- Apr 6, 2014
- 1,093
Well, I finally had the opportunity to take the car for a track day at Talladega Gran Prix last weekend with the SCCA. What a humbling experience. I have never been on a road course before and this one is only 1.4 miles with just a couple small straights and technical turns. (It was built as a motorcycle track).
The GT is way too much car for a first track day. I had a instructor and drove cautiously and knew to be careful. It's very humbling to be lapped by numerous Miatas and other track day cars with probably only 100hp.
The first run I was running close to redline because of the long gearing and short track, and I guess I went into limp mode as I just stalled on a straight. Temp was 210 or so and on street driving I rarely get above 170. I turned the igniton off and the car started right back up. I went back to paddocks. Any thoughts? I ran my OBD ap on my phone and no error codes popped up and no CEL light came on.
So then I rode with a guy with a track prepped open top Miata who does TT's regularly. Ohhh my. He scarred me to death. He showed me how he brakes before the turns and the lines he takes. Wow, it was impressive. So then I took the GT out next run with some of his techniques. I was really braking hard like he was and at the end of the run my brakes went to mush which thankfully I felt before a long straight. I didn't run again because I didn't want to stress the brakes anymore. Probably going to get the pads changed now.
Anyway, great experience but for a novice like me sure would have have rather been in a less powerful car my first time.
Of course everyone was super nice and helpful, and LOVED the GT. I was the only street car there and had probably 400 more hp than every other car there. Miatas, Mini, Eliminator Miatas, Lotus 7 clone and various small open wheel cars were there.
The GT is way too much car for a first track day. I had a instructor and drove cautiously and knew to be careful. It's very humbling to be lapped by numerous Miatas and other track day cars with probably only 100hp.
The first run I was running close to redline because of the long gearing and short track, and I guess I went into limp mode as I just stalled on a straight. Temp was 210 or so and on street driving I rarely get above 170. I turned the igniton off and the car started right back up. I went back to paddocks. Any thoughts? I ran my OBD ap on my phone and no error codes popped up and no CEL light came on.
So then I rode with a guy with a track prepped open top Miata who does TT's regularly. Ohhh my. He scarred me to death. He showed me how he brakes before the turns and the lines he takes. Wow, it was impressive. So then I took the GT out next run with some of his techniques. I was really braking hard like he was and at the end of the run my brakes went to mush which thankfully I felt before a long straight. I didn't run again because I didn't want to stress the brakes anymore. Probably going to get the pads changed now.
Anyway, great experience but for a novice like me sure would have have rather been in a less powerful car my first time.
Of course everyone was super nice and helpful, and LOVED the GT. I was the only street car there and had probably 400 more hp than every other car there. Miatas, Mini, Eliminator Miatas, Lotus 7 clone and various small open wheel cars were there.