So, finally got my car on the track for a day at Laguna Seca last Monday and all I can say is ... WOW! The car, the track, the car ON the track, wow! Did it thru Speed Ventures and they were pretty good but truth be told for me I just wanted to drive MY car on Laguna Seca, a track I've been to a million times over the years growing up here, it was literally a dream come true. Yea, sappy, sorry, but that's the truth. So couple things. Speed Ventures is very low key, almost "hands off", made for a really enjoyable time having no reins so to speak. I was in the beginner group for first timers but because I had been on that track before they didn't require me to have an instructor and I was free to go on my own, it was great. I passed everyone in my group (yea it was the beginner group but everyone was still going fast), it was a blast passing everyone in a STATION WAGON!!! Vettes, Porsches, STIs, all check. Funny I was the only "muscle car" there (all porsches, bimmers, etc.) with a big red wagon that was really fast yet no one came up to talk to me, only comments I got were on the brakes! Jealsous fools, haha!! I have to say the Mopar coilover kit I have made the car stick like glue, it never once felt out of place or out of control, even through the corkscrew. And for the record the Goodyear F1s were fantastic, they really stick great. Anyway, here's a couple really crappy pix I got before my batteries went dead, sorry, I'll be better prepped next time!
YOU SUCK! lol Congrats Scotty. Yea, Laguna Seca is a dream track for me as well brotha... Me and a few buddies would watch the races from Fort Ord. haha I love that track. Glad you had a blast...
Even since I did the SRT TE there back in Feb I've been wanting to get my car out there and it's not easy, LS is a busy track and there's not many opprtunities. Props to Matt Robertson over on LXforums for taking time to help out a newb, he was REALLY cool and helpful to me! SV only charged $290 for the day so it was well worth it, if you ever get a chance do it, you won't regret it. One thing, I believe our cars are ideally suited for this track because after every turn there's a straight of some sort for us to really put down the power. There's no chicanes or esses that keep us slowed, just a turn and a straight and I believe that's feeds right into our cars strong points and why I was passing eveyone at will.
Esses are your friend when you get the +4K lb car rolling the right way.. I have done LS SRT TE with Matt, and have hit BW as well... it is amazing to see a station wagon go as fast as ti does, not only straight but in corners as well... yes the BMW's, Porsche's, Audi's, and smaller cars go through the corner faster, but we often times get em coming out .. get some good brakes and, move up one level on the break fluid, stainless brake lines and you will be able to push the car to its limits... it is a blast... As far as the others not talking to you... it is no big thing... they just cannot fathom how you finesse a beast that big around the track, let alone pass a few, which is very embarrassing so they tell me... enjoy it.. it is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off..
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I did my second SRT TE there and the corkscrew made me sick. Nice long straight stretches though like you said. How much did it cost for how much time on the track? What were the rules for safe passing?
Nice Scott! Let's get a bit more of a writeup? Like how many did they send off in a group, what were the driving rules, how many laps each time, how many times, did you beep your horn when you passed the Porsches and Bimmers? ...and how do we know that YOU were there? haha, can't believe you went with a dead battery in the camera.
Congratulations!! :happy: Laguna Seca was a lot of fun at the TE, but I have yet to do it in my own car. You gotta check out Willow Springs when/if you can though. The "fastest track in the west" :dance4:
I'm a green eyed monster, Scottie, but glad you had the time of your life. Out of curiosity, how many mile you have on your ride? We have a newer track close to our place (Calabogie) and I'd love to get my Mag out there for a day so to run around with buddies who honestly think that their Porcshes, 3 series' and Audi TT's are the only track worthy street cars out there. I'm a green eyed monster, Scottie, but glad you had the time of your life. Out of curiosity, how many mile you have on your ride? We have a newer track close to our place (Calabogie Motorsports - Wilson designed) and I'd love to get my Mag out there for a day so to run around with buddies who honestly think that their Porcshes, 3 series' and Audi TT's are the only track worthy street cars out there.
did you spend like 60 hours detailing your car afterward? hahahahaha..... looks KEWL....you need to rig up an in car camera next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Screw you Scotty!!! Ive always wanted to drive there too!!! hahaha glad you had fun and passed everyone!!!! :thumb:
Thanks Larry! Definitely!! Something everyone should experience at least once! I just think that more straights really help keep our sleds moving and for the record I was going thru corners just as fast as if not faster than most of the smaller cars. 3 reasons I attribute this to .... 1 being in the beginner group, 2 being familiar with the track and most importantly 3 the mopar coilover kit and sways I have. I checked my SRT TE dvd and my fastest lap was 9 seconds faster, 9, than the instructor did on my hot lap in a stock Charger!! And yea, nothing like passing bimmers and such in a station wagon, oh that was sweet even in the beginner group!! I know someone with an S2000 modded for handling and last time I was corner carving around here with him he was SHOCKED how well I handled my beast, he couldn't shake me. I believe his exact words were, "HOW THE HELL DO YOU DRIVE THAT TANK THAT FAST?!?!" Hahaha! Anyway thanks for the info Ken, appreciate it. I can't imagine making the brakes any BETTER, they worked awesome all day and was a big reason why I was able to go so fast, plus they were the only thing anyone commented on, lol!! Thanks Jeff, you should try it sometime, you really should! Only 290 for the day (5 run sessions averaging 20 minutes a session ... it's PLENTY of track time, trust me) from Speed Ventures, that's not bad. Passing was by "point by" only and only on the straights. Everything ran smooth and safe. If I do do it again I wanna get a bunch of SRTs to go, being the only one this time sucked. Thanks Tony, great is an understatement!! Did I read once you doing a track day before in your Jeep, was that you?? Thanks Tam, you get a special THANK YOU too!! Your help was MUCH appreciated!! I've said it before and I'll say it again ... YOU ARE COOL!!! I'd like to do it again and if I do I wanna try to get a bunch of LXs to go, I didn't care for being the "Lone Ranger", lol! I'll keep you updated if you want, they don't have track days at LS very often. Oh one other thing bout LS is you run counter-clockwise so the pass front tends to get the brunt of use, not the drivers side like most places use up, but to tell you the truth my fronts wore pretty evenly for the day, imo it's a well ballanced track. Only Mr. Wizzard would want more, lol! I'll put more at the end. Joe, you are or you HAVE a green eyed "monster", lol!! You Canadians, lmao!! I've only got 6K miles on it so it's still pretty new (tires, brakes, motor). You should get out there if you can, those guys will be mightly impresed by how well you do, I guarentee it ESPECIALLY with a station wagon! Took till Sat before I could clean her up, it was killing me. Actually what was funny was how even the brake dust was on the front and rear wheels, I expected the fronts to be black as hell but they weren't, they were just about the same as the rears, go figure. And I know bout the cam, I don't have a good video one but if/when I do it again I will def get one and a mount, I have to show everyone me passing Porsches and Vettes and STIs!! Thanks Nev! For a big car our LXs actually handle pretty damn well! Thanks Wade, blast being an understatement!! Only wish I coulda had a couple BBWs in the back while driving round the track, lol!! Totally!! It KILLED me being alone, everyone there either knew someone or came with someone, I was a loner. No one I knew could go, next time FOR SURE I'm draggin someone with me, lol!!
Ok, a little more for Mr. Wizzard ... Groups were limited by Laguna Seca rules to 30 cars on track at a time but in the beginner group there were maybe 20 max, it wasn't crowded at all. I was held up on every lap tho at some point and never had one good clear run but that was ok, it was REALLY fun passing other cars with a STATION WAGON!! Plus you know how loud our exhausts are at WOT, everyone got an earfull. No real driving rules, I mean no speed limits, go as fast as you want. Come up on someone slower and wait for a clear point by to pass and go. They did go over basic stuff like flags and what to do if you go off track but that's about it, very low key. I had 5 run groups for the day and they were all different amounts of time but averaged 20 minutes a session. Would get about 10 laps depending. I know that doesn't sound like much but it was, trust me, it wasn't like the TE where we were dying to go faster and more laps, this was good, by the end of each session the car and myself were ready for a rest. And no beeping the horn, everyone just got an earfull of HEMI POWER when I blew by them at WOT, it was GREAT!! You can see the pix, that's MY car! Hey I did tell you bout it and I did ASK you to go but you passed. As for the cam, my bad, I totally forgot to charge the bats, at least I remembered to bring the camera! lol! Any other questions just ask??:grin:
Will do Tam, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it again next year sometime. My buddy is looking at getting a new VW R32 soon and wants to run it at Laguna cause he thinks he can beat my best lap time ... haha, the fool!
