G6 GTP M6 + Road America = FUN.

[Thirdgen89GTA]

MFBA had their Road America event, which I basically volunteered my time for both days there. The 2nd day, the weather cleared up enough and I was convinced to take the G6 GTP for a hot-session.

One of the instructors was telling me it'd be sweet to take it out, and that he bet it would be fun. I wasn't convinced, said the brakes were in no condition for punishment from RA. I was right and so was the instructor. I ran the full 25 minute session with him, but had to take several cool down laps, in the end I melted the stock factory pads (not that I didn't expect that to happen).

But still, going through the kink at 80mph in a damp track with the G6 GTP was a blast. I think I kept it safe about 115mph on the 4000ft front straight. I could have gone faster, but with the brakes being iffy I decided that 110mph was fast enough in most cases. I don't know for sure what the laptimes were, wasn't counting. I'd estimate between 3m and 3:30.

I was doing about 50-55mph in the carousel, 80 through the kink, and having a blast. If the track wasn't wet I wonder how fast I could have gone. The line was finally beginning to dry out when the brakes said screw you so i had to take it easy.

If anyone has a chance to run at a session like we had at anyones event I recommend it. Auto-x is fun, but nothing is like a full road course, specially one as fast as Road America. Definitely going to show up next april with better brake pads in either of my cars to run. Maybe a full day too.

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[TonzKnock-G]

Sounds like a good time!

 

[Bru]

Very nice There are very few passenger car stock brakes that can take a beating at RA.

 

[The Broken Regal]

At first I was like, oh man, I would have loved to see the trans fluid temps after that, then I realized its an m6

sounds like a fuckin blast! I would love to do that but a heavily modded guy out in cali did a roadcourse and after 2 laps his trans was severely overheating

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Very nice There are very few passenger car stock brakes that can take a beating at RA.

I'd say most are German


Sounds like fun though; I've never been to road America.

 

[jvert]

That is awesome! Your hooked now! Ive been to joliet autobahn and black hawk farms. Ive done the full coarse at joliet and both the north and south track by themselfs. I like this type of auto event the best. How are the tires? Which ones are you running? Remember to adjust your tire pressure. This was my first year doing it and it was a blast. I got high temp brake fluid and brembo rotors and hawk pads. I ran nitto 555 tires and they held up pretty good. Let me know which events you plan to go next year.

 

[Thirdgen89GTA]

That is awesome! Your hooked now! Ive been to joliet autobahn and black hawk farms. Ive done the full coarse at joliet and both the north and south track by themselfs. I like this type of auto event the best. How are the tires? Which ones are you running? Remember to adjust your tire pressure. This was my first year doing it and it was a blast. I got high temp brake fluid and brembo rotors and hawk pads. I ran nitto 555 tires and they held up pretty good. Let me know which events you plan to go next year.

its a bone stock 2006 G6 GTP, bought it with 10,784 miles on it for about 12.9k. now has almost 15,000 miles. Its my new daily driver.

Every review I read complained about the F40 manual trans, and honestly they are mostly right. Its a notchy trans, only used in 06 and 07. Most times when I'm trying to put around day to day I can find something about it to nag on. But honestly, once I pulled onto the Track I completely forgot about everything I hated in that trans and concentrated on driving. Never missed a downshift, and only missed 1 upshift to 3rd when it didn't want to go for some reason. Who knows, maybe the previous owner ground it going into 3rd and wore the synchro out.

I was heel/toe'ing it the entire track it took it all.

The brakes most definitely did NOT take it. Still plenty of pad left, but braking is shot. Going to flush the fluid for better stuff, and go with a set of Hawk HPS pads for daily driving. Figure they'll last all year long, and allow me pound on it a bit longer at RA next April. Club already booked the slot.

The hard part will be to bring the G6 GTP, or the TransAm GTA. The GTA has a stock LT1 swap w/bolt-ons and will have heads/cam/T56 by then. Hopefully with upgraded brakes and a rebuilt suspension/steering. Time to get rid of all that 23yr old slop.

 

[Thirdgen89GTA]

I'd say most are German


Sounds like fun though; I've never been to road America.

Interesting article, read it a long time ago. But your comment made me look it up again. Car and Driver put a Nismo 370z into a wall at a Lightning Lap event. They investigated why that happened and why the brakes on a special edition sports car couldn't take the abuse.

http://www.caranddriver.com/feature...mo_z_s_brakes_failed_at_lightning_lap-feature

 

[Turk]

I'd say M3 brakes, vette brakes and GTR brakes would hold up. I've been to RA multiple times, seen multiple porsches and vettes slam the wall on "lapping days". Scares me a bit.

 

[jvert]

I'd say M3 brakes, vette brakes and GTR brakes would hold up. I've been to RA multiple times, seen multiple porsches and vettes slam the wall on "lapping days". Scares me a bit.

Yes, I have seen that in the few times ive been out. It is a scary sport but so much fun. You have to be 100% there and thinking of what you are doing and being able to react to the other drivers. Im still in the novice group. So it spaces out pretty well when I am there.

 

[sickmint79]

RA is a pretty major track for a first track

 

[Thirdgen89GTA]

RA is a pretty major track for a first track

Not more so than any other track really. As long as you don't get stupid. I know the layout by heart thanks to all of the racing games I've played it on. Granted, they aren't a substitute for the real thing, but I already know where the slowest corners are, and turns like the Kink which have no run-off.

I ran the car in D group (novice) with an instructor too. But prior to that I spent about 1.5 hours just putting around the track around 80mph in the touring sessions.

Its one of those things that you can't be fast at it, however as long as you aren't stupid you can safely drive and learn it. My first lap or 2 I held back alot, later laps not so much. And final laps alot because the brakes weren't there anymore. Tons of fade.

I also raced Karts as a kid, and as well as have Auto-x's a few times. I'm not a great driver, but know enough to stay out of trouble until I am better at it. I'm sure the GTP could under a 3 minute lap with one of the instructors driving it as long as the brakes held up. I don't have any illusions about that with me behind the wheel without more experience.

 

[sickmint79]

not any more than any other track???

except for the hills, the kink, the concrete walls not far off track everywhere, and the fact that even a novice in a reasonably quick car can top it out in 1 to 3 places on their first visit i guess... it's probably the last track i'd recommend for people just starting! not that i'm saying you shouldn't do it or something, or that your karting/autox hasn't helped. it's just not what i'd advise for anyone to start with so i'll stick with saying it's a pretty major track for a first track.

how was your instructor? my experience with MFBA is that an instructor is like any guy from the most advanced class who mostly just sits along for the ride

 

[Angus]

nice!

This is what I want to do!

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I'd say M3 brakes, vette brakes and GTR brakes would hold up. I've been to RA multiple times, seen multiple porsches and vettes slam the wall on "lapping days". Scares me a bit.

I've seen an e46 m3 hit a wall at gingerman due to failing brakes.

My bosses father drives his DD rs4 to autobahn in Joliet; beats the piss out of it then drives it home. Same with his Porsche friends.

 

[SinisterSHO]

Gingerman only has one wall

Most brakes can do a lot better than most people think, its all in how you use them. If the brakes are getting over worked, they're going to get too hot too quickly and you're going to be screwed no matter how big they are.

 

[jvert]

Gingerman only has one wall

Most brakes can do a lot better than most people think, its all in how you use them. If the brakes are getting over worked, they're going to get too hot too quickly and you're going to be screwed no matter how big they are.

Exactly, The main thing is learning the lines and when and where to brake and where to let off. Its great to see when you do hit the lines how much faster you get.

We need to get a TCG day at the autobahn in Joliet together!!!!

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Gingerman only has one wall

Most brakes can do a lot better than most people think, its all in how you use them. If the brakes are getting over worked, they're going to get too hot too quickly and you're going to be screwed no matter how big they are.

We were running backwards and he went off the back straight at turn 1 into the pit "exit" wall.


I do have a friend who managed to get a backwards out of the last turn onto the main straight and hit the wall

 

[Angus]

what happens when you hit a wall? Is there some insurance available that would cover it?

 

[jvert]

what happens when you hit a wall? Is there some insurance available that would cover it?

You have to get specific track insurance. I guess the car you take to the track should be a car that your not worried or scared of getting "hurt."

 

[Thirdgen89GTA]

not any more than any other track???

except for the hills, the kink, the concrete walls not far off track everywhere, and the fact that even a novice in a reasonably quick car can top it out in 1 to 3 places on their first visit i guess... it's probably the last track i'd recommend for people just starting! not that i'm saying you shouldn't do it or something, or that your karting/autox hasn't helped. it's just not what i'd advise for anyone to start with so i'll stick with saying it's a pretty major track for a first track.

how was your instructor? my experience with MFBA is that an instructor is like any guy from the most advanced class who mostly just sits along for the ride

When did you last attend a MFBA RA event? I've only started doing the RA part of MFBA stuff since this april. Was going to go in Oct 2009 but I ended up doing a RMS on my LT1 that weekend as it was my only car.

Most of the instructors have thousands of miles at RA on their belt. If you see a Blue C6 Z06 #505, get a ride with him. He'll scare the piss out of you in a pretty much bone stock C6 Z06. Incredibly good driver.

I'm not sure who you had, but all of the instructors who volunteer at RA with MFBA are experienced. Most race actively in some form or another. I would get in a car with any of them. I'd trust anything they had to say while they were acting as my instructor.

As for my ride, Ken was my instructor. I have a feeling I didn't push the car as hard as he thought I could go. But the risk of damaging my car due to a mistake was too high. So I was very conservative. I only really started to get any type of confidence on 2 laps, but after that the brakes were kaput and I backed off alot.
_______

As far as the GTP, I never topped it out, I knew the brakes were going to be the weak link so I purposely held off on the straights and concentrated on the smaller sections for speed and braking.

 

[SinisterSHO]

Exactly, The main thing is learning the lines and when and where to brake and where to let off. Its great to see when you do hit the lines how much faster you get.

We need to get a TCG day at the autobahn in Joliet together!!!!

MVP Tracktime generally does two days on the full track there. I'm going to try to go to both in 2011.

 

[sickmint79]

what happens when you hit a wall? Is there some insurance available that would cover it?

the last time i priced it out, it was about $100 for every $10,000 worth of coverage you wanted, per day. i'm not sure if they view a school day vs. an open day differently, ie. if one is cheaper or if they only cover schools etc.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Some insurance companies will cover an instructional non-timed track day. Call your insurance agent and ask. I'd also probably ask for it in writing

 

[sickmint79]

i only went once. i forgot when, 2006? i assume it's still the same today, and really any open days that aren't schools seem to be the same. they have instructors although at open days that can mean anything from real instructor to guy that has driven a lot to guy that has driven a bit. i just question how much they help because in my experience at multiple open days it hasn't really helped with them sitting in the car. probably the biggest thing is you don't have an easy clear way to communicate like you do at schools. the biggest benefit i've gotten out of instructors on open days and at a new track is in sitting in their cars and watching their lines. sitting in my own car has always been noisy intermittent conversation while driving and a quick chat after.

i would have done the same with the straights and conserving the brakes, losing that shit is not fun and RA would be the last place i'd want to do it!