Guys, I finally was able to capture some video footage last weekend at NASA event at Homestead Miami Speedway.

I started Saturday in Group 2 (there are 4 levels, 4 being the highest) and I got tested by an instructor for both driving skills and the racing flags to jump to the next level. Well, I passed from the driving but failed from the flags. It's not that they were hard, the problem was driving at the limit of your skills, thinking and speaking all at the same time...

So he told me to go over the flags on Saturday night and come back for another test on Sunday, I finally passed! I moved up to Group 3! In this group you didn't need a point by to pass on the straight, and the drivers were better. That meant more competition, better and faster drivers (hell yes!!!). In Group 2, you had to run with Group 1, so it sucked!

I drove in Homestead last fall for the first time, it was also the first time that I had taken my car on the track. Ever since I had been driving at Palm Beach. After driving the same track so many times it becomes boring! This weekend was my second time driving in Homestead, so I had to relearn everything. The pace is much faster in Homestead, the corners are sharper. You really have to be on your toes! The elevation change in turn 10 is bad, it is a sudden drop. If you have a car with stiff suspension you have to be careful to avoid ending up in the grass... The car held up great! This suspension set up makes a whole lot of difference!

Here is the link to the video I shot in the second day:

http://vholdr.com/video/homestead-take-3
http://vholdr.com/video/homestead-take-2

PS: please keep in mind that I am running street tires

And here are some pics I took the day before heading to the track. I got the mirrors and the wing blade painted, and added the black stripe. No HP gains, but I like the new look

 

Great write up, thanks for the videos! Followed your suspension re-work...glad you're loving it. The car looks great as well!


-Alex

 

Awesome !!! I always waned to drive at homestead but thought it was only open to pro level drivers or if taking a class. Either way the footage looks great, the car sounds great and it looks like you had a blast.

 

Great vid but why the pausing in the video? Is it a recording limit, or maybe a problem with my computer?

 

Wow! Great job. Very smooth; great car control. Thanks for sharing the video!

PS. Loved the radio/iPod in the background. Sounds like just another day commuting to the office

 

Larry, it certainly was a blast! You should join us like I told you! Check this website, they have all the South Florida track events listed.

www.trackweekend.com
What do you mean pausing? There shouldn't be any problems with the videos. They were shot at two different sessions, one is shorter since the memory ran out in the camera.
Thanks! I wanted to share the experience and get some comments and tips from instructors and drivers better than me on the forum

Thanks! I like to listen to music even when driving on a track...

 

Awesome writeup Congrats!!! Also if you get bored driving the same track all the time which PBIR will do that to you.. Drive Sebring and you can probably run about 5-10k laps and not be bored.. I ran 1hr 30min last time out with Chin non stop and wasnt bored at all.. I cant get enough of Sebring EVER!!!

Oh and YES turn 10 can get very hairy.. Early turn in or coming off throttle can put you into the grass or rock pit..

Mike

 

That sounds great . I will look . It must have been great because the track is amazing and so close . The idea of driving 1.5 hrs to Palm Beach , then all day , and them all the way back sounds like a lot of driving . This sounds much more for me.

 

nice vids! thanks for sharing. I can see you were a bit tentative at times early on, but who wouldnt be with a new set up and street tires!!! im still pretty new to all of this, and i think the whole learning experience is part of the journey...

 

car looks great, ever think about going for the 09 with all the engine and tranny changes?

 

Your video was great to watch and your car looks great. At first I thought it was a gt3 It sounds great too.

I personally don't like the layout of homestead compared to other tracks-not many places to pass/not that wide. Regardless, it still would be fun to drive on.

What are you mods? Exhaust and wheel size?

 

Thank you! The problem with PBIR is the looong turns, it just feels like I am driving in a roundabout...

I have never driven on Sebring, but I cannot wait to try!

Trust me, it is worth the drive! I strongly believe that to get better you need to drive in different tracks.

Actually, I was not very tentative. I warmed up the engine before each session, and during the first 1-2 laps I usually went with a slower pace to warm up the tires and brakes. Plus, with street tires you can either go slower and hit the apexes or go fast and try to get as close to the apexes as you can, which is what I did

I could have gotten an 09 if I wanted to when purchasing the car, but I am a manual tranny guy. I love to feel the shifter and gears. I love to heel and toe when down shifting. I would not want to change that...

If I was going for a change, the only way would be to get a GT3!

Thanks! I like Homestead for the reasons that you don't The track being narrow, doesn't give you much room for error. This enables you to learn the correct line better. The sharp turns teach you where to start turning in, how fast your car can take it, and how to correct oversteer

So it teaches you a lot actually! I believe there are fair amount of straights to pass. My average lap time was 1:48, and for such a fast track there are 4 straights you can pass on.

 

If you still have any brain activity left available for background music it means you`re not running fast enough yet.

 

Did you read speculations of 2011 GT3 RS having 483 horses and 9500rpm rev limiter? That is some car to have... $150K+ price tag bites though...

 

True on Sebring, although the only thing I ever drove there was this:

Not me in the picture just a file photo