Back in the saddle again... but with a new horse

Last week I took delivery of a brand spankin’ new 2018 Camaro with the 1LE track package, a Performance Data Recorder and little else. It’s white, which the internet has well proven is the fastest color.

I’ve wanted a 1LE since I drove a students car almost exactly a year ago. I simply couldn’t believe a Chevy could brake and turn so well. That car was completely stock and I did a total of about 20 laps in it over a weekend and found it to be incredibly easy to drive fast - and I did.

Just weeks after my experience with the 1LE my dad bought a Chevy SS sedan which he has now done nearly 20 track days in without any issues.

After 2 decades of BMWs I’m now trying something new, and since the BMW M4 is $75k and the M2 is over $60k, paying just $38k for the 1LE was an easy choice.

My plan is to leave is totally stock and use it when I coach at HPDE events and for both NASA and SCCA time trialing. It is almost exactly 10 pounds (with driver) per wheel horsepower so it should fit in NASA TT3.

According to the large group of people who regularly do track days in 1LEs they really don’t need anything at all to lap at pretty high speeds. I suspect at tracks like Laguna Seca which as famously hard on brakes, some sort of track pad may be required. Also required at Laguna will be some sort of exhaust turn out as the 1LE produces close to 100db at full tilt.

I plan to resume writing in these pages to document my experiences with the car, focusing on using my Solo2 DL data logger and describing the methods and techniques I use to optomise both car and driver.

Best Electric Bicycle Yet!

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/specialized-74-scrambler-concept-bike-46888/

OMG! (Oculus Rift Driving Sim)

The EPA wants to make it illegal to modify your car for racing

This can't be good...

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/02/09/epa-illegal-modify-car-racing-sema-official/

http://jalopnik.com/the-epas-crackdown-on-race-cars-explained-1758111546

http://jalopnik.com/all-the-contradictions-and-confusion-weve-found-in-the-1758027610

Headlight Refurbishment

After 15 years and 200k miles Izzy's headlights were getting pretty hazy. When Izzy was new I applied some helicopter tape to the lenses that did a good job of preventing too much damage to the lights. But over the years the tape itself had become cloudy and yellow. I discovered that you can buy replacement lenses for these light for less than $100. So I ordered a pair from Turner Motorsports.

Original lights showing a little wear

Thanks to Pelican Parts I found a nice online guide to headlight removal. You only need an 8mm socket, extension and a little pry-bar to complete the job. The left light took about 2 hours as i worked carefully to avoid breaking off any of the heat-brittled plastic clips holding the headlights in the car and holding the headlight assemblies together. 

Halfway there... It's pretty easy to see the difference

 The passenger's side light took about 15 minutes. Practice make perfect.

Job Done - crystal clear now... Now about those fog lights...

 Jackson was actively involved - his first car repair project - with a steady supply of tools, necessary and otherwise. Here we are removing the first light.

Able assistant and tool caddy

New Shoes for Izzy

Before

After just 15 years and 200,000 miles I finally converted Izzy (Kathy's BMW 328ci) to a square setup. This allows me to rotate the tires and reduces the little bit of under steer it exhibits from time to time.

After

I replaced the stock 17x7.5 and 225/45s up front with Black TR Motorsport C2 17x8.5 wheels shod with 245/40 Dunlop Direzzas from the Tire Rack. I was again stunned by how quickly they ship and deliver product. I placed the order at noon on Tuesday and everything arrived Wednesday morning. Incredible. 

The sad state of Formula 1

I've been a passionate fan of Formula 1 for over 30 years. I've been to F1 races at Spa, Monza and Indy. I've walked the track at Monaco. When I was in hospital last year and woke up from a three month coma, the first thing I watched were the F1 races I had missed. I worship the drivers, engineers and teams that make those magical cars work so amazingly fast. Like many I've frequently been challenged to understand the mercurial leadership and hazy rules. As those rules have increased in scope with each season we now find ourselves in a sport where 11 different teams spend hundreds of millions of dollars and toil to build cars that that are essentially identical to each other. Innovation is stifled and the show suffers accordingly.

This year I've reached the end of my rope. Between the useless fuel limits and draconian penalties to the senseless prohibition on "Driver coaching" over the radio, Bernie and the team have lost the plot. And they have finally lost me. For tomorrow's Austrian GP some drivers must serve a 25 grid spot penalty for changing engine components. A stiff penalty for sure, but a little silly given that there are only 22 cars in the race.

As a replacement I'm really enjoying watching the World Endurance Championship. It offers the close racing and the engineering innovation that makes racing worth watching for me. The cars are the stars and the rules are open enough to encourage teams to try all sorts of different approaches. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans I watched the V6 turbo diesel Audis dice with the gasoline powered 4 cylinder turbo Porsches and V8 Toyotas. Add to that mix the craziest car in years, the front engine/front drive Nissan and you have about every possible vehicle configuration covered. I love it.

It's taken a few events and a little research to understand the classes, specification and teams but I'm now pretty much up to speed - so to speak. I can't wait for the next event.