Quick Question (archive)

I have a 00 MZ3 and love to go fast and have pondered the thought of taking my car to the track sometime, but all I can think of is what would happen if someone tagged me or I would have an encounter with the wall. Does this happen very often? What do you do? hanks for your perspectives. I live in central Ohio, so Mid-Ohio raceway is just around the block.

Brian Burns
00 MZ3 Silver, Black, Black

I'm driving Laguna Seca Tomorrow!

I went out to the Laguna Seca today and walked the track in preparation for my first high-speed track day there tomorrow.

The track is about 2.2 miles long with lots of elevation changes. I was a little surprised by the amount of elevation changes. I have watched several races at Laguna Seca and I even rode the track in a Porsche driven by a professional driver. I think walking the track gave me a new perspective.

Turn one is a flat out petal to the metal right bend. Coming down the long straight you cannot see turn one because of the small hill just prior to the bend. They say you should drive under the "O" in the Honda sign over the starting line.

Turn two is a hairpin with a medium drop in elevation. It looks like a very late apex is required for this turn.

Turn three is flat right hand turn and gauging from the rubber crossing the track into the wall on the right a turn you want to error on the side of another late apex.

Turn four is another flat right turn leading into a small straight. Again, there was lots of rubber crossing the track into the wall on the right. The straight between turn four and five has a slight right bend.

Turn five is a very banked left turn that starts you up a small hill.

Turn six is a flat left turn that starts you up a very steep hill. It�s a nice straight up the hill so some speed can be obtained here.

Turn seven is a slight right bend at the top of the hill. You need to break prior to the top of the hill for the bend and turn eight, which is very close.

Turn eight is the famous corkscrew. This left hand turn visually drops off out of sight into an "S" curve. The elevation change here is dramatic. They say you need to drive directly at an oak tree across the small canyon to be in the proper line at the center of the "S" which you cannot see at the start of the turn.

Turn nine is a left turn still moving down the hill leading in to a small straight.

Turn ten is a right turn leading in to a nice straight.

Turn eleven is a short tight right turn onto the main straight leading to turn one. I figure given the distance of this straight to hit well over a hundred at the top of the hill at the end of the straight.

We are divided into three groups. Each group gets twenty minutes of track time each hour. That means I should have about two hours of track time tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to driving with Gary in his MZ3Coupe, Doug in his MZ3 and John in his MZ3. Most of the other cars at this event will be Miatas, so we should own the strights at least.

My feet are tired and I need some sleep. I have to be at the track at 7:00 am for registration.

Wish me luck. I sure hope to come home with every ounce of Boston Green paint I take to the track.

Lester

PS. If all goes as planned I'll post a message Tomorrow telling you all about it.

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