So I’m heading out to Monticello NY for the SCDA day on Friday. We’re fortunate enough to be able to run the full, 4 mile course. You can see a track map of it here. Read Full Story

So last Thursday I ran up at NHMS with the SCDA. There was the usual spread of cars ranging from the lowly Miata up to a couple of Gallardos and a Spec Racer Ford, and pretty much everything in between. But there was a more interesting addition this go around: a Ferrari Enzo made an appearance. And the best part is that the owner took it out on the track! This is pretty much the one thing that keeps me from being jealous of nice cars: they really aren’t anything special just tootli... Read Full Story

We’ve talked about the importance of using reference points to gauge when to make your inputs. The best reference point will of course be some object that is as close to the spot on the track where the input needs to be made. But sometimes there simply is no viable reference point anywhere near your input point. For these situations you can use a different technique, which is to basically to “feel” where the next reference point is. Take the Left Hander at Lime Rock, for... Read Full Story

So I was up at NHMS yesterday running with Ian Prout and the SCDA. You may recall from my last day up at NHMS that I said they were doing construction through the Turn 1-2 chicane. Well, that construction is complete, and that whole section is now completely different. Turn 1 now has a curbing on the inside that forces you to go much deeper into the corner then before. That means you need to slow WAY down before hitting 2a as that whole section is a lot tighter. The idea was probably to ... Read Full Story

Everyone always sets goals with whatever they do, and this is particularly true whenever they head to a racetrack. Most people picks something specific that they want to work, like “being smooth” or “finding the right line.” These are not bad goals, but I usually think much broader than that. Pretty much I say to myself, “what is the ONE thing that ABSOLUTELY want to happen today?” My answer is always the same: I want to drive home at the end of the da... Read Full Story

Posted in Motorsports Events by Noah on June 25th, 2009 Here at Pansy Patrol we have done quite a number of track days between us, and pretty much know what to expect. But if you are just getting your feet wet in the world of high performance driving, you may be a bit mystified as to what actually happens at a track day. Well, today I’ll give you a quick run through how track days work and what you can expect. The Basics So here is how track days work: a club or other org... Read Full Story

Posted in Technical Articles by Noah on June 9th, 2009 THE most important part of your car is your tires. And yes, I did mean to capitalize “THE.” Tires are literally the only part of your car that touches the ground (and if anything else is touching the ground, you should probably have that fixed). This means that ALL inputs depend DIRECTLY on your tires. Power, braking, and steering are all conditioned upon the amount of traction that your tires provide to you. W... Read Full Story

You can’t make this stuff up. A proposal to increase the tolls on the Humbert Bridge in England was met with objections, as indeed are most toll or tax increases. In this case, however, the Humbert Bridge Board held a public inquiry to look into whether the tolls should be increased. This inquiry cost over $80,000! (what exactly did they have to “inquire” about that could cost so much?) And the best part? The proposed increase is for roughly 30 cents/car, and the $80 gr... Read Full Story

All of our previous installments have dealt with finding and driving whichever Line will be the fastest for you in your car. This article will look at the line from a different perspective: what line to take to maximize your options in a corner. By that I mean taking a line that allows you to brake, swerve, or otherwise deal with something unexpected part way through the corner. The Safe Line is a Late Apex Line The essence of a safety line is a late apex. This is one of those instances w... Read Full Story

At the last SCDA track day at NHMS on May 21, iRacing set up a trailer with several stations for people at the track to try. I did, and I am definitely hooked. How Real is it? So the key question of course is how realistic is iRacing? The short answer: EXTREMELY!! There are 3 major parts of any driving simulator: 1) graphics, 2) car dynamics, and 3) feedback. All 3 components were outstanding. Graphics Visually, iRacing is very impressive. I’m not sure whether the setups they had w... Read Full Story