NASA HDPE, US Drift and others 04/01/2006-04/02/2006

[CrimsonShadow]

i already typed something up for the news section but: https://www.nasaproracing.com/nasa_event/show/?event_id=349

Far too long have i been idle and it was time for me to join NASA and get off my ass and back in the car (still on my ass technically). The other day i was driving and someone was in the car with me. We passed an H2 and i gave my typical rant about "So stupid, They will never go off roading" blah blah. Then i stopped myself and said outloud, "Yeah, and i bet people are saying the same thing about my car." Every month i say i am going to get out to track events and hone my skill but i always have an excuse. After getting my paycheck on friday i realized i had no more excuses. So, long story short i have signed up for HDPE1 on the 1st. i am very excited to get back on the track and to finally let my car drive how it was built to.

[DarkRex]

Nice, good job Scott, glad to hear you are "getting off your ass" and driving the evo like it was meant to be driven.

[az03g]

i'll be going to hang out and watch. depending on how this paycheck is on tuesday and if crack sales are up next week, I just might participate as well. Scott when is the registration deadline?

[CrimsonShadow]

it didn't say

[AJSPECV]

entertainment yay

[SirZyrion]

If you don't drive that EVO like is was built to be driven, I'm gonna come take it away from you. That is all.

[CrimsonShadow]

Drive with me on any given day and you'll know that i do anyway. The trouble is that jonny law frowns upon 4 wheel slides through intersections and 110+ speeds. Besides, i've always said this cars potential will outshine my abilities for years to come. In fact as hard as it is to say, i don't know if i'll ever be a great enough driver to outgrow this car. However a few years on the track will certainly help me.

[DarkRex]

so what time does this start? i am interested in checking this out.

[az03g]

so what time does this start? i am interested in checking this out.
ditto.

[CrimsonShadow]

Schedule (http://www.nasaarizona.com/news/Schedule%20April%201-2%202006.pdf)

[SirZyrion]

Schedule (http://www.nasaarizona.com/news/Schedule%20April%201-2%202006.pdf)

Wow... that was totally foreign chicken scratch to me...

[DarkRex]

i guess around 10 o clock is a good time.

[SirZyrion]

Meet when and where? And on Friday or Saturday?

[az03g]

saturday. and 10am sounds good.

[az03g]

as for meeting... if someone wants to meet up around the i-10 and 51 or 17 and carpool the rest of the way, i'm down with that.

[DEFYF8]

holy crap, this is tomorrow?!?!?!

[az03g]

holy crap, this is tomorrow?!?!?!
where the hell have you been? the date is listed right in the title. :lol:

[TheHeath]

I'll meet, i'm drivin too much... but I love it! I just don't luv 2.70 at the pump this morning (circle k is gay)

[az03g]

if you're meeting up with me, give me a call when you see this.

[AJSPECV]

<--- was way too hung over to go today

:vom: :finga: :vom: :butthead: :goodman:

[DEFYF8]

hungover or sick?

[AJSPECV]

hungover equals not feeling good enough to get out of bed till 1pm

[TheHeath]

Wuss... I was hung over and I went :)

Scott, was pretty cool man! Thanks for invite.

It was funny that it was free and no one was really spectating, it was totally worth even at least an hour just to see some pretty sick cars. (not to mention a WRX that hit a tire wall and fucked his shit up!)

Scott was really movin by his last run though too.

[SirZyrion]

Damn man... I missed this one moving. Next one, I'm all for it...

[CrimsonShadow]

Chris, Clayton and Heath; thank you for coming out and supporting me. i literally heard you guys yelling once or twice as i passed by. It was fun to be out there playing with Porsche Turbos, M3s and Vipers. Sadly the car that was PWning me the worst was that B13.

Stay tuned for the write-up on this event

PS it is going on today too for people who are bored.

[CrimsonShadow]

Focus, it is that thing your mind does to keep you alive when you are doing too many things at once. Imagine your mind is Windows 3.11, now image you are trying to not only play solitare, type your history paper, creep along the internet on your screaming 56k modem and defrag all at the same time. Doing all of those things simultaneously made all of them work horribly. However, close everything but one of them and it works just fine. It's all about conserving recources and your brain works the same way when you are driving fast. Normally my mind is thinking about boobs, Godzilla, web forums and the Bennigans Monte Cristo sandwich. Saturday was a different story.

HPDE 1 is NASA's noob driving class. As the freshman of NASA the students get plenty of basic training. Everything from basic car balance to choosing the proper line is covered in a comfortable classroom setting. Anyone with a drivers licence and a love of driving can participate. The day began like any other amateur racing day i have been to and started with registration. After signing all of the proper forms to say if i die they are not responsible i headed over to tech to get the Evo and my hemlet checked out. After everything checked out it was time to hit the track.

Every HDPE 1 driver gets a personal instructor to guide them through thier first day. The instructor shows you the proper line and makes sure you don't immediately kill yourself. We were given four sessions to flex our track skills with the other drivers on the hot track. It is not racing because none of the laps are timed but you certainly are not concerned with your time the first day. Your biggest concern is not hitting other cars and keeping yours in one piece. Passing is only allowed in the straights and only if waived by the driver. WHen you have completed your training you will get a NASA passport logging your progress for future advancement.

Out on the track is where the focus comes in to play. Everything becomes about driving and the track. You are completely aware of everything in front of you and around you. Soon you are using tiny marks in the track to mark your turn-in and braking points. Before i started my runs for the day i mentioned to my team members that i was worried about the last turn because there was not much to keep you from dying. Concrete walls at the apex and at the edge, looked scary. By the end of the day i was full throttle through that corner in the little mitsubishi out-accelerating the M3 behind me. It was a blast.

There are 3 other HPDE classes that allow for solo runs and less strict passing rules. After that, it is time to check out one of NASA's real racing programs. Make no mistake that when you are out on the track you will use up several thousand miles of rubber on your tires and you certainly will be prematurely wearing your brakes as well but isn't that part of the fun? To participate you must be a NASA member ($40) and pay for the session ($160). It is plenty of track time and makes autocross feel like riding a tricycle. For more information check out http://www.nasaarizona.com

Thank you to Clayton, Chris, Heath and Marion from Surge (http://www.surgeusa.com/store/).

[SirZyrion]

Sticky?

[az03g]

great story! i really wanna do this next time it comes around. it's gonna suck when it gets hot tho :(

[AJSPECV]

great story man when are you going to compile some of this and send it to readers digest? It may pay for your next track license.

[9and3]

nice writeup scott! marion said you were out there finally! we were out on sunday. fir main is a fun track, but certainly has potential for damage. the silver sti that hit the tire wall, is a friend of mine. car is fine, just body damage....not to mention he's a de4 driver and only 17!

[CrimsonShadow]

God i felt bad for him. But being a DE4 at seventeen is something to be proud of.

[9and3]

ah, it will probably be fixed and he'll be running at the next event on the 15th. :lol: damn kids.

[SirZyrion]

Must be nice...

[az03g]

Must be nice...
seriously :? i wish my mommy would buy me a $30k car. :lol:

[DEFYF8]

speaking of, when are you trading the spec, if ever???

[az03g]

after crunching some numbers... if i ever want to move out of my parent's house, i can't afford to get a new car :(

[SirZyrion]

after crunching some numbers... if i ever want to move out of my parent's house, i can't afford to get a new car :(

Wow man. Have you thought about selling your car and starting over with another one?

[az03g]

yeah a while back i was looking at used EVOs. i had a chance to drive one and fell in love *sighs*

[SirZyrion]

Um... you missed the point... another CHEAPER car... ie little or no payment... not a $25k+ car...

[az03g]

you never mentioned anything about cheaper. when i was looking, i found one used one for $18k in cali 8O

[CrimsonShadow]

used one for $18k in cali
Read: toasted clutch and center diff, bald tires. Trust me when i say if you are going to invest in an evo, go new or at least from someone you know. Every day on EvoM (http://www.evolutionm.net)i read stories about how jackass rich kids f-up Evos. It makes baby Jesus cry.

My opinion: You should roll in a 350 Z. You are a pimp and pimps need sexy rides. Get a base model Z a couple years old. The base model is lighter and doesn't come with the weak viscous limited slip that will over heat and wuss out with arizona temps. Order up the Nismo adjustable Clutch-type LSD, then put that pig on a diet with a carbon hood. Your N2O will work just fine on the big V6 and the NISMO (or JWT) intake will free up some fresh air. Technosquare can help out in the HP department with an ECU reflash. If you feel the handling needs improvement ditch the staggered tires and go with the same size front and rear. You will still need staggered wheels but at least you can get more mileage from the tires by re-mounting them front to rear. By running larger tires in the front you can eliminate some of that understeer at higher speeds. As far as exhaust goes i have heard good things about nvidia but some Z exhausts have actually LOST power on the dyno, i guess Nissan did a pretty good job.

Even with all that you will have a relatively new car that does great powerslides, drops panties and costs less to purchase and maintain than an evo.








Then again, AWD Turbo PWNS all.

[az03g]

My opinion: You should roll in a 350 Z. You are a pimp and pimps need sexy rides.


Then again, AWD Turbo PWNS all.
1. athankya http://www.mustangforums.com/upfiles/smiley/pimp.gif

2. that's where i'm stuck. i've driven a 350 and thoroughly enjoyed it. but it didn't put near as big of a smile on my face as a STOCK evo did. plus... at this point, i'm way more into driving my car, then showing it off.

[CrimsonShadow]

i've driven a 350 and thoroughly enjoyed it. but it didn't put near as big of a smile on my face as a STOCK evo did. plus... at this point, i'm way more into driving my car, then showing it off.

:partyman: Great minds think alike

[SirZyrion]

I was ALMOST sold on the Z man, but the AWD turbo thing still has me... I'm actually curious about the Mazdaspeed 6... ever thought of a Subaru Legacy Clayton?

[az03g]

actually, yes i have. same problem... $$$$$$$$$

[SirZyrion]

Ya... I just built one online (MazdaSpeed 6) for $31k... RX-8 is $33k.