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tl;dr
First time at WSIR. Mr2 Spyder, <2,000lbs, ~130whp. 1:39.4
Criticism encouraged.
*Note, you cannot hear it due to wind, but I am braking into #1 at or after the second cone.
Representative lap (to be replaced by actual best lap footage once uploaded)
Chasing down some Nissan 370zs
Being chased down by a c6 Vette
An example of how not to point someone by...
Rhetoric and hyperbole
At first I was angry. It's 12:00 a.m. and I am awoken only 3 hours after falling asleep by the sound of hollering and laughter. Calling the police was out of the question because having a party on a Friday night isn't a sin, and how could my neighbors be expected to know that I have a big day tomorrow? I decided to do passive damage control; I popped some melatonin, adjusted my ear plugs--which didn't work to begin with--and attempted more sleep. I get only one more hour of sleep before waking up at 4a.m. to begin my drive to Willow Springs International Raceway. Even at this early hour my neighborly neighbors are still laughing and hollering. I can only find such dedication to the task inspiring and feel no anger at this point. Nevertheless, I'm starting my day with only 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, not the best start in the world.
Then I found the battery in my 4Runner depleted for no apparent reason. My AAA membership expired long ago and even if it hadn't, I didn't have time to wait for a jump. I decide to pull the Deka etx9 from my MR2. The 6 lb battery has only 120cca, and I've already used it to start the MR2 about 5 times. It's never been charged since its first use and I wasn't sure how much power it had left before it would fail to crank a motor. I prayed to the Gods of battery voltage and turned the key. The 6 cyl motor cranked over and came to life immediately. Small miracles indeed! Later in the day the Deka cranked my MR2 easily. I am submitting that battery to the white house to receive a medal of valor.
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Willow Springs International Raceway is a big track. It dominates its smaller neighbor, Streets of Willow, and Horse Thief Mile up in the hills is infinitesimal in comparison. This is my third track day and my second road course, the first road course being Streets of Willow. If tracks have philosophies then WSIR has the opposite philosophy of whatever SOW has. SOW aims to do more with less while WSIR is about excess (speed). I don't quite know what to expect at WSIR because the track is new to me and I've never driven my car, or any other car, at the speeds I expect to reach here.
There was this girl I dated for a few months some years ago. We hit it off really well and became familiar with each other in the way that makes relationships worth it. Then she dumped me and I didn't see her for a year or two. Then, randomly, we meet up and hang out for a bit. We easily slipped back into our familiar interactions, as if no time had passed at all. Then, finally, I ask if she wants to go back to my place, and without thinking about it she agrees. I haven't driven my MR2 since November '11, at SOW, and I expected my reconnection with the car would be similar to my reconnection with old romances where every nuance and line is familiar. What I did not count on is that my memory would be skewed by my wandering lusts. I've watched too many videos of Miatas and Corvette's since November, and my perception of my car's handling characteristics have been altered. When I got out onto WSIR for my first session, the entire experience was alien and terrifying.
You see, an MR2 Spyder handles nothing like a Miata or a Corvette. It understeers where Miatas and Vettes oversteer, and oversteers where they spin out and burst into flames. I also remember my brakes working much better than they actually do and I find myself going too hot into corners. I also begin the session having a problem with target fixation: the phenomena where one stares at where one desperately do not want to be (off track) and therefore that is where one goes. Midway through the first session I begin thinking to myself that I am not having fun: I am being terrified, I don't want to die, but I don't want to be slow either. Maybe I chose the wrong hobby. Maybe I run out of talent when speeds above 70 mph come into play. I will never be competitive. Maybe I should take up a safer hobby such as golf. Maybe I can remove these shit stains with lysole. Then the first session ends and the results are out. My first lap was in the 1:50's. OK, that is to be expected: I was relearning the car, staining my undies, and following someone to learn the line (I ended up learning what not to do). Best time for the first session: 1.41.xxx. Hmmm, not bad. My target time for the day is 1.38. I can shave off 3 seconds...
Later through the day the car becomes familiar again. I get used to going wide open throttle all the way from turn 5 through turn 8 and into 9, reaching my maximum speed of indicated 113 mph. I realize that WSIR is not a technical track for slower cars like mine. For example, turn 2 is supposed to be a double apex but when your speed tops out at around 95 mph it's one big sweeper, and I hug the inside all the way through with very little drama. It is, instead, a track that tests courage. I only improved 2 seconds through the day from my first session, putting down a best lap of 1.39.4, indicating that I have a lot more courage that I need to find. I am content with this. Courage comes with familiarity with one's limits and applying that knowledge to new situations. Familiarity comes with experience. I am inexperienced, still a baby in the world of motorsports, cooing googly eyed at new tracks, finding out how my hands and feet work, and putting everything in my mouth that will fit.
First time at WSIR. Mr2 Spyder, <2,000lbs, ~130whp. 1:39.4
Criticism encouraged.
*Note, you cannot hear it due to wind, but I am braking into #1 at or after the second cone.
Representative lap (to be replaced by actual best lap footage once uploaded)
Chasing down some Nissan 370zs
Being chased down by a c6 Vette
An example of how not to point someone by...
Rhetoric and hyperbole
At first I was angry. It's 12:00 a.m. and I am awoken only 3 hours after falling asleep by the sound of hollering and laughter. Calling the police was out of the question because having a party on a Friday night isn't a sin, and how could my neighbors be expected to know that I have a big day tomorrow? I decided to do passive damage control; I popped some melatonin, adjusted my ear plugs--which didn't work to begin with--and attempted more sleep. I get only one more hour of sleep before waking up at 4a.m. to begin my drive to Willow Springs International Raceway. Even at this early hour my neighborly neighbors are still laughing and hollering. I can only find such dedication to the task inspiring and feel no anger at this point. Nevertheless, I'm starting my day with only 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, not the best start in the world.
Then I found the battery in my 4Runner depleted for no apparent reason. My AAA membership expired long ago and even if it hadn't, I didn't have time to wait for a jump. I decide to pull the Deka etx9 from my MR2. The 6 lb battery has only 120cca, and I've already used it to start the MR2 about 5 times. It's never been charged since its first use and I wasn't sure how much power it had left before it would fail to crank a motor. I prayed to the Gods of battery voltage and turned the key. The 6 cyl motor cranked over and came to life immediately. Small miracles indeed! Later in the day the Deka cranked my MR2 easily. I am submitting that battery to the white house to receive a medal of valor.
Willow Springs International Raceway is a big track. It dominates its smaller neighbor, Streets of Willow, and Horse Thief Mile up in the hills is infinitesimal in comparison. This is my third track day and my second road course, the first road course being Streets of Willow. If tracks have philosophies then WSIR has the opposite philosophy of whatever SOW has. SOW aims to do more with less while WSIR is about excess (speed). I don't quite know what to expect at WSIR because the track is new to me and I've never driven my car, or any other car, at the speeds I expect to reach here.
There was this girl I dated for a few months some years ago. We hit it off really well and became familiar with each other in the way that makes relationships worth it. Then she dumped me and I didn't see her for a year or two. Then, randomly, we meet up and hang out for a bit. We easily slipped back into our familiar interactions, as if no time had passed at all. Then, finally, I ask if she wants to go back to my place, and without thinking about it she agrees. I haven't driven my MR2 since November '11, at SOW, and I expected my reconnection with the car would be similar to my reconnection with old romances where every nuance and line is familiar. What I did not count on is that my memory would be skewed by my wandering lusts. I've watched too many videos of Miatas and Corvette's since November, and my perception of my car's handling characteristics have been altered. When I got out onto WSIR for my first session, the entire experience was alien and terrifying.
You see, an MR2 Spyder handles nothing like a Miata or a Corvette. It understeers where Miatas and Vettes oversteer, and oversteers where they spin out and burst into flames. I also remember my brakes working much better than they actually do and I find myself going too hot into corners. I also begin the session having a problem with target fixation: the phenomena where one stares at where one desperately do not want to be (off track) and therefore that is where one goes. Midway through the first session I begin thinking to myself that I am not having fun: I am being terrified, I don't want to die, but I don't want to be slow either. Maybe I chose the wrong hobby. Maybe I run out of talent when speeds above 70 mph come into play. I will never be competitive. Maybe I should take up a safer hobby such as golf. Maybe I can remove these shit stains with lysole. Then the first session ends and the results are out. My first lap was in the 1:50's. OK, that is to be expected: I was relearning the car, staining my undies, and following someone to learn the line (I ended up learning what not to do). Best time for the first session: 1.41.xxx. Hmmm, not bad. My target time for the day is 1.38. I can shave off 3 seconds...
Later through the day the car becomes familiar again. I get used to going wide open throttle all the way from turn 5 through turn 8 and into 9, reaching my maximum speed of indicated 113 mph. I realize that WSIR is not a technical track for slower cars like mine. For example, turn 2 is supposed to be a double apex but when your speed tops out at around 95 mph it's one big sweeper, and I hug the inside all the way through with very little drama. It is, instead, a track that tests courage. I only improved 2 seconds through the day from my first session, putting down a best lap of 1.39.4, indicating that I have a lot more courage that I need to find. I am content with this. Courage comes with familiarity with one's limits and applying that knowledge to new situations. Familiarity comes with experience. I am inexperienced, still a baby in the world of motorsports, cooing googly eyed at new tracks, finding out how my hands and feet work, and putting everything in my mouth that will fit.
