Don Herring MSR Track Day with the STI

[SWortham]

Today was a blast. Don Herring Mitsubishi sponsored another track day at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX. This time Apex Driving Academy was there and I was surprised to see the instructors driving some really nice cars out there. The lead instructor was driving his brand new Lamborghini Gallardo. Another instructor was driving a De Tomaso Pantera.

Our first two sessions were lead & follow where each instructor went out with a group of 5 drivers behind them and we'd follow the instructor at a relatively slow pace. I followed the Gallardo during one session and the Pantera in the other.

Once it was time for the hot sessions I decided to choose the slower of the two groups because there were so many fast cars out there. I took it fairly easy at first but started to learn how to get the most out of the corners after each lap.

I tried to use the whole track, trail brake, and I was really driving more aggressively than most others in our group. I kept up my aggressive pace, and passed my brother's Mazda 6, and an Evo. And then I took a double apex corner too fast and one rear tire just went off the track and back on which caused the car to spin at 70 mph. That was exciting to say the least, but no harm was done.

During the next hot session I settled down a bit and collected myself. I worked up to the same kind of pace but this time I was more precise with my braking and cornering speed. I settled into a rhythm before long and did nothing but pass cars. I passed a few Evo's, my brother's car again, a Carrera S (the driver was taking it easy for some reason), a turbo'd Eagle Talon, and a Mitsubishi 3000GT.

Of course this wasn't a race but as always I saw it as an opportunity to improve and I wanted to be as fast as possible within reason. I feel pretty happy with what I learned today and of course it's just plain fun driving fast. ;)

I'll try to get some video together later.

For now enjoy the pics. :)

http://www.gldomain.com/STi/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/2006_0930_102308AA_800px.jpg

http://www.gldomain.com/STi/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/2006_0930_090743AA_800px.jpg

http://www.gldomain.com/STi/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/2006_0930_114133AA_800px.jpg

http://www.gldomain.com/STi/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/STI_Gallardo_800px.jpg

[SuperGLS]

Very cool. I tell you, I never liked Lambos until the Gallardo came out, it's beautiful.

In any event, sounds like you had a lot of fun.

Although I've only been out on a track like that one time in the Elantra it's amazingly a lot of fun. I imagine it's twice as fun in a car desgined for it.

[sleepergt]

That is cool. How far away is Cresson, Tx

[SWortham]

It's about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Mckinney. Here's MSR's site: http://www.motorsportranch.com/

Here's a video clip from my brother's car. At the beginning of the video I'm on his tail and then he slows down and lets me pass in the straight...
http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/MSR Track Day (2006-09-30) STI flyby.wmv

And here's another video from my brother's perspective during the 2nd hot session. After I pass him this time he stays with me for a few minutes...
http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don%20Herring%...I%20and%206.wmv (http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don%20Herring%20MSR%20Track%20Day%20(2006-09-30)/MSR%20Track%20Day%20(2006-09-30)%20STI%20and%206.wmv)
(45MB, Windows Media Player 9 or newer required)

[QuickSilverGT]

Man I never realized those cars were so small.

[BIGROB]

Man I never realized those cars were so small.

which cars??

[sleepergt]

how much is it to go on that course?

[QuickSilverGT]

Just the high end cars in general... I haven't seen too many of them in person and they just seem big. But they are actually quite small.

[SWortham]

how much is it to go on that course?
It varies but this particular event was $125 and we got about 80 minutes of driving or so. There are a variety of clubs that will rent the track and hold events. Those are the ones to go to unless you're a member at MSR.

By the way, it's amazing how quickly you go through gas when you're driving at full throttle for so long. In an hour of driving I went through 2/3 of a tank.

[SWortham]

I bought some photos from Hart Photography.

Here are a few from the event after a little editing. :)

http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/Hart/IMG_3175_800px.jpg

http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/Hart/IMG_3014_800px.jpg

http://www.gldomain.com/sti/Don Herring MSR Track Day (2006-09-30)/Hart/IMG_3039_800px.jpg

[hyunelan2]

Is there a smilie for jealous envy?

Sounds like an awesome time!

[tharptroy]

I cant wait to get my bike out there in the spring

[SuperGLS]

Those pics look great Steve. How many times have you been out on a track now?

[SWortham]

This was just my 2nd time. The last time was with the Elantra.

[04GTboySC]

that looks hot dude, what edition mazda 6 is that? i had one for a day when my car was in the shop and boy was it hot that thing drove so fast

[SWortham]

It's a Mazda 6s sedan. He has a MAFci upgrade which gives him an additional 25hp. And he has a lowered suspension with Koni's, upgraded swaybars, 18x7.5" Kosei K1S wheels, and 225/40-18 Falken RT-615's. With those upgrades the car corners very well.

[SWortham]

I finally got around to upload a clip from the roof cam (even though the sound is completely drowned out by wind noise).

I cut the movie just when the finish line goes out of frame to divide it into laps. Using this method I discovered my best lap time was a 1:32.25 and here's the video from that lap:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...610733209&hl=en (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1868739111610733209&hl=en)

The Google video is going to be a lot faster to download, but if you want to see a higher quality version then I've got one here:
http://www.gldomain.com/STI/Don%20Herring%...iew-BestLap.wmv (http://www.gldomain.com/STI/Don%20Herring%20MSR%20Track%20Day%20(2006-09-30)/MSR-Steve-RoofView-BestLap.wmv) (12.5 MB, please right-click and Save Target As...)

After I discovered my lap time I looked around to see how my times compare to others. I managed to find a 440rwhp Corvette which got a 1:30.00 at http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Motorsport_Ranch

And I also found links to BMW club racing events where most of the best lap times were between 1:20.00 and 1:30.00 but some were as high as 1:40.00 so I don't feel too bad.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of times I can pull with the new suspension. :)

[hyunelan2]

Looks fun *runs to dust off Gran Turismo*. I think your car is probably plenty quick enough to get a faster time if you had more practice at that track. Improving your lines through the turns and stuff could probably shave a second or two off that lap. (Of course I'm an expert at these things because I played Gran Turismo a few times -haha)

[SWortham]

Yeah, I agree. It's hard to tell from the video but the car was at the limit around every corner and I was trail braking into most of the corners. But I still spotted areas where I could've come closer to the apex and where I could've gone harder on the throttle for a wider exit which would've allowed me to carry more speed. I think the whole making a wide exit thing is a tough one for me because the stakes are higher if I go too wide.

Of course when I go next time I'll have a new set of challenges to deal with as I try to get the hang of the new setup. I'm thinking I should be able to go under 1:30 though.

[BobMs_wht2k2]

I gotta say your lines overall were really good. Of course, the cones they set up probably didn't hurt either did it?

[SWortham]

I gotta say your lines overall were really good. Of course, the cones they set up probably didn't hurt either did it?
Thanks, the cones were a big help especially around the two double apex corners. They marked the ideal turn-in, apex, and exit points for every corner.

[BobMs_wht2k2]

I saw that. I'm guessing they dod that for all the beginners bringing out their Evos?

[SWortham]

I saw that. I'm guessing they dod that for all the beginners bringing out their Evos?
Right, lol. I needed it too.

[Jonny666]

Danm that looked like fun. I'd give my left nut to have a track like that here in edmonton!