passed the Z06, it had huge tires and brakes and more than enough HP to run circles around all the street legal cars there that day.

Smooth driver,nimble car will beat huge horse power/poor driving all day long!!!!!!!!!!!

David

[Jimbocobra]

Don't rub it in, there is a 24 year old girl, driving an '82 Dodge 4 cylinder, non-turbo that went home and I am sure is telling her friends about how she was cutting better lap times than an almost 500hp Shelby Cobra...

[John McMahon]

Originally Posted by Jimbocobra

Don't rub it in, there is a 24 year old girl, driving an '82 Dodge 4 cylinder, non-turbo that went home and I am sure is telling her friends about how she was cutting better lap times than an almost 500hp Shelby Cobra...

HAHAHA!!!! Yoy would not be the first to suffer that embarrassment!

.....I think anyone that has been on track has a similar story....I know I do!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by Jimbocobra

Don't rub it in, there is a 24 year old girl, driving an '82 Dodge 4 cylinder, non-turbo that went home and I am sure is telling her friends about how she was cutting better lap times than an almost 500hp Shelby Cobra...

HAHAHA!!!! Yoy would not be the first to suffer that embarrassment!
.....I think anyone that has been on track has a similar story....I know I do!

True story #2: 6 or 7 years ago at an MCA open track event at the Nashville SuperSpeedway Roadcourse,a little gal,maybe 20 years old and 100 pounds soaking wet did the same to me in her daily driver Miata!!!!I started right behind her in our run group and within 3 laps not only could I not keep up with her, I could not even see her,she was that far a head of me!!!!!!!!!
The kicker was we found out that she had had 2 years of autocross expirence and was a top contender in her class.....she was sooooooo smooth on the track she actually looked slow, but lap times do not lie.......
Like Johnny said, it has happened to all of us and will probably happen again before it's all said and done.......
David

[Renlady]

Originally Posted by flipper35

Quick question on Blackhawk Farms and your Cobra. How loud is your car? I was thinking of running there but wasn't sure I would pass the noise ordinance.

Some of the clubs do not actually run the sound level meter. I have also been told to let off the gas a bit while going between 6 and 7 on the first lap or two, as that is where the meter is. I've been out with cars that are louder than most Cobras. Check with the group or club you want to run with on the "acceptable" limits.