Enduro Interest

[Lewis Tanner]

I've always thought a 3-4 hour enduro at MSRFW would be fun. Call it "A day at the ranch." The rental rate for the place would make it possible to run it with 20-30 cars at a very reasonable price to the entrants.

[Mike Bell]

I'm thinking this is more expensive than a full-service night at the Mustang Ranch. Are there usually any mandatory driver swaps? Marshall is suggesting 8 drivers but if all the other teams do it with 4 drivers then they save mucho time in driver swaps (or is that not an issue due to refuelling time required?).

I'm more clueless now than yesterday. No way I'm popping for a grand in entry fees, too rich for my blood. If the fee is 1100 for 4 drivers, that's more like it IMHO. But if the enduro is short, say 4 hours, is it better to do it with only 2 drivers? Much to learn grasshopper, much to learn.

[marshall_mosty]

I just threw out 8 drivers for a basic number... I have no clue how many drivers are "typical".

I'd love to do the 25 hour some day, but would like to cut my teeth a little closer to home with guys I race with normally.

[mitchntx]

I'm thinking this is more expensive than a full-service night at the Mustang Ranch.

Oh really? And your knowledge of this is ...

This thread is worthless without pics ...

[Mike Bell]

I'm thinking this is more expensive than a full-service night at the Mustang Ranch.

Oh really? And your knowledge of this is ...

This thread is worthless without pics ...

Ahh, memories of a misspent youth. However, I neglected to take any photographs of the activities and as a result have to rely on my spotty recollections to "fill in the blanks". :lol:

[oz98cobra]

.NASA should go for the throat and make an event at TMS the place to be every year

I thought pretty much everyone agreed -- TMS's infield track stunk. That, plus track rental is hidiously expensive.

Does ANYONE know of any club or grassroots racing at TMS?

Run a daytime-only race at any other track than TMS.

You wouldn't run an event on the infield track - it would have to be the Roval with a chicane on the entry into Nascar turn 1 to keep it safe on the banking.

SCCA races at TMS.

And a daytime only enduro would be boring - just put some headlights in your AI car!

[AI#97]

And a daytime only enduro would be boring - just put some headlights in your AI car!

Yep! And mine even still work! Guess it's still a street car with a working ignition key and headlights right?! :lol:

[Wirtz]

.NASA should go for the throat and make an event at TMS the place to be every year

I thought pretty much everyone agreed -- TMS's infield track stunk.

I missed this somehow...

I would not go so far as to say it stinks. It is no Walkins Glen or Laguna Seca, but it is a track to race on with super nice pits and paddock. The front straight is faster than TWS if you are into the speed thing. I think the real problem would be the hairpin into the infield, over an enduro length that would chew up brakes big time.

They also have track lighting, but as you said the costs of the track are high and I'm sure turning on the lights does nothing to help that.

My point was to try to find a good track to make it happen. MSR-H didn't draw anyone in. I would think MSR-C would have the same problem. TWS might be taken by SCCA (but if it is not, that would be the best place). Not sure about Hallet or Eagles Ranch.

Jeff

[oz98cobra]

I ran the TMS Roval in my Cobra with the DriversEdge event there in September. This was an invitation only DE that started in daylight and ended at midnight. In 3 x 20 minute sessions, I chewed through half a set of race pads, just over a full tank of gas, and corded a tire.

Having said all that, those 2 sessions were run as fast as I could pedal the old Cobra and I beat the living daylights out of the brakes (had to make sure I got that photo of the rotors glowing orange! ) - so more like a sprint race than an endurance race pace. In a long race, you would use endurance grade pads that would go 3 to 5 hours on that track instead of 1 1/2 to 2, and drive it smooth and consistently as is the norm in endurance racing, not balls to the wall like I was at the DE.

As for tire wear, I'm guestimating ing that a set of shaved toyos on an AI or CMC car would likely last about 3 to 4 hours with proper rotation - which means at least some wheel changes at every major pit stop/driver change - and that would need to be somewhere between every 50 mins to an hour in most AI/CMC cars?

There are 3 hard braking points - into the chicane at turn 1 on the front straight was by far the most brutal - in a CMC car, you'd be braking from around 130ish down to 60, and in an AI car from around 150ish to 60. The other two places were entering the infield, and into the right hander at the end of the straight in the infield. The remaining 2 or 3 braking points are minor in comparison.

Driving that track is an absolute blast with the combo of the banked oval and the infield to break it up - it would be like our own mini daytona 24hr! It is quite safe provided that a chicane is used into Turn 1 to keep the speeds around that banking to sane levels - in that configuration, you are accelerating all the way through both the banked sections of the oval. It is also quite safe at sunset - the sun never presents a visiblily hazard like it can at TWS because the track is all contained inside the stadium, the walls of which shield the sun before it ever gets down to eye level. At nearly 3 miles, it is plenty long enough to handle a large field of cars without becoming too congested. The facilites are of course second to none in this state, and their is ample space for spectators in both the infield and the grandstands - which TWS can no longer provide.

I think a 6 to 9 hour endurance race there with NASA would be an excellent addition to the growing road racing scene here in Texas, and there is no reason why it shouldn't grow into the premier club racing event in the region and if it was timed right, attract a good number of pro race teams to make it all the more interesting for us little guys to enter something like that? Hope it happens soon!

[mitchntx]

Daron, that was because you were in a Mustang ... :P