cb63

Friday I finally marked off one of my bucket list items. I ran the 24 hour course at Daytona. Was put on by the Audi Club/Hooked on Driving

There were far more Corvettes there than Audi's. Saw a GT-1, 3 or 4 ZR-1's, several Zo6's and a few base models like mine. We got 4 30 minute sessions each

I ran in the novice group since it was my first time there although I did run all day without an instructor. I wish I had one to show me better lines than I was running. My car is a base model with the ZO6 widebody conversion along with several parts from Pfadt and Katech. I guess I didnt do too bad as my best lap was a 2:23

05C6GAC

Looks like you had a great day for it, somew of the guyes I run with went last month with the PCA Group and it was preaty much a wash out. I know its hit or miss every where in November and December. It's on my bucket list, maybe next year, Did you happen to see BEZ06. He's usually down there.

Z06vett

Thanks for posting a picture of my son in his 2010 Cyber Gray Grand Sport. He ran both Friday and Saturday and had a ball. He also did not have an instructor but he has run VIR twice this year and was very quick at both tracks. Next is Sebring and then Moroso.

I had my 1963 Z06 on Daytona years ago but not at todays speeds.
David Van Weele

BEZ06

Dang, cb63 - sorry I didn't run into you at the event (we were in different run groups, so I couldn't do it THAT way!!!). I was in group 3 in my DSOM C6 Z06.

I did get to meet John (waddisme) and Charley Hoyt - always great to meet some forum guys at track events!

It was a very good event - great weather and to my knowledge no catastrophic crashes (although I don't know how all those Porsches that kept blowing right rear tires all kept off all the walls!).

I see you're local so we'll have to get together.

Glad you enjoyed running "our little local track"!!!

Bob

Charley Hoyt

I had a fantastic time on the track at Daytona this weeked also. That is one amazing track.... There is nothing else like it. It was great meeting Bob and all of the other fantastic people there. Unfortunately I pushed a little to hard in my last session on Friday and made "my mark" on the track...actually the wall. Fortunately the damage was light.

Here is some video I took. I still have a lot of room for improvement...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zniJza3dypA

doveboat

Charley, I am happy to see that you enjoyed the weekend as I know that you were excited to go.

Thanks for sharing the video, I look forward to discussing how the layout compares to ACS. Looked to be some hard braking from the 140's to enter the complex.

Ed

Charley Hoyt

Ed, It was quite an experience. Daytona is like ACS on steroids. If I remember correctly the banking at ACS is 14 degrees and Daytona is 31 degrees (you feel like your are practically driving on the side of a wall) and the ACS road course is 2.8 miles vs. 3.5 miles at Daytona ( it has a much larger and faster feel to it and you are using 5 NASCAR corners vs. 2 at ACS). It would take me a while to get fast at Daytona....I was giving up a lot of speed while learning the course.

95jersey

Place looks insane...speeds are just constantly high. Sustained 150mph!!!

Pfadt Racing

Wow thats awesome guys, glad to see everyone had a great time at the HOD event. We LOVE going to Daytona for the 24! Really great time for sure. Love to see pics of Corvettes at Daytona. Glad we could help out the cause!

BEZ06

Yes, and VERY hard on tires!!!

When you go around the 31 degree banking, it translates a lot of the lateral G's into downforce. Effectively the weight of the car increases quite a lot putting a whole lot of extra load on the tires. Even with that increased downforce you are still in a left turn - my Traqmate data shows I'm sustaining .5-.7 lateral G's. So increased weight while in a sustained high speed left hand sweeper really puts stress on the tires!

I saw several Porsches that had shredded the right rear tire - all 3 that I went and looked at were Hoosiers. Some body damage from the tire, but amazingly they all kept off the wall when a tire failed at 160+ mph!!! I saw/heard one of them spinning down the front straight. He went out of sight from where I was standing and I was waiting for a big bang, but when the screeching of 4 or 5 donuts at 160 stopped he apparently came to rest without banging into anything.

In my run group there was only one car that could really run with my stock Z06 - well, at least the way they were being driven!! I was doing 160 into the brake zone for the Bus Stop and saw an orange Porsche GT3 closing on me, so he must have really been rockin'-n-rollin'!! I came out of the Bus Stop ready to give him a point-by when he came up on me, but I never saw him again!?!?

Next lap around I saw him sitting off the track just before the Bus Stop with a shredded tire. I ran with him again in another session and I did have to point him by and I couldn't run with him - he could pull me down the straights, and he was really quick through the twisties. I'm sure he was doing sub 2 minute laps.

Daytona is a really fun place to run, but it's serious business when you start running that fast. My car is stock and I run the stock 3 point belts. I have a Rage R3 for head-n-neck support, but when you start going that dayum fast you really should have some serious cockpit structural protection.

I still drive my car to events, but one of these days I should probably go the next step and just turn it into a track car.

Hmmmm....cage, race seats, trailer, tow vehicle - YIKES!!

Bob

95jersey

I thought about that concern myself (tires). I don't think Hoosiers were ever intended or made for high speed oval duties. The Porsche has all its weight on the rear, so that probably explains those failures.

God bless you! I don't think I would do 150mph sustained through those banked walls without a full cage myself. I hit 165mph at Pocono once several years back and it was pretty scary. After I had my son, I promised I would never hit that type of MPH again. Getting old sucks, I find myself being cautious of things that would never have made my flinch 10 years ago.

63Corvette

Hello David, and Welcome to the Forum
I thought that you had sold your 63 Z06 at auction a couple of years ago? If you still have a Corvette, please come on out and race (HDPE) with us..........or better yet, borrow your son's car and track with him.

waddisme

I was there in group 3 for Fri and Sat. What a blast! Wish I could have met more guys from the forum.

Wasn't comfortable not having an instructor to start with. Was doing a lead follow for first session, but car started smoking so I had to come in (dipstick not repl correctly) on second lap. When I got back out, I couldn't find my lead follow group. After some track time and following the yellow Ferrari for a few laps at the end of session 4, my lines were much better and times were in the high 2:1x. Second day first session, there was a white winged C6Z with S-1 on the rear so I thought he would be a good line to follow. Not sure if it was the wing or what, but I couldn't get comfortable with his lines, so once I passed him, I tried to find the Ferrari, but did not find it. Best lap of the day as a 2:09 in the last session of Saturday. Somehow my daughter took a pic from my Harry's Lap timer with my top speed for the day:

[IMG][/IMG]

Ironically, it didn't come on my fastest lap. Can't wait to get back. Will post some vids once I get them downloaded and edited.

JoesC5

I was registered(09 Z06) along with a friend (07 C6) but we couldn't make it at the last minute. Reading your post makes me want to cry. I was really looking forward to being there. I hope Henry is able to put together another event, next Dec.

I was hoping to see 170 MPH at Daytona. I did 162 MPH at Talladega, but believe I could do 167 MPH now, at Talledega. Watching BEZ06's videos at 165 MPH (Michelin tires) and 175 MPH(Hoosier tires) makes me believe it's possible on my Bridgestones. But, I'll never know until I get to Daytona.

BEZ06

Well.....I'm a VERY OOOOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDDD fart!!!!

All the crap on my bucket list was pretty well done a loooong time ago because I never thought I'd make it to middle age - although I wasn't concerned about that, just a fact of the way I lived my life and the career choice I made for the early part of my life (SF, Airborne, Ranger, helicopter pilot, Vietnam vet). I ski and SCUBA dive around the world, have climbed a couple 14ers, and it was fun to sport parachute jump again with my nephew (D-Force HALO guy) a couple years ago after not having jumped in quite a while. I sold the Pitts a couple years ago after my partner wanted out - I think I need to get another one of those!!!

Actually, the older I get the less concerned I get about checking out. My dad is 95 and in a nursing home and his quality of life doesn't appeal to me at all - I'd rather head-on into the wall at Daytona than live like he is (but I think I'll hold off on that for at least 20 more years!!!).

Unfortunately, there are some things that you can't do much about in your life, but my bouts with melanoma and prostate cancer seem to be in remission after 5 years.

I've got a 48 year old nephew that is (was) an orthopedic surgeon. Last week while making rounds he had a seizure. They found a glioblastoma brain tumor. They operated Friday and he's got probably a max of 2 years.

So....if you hear that I haven't been around the forum for a while because I've balled up my Vette, just say that dumb ole $h!t lived a good life and did the things he enjoyed doing right up to the end!!!!

My biggest concern is that I got my old man's genes and I'll live to 100 like his family does. That wouldn't be bad except that dad sits in a wheel chair about 8 hours a day and sleeps the other 16.

I hope everybody can be as happy with their life as I am in old age, and I hope they have the health to keep doing what they love to do!!!

For me.....so far, so good!!!

Bob

Don O.

It was a blast.!

My car has Hoosiers on it and there were no issues.

Don't worry the Panoz has a LS1 in it!

Nice to see you again Bob!

Don

95jersey

Nice write up! Point taken...life is short, anything can happen, live for now and enjoy what you have!! We'll written from a gentleman with much life experience

dvandentop

damn looks like a good time

gsxnut

I was there in a 2000 FRC. I ran in group 4. There were some awesome cars there. The track if unbelievable and for sure is a bucket list item if you like going to the track. The drivers were very courteous and typically let others by. The weather was perfect at 70's and mostly sunny. I trailered the car from Kansas. It was 24 hours one way but well worth it. Due to the distance I most likely will not be able to do it again but it was really fun.

Mark

Daytona-flyer

Hi Bob,

The track personal were really quick removing those cars from the track.

I had a great time. I even found my mirror next to the tire wall I hit. I can't believe there was no damage to speak of.

Looking forward to next year,

Eric