Buttonwillow School/Time Trial - April 3-4



 Car setup:
 
Wheels:Gewalt 17x8f 18x9.5r (TT run was on borrowed technomagnesio 18x10 rears with hoosiers)
Tires:Dunlop SP8000 215/35f 265/30r. 75% tread front. 10% tread rear.
Engine:RM intake/exhaust
Suspension:Comptech
Misc:Comptech 4 point rollbar, Simpson harness, RM chin spoiler, short gears
Lap Time:2:22 (this was on the long course configuration)


  • Again, i had tried to sign up for Laguna Seca event this same weekend, but it was to late. Doug H. had sent an email to the main nsx list with info about an event being moved to Buttonwillow from Laguna Seca due to alot of cars being signed up. I checked out the TCC website and it sounded good. I signed up for the event, and took off to the track friday night at around 11:30PM.

  • I was making good time down 152 and onto 5. While on 5, i had been cruising at a good clip.. and slowing down a bit when going by other cars. I notice a set of headlights getting onto the freeway ahead of me.. and he was going pretty quick. He pulled onto the highway about 50ft in front of my car (i had slowed down a bit by now). It was one of those CHP cars with no lights on top. He seemed to have jumped onto the freeway in front of me fast enough just to get the point across that i should slow down.. i wish all cops were that cool. :-)

  • At about 2:30 i find the exit for the track, and follow it for about 25 miles... i wasnt sure were the track was, just looking for signs. Finally i say screw it and turn around to go find a motel. When i make it back to the freeway, i notice a sign on the right.. 'Buttonwillow Raceway'. Damn im an idiot. It was rite next to the freeway.. o well. Find motel about 10 miles north of the track, and get a room. Being the monkey spank that i am, i left the paperwork for the race at home.. so i wasnt sure what time registration was, but i figured id get there at around 7:30.

  • I wake up, and can see the sun shining through the curtains. Oh shit! I thought i had overslept, because i didnt get a wakeup call. With only a few hours sleep, i figured there was no way i would wake myself up before 6am. Ofcourse my room doesnt have a clock, the tv doesnt have one, and the 4 channels i get are cable and never say the time. I start cursing and the phone rings.. yupe its the wake up call. Woo hoo! Happy not to be late, i get ready, pack the car up, and head to the track.

  • After a short 'classroom' session with the instructors, we went out for a follow the leader type track session. It was ok i guess.. pretty slow, and everyone started to get mixed up (there were 4 or 5 cars following each instructor), but it was fine to learn the layout of the track. The next session was an observed run, where the 2 instructors would ride along with students and try to watch everyone to see any major problems. Without having to follow a specific person, it was much easier to pick up some speed and have some fun. My line through turn 2 was so ugly.. i couldnt figure out what i was doing wrong. In the sweeper exiting the back straight, i was only going about 65.. and the car felt squirrelly.

  • Durring the next session i finally took turn 2 decently. My problem before was that i wasnt braking before the small dogleg into the hairpin... i was trying to do all the braking rite before the hairpin, and my car was unsettled and making me apex way to early. Then after apexing to early, i would drift too wide. I ended up taking the first turn a little to fast on one lap, and braked before the dogleg to slowdown and relax a bit.. and ended up taking turn 2 ok. From that point on i did almost all my braking before the dogleg:)

  • While hiding behind my car and using it for a wind blocker, Tino and John Stramotas stopped by to introduce themselves. Nice folks, Johns father Tino was driving a Type R in one of the faster TT groups. I think John was driving his NSX in the same group.. but i dont remember. I do know John had on some race tires though... ;-) The cloud cover was getting pretty dark before the 4th and final session of the day. I *knew* it was going to rain, i just wanted to get some laps in before. With the way my tires were, there was no way i was going to race around in the rain. On about the third lap of the session, i had caught up to a integra type-r going down the back straight. Since we arent allowed to pass under braking, i just waited behind him since i would be able to pass him at the start-finish line. He surprised me by hardly braking before the sweeper, and taking it at about 72-73mph.. i figured if he could do it, my car was going to do it. So i followed him around, and sure enough it was faster. The nsx still felt squirrelly, but didnt get any worse. From then on i took the sweeper at around 75, and it helped alot. I didnt have to accelerate so much exiting it, and around the dogleg into magic mountain (a switch back type turn, with a dropoff before the apex). It allowed the car to be much smoother. Near the end of the session, i was entering the sweeper from the back straight and it started to rain! I *almost* lost it.. i figured that was enough for the day and deceided to get back to the motel before something bad happened. When i was leaving the track, the car began to overheat. I stopped to let it cool down for a few minutes and took off again. Again, it started to overheat.. so i just floored it to try and get the coolant flowing again (must have been air still in the system, it wasnt overheating on the track). That seemed to do the job, and i made it back to the motel without it getting hot again. :-)

  • At the motel, i could hear it raining outside.. not a good sign. I went to bed early at around 9pm, and had a wake up call for 6:15. I wake up, and pray to the race gods. Please dont be soaking wet outside! Peek outside the curtain, sure enough its dry and sunny! Not a cloud in the sky.

  • Add a little water to the coolant bottle. (where did the other water go?!) I make it to the track at around 7:30 and cleaned the windows on the car. I also check tire pressure, thinking that may be the reason my car was feeling so squirrelly. When i take off the valve cap for the driver side front, i hear a hissing. Oh shit! So i put it back on real quick, and go around looking for a valve stem tool. There were a few viper guys pitted near me, so i ask if they have one i could use real quick. I get one, and one of the guys mentioned to try and depress the valve real quick and see if it was just stuck. I try that, and sure enough it was just stuck. (must have been the cold weather) I tighten up all the valve stems anyway, just to make sure. :)

  • Before the first session, we have a final classroom type get together. All the students are reamed for passing in no passing zones, and driving in a generally unsafe way. I dont remember passing anyone except in the straights, and i wasnt passed.. but i guess the instructors saw some things and didnt want to single anyone out. They warn everyone, no more dumb moves or no one will get the ok to get into the time trials. Next i go check the board to see if i was timed on saturday (they time the school group on saturday for positioning on sundays time trial). No time was listed next to me.. so i figured they didnt get around to it. While waiting for my first session to start, Doug H. comes by and introduces himself. We talk about the car for a few minutes, and he says im welcome to pit over at the garage (i guess they got there early, and were able to grab the race garage thing for use all day). Since saturday it was about 10 degrees with the wind chill, i figured id end up taking him up on the offer if the wind picked up again. It turned out to be a beautiful day, atleast 70 degrees. Not much wind.

  • First session on sunday morning. As im waiting to get directed onto the track from a track worker, he says i need to get some gloves for the next session. Sounds reasonable to me.. it mentioned it on the TCC website, but not in the things needed for the school. (i planned to get some before the event, but didnt have time) Im driving much faster this time. Linking the turns together much better, and not looking like so much of a tool. Ive got a good line through the esses after turn 2, but take it a little too fast (or maybe just too fast for the line i was on) and end up having a cool oversteer experience through the exit.. wasnt to bad. Just glad no one was next to me. :) After the session is over, i go to the onsite race shop.. they have a bunch of driving apparel and the like. I grab a pair of Sparco gloves, they seem to work ok.

  • Second and final practice session of the day, before the time trial. Im driving smoothly now (well for me anyway) and getting around pretty good. I figure ill do ok in the time trial, but i really wish i had an instructor in my car for part of the time. Its much easier for somone experienced to tell you what your doing wrong, then learning trial by error.. :-) Exiting the last turn on the 4th lap of the session, my car gets way sideways and i hear the tell-tale thump-thump of a flat.. i pull over behind the pit wall and my passenger side rear is flat. *FSCK*! Im limping back to my pit and go by the garage, i see Doug H. on a cell phone in front of his car and give a wave, as i pass by i check my rear view and its him chasing me down. He says 'hey! you know you have a flat?'. I couldnt help but laugh.

  • I get back to the pits and check out the wheel.. its off the rim on the inside, but not shredded to bad. I remove the wheel and it had worn through the tread bars, and the radials in 2 sessions! It was on the far inside edge so it was hard to see while mounted (the camber is extreme since the comptech suspension install.. gota figure out a way to fix it a bit). I go over to the tire place that happeneds to be at the track, except the have only race tires! *FSCK* again! Now im bummed.. i figure ill have to mount the spare and get back to san jose driving 55mph all the way. I should leave now if i want to get back before i have to be at work monday. :) Somone mentions to me i should go see if any of the other nsxers there had some street tires i could borrow for the time trial.. sounds good to me. I walk over to the garage and ask Doug if he knows a close place i can get some tires, or anyone with some 285/35/18's i could buy or use. He says im welcome to get his street tires mounted on my wheels, just grab them off the trailer and bring them over to the tire guy. What a cool guy! So i carry them over to the tire guy, and dismount the other rear wheel of mine. That thing is bad! Its also worn through the radials, and about to blow out. This is bad.. because im not sure now if my car can even make it home with the spare. O well i say, i just want to do the time trial.. i dont care if i have to get it towed to a shop and buy tires in bakersfield. I wheel both wheels over to the tireguy (and get multple cuts on my hands from those fscking exposed radial cords!@!@). He says they will be ready in about 30 minutes, thats good since my TT starts in about 45 minutes. I stop by the garage again to thank Doug, and go grab a pepsi from the food vendor.

  • About 15 minutes later Doug comes by, and says he doesnt think the tireguy will get the tires done in time.. they mounted those same tires on another set of wheels earlier, and it took 3 people to get the bead over the rim. *FSCK* again! I think to myself. Then he says im welcome to borrow his extra set of techno's with hoosiers on them.. i say 'huh?' in dissbelief. (this will be the only way technomagnesio's will ever find there way onto my car) Im kind of nervous, because i really dont want to mess up those wheels or his race tires. He says the tires are used and its no big deal.. We roll the wheels back to my car, and i start mounting. Only the wheel lugs for my gewalts are a different type than the techno's. I walk back over to the garage and ask if he has an extra set of lugs.. he hands me a bad with atleast 40 nuts in it, and the driver to get them on. (wow is he prepared!) So back to my car i go to get everything mounted, only i didnt bring a 1/2" socket wrench! Damn! The guy pitted behind me says he has one, so i borrow his. My car is now up on a borrowed jack, borrowed wheels, borrowed lugnuts, and im using borrowed tools.. i suck. Anyway, the wheels are mounted and the car is ready to go. Damn those wheels are cool.. i need to get a set. (thanks doug!)

  • Time for the TT! Ive never driven on race tires, and im not sure how the car is going to handle with them only in the rear.. but the VW racer next to me says it should be fine, atleast i wont have any oversteer... :-) Seems fine to me, as long as i heat them up correctly on the warm up lap. I make my way over to the hot pits to get lined up for the start.

  • They will be running 4 cars on the track at the same time, grouped by timed laps on saturday. Im not sure they timed me, and it doesnt matter really anyway. Cause i know im going much faster, and im sure the other drivers are as well. They seem to be confused since they cant find my car number on the paperwork. They keep asking me 'are you sure your in the school class?'. (it must be the rollbar/harness confusing them :P) I finally remember the registration people said i could use a different number than the one they specified, since i had brought my own stick on numbers. After the first 2 groups go out, they figure out what my original number was, and find my timed value from saturday. 2:22 .. doesnt seem to slow. There was another guy in the school group in a Ford GT40 car (open wheel racer) and he was running 2:18. I know the fast guys run about 2:10 .. and saturday i was going pretty slow (fast for me, slow for everyone else). They put myself, the GT40, and a firebird (2:28) into the same group. The last car was late, so they are making him go last, by himself.. which doesnt seem like such a bad thing. Before they had figured out my time, there was about 5 or 6 people trying to figure out the orders to run the cars. When the group before mine was finishing, one of the guys in a race suit came up to my window and pointed at one of the cars in my group. He said catch this guy! I think they had some sort of friendly bet on who was fast.. i think saturdays times were wrong. I smile and say ok.. :-)

  • They start signaling for the cars to start, and send us out on the track about 30 seconds apart to keep anyone from catching up to anyone else and having to slow down (passing zones are still only at 3 places on the track). Im trying to make good use of this warmup lap to heat up the hoosiers.. and stay 30 seconds behind the car in front of me. I scrub the tires through the sweepers and the esses, and brake hard to almost a stop to heat things up.. and exiting the last turn at a good clip. I dont see the car in front of my anywere, we must be green. I get on the gas and see the starter waving the flag. The race is on!

  • I accelerate down the front straight and brake way hard, and way late for the first turn. The steering wheel shakes like crazy.. must be braking bumps or some seriously warped rotors. (i dont think about abusing the car when on the track, but i do before i go out. you should see me hammer those painted burms in the esses.. heh. it would make great in car footage, to bad i forgot to use the cam all weekend) The hoosiers stick like glue! As i exit turn 2, the car feels awesome with Doug's wheels, no oversteer.. just WOT at the exit all the way to the esses. With my confidence up from the hoosiers, and the car not being squirrelly, i run through the esses really fast (for me anyway). I exit the turn entering the back straight at full throttle in third gear, shift to fourth, and have the accellerator planted all the way through the dogleg and entering the braking zone for the sweeper (well, braking zone from me, im sure better drivers dont brake :)). I usually down shift to third, and run around the sweeper at high rpms in 3rd gear so i get a good pull on the exit and through the next dogleg into magic mountain. This time i dont down shift, but keep a steady throttle. Im doing about 85 (atleast 10mph faster just because of the tires@! thanks doug!). The car is completely stable, and i run through the exit under full throttle, and lift a bit entering the dogleg, and back at WOT through the dogleg entering magic mountain. On the brakes *way* hard and run through the corner perfectly (again, perfect for me anyway :)), back at WOT at the apex as the car begins to compress the suspension from going over the rise. Foot planted to the floor around the dog leg entering the sweeper before the final esses. Brake *way* hard again entering the sweeper (its a weird sweeper.. sort of decreasing radius, and leads directly to the esses without a straight). I really didnt want to spin out there, and mess up Doug's wheels in the rocks, so i figured id play it safe and make up time through the esses. Foot planted to the floor through the first of the esses, shift to fourth exiting the first bend of the esses, and hammer the burms. I can see the car that started in front of me exiting the esses. I think im hauling to catch up with the other car this fast, if i can get on his bumper before the last turn, i can overtake him on the front straight.. otherwise im screwed since i cant pass him for atleast another half lap! WOT all the way to the braking zone of the last turn (damn these tires kick serious ass!) Im on the bumper of the other car, have to brake earlier than expected and drop down to second gear entering the corner. I hit the apex well, and as long as the hoosiers hook up, i will blow by this v8 exiting the corner like its standing still. I drop the hammer and increase the corner radius so i end up keeping the wheel turned longer, while still on the throttle. This allows me to keep accelerating, and puts me in a natural position to overtake him. He stays outside, which gives me plently of room to motor by before even passing the start-finish. Im now going faster then i ever have down the front straight, and brake at my normal spot and press the pedal about as hard as i can. Im going much faster then i usually take the corner, but remember not to panic and lift off the gas. I motor around the corner, and try to stay smooth. The back end was still planted, but i could feel the front pushing as i exiting turn 1 at WOT. I take the rest of the front part of the track a little faster then lap 1, and the car still stayed completely in control (this could must be a blast to drive with hoosiers at all 4 corners.. im gunna have to try that). I hammer through the esses, and see the corner worker pumping his arms like he just won a bet. (hmm.... ;)) I get onto the back straight again, full throttle in 4th gear all the way to the braking zone for the sweeper. I tap the brakes a little and back on the gas around it. I have no idea how fast i was going, but it *had* to be quick (again, quick for me). Exit the sweeper at WOT, around the dogleg without lifting. Brake super hard into magic mountain, im not slowing down as fast as last time (brake fade already?!#@? i had some on saturday, but come on! this has only been 2 laps!) I drift a little wide on the exit, since i didnt apex perfectly since my speed was higher then normal, but i had plenty of room to keep the hammer down into the next sweeper. I take the sweeper a little faster then last time, but again stay conservative so i dont mess up somones wheels (or tires i guess.. id imagine soft race tires really dont like rocks either!) and get back on the gas through the esses. Since they only time 2 hot laps, i have to make the last turn well in order to get a fast time. I brake a little earlier for the last corner, so i make sure and get the apex rite, to carry a bunch of speed onto the straight. I take the corner good, but i didnt shift to third fast enough! I bounce it off the rev limiter and shift to third.. and up to fourth before the finish line!

  • I take it easy for the cool down lap.. cause i know my brakes must be boiling. I dont use the brakes that whole lap, trying to let them cool down. I pass the corner workers and give a wave (its always a nice thing to do, and also on the warm up lap. remember if you car flips over, these are the people who will be helping you out. :)) I come by one of the corners on the back part of the track, and the worker is clapping his hands and giving me the thumbs up. I feel weird, im just a student. But i think somone won something.. and it wasnt me. :)

  • I go back to the pits, and remove the wheels. (*cry* i want those things&*!@) I roll them back over to Doug's pit, and put them back on the trailer. He is getting ready for the enduro, so i dont want to bug him. But i thank him again for the wheels, and tell him he is now causing me to get some. Which will then cause me to have to get a trailer, and then a truck to tow that trailer, and a house in which to store all this crap. Thanks alot Doug! :P

  • I hang around and watch most of the enduro, but then it dons on me. I still have to get home on a radialless wheel, and a spare. This is going to be fun, i have to leave now! I check to see if they have posted the times for the TT yet, and they have. I search for my time, and find it. Im surprised... its only 2:22.67.. i felt like i was going *way* faster then that. I didnt have a transponder on the car, so im thinking they may have gotten confused about the lap times because i passed the other car at the end of the first lap. Oh well, even with that slow time it was worth it. I put the car back together, and take off for I5. About 20 minutes into it, the rear of the car starts swerving. Damn it! Driver side rear flat.. i knew it. I pull over to the side of the freeway. My insurance card doesnt list an emergency road side number, so i call the agent office. Hoping it will give a number on the recording, it doesnt. *FSCK* me. Im sitting there and cant find any numbers, so i just call 411. I ask for something related to emergency road side service near lemoore (that was the last exit i passed). They give me a AAA number. I call them up and they take all my info, and say they are in lemoore, and its about 40 miles from I5 but they can make it there in about 30 minutes. I say fine, then she asks for my AAA number. Damn it again! Im not a member.. she says they can still help, but all members get serviced first. Damn it again! I say fine, can i join rite now? I have a visa.... she says no. Damn it 5x! Then i talk to the tow truck driver, and he says it would be faster if i called another company. He gave me the number and i call. They can come out to help, but im not exactly sure of my location. The driver spends the next 2 hours trying to find me. Durring this time, i can see a gas station/motel on the exit about a mile behind me.. but im kind of screwed. Its way dark and im not risking getting hit by a car to walk to it. Besides, i had no flash light, and there was time when traffic was very lite. What am i going to do, sit in the dirt untill more cars come and i can see which way to go?

  • The tow truck guy arrives, and he just happends to be driving a flat bed! Kick ass! I figured he would be in a regular tow truck, and id have to leave the car on the side of the road and just get a lift back to exit before. We get out and look at the car, he notices the spare on the passeneger side, and asks if i already fixed it. I say no, its the driver side thats flat. He looks at it, and looks back at me like im on crack. He loads up the car, and we take off. He says there is a 24 hour tire repair shop up a few exits, and we will stop by and see if they have some 18" tires, if not he can drop me and the car off at a motel and get it fixed in the morning. Sounds fine by me.. by this time i was really tired and just wanted to go to sleep. We stop by the shop, and ofcourse they dont have 18" tires.. Im getting irratated at this point, and ask the flatbed driver half jokingly, 'how much to drive this f*ing thing to san jose rite now?' He looks at me for a second, and goes back into the cab and looks at a map. He comes back and minute later and says $400. Welp, lets go. So off on the flatbed all the way to my house..

  • We get into san jose at about 2:30 am, and i drop the car off in the parking lot of wheel works. I was going to drop the key into the mailslot, but they didnt have a catch box or anything so i didnt want it lost. I figured id just call them up in the morning and say 'hey, you know that red nsx in your parking lot? its mine, put some rear tires on it.'. So thats what i did.

  • Not having to miss the TT, and getting those laps on the hoosiers made my weekend. If it wasnt for that, it wouldnt have been nearly as fun. Thanks again Doug. :-) If you ever get the chance to drive at Buttonwillow i highly suggest it. The facility is great for these types of events, and there is *plenty* of runoff room. The only thing to hit is the walls on the start straight.. and if you hit those something is seriously wrong. :)

  • I really should get a SA95 helmet before the next event. I think im going to order one of them from bell motorsports. The Sparco gloves worked well, good feel through them. They were only $55, but didnt have fire protection... I think i may also invest in some real driving shoes.

  • TCC is having another event, this time 3 days long. At laguna seca! Its in a few weeks, check out their website if your interested in going. Its alot of fun. Im going as long as i dont sign up too late, see you there!

  • If you want to read race stories by somone who actually knows what there doing, i highly suggest Dougs site, the NSXFiles.



  • Also, this being the first track event with alot of new parts.. ill give a rundown on what i thought of each:

  • Comptech rollbar and 6 point harness:
    Alot of people commented on how well the rollbar was installed. It was kind of a pain to get in and out of, but made it feel very racey. I also felt better knowing if i flipped it over, my melon wasnt going to be squished as easily. A few people climbed into it to check it out, and more than one said they couldnt do it again, and i was lucky im young... they agreed that having the removable doorbars made the rollbar a winner. :-)
    The Simpson harness kicked serious ass! That had to be the single largest difference in my driving compared to willow springs. Its so much easier to drive when you are under heavy braking, and shifting at the same time without having to hold yourself back with one hand on the wheel and sliding all over the place.

  • Comptech suspension:
    Im probably not a good enough driver to go any faster with it compared to the stock suspension, but it definitly felt better. Not nearly as much body roll, and the transitions through the esses was great. I had it on its stiffest setting. I think my car may have felt so squirelly because the suspension was working well, and i was getting alot of feedback from the car... when i had the rear wheels off, multiple people stopped by to checkout the rear suspension.. :)

  • RM Chin spoiler:
    Again, im not fast enough to feel any downforce added by it.. but it sure looked cool! Yah im vanity.. so what. ;)

  • Short gears:
    Definitly makes the car quicker out of turns. The first part of saturday, my downshifting was rough because i wasnt used to gears. I was downshifting at to fast of a speed.. but after a few sessions i got the feel of the new gears.