Kitcat Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Klassic-Glad you can make it! This should be quite the event. I am sure you have an excellent plan to celebrate your anniv, even if it mite be a day or 2 late. If not, may I suggest Paris? My wife and I celebrated our 30th recently there. Can't go wrong with that choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 You're not saving me much money with suggestions like that but I see your point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Welcome aboard Mike! I am looking forward to meeting you in person. :cheers: As for the anniversary, you may want to consider what Steve (Bball) is planning. His wife wanted to go to Tuscany so he is going but also is doing track days with BaT and a rental Caterham at Monza and Mugello while there. I consider that a very inventive solution. Not cheap but very very clever. Not sure she knows yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Mike - Those plans are now somewhat on hold, possibly replaced by a trip to Japan to include the Japanese F1 race at Suzuka. Our younger son will be teaching English in Japan starting in July. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 Steve have you started the polishing yet? I CAN'T WAIT to hear that lovely crossflow again. :driving::seeya: Although I hear that The STIG's car may be giving you a run this year for the Shine Award. :leaving: Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelD Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Steve, Don't worry about the shine. Are you bringing the wife to NJ? It's not the same as Tuscany or Japan but maybe all the wives can all go to the beach together then join us for dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hill Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 What...you think you can get away with sending them off to the beach and leave you behind to commit to buying more go fast bits? Yours must be a lot more easy-going than mine. First off, she would be afraid she might miss something. Second, she is not a beach kinda gal at the best of times, let alone when there are fun things to watch or be a part of at the track. I think I created a monster when I took her along to watch my 2 sons race their shiftrr karts at Summit Point and Barber on consecutive weekends. She had never been to a race of any kind previously so got kind of spoiled seeing both boys running up front and winning. Throw in the Rolex cars that were the big stars at Barber that weekend (the karts had a 30 minute race at noon on Sunday) and she is now a race fan. One of those "be careful what you wish for" things. Guess I'll keep her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Does anyone know yet what the current count is of cars running at the event? From the preliminary list, I thought it may be over 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 And by the way, you guys have to keep your mouths shut about flying off to Paris, Tuscanny, Japan or other exotic places. I told my wife I checked and there were no flights available out of the country, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I talked with Tom yesterday. He said there are 18 firm signed up and all have good past track experience. There are a few people missing from that list that we expect to sign up as runners but have not done so yet. I dont think it includes "Cab Sav" my spare car. My personal preference is that we cap at around 20 cars to preserve a quality run session without overcrowding things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGTorque Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 another question... those of us with less experience (me) will we be running at a different time or the same time as the other 7s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Roman, I would recommend that if it's your first trackday or first time on NJMP Lightning, that you start out in the Green Novice group. It is a great way to learn the track, your car and not have to worry about other cars passing you. Yes you would be in a separate group but you will still be around with the group, and we can get you passenger rides with us as well. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Mike is correct, at present, if you look on the first post of this thread I have listed those who raised their hands originally and who have since sent in their info as requested. 18 have responded so far. I agree with Mike that 20 or so is a good max number, but if a few novices are added in the green run group then that works well. Additionally several forum members have indicated that they will show up as spectators so this year's event should be very festive.:party: Looking forward to seeing everyone in about 60 days!!! Tom Edited May 7, 2014 by yellowss7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I know we're having this event from the 3rd thru the 6th but are we running 2 or 3 days on the track. I'm sure someone has already commented on that but I'm too lazy to read thru 5 pages of postings. While I'm bugging you guys with stupid questions, are we going to break this up into several run groups to keeps things loose ? I'm assuming we'll be running 20 to 30 minute sessions, and if we have 20 or so drivers, pairing off groups of 7 cars would keep things uncluttered. But I'm not familiar with NJMP or the track size so I don't know how many can run together without causing any crowding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 We will be on track on Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th, with a Karting event on Sunday the 6th as an option. Each session will be around 25 minutes long. Lightning is 1.92 miles in length with 11 turns. A good lap time is around 1:12 or so, depending on your horsepower. A 1:16=1:17 is respectable and slower cars often do 1:20+ on average. PCA can have as many as 50-60 cars on track at the same time. 18 to 20 will be fine, and looking at the level of track experience submitted, there shouldn't be any issues with slow traffic. I expect that everyone will be aware of the faster car and driver combos after the first session and point by's will be quickly given. This track flows very nicely and the passing zones are spaced nicely so that there is plenty of time to pass before the next series of turns. We won't have to worry about the odd, porker, or vette or mini that will typically clog up the works. I ran yesterday and we had about 15 cars on track with the 1st and 3rd place drivers from last week's Talladega ARCA race on track in their ARCA cars. With 180mph top speeds you really had to be aware of them, but even they didn't lap us more than twice in a 25 minute session. And they weren't waiting for point bys. :cuss: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Tom summed it up fine. 20 cars at Lightning is fine. Any more and it starts being uncomfortable. Commercial track day operators run 27-30 cars per session on Lightning. PCA turns into accident city with 40+ cars out there. All drivers who have signed up so far have plenty of experience to be suitable for a passing group. So we all should be ready for point bys to keep the traffic moving. I am not expecting track trains and are expecting that everyone will be considerate of the rest of our seven groups. The Lightning circuit would be a little lonely with only 7 cars on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I see you have two tracks, Lightning & Thunderbolt. However you only mention Lightning so I assume that is the only track we'll be running. Has anyone stipulated yet what the safety requirements are for this event, I.e. Race suit, HANS device, helmet minimum snell rating, etc ? I'm pretty sure the helmet and arm restraints are a must but not sure how much further it goes. Also, you mention kart racing on Sunday as an option. Are some people bringing a kart as well or are the karts track provided ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Ok, I just found the NJMP site and they mention F1 karting available, $35 for the first 15 minutes then $20 for each additional 15 minutes. Seems reasonable considering they supply everything. I assume this is the optional Sunday event mentioned. From looking at their web page, it sure looks like they have a very well developed track facility with considerations for most everything anyone could need or want, including the VIP suites. Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, Nevada was doing the same thing with a clubhouse, swimming pool, private garages with adjoining townhomes, etc. They were selling club memberships like a country club does and trying to make a family atmosphere with the pool and tennis courts, something for everyone. I think it's a great idea but I can see it can only be viable in a very populated area to find enough prospects willing to spend the cash for such activities. I'm looking forward to this event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Right, just Lightening both days. Its a relatively easy track to learn, tho it takes a lot longer to learn how to maximize speed. It has 3 straights where point-byes are easily given. I know it goes without saying that newbies shd take their time and enjoy learning the track and its nuances. It will be very hard to run with Tom and Croc right out of the box as they have hundreds or 1000's of laps there and know its nuances. By Saturday afternoon, I expect most people will have figured it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 You're right about taking the time to learn the track. Every track is different. It's not just about apexes but about surface tension, track camber, etc., and only the very very skilled or the very very stupid ones go out there at full blast. I'm not suicidal so I go slow at first and build up as I gain experience and confidence. Keeping up with Tom or Croc won't be a problem. I plan on cutting their plug wires to at least two of their cylinders and possibly letting the air out of at least a couple of tires. Maybe chaining a small SUV to the back of their cars would add some drag. Or maybe add this:deadhorse: By the way, since I'm not familiar with the ways of the NE, on a point by, do we use the index finger or the middle finger ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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