Those Moog end-links looks tough. Although going with those means you're committing to repacking them periodically with new grease, old school.

Is there anything else on the G that needs to be repacked?

 

Actually yes. I have zerk fittings on all the end links, the sway bar bushings, and the Z1 adjustable arms. So 16 points that will need repacked, which helps justify those end links. I don't think it will be a big deal as I usually have the car in the air at least once every other month. I'm sure my neighbors think it's a junk car because of that.

I'm actually planning on repacking everything soon, as well as getting some all season tires now that the temps are getting into the 30°Fs in the mornings.

 

Log October 2022 - First Track Event in the X

So since the autocross event in July I've been wanting to attend another event. The weather forecast for the August event didn't look great so I skipped that event. Unfortunately I was out of town for the September event, so it was nearing the end of the season and I really wanted to try out the upgraded sway bars. Talking with my friend he recommended we try the Nashville Superspeedway Track night in America event. This was excellent as I live 15 minutes from the track, so no real planning was needed. Just sign up and go get a track experience. https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/...way-october-12

The morning of the event was pretty relaxed, did a few hours of working from home then loaded up the car and took the back way to the track. Upon arrival I was happy to see many garage spots still available, so I unloaded my things and got ready for tech. Speaking of unloading my things, I've found the sedan to be very capable at carrying all you would need for a day at the track.


My track tote and canopy in the back seat. I have my cooler in the trunk.


This tote can hold a large helmet bag (helmet, with multiple visors, 2 pairs of shoes, and change of clothes) Milwaukee bag has a 1/2" impact, lug tools, air pressure gauges, and hand tools. Also have a torque wrench and small camping seats underneath the bags. In short this tote is perfect.



Unpacked and ready to get started.


After unpacking I had about 30 minutes until the Novice meeting, I was waiting for my friend to arrive, he had withdrawn his entry to the event after selling his RX8 the weekend before, but he still wanted to be there to watch. There was also a healthy contingent of Bridgestone/Firestone employees there as the headquarters are just a few minutes down the interstate. I'm not sure what their objective was but they were documenting the tires the drivers were running. I should have asked for a hefty discount but I was a bit too shy for that. So at 1:45 it was time for our meeting and to my surprise I saw a few familiar faces from autocross but also plenty of new faces (judging by the license plates many drivers had come quite a long way). The first meeting covered the very basics of what was expected: Learn the flag station locations, know how to point-by, know where to point-by, give a point -by for each car, and don't be a hero.

Directly following the meeting we lined up on the grid for the first Novice session, which was to be paced with no passing or point-bys. At this point my nerves were very high, I was about to stretch the legs of the G like I had never done before, as I rarely exceed 90mph on the road. In the back of my mind was what my wife said that morning when she left for work "Don't wreck you car! We have a baby we have to save up for!" It's funny how the wife can be the voice of reason but I still want to get out there and see what I and the car can do. On the way to the grid I did my best to join at the back as I thought this would give me some breathing room to learn the track. As we went out for our paced laps I was happy to see that we were going at a healthy enough pace to learn and test different lines. I had feared the pace laps would be 50mph and below, but I was reaching speeds of nearly 80mph. The 20 minutes of paced laps disappeared quickly but left me excited for more. I was learning where I could really lean on the G and the places I could trust it.

So after our paced session it was back to the garages and time for the main novice meeting now that we had all been on track. Each session and meeting taught us something as we were able to understand and process more things with increased time on track. I found myself getting somewhat comfortable but still keeping eyes on my mirrors as there were many lighter and faster cars that would catch me. However not all of us were so diligent, we had more than one car that would hold up a train of traffic as they forgot to point-by. Personally I had no issues with point-bys as I didn't want to hinder someone's day/fun, plus this was my first event and I was there to get my feet wet and learn.

Thoughts on the Course
During this first open session I found that the car performed best from just pass the second hairpin all the way up to the entry of the main start/finish straight. This was a larger section that I had anticipated for and the part I looked forward to the most. I was able to power out and on to the back straight and carry significant speed into the "bus stop" portion of the track, and from there it was a fast sweeper onto the front straight. Oh that front "straight" as you can see from the track layout the speedway is a sort of trioval and the front straight is actually a continuous curve, add to that the banking and this proved to be more challenging than I would have thought. Entering a banked section of track at speed is an unnatural feeling. I found myself holding at roughly 80% throttle until I was in the banking then I would be flat out. I wish I would've had more time to build courage but the fastest speed I had when approaching this section was roughly 80mph. This was also do to this section being the primary passing zone, so the majority of the time I was compromising myself to allow a point-by. Once up on the banking it was pedal down but also keep an eye on your mirrors. It was a strange sensation to be at wide open throttle while continually steering and then heading down hill. Coming off the main straight proved to be a simple section but a hard one to master. As you drive down off the banking and onto the road course section with the first hairpin, the A-pillar creates a blind spot and it's tough to judge your braking and turn in. I was commonly behind cars I had just pointed by and saw that they also struggled with this entry into the hairpins. It seems we all carried too much or not enough speed which compromised our run and flow to the next hairpin. Overall this was by far my toughest section of the track as I would be out of sync and either too slow or too fast and just scrub speed in the second hairpin. My conclusion is hairpins are tough, two hairpins are tougher, and a heavy sedan wasn't always happy doing them.


Cooling down for the short break in-between sessions

Coming back into the garages after the first open session was a chance to reflect on the small mistakes and trying to nail the "flow". This is something I would chase for the rest of the day. We didn't have much time before it was our second open session as we were trying to beat rain that was headed in that afternoon. The second session was rewarding but also frustrating. I was finding more pace and courage through all sections of the track but so was everyone else, so point-bys were a must. The second session I was settling into the process of a track day. Check you mirror, point-by, back on the throttle, and return to your pace but keep an eye on those around you. I feel that I could have done 30+ minutes in this section but towards the end I found that the leather seats weren't giving me the grip that I wanted. At some points I was bracing myself with my leg and knee to hold my butt in place. The other slight issue I had was a slight decline in braking performance. Now this wasn't drastic and never caught me in a dangerous situation but it is understandable when you are asking them to slow down a heavy car every 30 seconds for 20 minutes. But after just half a lap of point-bys they would be back to normal and shaving speed without issue. Just to help paint a picture the smell of brakes and tires were very strong in the garages, so I imagine I wasn't the only one dealing with this issue.

I really would have loved to had a third session as it was on the schedule but mother nature had other ideas. Our area hadn't had rain in a month, which is quite unusual for middle Tennessee as it tends to be a wet place. With that said it was on this very afternoon that our drought would snap in a big way. We were the blue dot on the radar and the organizers let us know that none of the track workers would be out do to lightning. So waiting it out was an option but it would have been at least an hour delay and heading out onto a wet track with daylight waning. The vast majority of drivers packed up to call it a day, Those that had traveled a long way packed up but pulled out a book to read during the rain. I packed things up and headed to the house to try to beat the storm, within 5 minutes of leaving the bottom fell out and I knew I wouldn't want to be on track after the thunderstorm.


Storm cell heading to the track prior to the 3rd novice session.




Track layout for this event

 

Log October 2022 - First Track Event in the X

Had to split the post due to length. Here are the videos.

Found some footage of my car on track. This short clip shows me entering the first road course section coming in from NASCAR turn 1. On this lap I was in a group of fast cars and spent most of the time looking in the mirror for a point by opportunity. Also towards the end of the video you can see the G siting in the garage.


Dash cam clips of my final session.


Having had a few days to digest and reflect, I really enjoyed my time on the track. There was plenty to learn about myself, my car, and others on track. My slowest time of the day was in the 1:30s and my fastest was near 1:20 flat. I know there is still plenty of time to be gained with the current set up. I just need more seat time. With it all said and done I'm ready for another event like this in fact I've already started looking. I know I'll be in the novice class for some time, but there really isn't a better place to drive your car, being in a controlled environment allows you to focus on the the important things. Thanks for reading!