As per usual, I was excited leading up to the day and slept poorly, but the reason this time was a little different. I had a new, faster car, and a new event format - more unknowns, more things to look forward to. To make me slightly more nervous, the rain had been bucketing down all week. When I woke on Sunday, it was heavily overcast with rain threatening yet again - not great news for the track day fan, but a different challenge.
I arrived at the track nice and early, but it hardly seemed like long enough. As I mentioned in a previous post, Supersprint events are slightly more serious than the days i've been attending over the last couple of years, so there's some extra rules and procedures to be aware of. I also had my car scrutineered prior to the event - marshals check that your car is in good working order, and that there are no loose objects or dangerous items. In the excitement of the buildup, I forgot to remove my spare wheel from the boot, so was politely asked to do so. Other than that, the car went through without a problem.
The driving itself was an absolute blast. Before the day, I had decided that I wouldn't push out of my comfort zone too much, but just familiarise myself with the new conditions and make sure the car came home intact. The wet weather only reinforced that decision, so on the damp surface, I took it fairly gently the whole day. I finished with a best of 1:58.1, which is a full 8 seconds slower than the previous owner's best time. Plenty of room for improvement there.
I was really pleased with the car's performance. The suspension is superior in every way to my old Silvia - it is eager to turn in, and is very stable mid corner. The brakes are strong and don't feel as if they will fade as easily. The engine combination is excellent, and the midrange torque gives you great acceleration out of the corners. As my confidence in the car grows, it's only going to be more fun, and hopefully faster too!
The camera setup was a success too, so i've posted some footage of the morning sessions:
It's only four weeks until the next SSCC Supersprint, so I don't have to wait too long for my next fix. The event will be at Wakefield park, which I am reasonably comfortable with, having done a number of track days there. If the weather is fine, I might just find that bit of extra confidence to push this new car closer to it's full potential!
No comments:
Post a Comment