Heartland Park Touring Laps - September Results

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:34 pm

I thought I'd start a new thread here. (Edit: it probably needs to be moved to Mini Lounge - sorry)

WOW that was some major fun!!!!!

If you have never done anything like this you don't know what you are missing. What I discovered tonight is that the Mini (S or not) has a lot more capability than you could imagine. Tonight I completely validated my purchase!!! I'll be grinning until next month when we do it all again.

I know exactly what my next mod is going to be. It's going to be some type of driver upgrade in the form of some High Performance Driver Education! My instructor was great - but I have a lot to learn in order to develop the confidence and skill necessary to call myself anything other than a novice. Even still there were a couple runs up the front straight away with MiniDave and Petek (both of whom had just passed me) at 100+. (Note: This isn't racing - but it was fun watching MiniDave chase down a Mustang GT).

We had one GP, two JC Works, three S, and two Minis. The next largest group was the Lotus Elises - I think they had 4 - several Corvettes and a couple of odds and ends. Heck, there was even a Chevy Aveo, Ford Taurus SHO (it was very fast and loud) and a early 70s El Camino.

Thanks to MiniDave, PeteK, Sliboa, Hagar46, Dimini, MiniGeoff, Sundance for a great day at the track.

Alex

sliboa · Post by **sliboa** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:06 pm

I have to agree that this was phenomenal fun and easily worth the $80. It was a great way to learn more about my car and how it handles and improve my ability behind the wheel.

I also got to ride with Todd in his GP for a few laps, in the wet, and all I can say is that I'm still grinning. It is such an amazing car, and with Todd really giving it the beans, it made for a fantastic ride.

This a great, safe event for anyone wanting to learn about what their MINI can really do and have some great fun with some great people. I can't recommend it enough.

Hagar46 · Post by **Hagar46** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:31 am

Ditto. That was a blast! Thanks MiniDave for suggesting that others join in the fun. I'm glad I took you up on the offer!

Even though my Cooper is the base model with a CVT, I didn't know it could do what it did on the track. My first instructor was great demonstrating what the car could do and he said he wasn't even pushing it hard! It was very helpful having him coach me when I was driving. By the luck of the draw, I didn't have an instructor during the first session and I was amased how much better I did in the second session with instruction.

MiniGeoff, sorry I didn't let you pass me sooner in the final session. I hope I didn't hold you up too much. My instructor was talking too much and I didn't notice you behind me right away.

Can't wait to go again!

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:31 pm

I'm glad everyone had a great time, I'll see you all on the track in October - let's get 20 MINIs there this time!

I'll have a google link up to my vids sometime tonight, it takes a long time to upload the video, so be patient with me........

Oh, and that was a Shelby GT 500 I was chasing! You'll see it in the vid.......He had no idea a MINI could be that fast. I didn't really chase him down, but I could stay with him for most of the track except the long front straight - 500 Supercharged HP has to count for sumthin!

petek · Post by **petek** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 4:59 pm

Rain on track = great fun.

Rain on the road on the way home = no fun at all!

I think I'll go into the intermediate class next time (and be the slowest car out there)!

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:49 pm

Petek - I know that I waved you by at least once and had you in my rear view mirror for the last 3 laps. I was just getting to wave you by when the checked flag came out to let us have our cool down lap.

You and MiniDave were definitely the fast ones in our novice group. Are you going in October?

sliboa · Post by **sliboa** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:01 pm

Here a few pictures of our cars in the lot next to the track. I unfortunately didn't get much of a chance to take pictures.

petek · Post by **petek** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:16 pm

I'm going to try to make the October event but I might bring my Cobra instead of the MINI. I'm taking my Cobra to Gateway in early October so I just might bring my MINI to Heartland. Frankly, right now I think I'd be faster around the track in the MINI rather than the Cobra.

Of course if there was a Jaguar on the track I'd have to bring my Cobra...

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:59 am

Bring the Cobra!!! If you do, I'm riding shotgun!!!

Heck, there were times when I was pretty sure I would have been faster around the track on my Schwinn.

petek · Post by **petek** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:25 pm

I had some instrumentation in my MINI this time... a Pocket PC, a GPS CF card, and some software. The software recorded the position of the MINI in 3-space at regular intervals (about a second apart using the GPS card that I currently have). Using some simple physics the software calculates speed and acceleration (lateral and longitudinal g force) of the MINI.

There is a LOT of data and I haven't had a chance to go through it all yet but I did take a quick look and found on the second run on the track:

maximum speed = 93 mph
lateral (corning) g force: +1.195g and -1.18g (right and left turns)
longitudinal (accel and braking): -0.59g (braking) and 0.621g (accel)

I'm not 100% sure of the data because of the sampling rate. I need to get a faster gps card to get better data.

That said there were a few things that I found surprising...
... the cornering g force was amazing. There were quite a few samples in the 0.9 range so the over 1 g recordings are probably accurate. 30 years ago g forces like this were only in formula cars!

The braking g force suggests that I can go a LOT deeper before I start braking. I think the MINI should be able to get darn near -1 g on braking.

The acceleration is also someone suspect but probably accurate. The data shows quite clearly how acceleration drops off as you shift through the gears. Each higher gear = higher speed = more drag = slower acceleration.

Top speed 93? Since I was focusing on the turns rather that top speed, 93 mph is probably accurate.

Caveat of course that I'm not 100% sure the data sample rates were high enough to get this level of precision. Still, pretty darn neat!

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 2:58 pm

Very cool!

I didn't have my GPS in the car, but on my video you can clearly see the speedo at 110 just over the crest of the hill on the front straight, and I think Pete's car is every bit as fast as mine so I wonder about the 93mph top speed. Were you letting off just before the crest again?

I was hitting over 90 on the back straight, redlined in third gear....... but whatever the numbers, I know I went a lot faster this time than I did last.

I'm still trying to get the vids uploaded; on the second one (the "good" one

) I forgot to turn the camera off after we got back to the pits, and the file's too big to email home so I can edit it. I'm either going to have to borrow or buy a 2 gig thumb drive so I can copy it and bring it home, edit it and then upload it - I only have the Google uploader at home.

Anyway, I got some pretty fun shots of several of the MINI's on the track, so I hope I can get these soon up so you all can watch them.

sundance · Post by **sundance** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:24 pm

Yeah, with a clear track in front of me a quick glance at the speedo cresting the hill on the front straight showed 115 MPH in the GP. With a Miata in front of me on the front straight I was braking at about 105 so I didn't become one with his rear bumper. After two laps of riding in the Miata's back seat he finally waived me by. On the wet track I think the top speed dropped to the upper 90s or right about 100 MPH.

Gotta say the wet track was the most fun and the MINI really had an advantage over all those souped up rear wheel drive cars. Too bad it all ended so quickly. Can't wait for October.

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:52 pm

Thanks for everyone looking for the Tonneau cover. It's been found -MiniGeoff snagged it for me. Thanks.

mukwaman · Post by **mukwaman** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:05 am

sliboa wrote:Here a few pictures of our cars in the lot next to the track. I unfortunately didn't get much of a chance to take pictures.

Hey Folks of the Track,
I didn't partake in the event but took a few photos of the MINIs as they entered the one turn by the Budweiser board and I'll post these photos by Tuesday (I'm away from home at the moment). The photos aren't top quality but they will help you recall the event.

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:52 am

Mukwaman - you should have joined us! How about October? We should have a good group going again then.

MiniDave - are you going to start the October thread?

I'm looking forward to the pictures (although I think I remember struggling with turn 8 - alot!) - thanks for sharing!

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 4:45 pm

MiniDave - are you going to start the October thread?

I guess it's never too early!

Looking forward to the pics, Mukwaman (can't wait to hear the explanation for that screename!)

We saw you drive in and hoped you were joining us on the track. Maybe in Oct then?

mukwaman · Post by **mukwaman** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:14 pm

OK Folks,

I know that I have got the following on the track:

Hagar46
MiniDave
petek
MiniGeoff
and maybe sliboa.

Don't know what happened to sundance - I didn't get any photos - I had to leave after the 3rd event.

The quality is not the greatest but help yourselves to the photos which are here

Dave

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:07 pm

Actually the first couple of photos are of Sundance in his super-duper GP! Great photos! Next time don't be shy - come introduce yourself and join us.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:22 pm

Actually, the only ones missing are Hagar and sliboa from what I can see...............

Thanks for the pics!

sliboa · Post by **sliboa** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:10 pm

Minidave wrote:Actually, the only ones missing are Hagar and sliboa from what I can see...............

Thanks for the pics!

Yup, seems so. Of course, it would be the Coopers that get shorted.

Some nice pictures, though.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:00 am

Well, you and Hagar feature prominantly in my video's, as you'll see as soon as hctiev gets finished editing them.

In the mean time, here's a raw unedited video of the first session, not a lot going on here as I was behind several first timers and we were all going slowly to acclimate to the track and the correct line.

On my third lap, the black flag is for MINIgeoff's instructor - he was supposed to pull into the pits and switch drivers, I guess he forgot.

As I'm going up the front straight behind the white Shelby, you'll see a silver Cadillac come out of the pits, I'm glad he was behind me cause he got all crossed up in turn 1!

Anyway, the second video is much more fun, as it includes all the off line gaffs and one tiny off course mistake I made, plus we're going a whole bunch faster!

In the first part of the video, as we're sitting in the false grid getting ready to go out onto the track, the whine you hear is the El Camino (yes, there was an El Camino on track with us!) and its straight cut timing gears. The rattle you hear at idle and slow speeds is my camera mount, gonna hafta work on that a bit, although you don't hear it on the second video as much.

Session one at HPT on 9/19/07

Edit: Oh, and the conversation between me and the unseen course worker was him asking me to roll down my passenger window, which quit working just before our session. I was able to get it going later with the "Fonzi move"; when the rain approached I was really concerned I wouldn't be able to get it back up again, but so far it's worked fine ever since!

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:58 am

MiniDave - I just finished editing the first Session and will finish the second one this evening. We need to find a time when we can hook up so I can get them back to you.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:43 pm

Absolutely, I'm on vacay this week, so pretty much any time's good for me..........

Thanks for doing the edits, I look forward to seeing what you did with them!

Some guys over at my other online life Carnuts.us have been waiting with baited breath! (spelling intentional

)

hctiev · Post by **hctiev** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:45 am

Heartland Park Video #1

Edit: URL removed - Fixing issues

All I did was trim down the front and back of the video and add a title and credits.

I'm a little disappointed in how this video is showing - it almost seems black and white. I'll try to improve video #2 when I post it this evening.

Alex

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:05 am

That's part of the problem with uploading these to Google video, they compress the hell out of them and you lose all the detail. The second one might be worse, since it was a lot darker out with the rain approaching.

What happened to the sound? I admit it wasn't the best with the mount rattling and so on, did you eliminate it on purpose? Or is it just my computer?

Appreciate your efforts!

Alex - you have a PM

Kansas City MINI Enthusiasts

Heartland Park Touring Laps - September Results

Heartland Park Touring Laps - September Results

HPT

Heartland Park Touring Cliub Event Sept 19th, 2007