Lime Rock Track Day

[David Hendy]

Spent yesterday at Lime Rock with the Corvair club. A very hot (90F in the afternoon) day on the track. A first run for my new brakes, and new track rims/tires.

I went with a set of Hoosier R3S03 245/45/17s on BBS RV rims, they look great, are very light, and cool very well.

The brake/tire combination seem very impressive, with the rims/tires 7lbs per corner lighter than my OEM rims and BF Goodrich slicks. That plus the 10lbs lighter per front corner for my brake upgrade and you have an impressive package.

The event was very well run, with pretty much an "open" track event from 9am-2pm. The club allowed a maximum of 20 cars at any one time on the track, with passing allowed on the main and back straight.

As I ran the event with my trusty sidekick Curcio last year, I was in the big boys club, group A, with a Viper, 911 GT2 (I think)track car, a Lola race car, Audi S4, BMW 330i, plus a load of tricked out Mustangs.

My car ran really well, the tires and brakes were excellent (although a little spongy in the afternoon timed laps), and I was
able to run with pretty much everybody. The Viper was pulling 135mph on the main straight, whereas I was at 125, but I was breaking much later into big bend and would stay with him through the twisties and then he would have the pull on the main straight.

The only car to blow by me was a mustang that went by me (and the Viper) as if we were in a funeral procession.

Nobody outbraked me all day (Thank you Mr Tackman).

I got to run four 20 min sessions, which was great, I could have had 6 or 7 if I chose.

Tire pressures were 42 hot front, 32 hot rear, which really gets understeeer under control.

In the afternoon we had three timed laps, my first was a low 1:07 and my last two were 1:06s, three seconds a lap faster than last year. I was really happy with that.

Shame there were no other MBs there, its great having people unable to believe how well a big sedan can handle.