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A good time was had by most at SpeedVentures' event yesterday on the big track at Willow Springs, despite temperatures well into the triple digits. Many thanks to Aaron B. and the rest of the SV crew.
Big Willow is a high-speed track that sets up well for high-HP cars, as evidenced by the large Viper contingent:
(Note: at least two more snakes were present, one of them fully race-prepped and lapping in the 29's. )
In the last session of the day, my car started sputtering. I cruised back to the pits, confident that it was just the high-g turns that caused the fuel starvation. Surely I could nurse it back to town! So I hopped in and feather-throttled it down Rosamond Blvd, and sure enough it died about a mile up the road. But, as I coasted to the side of the road I noticed 3 other S2000s stopped there. I rolled up to them and hopped out. Thinking I was offering to help (I would have if I didn't need it myself), Ben from Bulletproof comes up and tells me "We ran out of gas."
Now, this immediately brought two questions to mind: 1) What are the odds that another S2K would run dry at the exact same spot that I did?, and 2) Just what did he mean by "we"?
As it happens, the answer to 2) was: there were TWO other S2000s that had run out of fuel at that very same spot -- so mine was actually the THIRD!! Here we are in all our glory:
(Note: The 4th S2K was, in fact, a samaritan.)
Yeah, it was a great time despite the heat. Here are some times from memory:
I ran a best of 1:42.1 or thereabouts in a stock S on S02's. Doug Hayashi ran a 1:37.9 with Hoosiers. Both of those times were in the first run session of the day and times got somewhat worse after that because the track heated up. Most people with race tires were running in the 1:42-1:43 range. I don't know what Bitterman got but I believe Doug beat him. This all puts some context into the Viper that was running 1:29's. That guy was fast, passed me more times than I care to mention .
Dang, 3 cars out of gas? Heh, I've run out in almost exactly that same spot, just not that day.
Thanks to Speedventures for another fun event. I really liked the passing/rules arrangement in the red group. I was passed a lot more than I passed others, and it made me feel better to know I wasn't holding up that darned race Viper.
If I remember right dt did a 1:38 or 1:39, I ended up with a 1:40, Marty was right there too. By the time us first-timers had the track figured out, it was too bleedin' hot to go fast - I heard temps were ~107!
Willow Springs must really be the fastest track in the west. Memorable moments were losing it at 115mph in turn 8, drafting Doug down the front straight up to 123mph, and almost losing it coming out of 9. Lifted just a little and had to go to full left lock, full right lock, then a little left, all at about 90mph without letting off the gas. The standing ovation from the start/finish guy was apropos...
Car felt kinda sketchy in places, though it's probably just my lack of experience at those speeds. Hopefully my jzr-gt wing will be in full "effect" by the next trip out there.
Are you talking about highest max speed, or highest average speed?
I don't really know if it's the highest in either, but maybe in average speed. There was no second gear stuff anywhere, and you never really had to be out of the power in third. You spend a lot of time on that track over 100mph.
Max speed I saw was 123 on the main straight, so my guess is there's probably a track with higher top speed. The Willow Springs slogan is "Fastest Track in the West" and of the ones I've done so far it is...
I too had a lot of fun except for the drive home. I was that yellow one that ran out of gas. I knew I wasn't going to make it and the gas station at the track was closed. So, I pulled over and talked to ben when the car died right there.
Now for when I was on the 14 going home, my passenger front tire pulled a ford explorer "firestone blowup"
My car felt real good out on the track. New stock shocks, and replacing broken sway bar fixed the problems I had at Thunderhill when you guys gave me a bit of an ass whupping. I knew it was mechanical problem, and not a driver problem at Thunderhill.
I can't wait for the next TCRA 2.0 Liter and below race at Willow. First time with them I was running 1:41.x in cooler weather, this time I ran consistent 1:37-1:39's. All those Civic and Miata race cars are gonna eat some Stock S2000 dust next time!
On the running out of gas stuff. I notice that if I go out on the track with half a tank of gas, and when I drive in, it shows I have about 3/8th left on the gauge, but if I turn the car off, and turn it back on, it then shows about 1/8th left. So the gauge is definitely off when driving on the track.
Too bad no one has JZR's save on video, that looked pretty spectacular from my rear view mirror. It was a right-left-right-left-right-left tank slapper of epic proportions....(note: he saved it on the asphalt. If you get wheels off in the dirt, don't attempt this, instead drive straight off into the dirt and slow the car down, otherwise you will shoot across the track once you get traction, thus taking a chance at hitting a guy behind you.)
)
But, as I coasted to the side of the road I noticed 3 other S2000s stopped there. I rolled up to them and hopped out. Thinking I was offering to help (I would have if I didn't need it myself), Ben from Bulletproof comes up and tells me "We ran out of gas."
Here we are in all our glory:
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