February 11, 2008 vDream Project EG6: Infineon 1

02:36pm by Cheechoo (Cars)

... And finally, the vDream Project EG6 is officially under way! I went to Infineon this weekend with the EG6, and had a blast. I signed up for NASAproracing (don’t be fooled by the name, I’m not a pro or anywhere near it), and they took us out with instructors to learn the tricks of the trade. I must say, that I’m a huge fan of NASA (National Auto Sport Association). Their organized system is very conducive to every skill level. From HPDE 1 (where I fall… basically a huge n00b) to actual professional racing with prize purses and homologated sport.

First I want to talk about the event. Throughout the day, we would go out on the track in different groups, including even the homologated events. Groups A, C, and E raced that day. This includes the Performance Tuning group, the Super Touring group, the Super Unlimited group, the Honda Challenge group, the Spec E30 group, the Spec Miata group, Legends, and Thunder Roadsters. It was very exciting watching these guys go all out on the track, jostling for position, and smoking their tires/brakes at almost every turn. And of course, the Spoon Opak team was there just like last time, testing their cars in the time trial group (as my girlfriend likes to call them, “The Spooneys”). The results of the day can be seen at http://www.nasaproracing.com/results/norcal.html?runid=727599

Now I’d like to talk about my experience of the day. I was very surprised to see how organized, safe, and ease of getting into it was. The rules are strict (such as only passing on the straights, before the braking zones), but those rules allow you to have fun with your car, learn the proper lines, and not worry about getting into an accident with other cars. None of us in group 1 or 2 are skilled enough to be overtaking, or letting others overtake, anywhere near any turn. So a complete noob like me can go out there and have a great time, and not worry about damaging my baby. If anyone out there is interested in auto racing, or even in just tossing your car around a track once in a while, consider NASA as a great way to have fun.

My car is a ‘92 Civic DX with no engine modifications. We’re looking at around 107 horsepower here, for those of you folks who think “my car isn’t fast enough.” My instructor rolls around in a 97hp 1990 Honda Civic DX. In one of the sessions, I was trying to trail him, and basically stay on his ass as much as possible. He was probably driving at around 50% capacity, and tried to speed it up every lap. I was completely amazed at how well his car could tackle those turns without slowing down at all. He had extensive suspension work done, and was sitting on shaved tires. It looked like he was just slowly meandering around the track, and I was trying to follow his line, and my tail would often peel away from me slightly, forcing me to slow down even further. Once on turn 11, which is a nice low speed U-turn facing a good looking cement barrier, my tail got super squirrely, so much that I had to countersteer my FWD car (lol) to avoid slamming my ass into the barrier. All in all, it was a great experience, even for a noob such as myself. And I’ve realized I want some stickier tires.