Well guys time for a little update...
As I said before, last weekend Hungaroring was open for the public. I almost didn't make it because of some health issues (I caught a cold). On the way to Budapest I had to let my friend drive because I was a mess... I was expecting my health to turn for the worse so I was thinking of abandoning the track day. Fortunately after a very unpleasant night my health was partially restored and I was good to go on the track (better said with no health issues to obstruct my judgement or driving).
There are lot lot of things to say so please prepare yourselves for a long post
....
Unlike many other trackdays there were only a handful of cars. There were even sessions with only one car on the track.
Here is a picture of the deserted parking lot:
Than there was the weather... Great sunny weather but the temperature was too high. Before 12 o'clock I saw the official temperature in the air and it was 30 degrees. I think it got even warmer. Not very good for me or my car...
Than, a few things about the car...
1. The Dunlop Direzza 03G medium compound proved to be good but:
- they are amazing when cold but when they get warm they lose grip
- I think that the tires show their worth on a more powerful car with a limited slip differential. I had the feeling that the tires were really griping the road but I had no power to really put them to work.
- for warm weather I think Hard compound tires are better
- the wear was 2mm on the front tires and 0mm on the back tires. I will rotate them next track day.
- I think the tires are great for Nurburging because of their ability to be very good while not warm...
2. The cars handling was ok but not as good as the last time because:
- the suspension setup was not optimal (as you can see in the posts above)
- until the last session I had the spare wheel, jack and other tools in the truck. I completely forgot about them and I was really frustrated that the car would understeer more because of this weigh on the back.
- I was forced to brake mid corner (because of the understeer) to through the back out but this nearly cost me an accident (I will tell you more when I edit and post the video).
3. The sets and seatbelts are awesome. I really liked them and so did the passenger.
4. The engine was ok but:
- I changed gears at 6000 RPM to prevent the missfire issues (I still had one missfire). I think this cost me some time...
- because of the VWR lower engine mount I could really change gears mid corner. Really impressed with this mount.
- the car suffered from heat stroke. I think that my air cooled intercooler is better suited in a city than on a track. I think that on a track, where the speed is high and there is enough airflow a FMI is better than my air cooled one.
5. The brakes were oki and it appears that the TTRS brake vents are doing a good job. But more venting is required still.
And about the time... Well, I did not manage to beat my precious record (2.22.11) but I came really close. I hope that in autumn the temperatures will allow me to have better times.
And a few more photos from this trip:
The movies are next. Stay tuned!
