Daytona December 2009

[SNOOPY]

Just a few pics. Had an awesome time!












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[Cobrabitn]

You're getting to be a regular track dawg!!

If you do a little write-up on it, I'll host it up on the front page of the website.

[SNOOPY]

I'll see what I can do. I usually don't write much. LOL
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[Cobrabitn]

Just send it to tony @ trackclubusa.com and I'll purty it up for you.

[SNOOPY]

Originally Posted by Cobrabitn

Just send it to tony @ trackclubusa.com and I'll purty it up for you.

I'll just add some notes and you can put it together. LOL


In early December I went to Daytona w/ a few GT500 friends from Florida. The event was put on by an Audi club. It will happen again next December as well.

On the first day (Friday) it pretty much rained all day. Many people still ran. At Daytona you don't have to have your windows down. They use their blinkers there to allow passes.

I didn't run the first day because of the rain.

On Saturday it was supposed to clear up, but the day started out wet. I ran late morning w/ the track still wet. On my second lap through the infield in the first main corner (sorry I don't remember the corner numbers there) I did a nice slo-mo 360. I just cleared a high dollar Audi R8 ... I think they are around $105,000. I controlled it pretty well and ended backing off the track into the grass. I checked the track and headed right back out. I never got flagged and it happened so fast I doubt the few corner workers that were there ever even saw me. After it cleared I got a few more good runs in.

The banks are... well... hard to explain...just a whole different experience. It is weird to think of shifting in a turn, but that is what you have to do on the bank. On the bank you have a lot of extra compression so it in itself is a weird feeling. At speed (140-180) your car feels like it is riding on the bumpstops. lol

Coming into the main stretch several times I was hitting 160. I didn't feel comfortable pushing that because the track is really really really rough. VIR is smooth as glass compared to Daytona. Two of the guys I was w/ were hitting 185-190 mph coming into the front stretch.

On the last day (Sunday) midday i was running and coming to my last lap when I heard a terrible noise. I thought at first I blew my cats. I was in a good area to pull off and was just coming off a 160 mph run from the front stretch. Lots of smoke and I thought for a few minutes I was on fire because smoke was coming out of my heater vents.

After pulling into the pits (under my own power and very noisily) and inspecting the car, we found that I had blown out one of my forward O2 sensors. That's right, an O2 sensor. lol It was hanging by the wire.

Since it was so far forward I was done. I had to drop the pipe at home and re tap re-install a new O2 and all was well. It sure sounded and felt like much more when I was at speed.

My wife and I left from the track and went south for a week and had a little vacation...it was an awesome week. Track time and some vacation all in one.

I have some video here somewhere...

[Cobrabitn]

I just linked the photo on the front page to the story here! Take a look.

[SNOOPY]

WhatyoutalkinboutWillis?

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[Cobrabitn]

Go to www.trackclubusa.com and you'll see what I am talking about.

[SNOOPY]

Hey I didn't give you rights to use my name?

[Cobrabitn]

I can change it to Snoopy if you prefer, seriously. I won't be offended...