[VIC] Sandown fri 20/6/08

So after much talk and very very slowly getting around to actually doing something about it I finally went to my first track day on friday.



Quite a good day, lots of track time with 28 people in total divided into 3 groups each with 20 minutes of track time each hour so there was heaps of time with plenty of room between the cars on the track as well, I clocked up 175km on the track for the day which I thought was good.

At the start of the day after the briefing they walk you around each of the corners explaining how to go around them then you do a slow lap with an instructor in the car talking you through everything then you are off on your own. The instructors are in the pits all day and you can pull in and get one to come around with you any time you want which was helpful. During one of the morning sessions I got Dean Canto to do a couple of laps in the driver's seat and talk me through what he was doing which was extremely helpful, while there were no timed laps (insurance and licensing reasons I believe) I was definitely getting around the track significantly quicker after this.

Other than a Lotus Elan convertible my Zed was the oldest car there by a long shot, there was a mix of Japanese stuff (a few WRXs, a couple of GTRs, one of which blew up, an EVO, a few RX8s (one supercharged), some S15 Silvias and a 350Z with the sports pack) a couple of locals (SS V8 Utes, one owned (and driven very well by the way, fastest car in our beginners group) by an ex Zedder) and a few Europeans, a BMW Z4, a Porsche Carrera and a turbo charged Mini among others) along with a work group who just brought along their daily drivers including a Ford Territory.

My car handled it quite well, no mechanical problems and plenty of brakes all day though I was looking after them pretty carefully. The 350Z ran out of brakes about 2/3 of the way through the day, apparently the Brembos you get in the sports pack or track pack or whatever they call it are only 2 pot at the front and one at the back Four or five hard laps then one cool down lap with no brakes at all then back to the hard laps again.

While I didn't have the high end speed of the other cars (I have a stock-ish 1990 manual Aus spec) it was as quick if not quicker than a lot of them through the corners and accelerating out of them, above about 140km/h most of them pulled away though except the Elan and a Clio both of which I was quicker than. I have Whiteline swaybars, PZP front camber arms with 1.25 degrees negative camber, Pirelli P7 tyres all round, stock suspension and stock brakes with OEM pads. As far as speed goes I just have a pod, UD pulley and a borrowed cat back exhaust which was probably nullified by my collapsed stock cats.

I don't think I set any records but I had a great time and my Zed handled the corners almost as well as anything else on the day which was great as it was the oldest car there and cheapest by tens of thousands of dollars. I was going much faster around the track at the end of the day than I was at the start and there were no disasters so I guess that is success.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out along the way.

PS WYKKED, you are right, those corners going along Dandenong road are great.

 

Sounds like you had fun, id love to do that to in the near future, how do you go about organising a stint on the track?

 

good on ya Peter for getting out there and giving it a go.

now we just have to wait and see if you will turn into a track whore like some of us are

 

great stuff pete!!

very impressive..

 

looks like good fun. are you planning on doing any other events this year besides deca?

 

Always good

To see another Zed hitting the track :thumbup: well done

 

Was that the Jim Murcott course you did? I drove Sandown in 2002 as my first trackday in the Zed with them. Nice track, lots of fun that circuit.

 

It was run by a company called Driver Dynamics but it is the same sort of thing I gather.

I didn't really appreciate the course as much as a spectator but having driven on it I see the attraction now, especially the series of corners along Dandenong rd (between the end of the back straight and the start of the front straight if you don't know your Melbourne roads )

 

It was great. This event was untimed so you just need your normal drivers license and a fire extinguisher and helmet. Not sure who runs these sort of events in NSW but I guess someone must. Or you could just get a CAMS L2S license and go to sprint days and such, there are plenty of them but it seems a bit like jumping in the deep end to me which is why I started with this.

 

Thanks

 

Thanks Mark, when will we see you out on the track showing everyone just how quick an NA can be?

Does Mikey have to watch the new Star Wars movies or just the original 3?

 

I'm not sure, I would like to but it depends on money and time really.

 

Thanks, and thanks for your advice when I was getting my car sorted out for it too.

I had a great time and plan on doing it again as often as possible but how often that is really depends on money or time, neither of which I ever seem to have enough of.

 

I will watch the first 5 Star Wars movies (by release date) in a row, in one session if it means Jedi getting the NA onto a dragstrip or track ........
Don't need to see #6, I suffered through it with a group of Melbourne Zedders and confirmed why I didn't watch the first 5 .

Anyway, congrats to you on hitting the track and getting the buzz. I will be thrashing (trashing?) the Magna at DECA, gonna be a while before the Z sees active duty again. Didn't stop me from spending up at Revolution Racegear today, bought a couple of new Zed-related toys :zlove:.

 

You started at the wrong end of the series.

The first three (by date) are really good films, even more so when you take into account their age, the last three we won't discuss.

He really doesn't need to do anything except book in and turn up to these Driver Dynamics days so he has no excuse, they even have helmets you can use if you want. I will probably even go along again with him, depending on cash.

 

good on ya peter, any more pics?

what is your feedback on the track? i have contemplated doing this. is it for sure worth your money? $250 for the day right?

 

Just the one picture I am afraid, I went by myself so didn't have anyone to take pictures, I just bought that one from a photographer they had there.

The track is great, I didn't think much of it as a spectator but having driven on it I loved it, some great sets of corners.

Definitely worth the money, you get heaps and heaps of track time and there are not too many cars on the track at once.

It is advertised at $295 but both times I have looked into it they dropped it down to $250 in the last week or so (and people who booked earlier got the discount too so you won't get ripped off if you book early). Even at $295 it would be worth it, I am probably going back some time.

 

I'll be in when you go next time. If I had more notice I might have come with you this time! Not to go for a world record, but to just have a bit of fun! I'd be curious 'cos I do ok on go-karts even with the weight penalty.

Maybe that will be enough incentive to get my twin Jedi on the track.

 

Maybe after DECA we could organise a forum event where we can all try to go to the track together one sunday...Im sure a few of us will catch a certain bug on the DECA back track

 

jesus you poor buggers!! only costs $95 to do QR sprint days up here, and morgan park for the weekend is only $120!!