I'd just like to say thank you to the Sun Riders for sponsoring the event and a HUGE thank you to all the instructors for doing what you did. I know you guys have got to be tired as hell after today.

As for the track, I am definately coming back for seconds (even if the price increases to offset losses). Auto-x events don't even begin to hold a candle to how fantastic this event was. The fact that it is a hell of a lot closer to my house than say Gainseville or Sebring doesn't hurt things either.

I'd also like to apologize for the break down. I checked the car over like a man possessed but never did it cross my mind that the bushing holding my shift-stabilizer bar would melt. Hope the break in pace didn't spoil anyone's fun too much. A big thanks goes out to everyone who offered me a hand and to those who helped push me back in.

 

So how much do you want for it? I need some upper strut bars, do you have either of those?

Were you running Azenis? How well did they hold up?

Did anyone go off course hard? Were there any dangerous spots that you had to watch out for?

Did you guys run 10 laps at a time as originally planned?

 

Thanks, Bill. The day really couldn't have gone better. I'm glad you and everyone else were able to make it. It was an awesome day all around.

Damn, w0rd, you ask too many questions!

Bill, I didn't even realize that was you that got broken on course! I was pretty overwhelmed today, so my connecting of new faces, new cars and names wasn't working too well. (never does when I get a lot of new stuff thrown at me at once) It was a bummer, but I don't think it spoiled anyone's fun (except yours!). We were running pretty early on the schedule at that point, it wasn't a big deal. Just gave me time to chat for a bit with the driver I was instructing.

Now, on to w0rd's questions...

Nobody "bit it" today. We had a few spins (maybe half a dozen or so total), but nothing spectacular. Several 2-wheels off, and a few 4-wheels straight off in the slow stuff. I think only one person drove off in the sweeper, but they did so in a controlled fashion. (which was much better than trying to force the car to maintain an on-track line that it wasn't capable of... no spin occurred!)

The only mechanical issues that slowed us down I think were Bill's shifter, Jamal's blow-off valve and one of the Mini guys brakes or lugs or something. In all 3 cases, the driver was forced to stop outside of direct traffic, but still in an unsafe place in the tight part of the course. We tossed a full course yellow for some, and a red when we were removing the car from the course. No worries.

Scary stuff? Well, the sweeper is still an eye-opener. I wouldn't want to lose it there, but it's REALLY easy to drive it fast once you find the proper line. (it was fun watching people consistently take the wrong line and then finally take your advice and get it right and become instantly enlightened!) The end of the short straight leading into the S turn was a little hairy for some people, we ended up putting brake markers there, which helped.

Overall, our drivers were VERY good and very well behaved in spite of the general lack of track experience. Proud to know them all.

 

Haha, Yeah. Because I really want to go, but I am hesitant due to safety issues relating to both the track setup and my car's setup.

 

Sorry I couldnt of been out there!

 

Excellent event Loren - thanks for putting it together. My head's still spinning from all that driving and riding.

Bill no need to apoligize - you did a good job keeping it under control and getting it off the track quickly. Sorry you had to do a little repair work.

I know I'll sleep good tonight - and I know I'll hurt in places I didn't know existed tomorrow.

 

What a great event! Lots of fun! Thanks Loren and everyone else involved for putting it together! I am VERY exhausted! Need to get some sleep so I can make it to Ft Myers in the morning...

This was a great place to practice car control, very safe with lots of run-off area, except in a couple of places where you didn't want to loose it!

For those who missed it, here's a quick video from my last session, before almost running out of gas! Just to give you an idea of what you missed! Make sure you sign up for the next event!

I took a few pics, I'll try to post tomorrow, need to get some rest!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, a video priceless!

Thanks for posting that, Jamal! That's the track, folks. (and if you look closely in a few places, you'll see a red Miata trying to catch Jamal... that would be me)

Jamal, is that video in a location that it's going to stay for a while? Can I post links to it?

Or... better yet, can I have our webmaster steal a copy and permanently post it on our website?

 

Damn, Loren, you ask too many questions!

Yes to all your questions. But, I'd like to look at some of the other sessions and pick a better video. This one was from late in the day and the sun kinda ruins the video a little. I'll post another one once I upload it.

Bill, thanks for letting me borrow your jack. Sorry your day ended a little early, but it's a good thing it happened at the end of the day! Like everyone else said, no need to apologize, I was happy to take a break from that track!!!

Video and pics to follow soon...

 

Another video from the morning session... doesn't look any better, but you get the idea. Those Azenis were getting too hot towards the end of the session! My brakes really got a workout too, more than Sebring I believe!

Here's a few pictures I took at the end of the day when I finally got a break!