Matt's Project DC4

Spitfire8o5

Track Junkie
I don't know two shits bout DSLRs still lol I leave it on auto and point.. then shoot lol
 


JDMxDB8

Raceline USA
Streets of Willow CCW Recap (02/09/14):

So yesterday, I went to my first track event of the year at The Streets of Willow road course located inside Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA with Speed Ventures. It's been almost a year since I last tracked DJ (last event was at Thunderhill Raceway back in 03/02/13). It felt great being back out on track, especially with a bucket seat, harness, and roll bar installed.





Before the track hoonage began, I went to the local Chevron to fill DJ up. From past experieces, filling up your car before going to the track saves you the headache of leaving the track mid-day to fill up because you burned through all the petrol. I spotted my buddy Roger Pompa AKA Spitfire8o5 in his DC4 also stopping for some petrol. After that, we headed to the track, parked, reserved about 20 spaces for other HFF Challenge drivers, and began emptying out our DC4s.



Took a quick photo of DJ after I did all my pre-track checks before the first session of the day. As I was adjusting my tire pressures, I discoverd that the passenger side rear tire was flat. I checked the tire pressure and it was at ZERO psi! I checked the tire pressures the night before and all four corners were holding steadily at 34 psi. Luckily a fellow HFF Challenge competitor who brought a flatbed tow truck with him to the track had an onboard air compressor. Thanks Javi! I filled the tire up with some air and I double checked the pressure before going out on track for the first session.

It's been 5 years since I last drove SOW CCW, so I had to get used to the course all over again. The first session was bit of a clusterf***, so getting in a clean hot lap was out of the question. I just focused on learning the course and getting used to driving DJ with the new mods. Driving with the safety equipment was definitely a load off, which allowed me to push it a little harder than I would if I didn't have them installed. This was actually my very first track event with a bucket seat. Holy s***. The difference it night and day! Not having to hold my entire body down while cornering was such a relief. I was able to concentrate more on driving, which was rather nice. The other mod that made a huge difference was the Eibach 25mm rear sway bar. One word: rotation. Previously, DJ didn't have a rear sway bar at all (thieves jacked it when the car was stolen). So coming from having no rear sway bar to a 25mm rear sway bar was a huge difference. Before, DJ had quite a neutral handling characteristic. At SOW, I was able to get her to rotate at will using the brakes, throttle, turning inputs, etc. Being able to control your car the way you want is such a great feeling.



Here's a photo of me braking into the first corner (Skidpad). The Skidpad is the hardest braking zone of the course.



Towards the end of the first session, I was following this Porche Cayman for almost two laps, slowly gaining on him. Right after Turn 13, the Cayman started smoking and spilling coolant/oil on the ground. I began slow down and move over to move over to the left, but it was too late. I drove over the coolant/oil and DJ's ass got thrown out so fast it wasn't even funny. I prevented the car from going into a full spin (counter-clockwise) and got her to point straight into the dirt as best as I could. Once I was on the dirt, I thought I was going to be okay, but then I saw a pretty deep ditch and BAM! The car bounced off the ditch and threw me into a spin, this time going in a clockwise direction. Once the car stopped moving, the entire planet of Tatooine came charging inside. With my windshield wipers currently not operational, I had no choice but to slowly drive back on the course Ace Ventura style with my head out the window. As I was driving on the dirt, I heard something dragging underneath the car, hoping it wasn't my header or exhaust. Once I got back to the paddock, I out of the car and assessed the damages. The first noticable thing was the driver side fender liner which was dragging underneath the passenger side of the car (weird). I borrowed a friend's jack and looked underneath the engine bay for any other damage or leaks. There were no leaks, but the DC Sports header got dented pretty badly as well as the radiator support. Luckily, DJ was still good enough to drive for another two sessions before the brakes decided to not work properly throughout most of the third session. After that, I chilled for a bit and decided to call it a day. I didn't want to risk losing my brakes completely or simply damaging the car any further, as I wanted to drive home in one piece. It wasn't a full day, but a good one at that. I finally got my ass back on the track, I tested out the new mods, and got a decent time for not being at the track since '09. At the end of the day, I had a blast and that's all that matters.

PB (Personal Best): 1:33.970

I'll post up some photos of the damage this weekend when I go to the shop. Thanks for reading!

My next event is at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on 03/15 & 3/16 with Raceline USA. Pretty stoked to go back and get a new PB! :drive:
 
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