RebekahsZ Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'm sure I will need a break. Is it possible for you to drive some kids around too? I won't be "watching the meter"! I feel like I'm gonna be just like those kids on Saturday-doing a once in a lifetime thing (I'm not planning to start a road racing career! Why don't you bring or borrow a car to drive some kids around and I will just sit out for a while and Ill shoot some pictures? I would consider it a bonus opportunity for the day. BTW-I have been trying to download some kind of app for lap timing and a speedometer (mine doesn't work). I have played with a couple of the free ones-and I'm worried (perhaps too much) about entering corners too hot, but there is a pretty bad lag on the ones I have tried. If you have anything to bring or suggest.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'm sure I will need a break. Is it possible for you to drive some kids around too? I won't be "watching the meter"! I feel like I'm gonna be just like those kids on Saturday-doing a once in a lifetime thing (I'm not planning to start a road racing career! Why don't you bring or borrow a car to drive some kids around and I will just sit out for a while and Ill shoot some pictures? I would consider it a bonus opportunity for the day. BTW-I have been trying to download some kind of app for lap timing and a speedometer (mine doesn't work). I have played with a couple of the free ones-and I'm worried (perhaps too much) about entering corners too hot, but there is a pretty bad lag on the ones I have tried. If you have anything to bring or suggest.... First. Relax. We are going to have a great time and there is nothing to be anxious about. I will be bringing one of my cars and when you go out I will be riding with you for the first part of the day. We can then move towards a lead follow session. I have a communicator that makes it easy for us to speak to one another. I have all the confidence you are going to have a blast and possibly learn a few things about your car and its capabilities. We are not trying to drive all day. We are not at a High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE) and on any sort of tight schedule where if your late to class you don't get to go out on track. This is in a very relaxed environment, its a private club. When I go I usually always just give joy rides all day anyway, so If they ask its no big deal. If you want to try your hand at a 60MPH racing kart you can do that, if you want to just sit and debrief our last session we will do that, its no set schedule. Its all about having fun and enjoying the moment, if you end up learning something or setting a new track record, cool........... Don't worry about the lap timer. I am going to bring a crew member to keep track of all your data. He'll make sure all your tire pressures are perfect, he will make sure the car is pre and post race checked, He'll make sure you are buckled in correctly, he will set up Go-Pro cameras on your car so you can watch all the fun at home, you will have a bottle of water waiting for you when you get out of the car, your the pro-driver for the day, All you need to do is show up and have fun............. If you want to bring something that would help. Bring one SD card and one micro sd card. Each around 32 gigs. That way you can just take the cards home with you and download them at home. If you want to watch anything back at the track, we can do that to. Call me during the week if you have any questions. ALSO: If you had any desire to attend the largest car gathering in the SouthEast. On Sunday morning ..............EARLY................from 7am to 10:30am there is caffeine and octane. There will be around 1000 cars there. Every club, Ferrari, Lambo, Shelby, Porsche, Corvette, and yes even Datsun will be there. My friends and I usually attend and then go to brunch afterwards. If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, just let me know. You could show off your car.......... I've attached a picture taken Monday. This is my driving coach, Don Barns, and I going over my technique. Always remember that I'm just passing along what someone took the time to share with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'm always up for caffeine! Maybe I've had a little too much lately. I will be at the B&B Saturday night so I can definitely do breakfast on Sunday. I'm at Gulf Shores this weekend, so I'm like a kid who is off school waiting to open Christmas presents! Too much idle time on my hands (no body sick to help and nothing broken to fix) and sugar plumbs running around in my head. Ive got a blue datsun and a silver S10 pickup. See you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 I'm always up for caffeine! Maybe I've had a little too much lately. I will be at the B&B Saturday night so I can definitely do breakfast on Sunday. I'm at Gulf Shores this weekend, so I'm like a kid who is off school waiting to open Christmas presents! Too much idle time on my hands (no body sick to help and nothing broken to fix) and sugar plumbs running around in my head. Ive got a blue datsun and a silver S10 pickup. See you there! For all that follow this thread............ Keith, "RebekasZ" and I had a fantastic time here in Atlanta at Atlanta Motorsports Park. I really enjoyed working with him and his car is great. We were able to make substantial gains in numerous areas on the road race course. Keith does a lot of autocrossing and drag racing so when he was faced with armco barriers and not an open parking lot he learned real quick to not ovedrive the car and to respect it's limits. Going off at the track has much higher consequences. We worked on car control, braking, head movement, sight lines and weight transfer to name a few. Keith's times reflected his improvement and desire to get faster as the day progressed. Only after a mechanical failure, (brake pads) did we have to retire the car for the day. I was comfortable enough in his abilities to allow him to drive me in my WC Vette at the later part of the day. Always the same comments..............Damn that thing has unbelievable brakes. AMP and Ferrari of Atlanta hosted the annual, "Rides to Remeber" at the track during the lunch hour. Children with cancer are given rides around the track in the Supercar of their choice. Really cool to see all of the kids smiles and all the supercars on track. On Sunday, Keith and I attended Caffeine and Octane. A cruise in with around 800 cars. Everything from a rat rod to an Aventador. This is just another example of how this HybridZ forum brought two like minded gearheads together for a day at the track and could not have asked for a better time. Until next time.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 (edited) A photo of both of our cars cooling off and one of the kids (his name is Jake) from the children's cancer event sitting in Matt's car-he's got his game face on! I've started a thread on the Motorsports Forum detailing the track day and instruction from my perspective. We were about to do some lead-follow instruction when my brakes failed due to booster pushrod failure (I had it adjusted too far out with too few threads bearing and the rod length adjuster collapsed under threshold braking). Edited June 6, 2013 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Had a very successful weekend with NASA SE where we were able to take overall victories in both Saturday and Sunday's races. The Road Atlanta track was extremely slick due to the hot temps and late day starting times and proved to be more than some cars could handle as quite a few cars were eaten up by the concrete barriers. I was challenged mostly by some very high horsepower road course NASCARS and a "71 F-Body camaro Trans Am car that we (MTI RACING) built the motor for. Traffic was our friend and by managing the flow was really the only way to come away with the victory. I will post some video soon. Many spectators said that Sunday's race was the best Thunder Race they had seen in years with quite a few interdivisional battles going on in every turn. I was able to lay down a time of 1:28.4 for a new RA NASA SE race lap record in V1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) A few more pics from this weekend. I bust my ass to qualify on pole for a very good reason. This picture shows the starting grid behind the pace car, trust me you dont want to have to try and drive through that field on a hot slick track. Let me also note that they all want to win just as bad as I do........ The other photo shows the sort of compression achieved in turn 10a at Road Atlanta. Edited June 18, 2013 by cobramatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Looks like a big traffic jam! Lots of opportunities to swap paint-you still all red-white-blue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Thanks for that perspective on the suspension travel, Matt... I may buy some 8611s and see if I can make an external adjuster for the bottom strut adjuster. I also need to talk to Koni about valving and spring rates. I can see eventually going to a stiffer front spring. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 This is the first time I am posting video from another car. It gives a better perspective of my car and the battle that was being waged. Joe Freda is my teammate at MTI Racing. He and his son built the most incredible '71 F-Body Camaro Trans Am car you have ever seen and we built his LS7 race motor. We both run in the V1 Outlaw Vintage (unlimited) division and the cars are evenly matched, personally I think Joes car is a little faster. I have said that to some it might not be Senna vs. Schumacher but from where we were sitting it certainly was. Road Atlanta was hot, slick and unforgiving on this day. This is the last 10 minutes of the race for your HybridZ lovin enjoyment. I was able to win my V1 division but also and more importantly take the overall race win as well. BTW..........In my world, I would be Senna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Fast track-I bet mistakes are costly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Fast track-I bet mistakes are costly! Road Atlanta can bite you.........high speed off's are usually greeted by something hard and solid. Hence.......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 How does the danger factor at Barber compare to RA and AMP (I probably don't have the gonads for RA)? I will probably try to join you for this year's Z-fest at Barber, and perhaps another AMP trip in the fall. Will be on same brake system although I will use track compound pads and take more rest periods for cooling down. Source of sudden brake failure has been repaired: a threaded rod has been welded solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 How does the danger factor at Barber compare to RA and AMP (I probably don't have the gonads for RA)? I will probably try to join you for this year's Z-fest at Barber, and perhaps another AMP trip in the fall. Will be on same brake system although I will use track compound pads and take more rest periods for cooling down. Source of sudden brake failure has been repaired: a threaded rod has been welded solid. Barber is not as fast as RA but in all honesty there are only a few tracks in the SE that wont bite back. I've seen devastating wrecks at both and it really boils down to the driver. I want to make something clear...........You don't have to go out and set a new track record at every track you go to. Go out and have fun and keep things in control at all times. When you are ready to take things a little faster and you are comfortable, then and not until then should you try and take things to the next level. At Z Nationals you will have an instructor anyway so you will be in good hands. You could request me if you want............... If it helps to keep this is mind.........At Barber if you put two wheels in the grass and mess it up in the slightest, they will bill you for it before you have your next session. If you hit the barrier and mess it up, they bill you for it before you leave the track. I have often said that Barber is the nicest track in the country that they don't really want you to come and drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Consider yourself requested. Gotta do the research and get it on the calendar. Just switched to slicks for Friday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 (edited) Heard that about Barber. VIR will bill you for armco and irreparable tire bundles. Keith, We have a track here in the Northeast called Summit Point Shenandoah circuit. Many guys who "love" Watkins Glen would refuse to run on Shenandoah. It's silly. Any track can bite and bite hard. Some tracks are far more dangerous, yet seem safer. To me, any track you can go 150mph on with plenty of run-off is going to be more dangerous than a track with lower speed and barriers lining it. Sure, you run a greater risk of damage to your car, but personal injury is of greater concern. Having been upside down in no less than 5 cars, I'd prefer to keep all four wheels on the asphalt and the car moving in the right direction. As Matt said, Drive anywhere/any track, but drive within your limits. At a DE there is no trophy. There is no "class" winner. Go, learn and have fun within the limits of your car and your wallet. Oh, and I can't stress enough... If you have a car that is fast (and yours is) you should seriously consider all the appropriate measures of safety. I'm a huge fan of the HANS device/harness/seat (They work together as a complete system), and fire proof clothing. You don't have to be the DE guy in the driving suit, but you can wear the appropriate undergarments for added safety! Mike Edited June 20, 2013 by Mikelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I absolutely love your white vette, where can i see more pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 I absolutely love your white vette, where can i see more pics? Thank you. I appreciate the compliments. I don't know if this will work but we can try this first. This is a link to my photobucket account. I noticed you are in CA. Thats too bad as I try and make myself available to forum members who want a ride at the track. The Vette is for just that, giving joy rides and instruction. I will be instructing at Road Atlanta this next weekend and giving certain people rides in the Vette at speed. If you ever have any questions about the Vette please feel free to call me at 404-218-0588 or e mail me at matt@mtiracing.com. http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/MattIsbell/library/?sort=3&page=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 You sir have got me looking at Vettes again... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramatt Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Well this past weekend didn't go exactly as planned. Blew the Q45 diff again going down the back straight at Road Atlanta after leading from pole for the entire race up until the next to last lap. I am fortunate that I was only going 75mph coming out of T7 rather than 160 at 10A. If it had locked up I would have gone for a ride into something hard. To be specific on the mechanical breakdown. The ring and pinion are what keeps shearing itself up. This will be the third one I've destroyed. We have chriode and polished them and done everything in our power to prolong their life, it is just not working out and thats about the only Nissan part left on the car. I blew the last one at Barber 11 months ago at Z nationals. So that means they are lasting me about 15 to 18 races. Did however set a new NASA SE Road Atlanta V1 in race track record ......1:28.3 This is not the way to come off track......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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