Took the Maranello to the track

I went to the Italian-Pantera festival at TWS yesterday (pics later) and got some time on the track before the rains came and thought I'd share some driving impressions.

First, TWS is a very technical track for a converted NASCAR track. For example, Turn 1 consists of a dive off the embankment into a deceasing radius turn that feeds into a very sharp left hand Turn 2. Very interesting. I definitely recommend using an instructor for anyone who hasn't been on the track before. You'll learn all about the Red Box, the Third Pole, the Water Tower, the Black Spot and so forth and so on.

The Maranello is a hoot once you find its groove. You drive this car just like a motorcycle. Line out on the outside edge, brake hard while standing up, pitch the car towards a late apex, the steer with the throttle all the way to the corner and track out all the way to the outside edge of the exit. You use the entire track in this car. Indeed, the only time the car fought me was when I'd tried to take a tighter line on the exit.

I'll concede that a 550 is not the best track car. This is instead a long-legged car that was born to run. It has so much torque that it just loves to munch exits. If fact, I was staying in 4th the whole way around the circuit. I wasn't ready to power up to 5th on the straight like Maranelloman, and I didn't really need to drop down to 3rd on the hairpins.

But, once again, you get this car into a groove on a track where you can really power out of some exits (TWS has three short straights, and one long straight away), it is a lot of fun to drive smooth and fast. In fact, traffic is somewhat of a pain because you have to throttle back and wait till you see daylight and you can run away from people.

On a side note, this track day has jelled some ideas that have been rolling around my head. Namely, I need to save my high speed driving for the track. But racing an expensive Ferrari doesn't make a lot of sense, at least not financially. There were a bunch of Spec Miates running the track and these folks were having almost more fun than the law allows. Plus, with a drive out price in the $20s, you could wad the entire car for less dollars than what one bad get off in the Maranello would cost. If any of you have any experience with Spec cars, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm particularly interested in whether there will be a Spec Mini class.

Also, I'm thinking that I need to go back in time for my street driving. The Maranello is just too damn good. At 3,500 RPM in 6th gear, the motor is just barely ticking over, but you are running 100 mph. Bump up to 4,500 rpm, and you're going 120. From here to 160 in the Maranello is a piece of cake. You could have Granny in the car, and she wouldn't even notice.

The problem, of course, is that the radar never lies (yeah right). Given the growing aggressiveness of the revenue enhancers, driving this hot rod is gonna cost me some money. Indeed, while I ran the track yesterday afternoon, the rest of the group got busted in mass while doing a run. (I'm told that no animals or Democracts were harmed during the run, but Johnny Law nonetheless was having a bad hair day.)

So here is what I'm thinking --- (1) Get a Spec car and drive like there is no tomorrow at the track, and (2) Get a vintage Ferrari and have mo fun under 100, than over 100.

Your Thoughts?

DrTax

 

LOL. I hope you used a rubber, Dave!

Do you ever get out to No Problem raceway very much? I'd be interested in knowing what kind of spec classes they run out there.

 

Well, I was talking to a guy who promotes Spec Miatas (He, of course, also builds and sells them.) His take was that the Miata class is taking over because (1) It is a cheap car, (2) You can't kill them even if you want to, (3) They handle better than anything else because they have independent rear suspensions, and (4) The better driver wins every time. That is, because it is a momentum car, one mistake, and you're toast.

But I'd love to hear about anybody else's experiences.

DrTax

 

Well, I was taking it easy in the dry yesterday. First time on this track and whatnot. I doubt that I was doing much more than 110 or so by the end of the straight. In the Mary-Nello, this is a piece of cake.

I waved off today because of the rain. I don't have that much rain experience in this car and it is heavy and expensive to fix.

I did see one Viper who was doing maybe 140 wave off at the last second and go onto the oval. He wasn't breaking and apparently didn't feel comfortable pitching that sucker down the embankment. Can't say that I blame him.

A good friend of mine has been racing Ducatis at TWS for years. He said that he has meet God at Turn 1 several times. Life gets up close and personal on a bike.

Take Care, Dale

 

I assume that this is a SCCA formula class? Might be a bit much for a beginner like me. Interesting though because they had a Panoz at this meet. First one I have seen live. It was black and the guy was asking $35K for the car. How do these cars handle? It looked a little high for a track car is why I'm asking.

Thx, DrTax

 

My instructor told me that they deliberately teach everybody very late apexs around TWS, except for T12. (This is also where they put the cones.) He said that most Green drives naturally apex too early which means that they tend to run out of real estate on the track out. Apparantly, this is particularly true at TWS.

What do you think about the T7-T8-T9-10-T11 series? This looks like where time is really lost or won because they set you for the last series before the straight.

Thx DrTax

 

You might be interested in knowing that Mandy had her challenge car out today getting some rain practice. This is exactly the line she was taking. Interesting enough, it is the same line that the bike racers take.

Rob, you need to get over this thing of thinking that people actually listen to what you say. Actually, my instructor heads up the ALARA company where they do turnkey "arrive and drive" deals. Sounds like the ticket for an old fart like me.

However, I'm wondering if anyone is going to start a Mini S spec series. These cars are like overpowered go karts, and I'm thinking they might be more fun than the Miatas. I think the Miatas are roughly 100 HP, and the Mini S approaches 200 HP.

Yeah, the DE events are the probably the best for this car. Hitting traffic gets you off your groove. My instructor said that some cars are swords and some are boardswords like the Maranello. As long as you can safely use all the track, it really rocks. But if you have to zig and zag, ah, that's beyond my abilities at this time. It really makes me admire those cars who race them. I realize that the racing version is so much different from mine. But they still are big cars. Kinda like Smoking Joe Frazier (a Maranello) versus Ali (A 360).

When are you coming down here again?

DrTax

ps I'm working on it. I'm working on it.

 

Oh, okay, I get it now. What I saw today was the roadster. That GTS is one mean looking machine. Wow, 1:50 on the 2.9. Friends, that's moving.

Thx

 

Mitch, it certainly sounds like you have spent a lot of time going around and around TWS! I don't have that much track experience, but it sure seems like TWS is a very interesting track. My goal is to get to where I can put together 5 perfect laps on the Green line AND watch the corner workers at the same time.

Driving the Mary-Nello around TWS is like square dancing... swing your partner round and round. Hitting a late apex and tracking ALL the way out feels so right in this car.

For example, in T10, my instructor - Alara, had me braking hard on the outside edge and then pitching in for a very late apex so that I could feather the throttle to end up on the right edge of T11 and then gun it into T11 for a rocket ride down to T12. Take an early apex in T12. Run to a very late apex to T13 and and then steady power on through T14 and T15 where the beast just loved to munch some real estate. Ah, torque is God!

Take Care, Dale

 

Will, care to share what where you driving and what line you took? Or is this the stuff of nightmares?

Thx Dale

ps How is FW working out? Is your mom okay?