EXE + CircuitClub Trackday - Winton Raceway, 23rd May 2009

*WARNING: BORING ESSAY. if your eyes hurt, please skip it, and scroll down to the photo section *


EXE + CircuitClub Trackday - Winton Raceway, 23rd May 2009
Been more than 6 month since my last trackday. i was really looking forward for this day! working overseas made me miss australia road so bad. in jakarta, it was all the traffic jam, stuck for 2-4 hours daily and driving auto made me miss australia open road and my manual cars (altho recently i have convert my E30 in jakarta to manual)

i borrowed semis from Dmag / Darrin... thx bro... but turned out that the MX5 wheels couldnt fit the 60mm micra's bore.... so i call around and irlan lend me his red Simmons 14x5 which i was worried about fitting the 185 semis on it. on the day, i found that the rear left semis is leaking air from between the tyre sidewall and the wheel lip. pressure was dropped to 18psi, while the other 3 tyres was perfect 29psi cold.

i also did a quick mod on my rear swaybar. i bought another set of stock swaybar last year and i put 2 rear swaybar together with hose clamps (dan tought me) and i cant wait to see it works... *will upload picture later*

Practice Session
2:06.8500
2:03.5300
2:00.3600
1:59.6500
so i press on with 29psi all around except for the leaking one. i put 32psi on it coz i found higher psi leaks slower... i went outside for the first time after a long break with mei as my passenger, and i shit myself on the first bodyroll... altho i quickly getting used to it after few laps... didnt dare to push yet coz i wanna see how the leaking one held up.... the good thing is, mei seem to like my driving style

after the session finish i went back to the pit and checked the pressure. all tyres were fine except the one that leaks has dropped to just below 20psi... so i figure that i would loose about 12 psi every session... and then i decided to pump it up to 40psi... that way i got to pump it up after every session...

Session 1
2:02.5200
1:58.5100
1:56.8600
1:58.7500
1:56.8500
time to start pushing... mei wouldnt stop hanging by the window like monkey with no banana... this session was abit crowded and everyone is getting used to the track... i did a long battle with Johnny OTR driving CrazyRay's Jazz... the micra starting to feel 'normal' to me... i mean i am getting used to the 'leaning tower' condition...

checked the pressure after the session and it dropped to 35psi... so i leave it at that...

Session 2
1:55.9400
2:02.8300
1:56.2600
1:57.6400
this session mei and i went out as the first car... because the problem with micra, i really need to get a clear lap, because all i have is cornering speed and with 120kmh top speed on the main straight and 43kw atw, there is almost no possible way for me to overtake anyone in group A on straightline... so i thought being out first will atleast get me a good clean lap... i was wrong... i hit the traffic again after the first lap... LOL... but at least i got the first lap clean... i finally dipped into 1:55 for the first time on the day... my target is at least to get close to my previous 1:54 PB...

check the pressure again and the leaking one drops to 32 psi... so i figured, maybe the problem is fixed woohoooo

Session 3
1:57.8500
1:56.7100
1:56.3600
1:58.9300
1:57.2400
this session i asked mei to get out of my car... LOL... coz she is too heavy (may even be the reason why the rear tyre leaks )... i thought that i could gain an extra tenth faster... so kicking her out by giving her food to distract her and ran off to the pit and drive off to the grid line... success!!!

but God wasnt on my side and punish me for leaving Mei behind... and i went slower LOL... well i was stuck behind every car one after another... and when i was about to back out, i saw like 2 cars behind me anyway... and the car starting to feel abit funny...

so i went out and check the pressure again... the leaking one dropped to 18psi... so i pumped it back up to 40psi... the other 3 are holding nicely at 32psi... this wont affect anything since appearently you only need 3 wheels to go around the track with micra...


Session 4
1:57.5800
1:56.1200
1:58.1400
1:57.3800
1:55.6500*Fastest lap for the day*
so i beg for mei forgiveness for leaving her out of the previous session, and ask her back into my car... and this time i ask drew to drive together! mini battle!

this is the best session i had as the whole session i this me and drew got a clear lap... it is not because i was fast... but it is because everyone else in the GROUP A has gotten faster so i never can catch up to them LOL...

me and drew start with a mild play and then progressively getting faster and faster... but the pressure from drew making me starting to use 2nd gear on most corner except for turn 1 and 2.... and then it suddenly kicks me... "oh yeah... i think i should've used 2nd gear all along lol"

well the session ended and i got my fastest lap for the day... 1:55.6s, while drew dipped into 1:54s for the first time...

checked the tyres pressure and it has dropped to 20psi again... pumped it back up to 40 psi.


Session 5
2:01.7000
1:55.8100
1:55.6600
im ready to hit the track even harder... i decided to use 2nd gear on all corner this time... and i also told me to lean where i am leaning towards to keep the car balance... lol... but too bad the session had to be cut off early due to red flag. but i managed to hit 1:55 consistently with 2nd gear on all corners... and i can hear my swaybar at work...


Conclusion:
im getting rusty i did 1:54.4650 with street tyres back in 2007(http://silasba.blogspot.com/2007/11/back-from-winton-154s-with-micra.html)... and i couldnt even get close to that with semis... i only manage to do: 1:55.6500 with semis... :S but i will be back and i will practice more...

the semis does give benefit on extra grip on the micra, but having the extra grip plus stiffer swaybar (refer to my awesome mod ) combined with stock suspension from 1995 made the car felt like its on jelly land... *boink boink* this doesnt bother me after few laps...

with the semis, i felt like the car bogs down a little when accelerate out of the corner... and i got lower top speed (didnt even finish the 4th gear unlike when i was using the G Grid streets) this doesnt bother me too as i just changed my driving into flooring the car basically since the entry of the corner till the exit... and just yank the steering wheels... the micra responded well to it and change direction to wherever i point at... at one stage i felt like my car was on 2 wheels

the doubling up of rear swaybar without the fronts upgrade make the micra taily... i think i had to counter steer on few corner (turn 1 and turn 4 / first hairpin)

MORAL OF THE STORY:
semis is still better than street... u just gotta drive it harder... lol... alot to learn... :S i failed to deliver a PB but at least i had alot of fun... till next trackday... hopefully the zed will be back on track soon

anyway, here are the photos taken by Sylvester Teoh, THANK YOU!!! he managed to take the tripod action from the bunker on the hairpin... i edited the color and cropped them in photoshop... look how far the rear wheel was off the ground... LOL


this ones are taken by Anja. i edited and cropped them. nice work anja! and thx...


and this ones were take by famous Matther Mead (matthewmead.net)... hope he dont mind i borrow them for my blog





she didnt vomit... she didnt cry... she hit her head on the window couple of times and once on the windscreen when i lock my brakes... she didnt even scream for help... O_o *