Has anyone driven a [b]real[/b] race car?

[audioguru]

I was away all day Friday because I attended a race car school all day.
My son won the $2000 prize in a contest and we had a thrill driving real Indy race cars around the track that had 12 corners and is 1 mile long.
Today is two days later and my arms, shoulders and back muscles are still sore.

There were 9 of us at the school that day and we drove in two groups. Most of the guys spun the cars off the track. During the instructions I asked the instuctor what we can do to get out of a slide to prevent a spin and he said you just hang on for the ride. But while driving I was in a side-slide many times and I steered out of them and never spun.

The cars have only 1000 pounds of weight, cost $72000 each, have a 170hp engine and a sequential gearbox. Push the lever forward to down-shift and push it back to up-shift. The clutch pedal activated very close to the floor. Too much throttle or brakes while cornering and the rear wheels spin then the rear of the car comes around. The accelleration and braking are very fast. I quickly learned how to prevent smoking the tires.

On my way home my ordinary car felt like driving a bus.

Anyone else doo dat??

 

[Reloadron]

Can't say I have done it but one of my coworkers did it. He was in Florida and tried the NASCAR school. He really loved it and said it was a blast. Given the choice, I would like to drive the Indy type cars like you did. Yes, one comment was how much literal physical work and effort was involved. Pretty cool there AG.

Ron

 

[audioguru]

With the extreme vibration from the engine (the small or no flywheel produced a punch with each cylinder firing) and bumps in the track, it was very difficult to hold the small steering wheel (no power steering) with one hand while you change gears with the other hand. Cornering was very hard since the steering wheel doesn't turn much (80 degrees to 80 degrees).

The steering wheel had RPM LEDs, oil pressure and engine temperature displays. There was no dashboard and no speedometer.

I caught up to anybody who was ahead of me including the instructors so I was flying. It was wonderful.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Cool! When I was probably 20 I had the opportunity to drive a fully loaded 18 wheeler around the parking lot. That experience probably made me a better driver. You had to double clutch every shift.

Had the 100+ mph thrill at one time too.

 

[DerStrom8]

Sorry, AG, I'm a big wimp--Never been above 80 MPH myself

That sounds like a lot of fun, though. Glad you had the opportunity to try something like that! I definitely need to get out more and see the world, feel the thrills, and taste the lives of normal people
Der Strom

 

[Mikebits]

Sorry, AG, I'm a big wimp--Never been above 80 MPH myself

That sounds like a lot of fun, though. Glad you had the opportunity to try something like that! I definitely need to get out more and see the world, feel the thrills, and taste the lives of normal people
Der Strom

Really? You need to drive my car, it is hard to only go 80 Mph.

 

[audioguru]

My newest car and the one before it had a governor on the engine so it stopped running at the max speed of the tires which was 140km/hr.
It is very dangerous when passing a truck on a two-lane road and another truck is coming at you then the engine stops running.

I had a turbo car with good tires and no governor. It went faster and faster and faster and faster until the speedometer was way past its end which was 200km/hr. Maybe I was going 250km/hr and the car was still accellerating.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Oops! I thought they just speed linited. Cutting out wouldn't be very nice.

200 km/hr is like 124 mph. I was in the car when my father hit at least 120 MPH. For a while the spedo
topped out at 85 MPH in the US.

Good tires and suspension (stiff) make the car fun to drive. Low to the ground helps too. I'll take good tires any day. I found a relatively inexpensive series. the Pirelli P4 (was the p4000, p400) that I really like and so does anyone I reccomend them too. I've been running varients of these for probably 25 years.

When I hydroplaned once for about 40' that when I started do do some tire research.

I once went around a corner so fast ( I was maybe 17 YO) that the wheel flexed and the hubcap disapeared into never never land. Curve was rated for 15 mph and I took it at 50 mph.

Then there was the side of the road that eroded and the pavement went suddenly missing. Car fell into the hold, bent the rim and the trim rings started to roll behind the car.

I will say that driving on solid ice is easier with a manual transmission.

 

[Mikebits]

My car barely breaks a sweat doing 120 mph. 5.7 liters of shear power, Prias move over...hehe

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

My car barely breaks a sweat doing 120 mph. 5.7 liters of shear power, Prias move over...hehe

You're obviously not paying UK petrol(gas) prices

 

[DerStrom8]

Really? You need to drive my car, it is hard to only go 80 Mph.

The only car I've really been able to drive is one of these:
**broken link removed**
It is, quite literally, a Grandma car
I also have one of these, but I don't have decent tires on it or an inspection, so it is not on the road:
**broken link removed**

Der Strom

 

[audioguru]

You're obviously not paying UK petrol(gas) prices

Of course not.
In North America we pay mostly for gasoline with a small amount of tax added to pay for road repairs. In the UK you pay mostly for very high taxes with the small cost of gasoline added.
Why don't people in the UK revolt against their government ripping them off?? Even electronic parts in the UK are much more expensive than in North America.

 

[Mikebits]

Of course not.
In North America we pay mostly for gasoline with a small amount of tax added to pay for road repairs. In the UK you pay mostly for very high taxes with the small cost of gasoline added.
Why don't people in the UK revolt against their government ripping them off?? Even electronic parts in the UK are much more expensive than in North America.

Not eloquent, but well said AG. Perhaps the UK needs a Tea Party

 

[cr0sh]

Not eloquent, but well said AG. Perhaps the UK needs a Tea Party

They're probably too intelligent for such a thing...



Fastest car I've ever driven was a rental Mustang GT (had like 400 miles on it when I drove it - nearly brand new); I'm really surprised I wasn't pulled over by a cop in that thing, but it made a trip to Cali to visit my mother much better than it would've been had I tried taking my daily driver at the time (a 4-banger Ranger that couldn't get outta its own way if it tried - that and it leaked oil like a sieve).

Part of me would love to have a "fast car", but the conservative part of me knows this would be a bad idea. I stick to my trucks (currently driving a 1996 4.3L 6-cyl 2WD GMC Sierra 1500; I also have a "toy" - a 1979 fullsized Bronco with a 400 M-block V8 - you can watch the gas gauge move as you drive it)...

 

[DirtyLude]

Is that on the Mosport DDT? Isn't that a really small track for those cars? I've been to the Mosport DDT a few times, but not in those cars. It is very fun, but I'm back into the motorcycles. I find motorcycle racing more fun and it requires more input from the driver, but it's a little expensive for me right now. Wont be until next year that I'll pick up a track bike. Current motorcycle is a little too crazy for anything but a few casual track days.

 

[audioguru]

There are 4 tracks at Mosport:
1) The West one is for the Bridgestone Race Car School that I attended.
2) The next one to the East is an oval for car testing.
3) The next one to the east is for go cart racing.
4) The Eastern one is the large race car track.

 

[atferrari]

Unqualified drivers allowed?

I was away all day Friday because I attended a race car school all day.
Anyone else doo dat??

Hola AG,

How the school makes sure than the pupils will not destroy those expensive cars? People with no previous training in those things is a risk for the cars, for themselves and for the rest around them.

 

[audioguru]

Hola AG,

How the school makes sure than the pupils will not destroy those expensive cars? People with no previous training in those things is a risk for the cars, for themselves and for the rest around them.

In 26 years, they never had an injury.
The school fees are $1000 per pupil per day so only people who are interested in race cars attend the class. I had no previous training in a race car but I did fine. My son has owned many cars much more powerful than any car that I owned but I did better than him driving the race car.
The pupils must pay a fortune if they drop an expensive helmet on the ground which might damage it. Damage to the cars is not charged to a pupil. If a pupil goes off the track 3 times then he is not allowed to drive anymore. One pupil in my group went off the track one time so he was allowed to continue driving but then he drove too slow and he got in my way. Half the guys spinned their car on the track.

The cars take an abusive beating but are well maintained. The tires wear out quickly but the owner of the racing school is Bridgestone, a tire manufacturer.

 

[DirtyLude]

There are 4 tracks at Mosport:
1) The West one is for the Bridgestone Race Car School that I attended.
2) The next one to the East is an oval for car testing.
3) The next one to the east is for go cart racing.
4) The Eastern one is the large race car track.

I just checked their website and yes, they run at the DDT. I was pretty sure, because they have a little warehouse with their banner on it there. The DDT (Driver Development Track) is the track that the Bridgestone Academy runs at. The same track holds runs for shifter carts, Solo races, various trial races, other race schools, and regular track days. It's not dedicated just to them. We've held a few combination track days and track schools in combination with Ian Law at the DDT.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

A few years ago the TV programme 'Top Gear' held a competition, the prize was to drive an old classic Ferrari around Brands Hatch - and the car was actually supplied by someone who only lives a few miles from me.

Needless to say, he smashed it up! - and the car was afterwards crated up and sent back to Italy to be rebuild in the Ferrari factory.