Spring Mountain Impressions

[GoldGSF]

After I did the ride a long with the instructor, I found that i was braking far too early at the end of the straightaway. He told me that I had $9000 brakes on the 5BW and to use em' all up ! I wouldn't start braking hard until I was at the #1 panel and braking into the turn. It allowed you to keep accelerating when you thought you should be slowing down. Those fat tires keep you on the ground like a train. I would fishtail once in a while, but the car computers would do the correction for you. Here is the jacket and hat I bought for posterity. It is a very nice quality jacket that should last me for years in the NY winters.

That Jacket is so dope. I know there's not a lot of Cadillac apparel in their store. But there is a lot of good street wear apparel with good colors.

 

[LF4472]

Yeah, it's like 3 jackets and 2 T-shirts, one of each was for women. The rest is Corvette stuff, which, judging by the Corvette owners, they probably sell a lot of. Every Corvette student had at least one piece of Corvette apparel on at all times.

Guilty.

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Guilty.

 

[OldGoat]

Sounds like both old goat and I paid $250. That leaves us not having to hold anything back! Who shall win the auto cross!

Prepare your consolation speech

 

[Dmkp621]

The complacency with which people are discussing thrashing 2-ton cars with almost 700 hp makes me wonder what they are teaching at this place.

I had a complete blast at Spring Mountain and would do it again in a heartbeat.

As a novice driver on the track, I'm a bit conflicted about this car. The performance envelope is astoundingly huge. The driving aids (PTM, etc) definitely help avoid any major issues. I think for me they were covering up & correcting for lots of small mistakes, and preventing large ones. So if I wanted to spend time and really learn how to drive a car on a track and hone my skills, it seems like a smaller & lower powered car without the driving aids would be a better starting point. Interested in viewpoints on this.

That said, kudos to the folks who are tracking their cars. It is a phenomenal specimen of automotive engineering - and the track experience really enforces that.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

Oh goody...now all the instructors are sick.

So um yeah, found out it wasn't a cold.

I was choking, coughing and hacking blood in the mornings due to swollen/inflamed adenoids & tonsils.

 

[MatthewAMEL]

I had a complete blast at Spring Mountain and would do it again in a heartbeat.

As a novice driver on the track, I'm a bit conflicted about this car. The performance envelope is astoundingly huge. The driving aids (PTM, etc) definitely help avoid any major issues. I think for me they were covering up & correcting for lots of small mistakes, and preventing large ones. So if I wanted to spend time and really learn how to drive a car on a track and hone my skills, it seems like a smaller & lower powered car without the driving aids would be a better starting point. Interested in viewpoints on this.

That said, kudos to the folks who are tracking their cars. It is a phenomenal specimen of automotive engineering - and the track experience really enforces that.

An alternative is to start at an AutoX event and set everything to ‘all off’. While intimidating in the beginning, nothing will teach you the limits of the car faster. Spoiler- the car is almost never the limit.

I owned my SS 1LE for 6 years and my last 4 times at Sebring I kept setting new personal bests. If you leave room for it, you can always learn something new.

 

[turbotaz]

The instructor who drove my car was Jay, he was excellent.

Here are my best laps. Video starts with me behind a 5BW.

That was a nice clean lap. Here is my best one (same day as you) - this was the 1st of the afternoon sessions, I beat my instructor's demo lap by hair, but it was a messy lap - overcooked turn 8 leading to terminal understeer. I feel like there was another 2-3 seconds still to be found (I overheard someone in your group was in the 1:16 range?), but unfortunately I didn't get to improve on it in the later sessions - our group kept catching up the other half of our group which slowed us down on multiple runs. Oh, and I hit the radio source button on the steering wheel accidentally on the prior lap and was too focused on not dying so I couldn't gather enough mental power to hit the power button or turn the volume down for my entire run.

Even though I didn't end up with you in the fast group on day 2, I was shocked to have edged our everyone on the Auto-X with a 31.53. That was my 1st run which I took in 1st gear after the 1st straight, and it seemed to have worked for me. Instructor kept telling me to switch to 2nd for the subsequent 2 laps, but those ended up significantly slower. That said, I bet the warmer temps in the afternoon had more to do with the result than my driving.

 

[Tall Steve]

So um yeah, found out it wasn't a cold.

I was choking, coughing and hacking blood in the mornings due to swollen/inflamed adenoids & tonsils.

Damn, I hope you are better now sir?

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

Damn, I hope you are better now sir?

Thanks. I think surgery to rip em out is in my near future.

 

[Tall Steve]

Thanks. I think surgery to rip em out is in my near future.

Hell yes, ice cream for a couple of days!

 

[Throat Yogurt]

That was a nice clean lap. Here is my best one (same day as you) - this was the 1st of the afternoon sessions, I beat my instructor's demo lap by hair, but it was a messy lap - overcooked turn 8 leading to terminal understeer. I feel like there was another 2-3 seconds still to be found (I overheard someone in your group was in the 1:16 range?), but unfortunately I didn't get to improve on it in the later sessions - our group kept catching up the other half of our group which slowed us down on multiple runs. Oh, and I hit the radio source button on the steering wheel accidentally on the prior lap and was too focused on not dying so I couldn't gather enough mental power to hit the power button or turn the volume down for my entire run.

View attachment 16986

Even though I didn't end up with you in the fast group on day 2, I was shocked to have edged our everyone on the Auto-X with a 31.53. That was my 1st run which I took in 1st gear after the 1st straight, and it seemed to have worked for me. Instructor kept telling me to switch to 2nd for the subsequent 2 laps, but those ended up significantly slower. That said, I bet the warmer temps in the afternoon had more to do with the result than my driving.

View attachment 16987

Stas, is that you? Good to see you on here! That was definitely a great Autox time...I justified it in my head as you having a faster car and I think you said it was your second time at SM...? Anyway, nice driving.

I see what you mean about Turn 8...you could definitely have dropped 2-3 seconds if that section had been clean. Between my second best run and my best run I dropped 1 second just by having *slightly* better lines through that section...I guess that's why they were calling it the most important corner on the track.

 

[Carguyshu]

I had a complete blast at Spring Mountain and would do it again in a heartbeat.

As a novice driver on the track, I'm a bit conflicted about this car. The performance envelope is astoundingly huge. The driving aids (PTM, etc) definitely help avoid any major issues. I think for me they were covering up & correcting for lots of small mistakes, and preventing large ones. So if I wanted to spend time and really learn how to drive a car on a track and hone my skills, it seems like a smaller & lower powered car without the driving aids would be a better starting point. Interested in viewpoints on this.

That said, kudos to the folks who are tracking their cars. It is a phenomenal specimen of automotive engineering - and the track experience really enforces that.

it really kinda depends on the track you're running. some tracks you drive with a different line and completely different acceleration and braking points depending on the power and size/weight of the car.

You could always just keep the car a gear or two higher than what is actually called for to cut the power output down.

 

[turbotaz]

Stas, is that you? Good to see you on here! That was definitely a great Autox time...I justified it in my head as you having a faster car and I think you said it was your second time at SM...? Anyway, nice driving.

I see what you mean about Turn 8...you could definitely have dropped 2-3 seconds if that section had been clean. Between my second best run and my best run I dropped 1 second just by having *slightly* better lines through that section...I guess that's why they were calling it the most important corner on the track.

Yep, this is I. I had done the V academy about 4.5 years ago in an ATS-V manual - paid for it myself. I will say they have improved the school a lot since then. ATS-V was fun, but multiple cars had issues throughout the day and the interiors didn't hold up great. The 5BW I had this time had 13k miles on the clock and looked and ran as good as new, even with the white trimmed seats and alcantara wheel/shifter.

I loved the drone shots of the various corners and the way they did the PDR review for everyone with laptops. Last time they picked a couple of people in the class and went over their laps with the Cosworth toobox for the whole class - which was cool, but not as useful. I also don't remember getting as much info about setting up the car as they did this time. I actually learned new things about the car which I will now use. Can't wait to take mine on the track occasionally (my Evora will remain the primary track car though).

 

[quikag]

Here's my 1:14 lap at East Bowl. I love Spring Mountain!

 

[Tall Steve]

Here's my 1:14 lap at East Bowl. I love Spring Mountain!

Very nice!

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Here's my 1:14 lap at East Bowl. I love Spring Mountain!

Nice laps! Your lines look very similar to mine, the difference being the 10+ extra MPH at the end of both straights...

 

[quikag]

Nice laps! Your lines look very similar to mine, the difference being the 10+ extra MPH at the end of both straights...

You don't hit the brakes until you really feel like you might die, then jam them hard.

 

[Tall Steve]

You don't hit the brakes until you really feel like you might die, then jam them hard.

I noticed you didn't get on the brakes until late into the zone, lol.....

 

[Tall Steve]

Very nice!

I just went back and looked at my times and the best I did in the east bowl was 1:20.88.... You guys are fast.... I like running the full east course in the 4BW..... Good driving sir!