Posted in Driving Technique, Turn-by-Turn Track Guides by Noah on October 22nd, 2009 Due to some upcoming events, I have had requests for a turn-by-turn track guide to Lightning at NJMP. I don’t have time right now for a detailed right up with video, so below is a preliminary guide. I’ll base my corner markings off this map here. NJMP’s site says Lightning only has 10 corners, but there are 11 radius on the map I just linked to. I will go by the map. Lightni... Read Full Story

Posted in In the News by Noah on October 5th, 2009 Toyota is issuing a recall for 3.8 million vehicles because they have floormats that may cause the gas pedal to become stuck. While this can certainly be a major problem, far more concerning is the inability of people to effectively deal with the issue. The NHTSA says that over 100 incidents have been brought to its attention, and the Associated Press has reported on a family that was killed when their Lexus began accelerating... Read Full Story

Posted in Motorsports Events by Noah on September 18th, 2009 I was down at NJ Motorsports Park with the SCDA earlier this week. We ran Thunderbolt on Monday, and Lightning on Tuesday. All I can say is wow! Thunderbolt was fun. It is pretty fast, some elevation change, and takes a little while to get used to the speeds you can carry through the corners. The corners are much wider than they first appear, and you can really fly through a bunch of them. My only gripe is that man... Read Full Story

Posted in In the News, Laws and Regulations by Noah on September 17th, 2009 In a recent decision, Massachusetts highest court, the Supreme Judicial Court, gave the green light to Police tracking suspects with GPS if they have a warrant to do so. The facts stem from a drug bust for over 120 ounces of crack cocaine. As with any possession-based offense (and especially something like crack cocaine), the easiest way to beat the charges is to have the evidence thrown out. That is ... Read Full Story

Posted in Driving Technique by Noah on September 10th, 2009 We’ve talked about reference points on the ground, as a rhythm, as your engine note, and now we can talk about using your hands and the steering wheel as a reference point as well. As with other “soft” reference points, the benefit is that you have some additional frame of reference after your last “hard” reference point. But you need to recognize your consistency (or inconsistencies) and ... Read Full Story

Posted in Our Opinions by Noah on September 7th, 2009 When most people buy an auto racing helmet, their criteria is usually something along the lines of how well it fits their head, cost, and possibly the design if that is your thing. But one aspect which few consider is arguably one of the most important: how well a pair of glasses fits with the helmet on. By design any auto racing helmet will cover your ears and temple, and a full face will, naturally, cover the face as well.... Read Full Story

Posted in Driving Technique by Noah on August 31st, 2009 We talked previously about using rhythm as a reference point. Another useful reference point you can use is your engine note. Engines of course sound different at every different RPM, and you can get a very accurate picture of your revs just by listening to your engine note. Using your engine note as a reference point is really just an extension of using rhythm as a reference point. By that I mean you are once again feel... Read Full Story

Posted in Driving Technique, Motorsports Events by Noah on August 9th, 2009 This is a turn-by-turn guide for the full 4.1 mile, 20 turn course. There are a few general things you should note. 1) the course is LONG and there are a TON of compromise corners, so make sure you learn the track so you can think ahead several corners. 2) the straights are long and fast but the corners are tight and slow, so be vigilant about your braking zones. 3) as the track existed on July 31, 2009... Read Full Story

Here I am doing two clean laps around Monticello Motor Club in July 2009 with the SCDA. This is the full, 4.1 mile course with 20 corners. It looks like I’m not using all of the track, but that is just because of the view. My wheels do extend quite a bit farther to the side than the camera and are on the edges of the pavement. Read Full Story

As I mentioned last week, I went out to Monticello Motor Club in NY with the SCDA last week. Suffice it to say, this new racetrack is amazing. The track layout was done quite well, and there are a whole slew of different configurations that can be run. We were fortunate to be able to run the full, 4.1 mile, 22 corner course. Now, I wouldn’t consider it a full 22 corners, just because some of them are small and close enough together that they are more like “sections,” bu... Read Full Story