Just returned from VIR

A General Discussion forum for cars and other topics, and a great place to introduce yourself if you are new to NICO!
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Bubba1
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just getting unpacked from some awesome days on VIR's full course with the Audi folks. Sunny and warm both days, had a nice breeze the first day. I was lucky to park beside a buddy with a nice 10x10 canopy, so it was nice to find shade between sessions. I rode in some interesting cars as always, including a 2001 stock Porsche Carrera, a caged Nissan 300ZX TT, and a C5 Z06 Corvette. Onto the pics:

One of many 911's. That gigantic bar in the owners hand is a torque wrench. (Single lug wheels). yes, that's a Viper in the background, I have a better shot of it later.

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Ford Mustang Laguna Sega: Sounded sweet. The VIR starters joked that the mustang was named after the wrong track...

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Nice Cadillac CTS-V, also sounded nice (I'm a sucker for the sound of a V8)

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little Honda Civic 4 door...race car
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One of many 944's and a VW golf....
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My friend's caged Corvette. It's a beautiful build, nice cage, fire supression system, straight pipes. Evil sounding and fast.

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For you Miata owners, a nice way to get your race tires to the track. The minitrailer Belongs to the owner of the blue miata in front of it, who has a detachable tow hitch. It also has a lockable box for his stuff, a jack, some odds/ends and a spare for the trailer. Nifty setup. He said if anyone is interested, you can get them at Harbor Freight or Northern equipment. He's been doing this for years, and the miata pulls it without any problem.

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The miata with its hitch removed. The owner is an excellent driver.


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Mercedes SL55 AMG beside his wife's TT. I was not in this SL55, but I was in another one. 500hp + incredible seats = awesome ride.

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My new Continental ExtremeContact DW's after 4 track days. They're not as grippy as the Goodyear Eagle F1-A's I had before, but are wearing a little better.


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another shot of my car:
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shot of my "beast"

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nice Corvette T1 Racecar...

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my friend's caged 300ZX TT. It's set up really nicely and has some ballz. I went out for a session with him. Loved the car.

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The Viper race car. belonged to an advanced student. sounded nice.
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something I thought was unusual. 3 VW Toureg tow vehicles beside each other.

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A stock Rx-8 beside one of several Loti. He was part of a caravan that I ran into while travelling to the track.

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300ZXttZMAN
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I love the beast! So evil looking and boxy :chuckle:

How did the Z32 do?

How did your Z33 do? The tires don't look worn at all really..

What all mods do you have on your Z33?

Is it possible you could get a mod list on the Z32?

Are you going to post the Gopro video? Even if its not angled right I still want to see it because I love the sounds.


I am going to road race/time trial/Autox with my Z and I am sorry for all the questions but this is something that I have great interest in.

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Bubba1
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300ZXttZMAN wrote:I love the beast! So evil looking and boxy :chuckle:

How did the Z32 do?

How did your Z33 do? The tires don't look worn at all really..

What all mods do you have on your Z33?

Is it possible you could get a mod list on the Z32?

Are you going to post the Gopro video? Even if its not angled right I still want to see it because I love the sounds.


I am going to road race/time trial/Autox with my Z and I am sorry for all the questions but this is something that I have great interest in.
No problem with the questions. This was an HPDE, so no timed laps, no trading paint (well, not intentional). no competition. My car performed great, got about 6 mpg. But since I'm in the instructor run group, my car is one of the more underpowered ones out there, plus it's mostly stock. So I'm among the slower ones in the group. I don't care as it's a hoot sharing the track with friends who are pros and experts.

The rear tires do still look pretty good, but the fronts are the ones that seem to take more of the beating. I'll normally go thru 2 sets of front tires before replacing the rears.

I'll have to ask the Z32 owner about the mods he did. It was his DD for many years before putting into track use, He doesn't compete. He just uses it to have fun, like I do. He's done some engine mods as it pulls more than a stock one, plus has the rollcage, race seats and harnesses.. I know he's running stock calipers but with better pads. They seemed fine. He was a very good driver and was among the faster guys in his run group.

My Z33 is stock except for brakes/tires. I even have the heated leather seats. I upgraded the brakes to Stopteck BBK's 332 4 piston in front, 328 2 piston in the rear, with Ferrodo 2500 pads, slotted rotors, and stainless lines. I'm still on street tires for now, but I upgraded to Z rated rubber.

I haven't seen the go-pro videos yet. My resident technology consultant (my son) will help me transfer it over in the next couple days. We'll see how comes out.

The beast seems to draw more attention than the Z33. It's got a 350ci crate motor with dual 3" flowmasters. Very evil sounding. :chuckle:

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Rev_D21
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Thanks for sharing the pics!

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300ZXttZMAN
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:chuckle:

Sounds good, I greatly appreciate it.

:bigthumb:

Can't wait to see the video.

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Bubba1
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Ok, here are my first attempts with my new gopro.

The last lap of a blackflagged 1st day session, instructor group. The black flag was due to a Subie that spontaneousy and unintentionally shared its oil about a half lap behind me. The cars that passed me in the video were a pair of corvette race cars and a pair of Porsche GT-3's, one was a cup car I believe.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjA41LFmnw[/youtube]

A not as good experiment. This video was with a student along for ride, with the camera mounted on the back window facing forward. You can't see out the windshield well, but there's plenty of wind/tire noise. I believe the same 2 GT-3's reeled me in this video. You can also see the tach redlining quite a bit. :)


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk07fBTyLtw[/youtube]


Next weekend, Pocono Raceway.....

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MinisterofDOOM
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Great pics as usual, Joel. I am also a sucker for the sound of a V8. I swear the CTS-V was designed through scans of the "desire" center of my brain.

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300ZXttZMAN
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Very nice Joel I took a sneak peak but I am currently letting the video's load all the way in HD.. :naughty:

What GOpro do you have Hero 2? Also what accessories do you have with it??

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Bubba1
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300ZXttZMAN wrote:Very nice Joel I took a sneak peak but I am currently letting the video's load all the way in HD.. :naughty:

What GOpro do you have Hero 2? Also what accessories do you have with it??
It's a Hero 2. Comes with a lotta little attachments. All I've added is an extra memory card. I'll probably bring it along to Carlisle for giggles.

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audtatious
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Bubba1 wrote:My new Continental ExtremeContact DW's after 4 track days. They're not as grippy as the Goodyear Eagle F1-A's I had before, but are wearing a little better.
340 AA A rated vs. 240 AA A means the Conti's should last longer but won't handle quite as well.

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300ZXttZMAN
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Alright well I won't be attending Carlisle but I will be at Nopi... Hopefully I have my own Gopro Hero 2 and a laptop at Nopi....

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snwbrdr435
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Man VIR has soooo much more run off then NHMS :lolling:

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Bubba1
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snwbrdr435 wrote:Man VIR has soooo much more run off then NHMS :lolling:
Yep it does. VIR's a lot smoother as well. I like NHMS too. That's New Hampshire for those unfamiliar. :dblthumb:


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