Howard Jones
Supporter
Betty\'s first real date.
Well I finally did it. I took my GT40 out on the track for real. Where do I start? OK The Northern Calif Shelby Club hosted a track weekend at Thunderhill Park near Willows Calif. This track is long, 3 miles around, and generally fast. The real racecars get over 160 on the straights I would guess. This is about 3 hours north of The San Francisco Bay Area.
My Mentor Bud Jones hauled me up on his trailer and stood in as my Yota for the day. I can't tell you all how nice a man Bud is Thank you again and again Bud!
So how did it go? Well the first thing I learned is it's been a LONG time since I have been on a race track. I rode road race bikes back in the 70's and.... well... lets just say that I was younger then.
Anyway the first thing I learned is no matter how hard you drive on the street any information you think you might gain on setup is useless, period!
1st session. Cars brake ballance is VERY BAD! Locks rears at any brakerate aproaching anything like race speeds. One of the turns on this track is a downhill left with a max speed of about 30MPH or so. The entry is uphill and as you crest the rise the road falls off down to the left. The entry speed is about 60MPH. If you don't get ALL of your brakeing done before you try to turn in, the front of the car crests the top of the hill, then the front tires loose about 50% of their grip and guess what, you continue straight as an arrow. With a oversteering car, more on that later, and brakes biased to the rear... you can imagine the result. Yes Betty was in the dirt on the third lap. She is no longer a virgin! No dammage. This took a while to get sorted out and by the time I got done looking over the car the session was over.
I have a porportioning valve in the rears so it was easy to make adjustments to the rear brake pressure. Took 4 turns out of the rears. Checked tire pressure. The tires had cooled off so we didn't get any data other than they still had 26F 28R in them.
Second session. Brakes much better. Now cars does not want to steer from the rear on the brakes but still is a little too biased to the rear. Power oversteer but not really bad. Goes netural as front settles after 2rd to 3th gear change out of slow corners.
Began to take the 3 slowest corners in third gear instead of 2nd as I learned the course. This seamed to help the oversteer some but it's still there. Using only 3rd and 4th all the way around now but only getting close to full power at three places on track, The three straights. Still haven't really found the grip limmits anywhere except under brakeing into the 2 slowest corners. Getting about 4800 in 4th at the end of front straight. Then downshift to 3rd thur LH turn 1, power in third, hard brakeing to entry LH turn 2. Elsewhere, after the slow down hill turn, where I went off, the track leads onto a section of track that has three turns at ever increasing speeds. Taking last one after braking hard down to 3rd, thru it @ 4000 revs. End session 2
Took two more turns out of rear brakes, adjusted rear roll bar to less effectiveness. Checked tire pressures F's 28 R's 30 even side to side.
Session three. Brakes now good. Full braking now possible. Oversteer gone everywhere. Car much faster everywhere. Going thru turn 1 in 4th now, brake harder now on entry, longer on power down straight 3500 revs in 4th thur 1, Full power out, HARD brakes into 2. Stops straight!!!!
Fucked up the downhill thing again! Black flaged. Told very nicely not to go off again! I should say at this point that the NORCAL Shelby club guys are kind and VERY helpful. A couple of them took their time to help me with the line around the track and generally understanding that I had a new car and new driver, ME!
End of session three.
I would like to try to get the car thur the last of the fast LH turns at the back of the track in 4th but am still afraid of loosing the rear at 100mph or so. Would like some minor push there so I can feel the limmit coming on and be able to settle the front of the car with less power and still keep the rear stable.
Adjusted shock setting on front up three clicks, both sides.
4th session. Car feels good everywhere. STAY ON COURSE!! Getting rev limmit in 3rd on front straight and going to 5500 or so before breaking AFTER the flag station. Feels good going by that guy at 120 or so with full power in 4th. Big brakes into 1, leave it in 4th roll up to full power at apex and hard on it to entrance of 2. YA WHOOO! Same over on the back part all the way around now in 4th lift on middle turn of the three then full power up to last one. BIG brakes, leave it in 4th FULL power at apex YA WHOOOO! again.
God damn thing is WAY faster than I am!!! Don't get stupid! This could really hurt. Have fun! YA WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh,Oh, Whats that? DAMN out of gas! Switch tanks, oh ya, already did that this morning. OK one more lap and back to pits. Gonna really let her have her head down the front straight and up the back straight behind the pits this time. Hitting rev limmit in forth just past the flagman!! Full confedence in breaks now. Very happy with them everywhere. Good ballance thur the big LH out back. Thats the fastest I've been thur there, about 100 I think. Right at the sweet spot in 4th. Pulls hard out of that one. I am going much faster at the end of this section now and am breaking much sooner at the end. The straights are getting shorter now!!
Into pits, out of gas, day over. Did about 120 miles. Now the car is making a really weird noise when I try to start it to drive it onto the trailer. Won't turn motor. Shit! Push onto trailer, go home. Thanks again Bud. He hurt his hand pushing her onto trailer.
Did I mention he blew a tire on his pickup on the way to the track? Thanks again bud! I owe you a tire.
So what did i learn? Well I'm not Mario! The car is much faster that I am. I was out on the track with some very well prepaired cars. A couple of track only mustangs on race slicks and if I wanted to I could keep up with them and even real them in. The SP8000 Dunlops are pretty good tires. Plenty of grip after they get hot. The car came in with a little tuning. The seat isn't realy any good for this. Belts don't work very well because the seat isn't designed for them. Maybe put in a race seat for track days. Also I will need to get a second set of wheels at some point and put on some slicks I guess.
Overall I found out I am pretty slow as a driver compaired to the people who do this all the time. I can run down the street cars out on the track like 5.0 mustangs and such fairly easy. Nothing I wouldn't expect. Oh and 375Hp is plenty!
Need a new starter. The damn thing backed out the two mounting bolts and the ringgear ground off the nose of the housing. Safety wire everything from now on. everything else came thru fine.
I'll post some pictures when I can. Thanks again Bud!!!
Well I finally did it. I took my GT40 out on the track for real. Where do I start? OK The Northern Calif Shelby Club hosted a track weekend at Thunderhill Park near Willows Calif. This track is long, 3 miles around, and generally fast. The real racecars get over 160 on the straights I would guess. This is about 3 hours north of The San Francisco Bay Area.
My Mentor Bud Jones hauled me up on his trailer and stood in as my Yota for the day. I can't tell you all how nice a man Bud is Thank you again and again Bud!
So how did it go? Well the first thing I learned is it's been a LONG time since I have been on a race track. I rode road race bikes back in the 70's and.... well... lets just say that I was younger then.
Anyway the first thing I learned is no matter how hard you drive on the street any information you think you might gain on setup is useless, period!
1st session. Cars brake ballance is VERY BAD! Locks rears at any brakerate aproaching anything like race speeds. One of the turns on this track is a downhill left with a max speed of about 30MPH or so. The entry is uphill and as you crest the rise the road falls off down to the left. The entry speed is about 60MPH. If you don't get ALL of your brakeing done before you try to turn in, the front of the car crests the top of the hill, then the front tires loose about 50% of their grip and guess what, you continue straight as an arrow. With a oversteering car, more on that later, and brakes biased to the rear... you can imagine the result. Yes Betty was in the dirt on the third lap. She is no longer a virgin! No dammage. This took a while to get sorted out and by the time I got done looking over the car the session was over.
I have a porportioning valve in the rears so it was easy to make adjustments to the rear brake pressure. Took 4 turns out of the rears. Checked tire pressure. The tires had cooled off so we didn't get any data other than they still had 26F 28R in them.
Second session. Brakes much better. Now cars does not want to steer from the rear on the brakes but still is a little too biased to the rear. Power oversteer but not really bad. Goes netural as front settles after 2rd to 3th gear change out of slow corners.
Began to take the 3 slowest corners in third gear instead of 2nd as I learned the course. This seamed to help the oversteer some but it's still there. Using only 3rd and 4th all the way around now but only getting close to full power at three places on track, The three straights. Still haven't really found the grip limmits anywhere except under brakeing into the 2 slowest corners. Getting about 4800 in 4th at the end of front straight. Then downshift to 3rd thur LH turn 1, power in third, hard brakeing to entry LH turn 2. Elsewhere, after the slow down hill turn, where I went off, the track leads onto a section of track that has three turns at ever increasing speeds. Taking last one after braking hard down to 3rd, thru it @ 4000 revs. End session 2
Took two more turns out of rear brakes, adjusted rear roll bar to less effectiveness. Checked tire pressures F's 28 R's 30 even side to side.
Session three. Brakes now good. Full braking now possible. Oversteer gone everywhere. Car much faster everywhere. Going thru turn 1 in 4th now, brake harder now on entry, longer on power down straight 3500 revs in 4th thur 1, Full power out, HARD brakes into 2. Stops straight!!!!
Fucked up the downhill thing again! Black flaged. Told very nicely not to go off again! I should say at this point that the NORCAL Shelby club guys are kind and VERY helpful. A couple of them took their time to help me with the line around the track and generally understanding that I had a new car and new driver, ME!
End of session three.
I would like to try to get the car thur the last of the fast LH turns at the back of the track in 4th but am still afraid of loosing the rear at 100mph or so. Would like some minor push there so I can feel the limmit coming on and be able to settle the front of the car with less power and still keep the rear stable.
Adjusted shock setting on front up three clicks, both sides.
4th session. Car feels good everywhere. STAY ON COURSE!! Getting rev limmit in 3rd on front straight and going to 5500 or so before breaking AFTER the flag station. Feels good going by that guy at 120 or so with full power in 4th. Big brakes into 1, leave it in 4th roll up to full power at apex and hard on it to entrance of 2. YA WHOOO! Same over on the back part all the way around now in 4th lift on middle turn of the three then full power up to last one. BIG brakes, leave it in 4th FULL power at apex YA WHOOOO! again.
God damn thing is WAY faster than I am!!! Don't get stupid! This could really hurt. Have fun! YA WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh,Oh, Whats that? DAMN out of gas! Switch tanks, oh ya, already did that this morning. OK one more lap and back to pits. Gonna really let her have her head down the front straight and up the back straight behind the pits this time. Hitting rev limmit in forth just past the flagman!! Full confedence in breaks now. Very happy with them everywhere. Good ballance thur the big LH out back. Thats the fastest I've been thur there, about 100 I think. Right at the sweet spot in 4th. Pulls hard out of that one. I am going much faster at the end of this section now and am breaking much sooner at the end. The straights are getting shorter now!!
Into pits, out of gas, day over. Did about 120 miles. Now the car is making a really weird noise when I try to start it to drive it onto the trailer. Won't turn motor. Shit! Push onto trailer, go home. Thanks again Bud. He hurt his hand pushing her onto trailer.
Did I mention he blew a tire on his pickup on the way to the track? Thanks again bud! I owe you a tire.
So what did i learn? Well I'm not Mario! The car is much faster that I am. I was out on the track with some very well prepaired cars. A couple of track only mustangs on race slicks and if I wanted to I could keep up with them and even real them in. The SP8000 Dunlops are pretty good tires. Plenty of grip after they get hot. The car came in with a little tuning. The seat isn't realy any good for this. Belts don't work very well because the seat isn't designed for them. Maybe put in a race seat for track days. Also I will need to get a second set of wheels at some point and put on some slicks I guess.
Overall I found out I am pretty slow as a driver compaired to the people who do this all the time. I can run down the street cars out on the track like 5.0 mustangs and such fairly easy. Nothing I wouldn't expect. Oh and 375Hp is plenty!
Need a new starter. The damn thing backed out the two mounting bolts and the ringgear ground off the nose of the housing. Safety wire everything from now on. everything else came thru fine.
I'll post some pictures when I can. Thanks again Bud!!!
