This weekend I joined NASA Central at Kansas Speedway to run their 'roval' course (counter clockwise). The only variation from the below photo is they ran a make-shift bus stop on the back to slow people down. I've never quite seen a chicane as narrow or as short as this. It definitely served it's purpose.
Saturday morning, it rained from 6am-11am. I ran two sessions after noon and never really felt comfortable. The transition on the back after the chicane from the apron to the bank was so dramatic that my right rear tire hopped on the ground. I should have adjusted my alignment as my passenger front tire rubbed through my wheel well liner completely, and the rub strip on my splitter did it's job, but sadly outstayed it's welcome. The track was covered in gravel, I have several pounds of gravel that found it's way into my car, AND my front bumper looks like it was peppered with a 10 gauge. Luckily, I have a Lexan windshield, or I would join the crew of cracked windshields.
Sunday in the first session I bested my lap time from Saturday by 6 seconds, and cracked into the top 5 of the event, but also ran into some bad luck when my interior cable supports for my splitter pulled the bolts through carbon fiber on the splitter and destroyed one of the two brackets. My wife and I made a run to the hardware store for bolts, washers and something I could fashion into a bracket. About an hour of 'mending' it back together, I was hesitant to give it another go, but really wanted to jump up in the timing so I went back out. Made it around on the out lap with no problems, but once getting up to 155mph or so on the straight, they both failed again and I was forced to limp around with the splitter buffering the whole way.
Today, I ordered a new support (one of the two broke), and 4 6x6 inch titanium sheets that I'll use to reinforce above and below the splitter to prevent this from happening again. Good news is, while I was out there, I really enjoyed the canards and the taller wing, it's amazing how much of a difference more aero makes.
Ended the weekend with a 1:31.42 lap time, which isn't very impressive. With a few more laps I was shooting for a 26 or 27. A friend of mine in a MY19 ZR1 took home the fastest lap of 1:25.63. I don't think I could've outrun him as he had 10mph or so on me on the straight.
Here's a video of the fastest lap, tons of time left out there. I was frustrated when the car fell apart because I was just getting comfortable with the track.
Saturday morning, it rained from 6am-11am. I ran two sessions after noon and never really felt comfortable. The transition on the back after the chicane from the apron to the bank was so dramatic that my right rear tire hopped on the ground. I should have adjusted my alignment as my passenger front tire rubbed through my wheel well liner completely, and the rub strip on my splitter did it's job, but sadly outstayed it's welcome. The track was covered in gravel, I have several pounds of gravel that found it's way into my car, AND my front bumper looks like it was peppered with a 10 gauge. Luckily, I have a Lexan windshield, or I would join the crew of cracked windshields.
Sunday in the first session I bested my lap time from Saturday by 6 seconds, and cracked into the top 5 of the event, but also ran into some bad luck when my interior cable supports for my splitter pulled the bolts through carbon fiber on the splitter and destroyed one of the two brackets. My wife and I made a run to the hardware store for bolts, washers and something I could fashion into a bracket. About an hour of 'mending' it back together, I was hesitant to give it another go, but really wanted to jump up in the timing so I went back out. Made it around on the out lap with no problems, but once getting up to 155mph or so on the straight, they both failed again and I was forced to limp around with the splitter buffering the whole way.
Today, I ordered a new support (one of the two broke), and 4 6x6 inch titanium sheets that I'll use to reinforce above and below the splitter to prevent this from happening again. Good news is, while I was out there, I really enjoyed the canards and the taller wing, it's amazing how much of a difference more aero makes.
Ended the weekend with a 1:31.42 lap time, which isn't very impressive. With a few more laps I was shooting for a 26 or 27. A friend of mine in a MY19 ZR1 took home the fastest lap of 1:25.63. I don't think I could've outrun him as he had 10mph or so on me on the straight.
Here's a video of the fastest lap, tons of time left out there. I was frustrated when the car fell apart because I was just getting comfortable with the track.
