lap time progression.......

[GlennCMC70]

i was thinking about lap times from Round 2 @ MSR-C today. i was trying to remember what i ran the first day i had my CMC car out back in '05. so i looked @ the qual times from 3-5&6-05.
a scorching 1:31.996 (last!) for sat qual. 3 whole seconds from the 4th place guy (previous season Champ), 4.5+second off pole. transopnder broke durring the next two races. next timed lap, sunday qual - 1:28.196, 2 seconds off pole. that turned out to be my best lap of the weekend.
it took me 2 full seasons of racing (59 races to date) to get where i am now (where is that?) - lap time wise.
point of this post? not sure of my point. i ran MSR-C from 99-04 in my street car running 27-28's in it. 3600-3700 pound 98 Camaro w/ 450+rwhp/422 rwtq w/ 4 pot brembo's on 13" brakes w/ 315's on all 4 corners. this track was not new to me in '05.
so why all this dribble? i hear alot of folks comment on how they will never be able to match the times Jeff and myself have put up for MSR-C. i say BS! i think many in our group have it in them to best my times and surely Jeff's. i hear talk about how X platform is maxed and cant hang w/ Y platform. i say BS! learn what it takes to get your car there. ask a fellow racer what he's doing to fix issue A and talk w/ guys about what set up they run. from talking w/ the group over the last 2 events, i get the feeling alot of guys are unsure of what change to make and how changes will effect the car. is there a need for a suspension "how to" class? if i work to get a free clinic set-up w/ some pro racers, would most of you guys be intrested?
what would you guys like to see offered along the lines of "classroom instruction" that you guys feel would help you out? what can i do to make you a better and faster driver?
feedback please.

[Rob Liebbe]

Good post Glenn. I certainly feel that you have spent a LOT of time, money and effort on your program and it shows. If I spent that much time I would certainly be kickin' more ass than I currently do (or at least try to do).

Car setup is certainly a black art at times, seat time is also magical. Todd is a good example of a long term development project gone right. He has had his Mustang on the track for a long time and he and the car have an understanding that allows him to consitently place in the podium (when he doesn't get too greedy and spin out - Thanks Todd, keep it up). Eric is a good tuner and just drives with shear will and determination.


As far as platform goes, at some point in time each one of us chose a platform for some reason or another. No one was forced to choose one over the other. No one is forced to continue with one or the other (starting over is of course costly). See what info you can garner from your platform buddies and move forward.

I'm not as competitive as others, but I still have a TON of fun no matter where I place, but placing well certainly adds to the thrill factor and I will just keep tuning and running the old 'Stang as best as I can.

Glenn's offer of setup instruction is a good one. We should take him up on it. Professional driver or Glenn - either could give lots of valuable information. Car setup information as well as driver training should always be welcome.

See y'all on the track soon.

[mitchntx]

Good post Glenn. I certainly feel that you have spent a LOT of time, money and effort on your program and it shows. If I spent that much time I would certainly be kickin' more ass than I currently do (or at least try to do).

I think it's important to clarify something here ...

Not a lot of money has been spent on the cars finding these precious seconds of time on track. A couple hundred bucks on springs at varying rates and that cost has been split 3 ways.

Pigtail springs at 25lb increments and 1 inch increment ride hieghts can be had from pitstopusa.com for under $50 each. I got an e-mail newsletter last November where they were reducing inventory and got them of $30 each. So, I was able to get 4 different rates for $250.

And that is the ONLY hard part changes we've made. The rest is homework and tweaking.

Now, a considerable amount of money has been spent on track time and subsequently tires and brakes. But many of you have free track time as instructors that I/we just don't have.

Also, getting input from other racers has helped validate findings.

The flip side is that we have invested a LOT of time. And families suffer because of it. I'm fortunate in that my kids are all grown up. While they still seem to require the same amount of support and attention, can now tell them to go away without fear of CPS retribution.

Just a couple points that need clarifying so folks will back off the ledge.

[Boudy]

I'm in for a suspension seminar.

Boudy

[Rob Liebbe]

Mitch,

I agree that you and Glenn have not spent money on extravagent or unusual parts for the car. I was indeed refering to the cost of testing on a track.

I also wholeheartedly agree about having younger families, my 8 yr old and 4 yr old boys still require quite a bit of attention. Maybe when I'm an older fart, I'll spend more time tuning.

[mitchntx]

I apologize Rob ... I didn't intend to spear you or your specific comment. But I do think there is some misplaced understanding of how the 4th gens got from point A to point B.

For the past year, Glenn and I have been eating, sleeping and drinking 4th gens in CMC. When Chris put my car on the podium at Hallett and it being his first time ever driving the car, Glenn and I both knew we were on to something.

All kidding aside and no cat pictures linked, why did we do it?

Because the bar was raised so high by those that went before us. We could have easily just given up and went and did something else.

But we chose to stay because of all the folks in this region that I consider friends, not necessarily the racing or competition.

We chose to be a part of the group and stop being such pains in the butt.

We chose to stay and just work harder.

[GlennCMC70]

the point of my post was more about getting those of us who want to work to go faster a chance to learn to do so and get this bunch back to a 1-2 second field of 15 cars.
there seems to be a big disparity of experiance level in this group w/ regards to chassis tuning. thats fine, as this is the right level to learn @. this is about helping those who want to help themselves. John has offered this type of class before w/ Griggs (cost $$ right?). i'm hoping to locate someone who would do it for free - or possibly use some of the series dues for this. i would like to target TWS weekend, but we may have to resort to something in the DFW or Houston area on a non-race weekend.
Lou Gigliotti is one who comes to mind. i know him and he has done this type of thing in the past. i've sat thru it several times myself. if anyone knows of another person who could do this, let me know.
i didnt want this thread to dwell on the X platform vs Y platform.
i also would be willing to sit down w/ anyone at anytime and talk about whati know. but realize, its limited to 4th gens. the principals are the same, the specs will net be howerver. i dont know it all and i'm not a good teacher, but i'm open w/ my info.

[Boudy]

Blah blah, blah blah blah...

Did I mention, "I'm in."

Boudy

[Boudy]

BTW: Mine's been on jack stands for weeks and doesn't have a suspension part on it that hasn't been removed, inspected, and/or replaced. I found several problems that accounted for some of my laptime defecit in recent events. My Point - You're preachin' to the choir dudes.

Boudy

[mitchntx]

If you don't already have it, I suggest you get it ...

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Your-.../dp/0912656468