First a big shout out ozzy.mz who took the cover shot. Head over and check out his IG
It was time to head back to the Streets of Willow Springs with Project 71-109 for another twilight event with Extreme Speed. The twilight events offer a perfect test and tune for Project 71-109 and this time out I wanted to try out a new set of track pads and try out a few different race lines.
I was lucky enough to be joined by another S2k and a couple of BMW's. It was funny the BMW owners rolled up hard towing their rides, extra set of tires, tool boxes and etc. and the s2k owners (myself included) just rocked up with a couple waters and a small tool pouch. Oh well, nothing wrong with being prepared.
This last weekend was extremely hot, when we arrived at the track it was 107 degrees and I have to say I was very thankful the BMW's had brought pop-ups and big coolers.
This time out I was looking to run some faster lap times, even in the extreme heat. That and there was also some friendly rivalry between the Honda's and BMW's for who could run faster times (and not overheat). The BMW's had the advantage and came out ahead this time. The BMW's having 2-4 times the whp of the s2k was just a little too much for me to overcome but I was able to stay within 2 secs of their fastest time. It also showed me where Project 71-109 was lacking and what would need to be addressed next.
I thrive on the challenge of driving an under powered car and having to chase down the higher HP vehicles by being lighter, more nimble and quicker through the corners. This exposed one of the items where Project 71-109 was lacking. My s2k on its street tires had no chance against the Toyo Proxes RR race slicks that the one BMW's was running and although I had swapped to a set of Hawk DTC-70 race pads which allowed me to brake much later before entering the corners, it just couldn't offset the handling those Proxes offered.
I drove in 2 different run groups this time starting in the Advanced run group which was perfect with only couple other cars really allowed me to drive a more time attack style and get a feel for the new brakes. Later I moved down the the High Intermediate run group that everyone else was running in. It was good to drive with the rest of the guys and to see who was the fastest. Everyone had a blast, only one 4 off with one of the BMW's going into a tight corner a little to hot, but with no damage and nothing hurt they were right back out at it. Its great to be able to go out and do something car related and since most everything else car related to either postponed or cancelled I guess this will have to be my outlet.
So it looks like it's time to upgrade to a dedicated set of wheels and tires for track days. Luckily for me there is a ton of info on what's fast and works well on the s2k. For now it looks like I'm going to try running a 255/40/17 square setup which will provide me with the turn-in response and extra handling needed to maintain a higher speed through the corners. There are a few other advantages to this size too, like availability, selection, weight saving and etc.
The heat did keep a lot of people away but this lowered the number of drivers in each run group, which is never a bad thing. With just the adjustment of my driving line and a set of race pads I was able to shave 1.5 seconds off of my fastest lap last time out. The plan is to get the handling and braking sorted first before moving towards adding more HP. I still need to remove some weight from the vehicle which will happen in the next stage of the build.
Now it's time to prep for Laguna Seca next month.
Everything Else. Enjoy!!
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