Update:

So I am doing some minor prep work for the track event about a week out. Wash, detail, oil change, etc. I think I will get a fresh set of brake pads after the event and just burn these down to the backing plates

I did order three new GoPro 3's (possibly excessive) and trying to figure out the best perspectives to get the action. Since there is no rollbar inside the cabin, I had to be creative inorder to get a good driver-oriented shot. I managed to make a faux rollbar mount using the passenger headrest location for my GoPro:



I will update this thread after the event with a brief summary. Then update it after I get a chance to edit the video into something that is barely acceptable

 

That looks great. Where are you putting the other two cameras?

On my Cayman last year I tried a GoPro on the Roll Bar, on the front bumper, and on a surface mount attached to the windshield right behind the rear view mirror. Adding another one this year and am going to get a view out the back window and on the rear bumper so my friends can see their line as they catch me...if they can. The location behind the mirror is a very good one. The tow hooks are a bit disorienting to me.

For views in the Cayman at the three front facing locations search YouTube for "Lime Rock November 10, 2012".

Should have tried a suction cup mount in the Cayenne yesterday.

Please do post your videos.

 

Thanks for the advice! Right now, I am thinking about one on the driver side lower front fender, facing forward towards the wheel well. I should be able to get a good angle on the wheel turning, opposite lock, suspension travel, nose dive, and close cones/curbs- and if I am lucky, a wheel lift or hairpin turns.

I am undecided on the third angle. I normally do not like to shoot through windshield from the interior due to all the reflections that happens on the windshield itself. With that said, I am thinking about the possible locations (in no particular order):

1) Hood mounted - shot of end of hood and winding course

2) Receiver hitch mount - trailing shot of action behind or under the vehicle shot?

3) Sticky mount on the steering column for close up of gauges.

4) Standalone tripod pointed at one corner of the course for the approach, follow through, and exit. 1 trick pony here - somewhat wasteful usage.

I will check out your video on youtube in a moment. Any suggestions for the third angle?

 

I like your idea of low on the front fender toward the wheel. At AutoX I often see cameras suction cup mounted to the rear window as you can get the driver's hands and the front wheel. That is not permitted on the track, usually, but AutoX rules are usually more relaxed about outside mounts. Outside high on the front window looking down is a popular spot too and would be really high on a Cayenne so you might get good shots of the cones.

It would be nice to get a view of the car from outside the track but finding the right location is often tricky and you have to go pick the damn thing up afterward.

 

Good suggestion. I think I will try out the high on the front windshield (outside), looking down shot, tomorrow during my work commute to see how it looks. Even if this turns out good, I think I will still want a 3rd person perspective, so may give my HD-capable compact camera a try. I will try to get a medium-to-wide angle. I will have a helper with me, so hopefully I can make sure it does not walk away.

Moreover, I also have a few good mics, so it should be worthwhile. Any ideas on FPS? Maybe a should bump it up to 60 (120?) FPS on some of the faster shots - like wheels turning.

 

A helper/camera person is very nice to have.

I have not tried the faster frame settings on either my Hero 2 or 3 (the new one has not been used at all) but it might be fun for slow motion. I had the mic under my helmet some of the time in some unposed videos but ended up putting it in the center console to capture mechanical noise without any wind noise. Thinking I should try it in their with a wind sock, might be a real sock(!), to muffle it a bit.

For an outside rear quarter window view of the driver's hands and the front of the car search YouTube for "Lime Rock Park Sept 10th DE PCA CVR" posted by Paul Gauthier.

The CVR region of the PCA has posted some videos of our AutoX's. None of mine but some better drivers with outside mounts.
Search YouTube for CVR PCA Autocross Videos or go off the CVR website.

 

Thanks! I have my homework for tonight and will followup. FWIW, a real wind socks makes an incredible difference. Not to mention an externally powered mic for sound quality.

 

Kent,

Don't make the "little cars" feel inadequate next week!

 

Update:

Sorry for the delay guys. I have been running and gunning since last week and just had a moment to sit down to do a full report back from the autocross day. First of all, it was a blast! There was a pretty good turn out of cars there, here is the highlight list:

'10 Porsche Carrera 4S
'13 Ford Focus ST
'08 Subaru WRX STi
'97 Porsche Boxster
'12 Roush Mustang
'11 BMW M3
'00 Honda S2000
'07 Mini Cooper S
'05 Shelby Mustang
'95 Ferrari 348
..plus others...

Pretty good mix of cars to go up against.

Secondly, I want to acknowledge that I am not delusional (at least most of the time) and understand that I brought a fat girl to dance-off competition on Saturday night .I thought about taking my Audi TT Quattro (slightly modded) out there for a (very) brief moment, but really wanted to see what my almost 6,000 lbs SUV could do since it surprises me daily on the composure of the suspension. I knew that it was technically "capable" and very impressive when driving it daily at 7/10th or 8/10ths. Even though I have seen plenty of videos of Cayennes on the track, I wanted to know, does it all kind of fall apart when pushing it all out at 9/10ths and 10/10ths on a track?

I am happy to report that it holds up well when pushed to the absolute limits!

I am talking about PSM off, 104 race fuel, over 700 ft lbs of torque, relatively long wheelbase (compared to these other cars), high center of gravity, air suspension, trailer hitch, heavy 22" wheels, 5 seats, 3 locking differentials, and 4 tires (305/35/22) screeching for dear life at the torturous task of hold of that mass in check.

We showed up to the event, checked in, and had a brief talk with the instructor in the group for the day. In the beginning, he made a special comment to the group that out of all the cars there that day, he was most interested in see how my beast performed. Ha! Okay, no pressure there! Although positive in intent, I am sure this was not meant in the best of context. Meaning, I did not bring a Lotus Elise on slicks. I brought what promised to be some sort of spectacle - a sight to be hold, for sure! I imagine not to different from watching a 300 lb linebacker run a 4.5 sec, 40 . Something that is sure to be just beyond belief. I was prepared to get some crazy looks or even chuckles, but everyone was very respectful from the outset. I suppose the Cayenne might have some sort of reputation that precedes it - a track capable SUV - an oxymoron not too long ago. I can only imagine if I was in Trailblazer SS or Range Rover Sport, the amount of blowback I would come up against. Once again, glad to be the entertainment here

Admittedly, it was only Lime Rock's second day running this sort of event, so they were still dialing in the schedule and routine. So overall, times were not taken every lap. Only one lap was timed and it was towards the end of the event. The first third of the day was spent doing one half of their autocross course. The second third was doing the second half of their course. Then for the last third, they connected both halves in order to run the full course - which they called the Supercross. Even though their autocross had a few straight-aways, they strategically put up a few cones to create a "chicane" a couple of times to inhibit high HP cards from barreling out of one corner, blasting down the straight, and then brake trailing into the next corner. I suppose this was not unexpected at an autocross event, however, it was still a little disappointing since I could not put much of my HP/TQ down without over-driving the tires.

The first passes out were definitely fun - no issues. The first thing I noticed was that while driving at 6/10ths or 7/10ths the PDCC and lowered suspension keeps the body roll very minimal - think Audi S6. However, at 10/10ths there is no denying that this is a big vehicle! The PDCC can only eliminate so much, then the excess is a little surprising. However, the limits never felt sprung or rushed upon me- it was gradual and more gradual, to the point where I was pressing harder onto the deadpedal in an effort to hold myself upright and maintain my hand position on the wheel. Interesting though, when viewed from a 3rd person perspective, the bodyroll looks very minimal compared to other cards. When reviewing some of my video, I would say that there is a big discrepancy between the perception of bodyroll inside and outside the vehicle. This might be contributed to the overall mass again.

After a couple of laps, my pace got faster and faster. Apparently, the course instructor (22 years+ experience) was so impressed with my exit and speed from one particularly tricky righthand corner and into another difficult lefthand corner transition, that he came onto the track clapping his hands. I guess this is good

I was pushing my CTTS to the point where the tires were screeching on every corner and eventually felt the tires overheating and letting me drift out wider from the line I was steering. Wow. Considering how hard I was pushing it, I was happy that I never once felt brake fade or thought I could not slow down in time from hitting a cone or pushing out of a corner entry. However, I do have Castrol SRF brake fluid (highest wet boiling point), stainless steel lines, and aftermarket brake pad compounds. Unfortunately, 4 days before the event I felt my Carbotech XP8 (light race /autocross) pads digging in too much and knew it was time for a brake pad change- just bad timing. The best pad compound I could find in time was the EBC yellowstuff- not as good, but they are better than the stock Pagid pads. They held up really well, however, they were smoking like no tomorrow towards the end of the event. So much so, that I got a couple of bottles of water to help them cool down. I know that "thermal shock" is not great, but neither is overheating your brake pad compound. So I watched all the steam and water boil off while I tried to keep the temperatures in check. At point, one driver came up to me to say "None of us will be surprised if your brakes catch on fire". I shrugged it off and said, "They are just brakes, they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are fine". Considering that I was almost twice as heavy as the lightest car there and had one of the fastest accelerating vehicles (not the best combination), they were doing remarkable not to be ceramic brakes,

Besides that, the weakest link for me was the center diveshaft support bearing bushing.. dun dun dun! Why is this the Cayenne issue that will not go away? I had zero issues before I showed up to the track. Halfway through the middle of the event, I heard a slight knocking on WOT from out of corners. Towards the end of the event, it was a loud "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK." I already knew what is was when I heard it, but like any other good racer, I keep on pushing it. So by the end of the day, it was knocking even when going 15 mph in the parking lot - gee great. Remember, I just got this driveshaft replaced under warranty last May from the dealer. This one had less than 20,000 miles on it!!! The constant stress of the event was enough to ruin it in one single day. So instead of going with another OEM piece (that too would fail soon), I replaced it with a Vertex unit that promises to be a permanent solution. I guess we will see.

The last piece of information that I want to leave you with is that I took over 50 GB of photos and video from this day. Four different camera feeds (all HD of course) and several DSLR shots. I will upload some of the still photos today and will work on editing all that video. By way, I have a huge feather in my hat from this event. I managed to chase down that '11 BMW M3 in the last session (twice)- to the point where the instructor had to pull him off the course so the "faster" vehicle can safely pass. Imagine a big whale in your rearview mirror that you cannot shake. I said "good race" to the M3 driver afterwards, where he avoided eye contact. I suppose I had that coming after the crazy dance moves my fat girl laid down - ouch

Let me know what you guys think.

 

Awesome! Awesome! And did I say, Awesome?

Love your write up on this event. Wish I lived closer to see it in person.

Looking forward to pics and video.

 

Pictures from the event:

 

Thanks Dave! Yeah, a little long of a write-up, but the devil (and fun) is in the details.

 

Looks extremely stable compared to all other cars on the course. Great shots!

 

Awesome write up and pictures Renaissance Man. Thanks for pushing the limits of the Cayenne and sharing your journey.

You are an asset to the forum.

Questions:

1) How much tire wear during the day? Did you rotate your tires after the event?

2) How much brake wear?

 

Definitely corners flatter than I would have thought- all of my pics (except for the last) were taken at 10/10ths, which is hard to fully appreciate in the still shots (video will corroborate). It even looks relatively flat in the corners when compared to that mid 90's Ferrari 348.

Thanks Stage7 - that means a lot coming from another hardcore enthusiast!


Good questions. I should be able to give some pretty accurate data since the tires are less than 2 months old and the pads were put on a couple of days before the event:

1) According to my Milton tire gauge, my front tires are at 8/10ths tread after checking several areas. New, they were at 10/10ths. I expected more uneven wear on the inside of the tire since my last set of tires wasted about 2/10ths (after seasonal rotation) on the outside of the tread due a lot of negative camber. I am sure it was the same negative camber that kept the contact patch of the tire evenly distributed while sliding around those tight corners. So it is a pleasant surprise to have even wear on the tires after the event. Note, I did not bother to check the rear tires since the front ones would have been subjected to more stress. As such, I think you brought up a good point and I will do a proper tire rotation this weekend. Thanks!

2) This is harder to give precise feedback on since it is a pain to pull the pads from my calipers. From what I can see under the caliper, they look to be at about 25 - 33% worn. Not too bad at all - I am sure the humongous surface area of the pad is the main reason that I can easily get another few months of daily driving from these pads. No noticeable difference in the slight grooves that were previously in the rotors. Yes, I did not install new front rotors since the old ones were within spec (+32mm). I am sure that did not help the heat situation though.