Unexpected Surprise -- Pic of my car at the Track

I have virtually no pictures of my current car, so I was pleasantly surprised when someone e-mailed me a picture of my car on the track at Summit Point to my new gmail account. Too bad about the portapotty in the background. I wonder if it is a metaphor for my driving skills. Also funny how it looks like all of the cars are parked. I think I was doing about 145 mph at that point (or so I tell my friends ) Looking at it makes me want to leave work now to head down to VIR. Too bad I hear it is supposed to rain tomorrow. Any suggestions on how not to completely trash the interior of your car when driving on the track in the rain? Thanks, TD in DC

What port-a-potty? It was a 10 minute job so it's a little rough. Given more time I could put Wolf Henzler's Supercup car in the picture. Anyway, consider it your early Christmas gift.

Wow programmatore, thanks! BTW, did you see my other post about the bluetooth kit (If I remember correctly, that was what you wanted to see). I am obviously local to you and you can check out my installation.

trash bag over driving suit? or does that break fire reqs? then again it is raining....

nice shot TD.. the car is looking LOW -- love it

Thanks! It is pretty cool seeing your own car from the outside. The car handles so much better with the PSS9s and GT3 sways that it is not funny. No comparison with the stock US setup. It felt great that day . . . I felt that my only limits were due to my street tires (oh yeah, and of course my driving ability or lack thereof )

Looking good Todd! I get my first crack at the track this weekend. Car is getting the suspension put on as we speak and new rubber on my track wheels! I bought the camera mount and should have it today or tomorrow at the latest so I can take some footage of my driving.

Excellent! Have fun! The best advice I can give you is for you to take it slow at first and work on technique rather than speed, particularly since you will be getting used to the new suspension. I am learning that the hardest thing about starting at the track is that you do not know what you do not know. The addiction is starting. P.S., did the short shift kit arrive intact?

Thanks! I am pretty stoked about this weekend. I have no idea what to expect though. Should prove to be a great time and probably the best "mod" I have done to date. No delivery yet on the SSK, but UPS shows it "out for delivery".

TD, Your car looks awesome, i have to wait another 4 weeks for my first DE of the year aaarrrrghhh! I have a couple of question with the pss9/gt3 sway bar combo, 1) do you see a specific improvement over understeer, can you get on the gas a little sooner. 2) does the car settle sooner for braking...I find in certain corner combos, you have to wait a few micro-seconds for the car to settle prior to threshold braking, is that time noticeably shorter. Also, what camber settings are you running, man I love the way that setup looks, it's a beauty....

Jeeva, My car feels absolutely planted, and completely balanced. I do not feel too much understeer or oversteer. I can get on the gas, and the front end no longer rises under acceleration (like it did when it had the stock suspension). The car is very settled under braking as well. Honestly, my car feels glued to the road. Since installing this suspension, I have only had PSM kick in once, and that is when I entered a corner way too hot and my steering input was too abrupt (real bonehead amatuer move). I will post my settings later, the info is packed in my car ready to go to VIR! TD

Based on this thread, it's good to saee so many more people really getting into track driving!! nI really cannot see owning a 911 and NOT take it to track. Very little rain actually makes it into the car when driving on the track with the 996. Unless it's a real downpour, in which case you shouldn't be in the track anyway. Most of the rain gets in while in the hot pits waiting to get out. I usually just have the windows up while waiting, put it down as I pass the gatekeeper, then up again as soon as my arm goes in after giving the pit sign at the end of the run. Results in some splatters on the back seat edge. That's what hotel towels are for!!! If curious, and for your entertainment, here's a video of a wet lap I did at Mid-Ohio that I posted here in the past. Sorry about the video quality, it was early in my fledgling video career. For those who know Mid-Ohio, you'll notice the C4S takes the dry line even in the wet. That's the AWD advantage . Right click then "save as" Mid-Hio in the rain!

Great vid! Thanks for sharing.

Hey TD, I love that picture. You guys have inspired me to take me car to the track. I'll probably start easy and go to FATT at Summit Point first. I hope there are still slots available. At any rate, now that the weather is getting better we should get a VA/MD/DC Rennlist drive together. I saw your post regarding the bluetooth kit. I'm actually replacing the stock stereo system in my car and putting in new Focal speakers, an Audison amp and an Alpine head unit with iPod controller. The head unit also has cellphone inputs so I may do it later. Does your guy in Myer-Emco do side-jobs? I will try to install all this stuff myself but I may need help especially if I add some subwoofers (need to run wires, etc.) Anyway, here's another quick Photoshop job. I can't wait to take my car to the track! Cheers,

Nice pic TD. I think thats my buddy driving that brown SC behind you. Programatore- I think there is going to be a rennlist run around our way in May. Check Dorkiphus.com on the fun run section for the date.

Thanks vove. I'll check out the Dorkiphus run. It should be fun. TD, here's another one for your sig:

Programmatore. All I can say is wow! That is great work. I owe you a beer, and yes, you must get to the track! I just got back from VIR where I had a great instructor -- Larry Herman -- and an awesome time. I will be posting videos soon. The improvement is remarkable to see. I guess when you are in green it is not so hard to improve a lot over each run. Palting, It rained like hell on Saturday, and I had a 100+ mph hydroplaning "incident." The second it happened, that clip from the Norwegian? guy driving the "impreza" that hydroplaned off into a concrete wall flashed through my head. I was following an E46 M3 whose seemed to be driving at roughly the same speed as I was (I think I was a little faster -- not much -- through the corners and he was a little faster -- not too much -- on the straights). I had had no problems through the corners up to the back straight, so I followed the M3. When we hit approximately 105, my car started to get very squirrely. Luckily, I usually do not panic, and I did not here. I very gently backed off on the throttle and slowed down. The video shows me making very slight steering adjustments (I didn't even realize I was doing that) and the car got its grip back. At that point, I just let the M3 go and limited my speed to 75 mph on the straights, which meant I had to give a few point bys, which really is no fun at all. Vove, isn't that Pari, or is that Steve? I really like that picture. Talk to you all soon, and I will post videos as soon as I can. TD in DC

Yeah, thats good ol' Pari trying to keep up with the big dogs.

Naw, he was really just about to pass me, or at least that's what I would tell everyone if I were Pari I actually have some good video of Pari that I need to burn to a DVD for him . . . so many things to do, so little time . . .

Palting, It rained like hell during my second run on Saturday (the second of three days). As you said, it was amazing how little water entered the car, and yes I used the hotel towel I did have a 100+ mph hydroplaning incident. I was following an M3 and the car felt great through all of the turns despite the rain. On the back straight, which is very fast a VIR (I hit 130+ without rain), I started hydroplaning at about 100-105. Pretty damned scary, particulary when that video of the european guy in the impreza that somebody posted awhile back kept flashing through my head. Fortunately, I am not the type to panic, so I feathered off the throttle and the car came back. I limited myself to 75 mph and started pointing others by, which is very hard to do. I will post a video soon. TD in DC