Youve got to love it. AS the saying goes, "Best fun you can have with your pants on".
Cheers, Feral Errol <http://www.datrats.com.au/> -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Mark Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 8:16 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Wakefield free practice day - 1600 vs WRXs Hi listers, I packed up the1600 boot with some tools, jack and spare fluids (for me and the car) and chair and headed off to Wakefield park for my first ever track day. The departure was delayed by 50 min seaching for Optimax as most ACT Shell servos had run out. After a quick check for leaks around the new wheel cylinder (first drive since replaced on thurs) we were away. BTW 1600 drums @ 9" diameter are pretty reasonably sized - compared to the 5-6" saucer plates on new budget cars, are the Datsun items less effective hence bigger or are they really pretty good rear brakes for a 1000kg car? With the inner light popped out the the pod filter was getting a nice breath of fresh air as I cruised the back roads via Bungedore & Tarago on a coolish turbo-friendly day. Signed my life away, cost was 110$ incl. 1 yr Wakefield licence. set my little mobile garage up (the record hasn't been too good for my car, but crossing everything I had faith in her at last as long as I didn't push too hard!) Rocked up at the marshelling area and asked a fellow track day goer about some intro or guide: "What intro place, mate? Just follow me for lap or two and brake at the 100 marker before the main straight and oh, watch the off-camber little left hander before the back straight - catches a few out!" Initially they had three 20 min sessions: bikes, open wheelers (only one Formula V I could see), and street cars, over the course of the day I got 5 sessions around 4-7 laps each. In short - I loved it! Smooth surface and there's no need to be hard on the car apart from cornering - I backed off early down the straight to save my pads and for the most part short-changed down the straight @5,000 rpm. Greatest moment of the day was 'owning' a Rex down the straight :-) He along with most others were quicker around the back of the circuit (I was driving maybe 7/10ths around there to save tyres and brakes and still learning the track - i.e. I 'spose I should be drifting out on power to use the all the road rather that steer out from the apex to wide etc so I was far from going as hard as the car will corner. Anyway...WRX is right on my tail down the back straight and cuts an inside line coming onto the main straight, (my 1600 *feels* faster than the MY98 I used to own but those rattles and bumps could be adding something to the experience ;-) I see him in the RHS mirror and move my 'short-shifts' up the revs a bit to 6,500-6,800 rpms - not sure how hard he was trying but one would assume when a blow-off valve and 3" equipped Rex goes to pass he means to PASS - well he couldn't! I was whooping all the way down the straight - I'm sure the spectators could catch a bit of my GO THE DAT! as I sped past! I shadowed him the next lap and upped my pace a bit with a little more movement at the rear (no LSD), hmm now we're cooking, little bit of rear squirming out of that slow off-camber and drift through the right hander, down the back straight and this time treat the second-gear corner properly instead of coasting thru in 3rd, can see the Rex getting out quick thanks to the AWD, let's get some power down earlier, ease it on and WHOOPS A DAISY out comes the rear (my only off the day) - big loop and dust cloud in which I sit facing the wrong way on the in-field. What fun. Soon as I'm road registered in a month or so I coming back for more. Mark.JT --membersozdat------------------------------------------------------- OZDAT Mailing List Please Note:- Send (un)subscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send submissions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] No unauthorised redistribution of this email http://www.ozdat.com/ozdatonline/index.htm http://www.ozdat.com/ozdatonline/listindex.html http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------
