usafstud

iTrader: (2)

The story starts on early november of 2003. I just got my JIC coilovers and progress sway bars installed, aligned(racing alignment), and corner balanced a week before my road race at Willow Springs. Will, two days after that, i spin out on the street and wreck my civic. I bent the front of the frame and the rear. Bent rear right coilover. Bent both left control arms. Torn and bent front and rear sub frame. Insurance decided to fix the car since it was only 7 month old and the air bags didn't go off since i had the passenger seat removed. Insurance spent $12,500 on my car to fix it.

I got my car back from the body after late Janruary, after two month of fixing. My S2000 friends signed up for Willow Springs for 20th of Feb.

So the night before the race, I go to the gas station to fill up on gas, I snap my rear right endlink going over the parking lot bump on 5mph. Luckly i had a spare r.r. endlink laying around. So I go over to my friends house at midnite to fix the endlink, after everything is done, i go to sleep at 3am. I wake up at 6 am for the 1.5 hour drive to the track.

I get to willow at 8 am and its raining on the track pretty heavily.


We were running streets of willow counter clock wise

This was my set up on the car. Stock motor(no intake or exhaust), Falken Azenis tires 205/50/15, 5zigen Fn01r-c 15X7, progress sway bars, and short shifter.


My friends bring out their faster, quicker, more expensive cars.





The rain was a secret weapon for me. It became a great equalizer. With the help of a older driver in my passenger seat teaching me the lines, i killed a **** load of cars in the second half of the day.

Kill list:
Silver S2000
Black S2000 (my friend)
Integra type R

Integra GSR

Mazda Speed Protege
Ford Mustang (2x)
FC (2x)
black S14
blue S14
Focus SVT

At the last session of the day, after passing the ITR on a turn as he spins out in front of me. The worst accident happening. My coming out of the last turn going into the straight away, I see a 2000 Si understeer and then countersteer into a death spin 4 cars in front of me. He flys into the dirt and I think his engine stalled, cause he started rolling back into the track. As he is rolling back, he SMACKS a RX8 on the driver side. The whole left side of the RX8 is just mashed in but still ok, the rear end of the SI was gone.



On my last lap of the day, i got over coinfident about all the cars i passed on the turns and the fact that i didn't spin out. I spin out cause i was in 3rd when i was suppose to be in 2nd, so I couldn't power it out on the turn. I spin out and i get kind of stuck in the dirt.

At first i couldn't start my engine. after I start my engine, my check engine light was on and i couldn't rev beyond 4000 rpm. Since I couldn't go faster than 40mph, a STI was stuck behind me for a whole lap. I go into the gargage. Kill the car and remove the positive terminal on the battery. And everything was ok.







All in all, it was a beautiful day. I broke my rear right endlink on the spin out. Got small rocks stuck between my tires and wheels. so i go to america's tires to get that cleaned, they end up cracking my lug nut key when torqueing my wheels with a torque wrench, but they are replacing the key

usafstud

iTrader: (2)

I'll probably going again in March.

By then, I should have my JIC coilover back on with my JIC seats on also.

chrisgushue

sweet sounds like you had fun

Zzyzx

Rain is indeed the great equilzer, sound like you had fun too. and this brings up a good example that civcis arn't slow, just the drivers are slow.

also, it illistrates why I'm not so sure I want to do a track day with my only car.... Civic Vs RX8. autocross I have no problems, if I crash its totally my fault. Track days...... Some one elses mistake = your misfortune.



Oh ya, Aint it nuts how well those falkens grab the road even when its wet? Had that experiance down in Phoenix at the SCCA national tour... Only thing they didnt like was puddles...

WhiteCastle

iTrader: (1)

I cry when I see vipers and ferraris crash in SCCA. but they are purpose built race cars. I have a question about our cars, do we actually put down traction out of hair pins, or do we loose complete utter power?
I know the civic type R does an amazing job around the hairpins, not so sure about our cars.
the Focas RS isnt really good at it either.

Zzyzx

Its all driver and how you enter/exit the turn. and from my experiance autocrossing 99% of drivers take hair pins wrong. Its all about the late apex, and in a hair pins case, EXTREAM late apex.

Heres an example of a large hair pin, note the double apex and how deep the second apex is.



Hers a good example of a late apex

note that the apex is actually at the very end of the bumpstrip.

and heres a good example of the late apex on a single hair pin

its kinda miss labled, the Clipping point is actually your apex.

WhiteCastle

iTrader: (1)

I know that, but still not every car will put down power the same, its up to the differential. I was just wondering how are cars would compare to lets say an srt4 or a mazada protege, or the focas rs

Zzyzx

With the right tires, the civc does just fine. and to quote a guy that I autocross with and has been autocrossing for longer then I've been alive "Corner exit wheel spin can easily be controled by your right foot." So if you are coming out of a corner and spinnig a wheel, your gettin on the gas to hard to soon. (Driver error) as far as our car vs those you listed.... More power means you need more control, So I'd say that with out a more experianced driver, the SRT-4 will probably experiance a lot of wheel spin on corner exit, same for the Mazdaspeed Protege(standard protege would be easier to control), and same with the RS. But even with an LSD, an inexperianced driver can actually make their car handle corner exits worse, by getting on the gas too soon and to hard = throttle induced understeer.

Zzyzx

Just to reinforce this, I've autocrossed against 2 different SRT-4s, nither came closer then 1.5 seconds to me.

CuRiOuSfIsH

iTrader: (13)

Yeah.... having understeer due to throttle sucks big time. Less powerful cars will have an easier time, ex: in some turns, you might be able to mash the pedal coming out of the corner while lets say SRT-4 tries the same, boost comes along, tires spin, super understeer.... I also feel that way about many boosted Civics.... and many other powerful FF cars. Like Maxima, TL, etc.... those things will understeer coming out of corners.

usafstud

iTrader: (2)

i didn't have traction control problems on the hair pin turns

ur not suppose to hit the gas too early, u want to hit the gas when ur straigthening out

if u look on the map, the left hair pin turn where it says 2545ft, i closed the gap on that turn with more powerful cars cause they got on the gas too early and spun out

MangoEX

iTrader: (2)

USAFSTUD, How much is it again to run? i went before, but just watched. fun times.. let me know when you go again .. i'd like to go lol

usafstud

iTrader: (2)

sure u can do whatever u want

i'll post on the socal section on which event i'll be attending

either march 25 or april 16th at STREETS OF WILLOW

willow is always 100-140 to participate and 10 bucks to get in