yellowss7

Mike, it was the Suites that I stayed at. The Villas are private homes. The concession stands were open for lunch at one of the track days but I did bring my own lunch one time too. I'm sure we can figure it out. There is a WaWa on the way in, we could always stop and put a bunch of hoagies in a cooler. Registration is not open yet, I don't see a reason to book just yet. I've told them we have an interest in getting a bunch of 7s to attend so I'll just keep in touch to make sure we don't get shut out. I'm thinking we book late April, early May. That gives everyone a fair chance to clear their schedules and save their pennies. Does that work? Tom

The event is still, five months away so you have time to stash away your nickels, dimes and Quarters. One day is $295.00 and they give a slight discount if you book both days at $545.00 Registration is not open yet and I suspect that we will have at least 3 maybe 4 months to commit. So if you put about $2 a day aside for the next 5 months, you won't have to ask the wife for the cash.:willy_nilly: Just put a few extra aside for your gas as your milage on the track will not be your usual average. :cooldude: I'll check on the availability of lodging onsite as well. The track does have suites on the main straight that overlook the track and have 2 pull out queen beds, a microwave, flatscreen and a fridge. Last year I rented one for around $100 a night. The advantage is that you can sleep in and wake up refreshed, Your car is already to go in the paddock, and If the weather is hot, you have an airconditioned place to watch the other heats from. If not, I'm pretty sure there are some cheap motels near by too. Tom

I think he's 6'4," 260 looks about right. He got a ride in my S3 the first day it got on the road, 10 years ago, and I don't think he's fit in it it since. Plus he's family so I have to be somewhat nice to him. :rofl: I know he'll enjoy meeting up with you and Croc again, That was a pretty good time at LOG. We just have to remind Croc that he HAS to stay on the blacktop. Going cross country on a racetrack is not looked on favorably. They have a 2 spin and done rule. Tom

Martin, June 27th and 28th. Would be nice to see you again. Tom

Yeah, for a liberal, John's ok. Clueless, but ok. :smilielol5:

Darn, I was trying to convince myself that I could use the extra 25 hp to keep up with you guys. Someone got a great deal. Keep me in mind when you get ready to trade the new one in next year. :jester: Tom

Mike, the trackday IS booked by the company that runs the event. They run trackdays at Lime Rock, and a few other tracks in the northeast. It is a first come first serve type of registration, but like I said, he didn't come close to selling out last year. He does sell out at Lime Rock though. He emailed me yesterday again that he would really like to see a nice group of 7's at his events. To be clear, they are running the event whether we book or not. So, what I think we should do is, to try to get as much interest/commitment here as possible, and as we get closer to the date, firm up the count and then we'll register. That way no one gets pinched if they have to cancel too early. I'll keep in touch with them and try to coordinate our "7's gathering." I'm trying to get a few more 7 drivers in the area that aren't on the site to join us as well. I'm hoping we can get 10-15 cars out. Or should I aim higher? Tom

Well, we know Karl will have to show up to show off his new fancy toys. Other than that, we'll just have to see who has the cohones to show up.:toetap05: Maybe we should make it rounds after the event that way we buy for those that earned it. :cheers: Will be a good time either way. I'll bring my cousin John along to video the on track action too he's always good for a laugh and doesn't drink too much. Tom

Will do Steve. Just for your information, this group has two days, back to back at NJMP Monday on Lightning, and Tuesday on Thunderbolt. I plan on doing both days. Hope you can make it. Croc's buying the first round, right Mike?:seeya: Tom

Just remember that it is an English car and if you cut a wire, you'll let the smoke out. :rofl:

Fine by me.

That would work. Bolting up the gearbox and doing a straight engine swap is doable. Wiring the quickshift is a different matter altogether. Tom

Karl, now I really can't wait to see your car/beast. I love the 6 speed, but watching some videos of guys lapping and just flicking down two gears looks and sounds soo good. Damn, I may end up buying your Duratec and getting a Sadev too after I see it. Can't wait. Let me know when you are going to install it. I may come up and watch/help. Tom

Here’s the scoop. They would be very happy to accommodate us at an event. He would set aside a section of the paddock for us to park together and is sure the Photographer would take a few group shots. He said that if we wanted, he could even have a lunch set up for us (for an additional fee of course) The only downside at the moment is that he bases his event on 25 cars per heat. At $295.00 per driver/car, that’s $7,375.00. Obviously, if we could get 25 cars than it’s no extra cost. But I suspect that that number would be pretty tough to come by. I don’t think it’s worth it unless we get pretty close to that number. Now, that being said, at the last event I attended there, I don’t think there were more than 40 or 50 cars total, so there was no way that he had 25 cars on track at once. I would suggest that if we get a good turn out we might have some leverage. But in any case I think we could most likely all drive together at some point. So, since we have several long cold months left before this gets serious, let’s see who else we can badger or shame into making this event. So just to recap. Possible attendees are: Yellowss7 (Tom) Croc (Mike) Boxlologist (Jon) Kitcat (Mike) MichaelD Blubarisax (Karl) Dave D S1 Steve Sabbot (Stewart) BBall7754 (Steve) Ron (RedGoose) Dave Hutcheson Ottocycle (Dermot) Slingshot (Mazda) Still not heard from Bryce Al BruceBowker Jvbtte ( Jack) Jlbtrans1 (Jen) Anyone else I miss?

Ok guys, the first hurdle is cleared. I emailed the organizer of the trackday last night and sent him a few questions about the potential of doing the event at NJMP. I sent a pic of Steve's S1 and asked if that roll hoop set up was ok for their event. Good news S1 owners, he said that it IS acceptable for their event! :hurray: Now we just have to figureout what to do with Steve's head. :ack: I asked how many were needed for our own run group and he asked how many drivers would we have. I just sent him a response that we have 9 drivers interested right now with a few plus or minus as the event date nears. So Stig, hurry up and buy that Westfield, or Croc's SV. Once I hear back, I'll update. With a night of beers before, this could be a great event. Fingers crossed. Tom

I think the problem is that you and Croc have BALLS that are way too BIG. My measly 195hp scares the piss out of me. I find it hard to keep my foot in it even down the long straigts at NJMP. Another 100 HP, :willy_nilly::willy_nilly:. Just make sure your wheels are pointed straight ahead when you mash the pedal with that kind of HP. I know mine likes to step out if I get on it too early in a turn. Looking forward to seeing you big dogs tear up the straightways. I Bought a new HD cam and recorder to catch you blowing by me. Tom

WOW Croc, that's cold. :willy_nilly: You know these are just Driver Education events. No racing or timing allowed. Are you big HP guys just compensating for shortcomings in other areas? :rofl: This is going to be alot of fun, 6 more months of cheap shots. :cheers: Tom

Karl, I made a couple of bead seats this past summer for my car. They fit great. Process is pretty straight forward. Do several trial fits to make sure you have the right amount of beads. Smush them around to get the right shape, sit on it and then check it again to see if you need more or less beads. Mix the expoxy, and add it to the bag with the beads. Knead it thouroghly, to get all the beads coated. Then place in the car and shape it roughly to get the beads spread out for good coveage, Sit in it and hook up the vacuum. Prior to the final stages, have the following on hand, Ear plugs or your Ipod, a book, a bottle of beer, water or scotch. Be sure to wear long pants or even your racing suit. As the expoxy cures it gets verrry warm/hot. After it's hardend you can cut out a hole for your 6 point belts, using a serated knife. I covered mine with some black nomex fabric that I got from Pegasus, but you could just as easily use Duck Fabric, from a fabric store. My wife picked up some that I used as a trial. Tom

Croc, I'll email them and ask about the roll hoop at the same time I ask about a 7's run group. Steve, how is your roll hoop attached? Welded in or bolted in? If bolted could you have a replacement one that is tall enough made to use for track days? Don't know about your seat bottom either, could it be removed to get you al little more clearance? Tom

Jon, here's the info on their convertable policy. What is your convertible policy? For safety reasons, all convertibles (Boxster, Miata, Corvette, BMW Z4, Honda S2000, Pontiac Solstice etc.) are required to have a roll bar that meets the following two criteria in order to be eligible to run during any event. 1) The roll bar must be in the fixed position and visible at all times. This means that roll bars which are designed to automatically deploy are not acceptable unless they are in the full upright and locked position at all times. 2) The roll bar must allow the driver to pass the "broomstick" test which means that the top of the drivers helmet must be below the line from the top of the roll bar to the top of the windshield. There are aftermarket roll bars and/or seats which can be used to help meet these requirements. If your convertible meets these standards, then you are welcome to participate! Factory hard tops are acceptable, as well. This is certainly less that the Scca requirements as it doesn't mention crossbracing or mounting points. Don't know how strict they are about the broomstick rule either as I don't recall sitting in the car during tech.

Sorry, did I say Volvo? I meant SV, same thing.:rofl:

It will be great to have another K series here. These Big hp Duratec SV guys are starting to take over. Wide track Clams Rule! Hope the Move works out for you and Tess. :cheers: Tom

The track day is a pretty laid back affair. Arrival is usually about 7-8 am. Check in, then have your car Teched. Again this is a pretty laid back process, They check lights, Helmets, Brakes, Battery tie down, check for leaks, wheel bearings, no loose stuff in the car, etc. You are basically responsible to make sure everything is in good working order prior to arrival. They do a classroom session on safety, flags, passing rules, and a brief chalkboard on the track layout. This is all open to anyone that attends, so as a spectator you could sit in and observe. The paddock area, where the cars/ trailers, park is a good place to view the cars up close and everyone i've met at these events are pretty happy to talk about their cars. The drivers are broken out into several groups, usually, Novice, intermediate, and advanced. But there could be several of each depending on the number of cars/drivers. Heats usually run about 20 to 30 minutes and you can view the track from alot of different view points, and get good pictures as you are not too far from the track at most points. That means that each driver has at least an hour or so between runs so plenty of time to talk. Lunch is usually around 12-1pm and sometimes is included or the concession stands are usually open. The event usually runs until about 5pm or so. If you can last that long. I've actually passed on the last heat a couple of times as I was loosing concentration and figured it was better to sit the heat out . Instructors are available. As for navigator/passengers. I don't think that they are allowed in New Jersey. (at least they are not for autox events) but It might be possible to get an instructor to take you out. You don't need a 7 to do this either. Any car that passes tech can run. You could take a volvo 240 out, they wouldn't care as long as you paid and met tech requirements. So If you have a car in good shape and the entrance fee, you could join in on the fun too. Tom

Wow Guys, that's a great initial response. I count 11 or 12 possibles and we haven't even heard from Mazda or Al yet. This could turn out to be a really good, fun event. Hope to see you all then. Keep the date free. Tom

Yeah I know it's still a way off, but I've found that if you put it on your calendar, you are more likely to tell people that you have plans for that day and keep your schedule open. Also note that they have two days back to back, one on Lightning and the next day on Thunderbolt. Last time I stayed over at the track in one of their trackside suites, which sleeps 2. Price was around $100 or so. So if you want to make it a couple day event you can get your fill of the track. Last time I got about 2 hours or so of track time. That may not sound like much, but I guarantee you will be begging to end the day and get a beer. Looks like we have a nice number of 7's interested at this point. Any others considering it should post up and as we get closer and people can firm up their schedules, I'll approach them about the possibility of a seven's only run group. Tom