Stew Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Trackday! First off a huge thanks to ZMANALEX who booked this for me so I couldn't chicken out! Anyway, early start, left my house at 7am and headed to Knockhill Racing Circuit. Topped up the V power 10 miles from the circuit. Arrived and signed in. Attended the driver breifing and then checked tyre pressures etc. Everything else was checked before leaving. So to build up my confidence I let Alex take control of my jallopy for a few laps to see what I had to do. He was excellent showing me the lines, the braking points etc etc. We swapped over and I ventured out. Again Alex was telling me what to do which was very much appreciated! I then ventured out alone and Alex took to the track in his beast! This ended up being open pitlane so was very relaxed. There was some nice cars in attendance. Jayne (my other half) was in charge of the camera and hardly took any pics as I think she was worrying about me too much! Oh and she was too busy out on track with Alex! I took it really steadily building up pace with confidence. I did about 100 laps in the end zand thouroughly enjoyed it. The pics. Another Zed was in action. We had a chat to the owner who was impressed by Alexs list of mods.... Dude 'that thing shifts, much done to it?' Me chipping in 'Just an exhaust mate...' Alex as we were walking away '...... sh*t, I should have said 'and some gauges!'' Alex jumping in the passenger seat.... you have to question his sanity! And they're off! Made it round for the first time! I'm not ashamed to say I had a semi as this 360CS passed me at full pelt, went sideways through the hairpin and fired up the straight. I think Alex went Fezza hunting later...... Master and apprentice I was getting faster so Jayne couldn't catch me in action...... The trackday finished at 5pm. Headed up the road for some award winning fish and chips and home for a mammoth sleep! ddmroadster came along to say hello too which was nice! Only incident was a little smoke from the nearside front. After a little investigation it was discovered that a seal on my dipstick had split and oil had got out and was burning off. Stole some scotch tape from Bruce Taxi and I was away again! The car was faultless apart for that. First thing Alex told me was to leave ESP off on the track. It performed brilliantly on T1Rs. The brakes (Dixcel - thanks Dixon and DMS) suffered no fade and were more powerful than my requirements. They were a little squeeky at the start but that soon stopped after a few proper applications. The power of the Zed was fine for the track. I must admit I was nervous and thought the car would be sliding about a bit. It really didn't. The cars talents outweighed mine on the day. The suspension (Eiback pro springs on stock dampers) felt spot on! Very communicative and the damping was fine. I'm here and Alex has posted since so he obviously wasn't too traumatised by the experience! Now to book the next one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilsheepshagga_turbo Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 good work dude... sounds like a good day out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmitchell Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Looks excellent Not sure I would do it with mine lol but had minis on the track at Knockhill before now. My mate John remembers seeing Alex in his rear view mirror (very briefly) Cars looking very shiney Stew Think I might be following up our discussion earlier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Looks excellent Not sure I would do it with mine lol but had minis on the track at Knockhill before now. My mate John remembers seeing Alex in his rear view mirror (very briefly) Cars looking very shiney Stew Think I might be following up our discussion earlier won't tell you last time it was cleaned..... Alex' Zed seems to do that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza1702 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Nice one Stew, your a brave man...... Glad to see you and the car made it round unscathed. Alex took me round Knockhill for the first time on Thursday, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, nothing much was able to keep up with his monster In saying that though, I dont think I have the confidence to take my car round, I feel I would be far too slow when you see the pace of some of the cars out there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Great pics Stew. So the question is................... are you hooked??? When's the next track day??? Bazza, you should give it a go, you might surprise yourself. Also helps out on the road too, the skills transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Nice one buddy! Always good to have someone show you the ropes, that will have made your learning curve very steep! The Zed is very capable on the track, seems more at home than you might imagine by its road manners. Funny you should say Jayne takes no pics when nervus, Amanda is the exact opposite taking loads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Nice one Stew. It's nice knowing what the car can do as you just don't get to realise on the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M350ZB Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Good work mate, some laps in as well, bet it was a great day, and with Alex being there i bet you learnt alot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry3167 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Excellent Stew! Looks like a fun filled zedtastical day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 nice one stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Nice one stew... would love to do this but dont fancy it in my auto on standard jdm brakes. Get yourself on a drift day too - thats also great fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuck Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Looks like you had a brilliant day, I'm a touch on the jealous side! Would you be able to do this on a standard UK GT Zed or will certain things need upgrading first like the brakes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry3167 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Alex`s car looks like it has small black cirlces on the bumper around the number plate..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Alex`s car looks like it has small black cirlces on the bumper around the number plate..? Not circles, but holes! His car needs a lot of cooling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M350ZB Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Alex`s car looks like it has small black cirlces on the bumper around the number plate..? Not circles, but holes! His car needs a lot of cooling! +1, is one hell of a zed machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 The sunset Zed on track was totally stock. It did very well. I think the only thing a totally stock Zed might struggle on is pads as it's a heavy car! I think everything else would cope. Alex is the best man to ask though as he is the veteran! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 The sunset Zed on track was totally stock. It did very well. I think the only thing a totally stock Zed might struggle on is pads as it's a heavy car! I think everything else would cope. Alex is the best man to ask though as he is the veteran! Last few track days we've had, a couple of the guys with absolutely stock standard Zeds, did have a touch of brake fade that's both manual and tiptronic types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Wow your braver than me mate !! well done Stew looks like fun but you need to train Jayne on how to take quicker pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I'm sure with Alex mentoring that helped you get the most out of the day and glad to hear you had such a great time. Love to do that with someone who knows both the car and circuit so well I see Alex is using the Veilside wing again, rather than the Ings - what's prompted that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Alex he da boss indeed! By the way - those round circles on his front bumper not extra vents as people may think ....no no nooooooo....they are just where the Mozzies have hit the front of his car - at the Warp speeds Alex does they do more than just splat on the bumper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Alex he da boss indeed! By the way - those round circles on his front bumper not extra vents as people may think ....no no nooooooo....they are just where the Mozzies have hit the front of his car - at the Warp speeds Alex does they do more than just splat on the bumper! He must be a a far better driver than I thought to make those hits so equally spaced Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Alex he da boss indeed! By the way - those round circles on his front bumper not extra vents as people may think ....no no nooooooo....they are just where the Mozzies have hit the front of his car - at the Warp speeds Alex does they do more than just splat on the bumper! He must be a a far better driver than I thought to make those hits so equally spaced Oh yes indeed - but the Scottish Mozzies tend to fly in formation - - have a look next time your up the Colin Its a hunting instinct when they are trying to chase Haggis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Great day had by all. It really was a cracking track day with no need to rush as it was a 7 hour open pit lane, so loadsa time on track and plenty time for cooling down, (car, driver and passenger) The majority of the drivers were well disciplined so it was really the perfect day for Stew to get to grips with some track day fun. The weather was good so no tyre changes for me and Stew was on T1Rs No need for me to go into great detail as Stew has given you a brief summary of the day. As you would expect he was a bit nervous and apprehensive as it is a big ask to go out on track for the first time as there are two straights at Knockhill where 130mph can be reached consistantly. He did have the benefit of previously being my passenger so he did know what to expect so that probably made him even more nervous. After numerous laps together he was let loose on his own and boy did he love it, there was no holding him back, lap after lap his lines got better and better, his braking and turn ins became more precise, he was beginning to find the apex and his power out the exits was well balanced. The apprehension was now well gone and the confidence was beginning to show through as his lap times began to drop as his driving became more relaxed and smoother. Stew's car stood up well to the Knockhill circuit as it is an extremely demanding and technical circuit, and his brake and suspension mods were well up to the task. He did remarkably well on the day and I saw a huge difference in his driving technique and application and by the end of the day I think he was well chuffed. I think that I will see him back Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 Great day had by all. It really was a cracking track day with no need to rush as it was a 7 hour open pit lane, so loadsa time on track and plenty time for cooling down, (car, driver and passenger) The majority of the drivers were well disciplined so it was really the perfect day for Stew to get to grips with some track day fun. The weather was good so no tyre changes for me and Stew was on T1Rs No need for me to go into great detail as Stew has given you a brief summary of the day. As you would expect he was a bit nervous and apprehensive as it is a big ask to go out on track for the first time as there are two straights at Knockhill where 130mph can be reached consistantly. He did have the benefit of previously being my passenger so he did know what to expect so that probably made him even more nervous. After numerous laps together he was let loose on his own and boy did he love it, there was no holding him back, lap after lap his lines got better and better, his braking and turn ins became more precise, he was beginning to find the apex and his power out the exits was well balanced. The apprehension was now well gone and the confidence was beginning to show through as his lap times began to drop as his driving became more relaxed and smoother. Stew's car stood up well to the Knockhill circuit as it is an extremely demanding and technical circuit, and his brake and suspension mods were well up to the task. He did remarkably well on the day and I saw a huge difference in his driving technique and application and by the end of the day I think he was well chuffed. I think that I will see him back Alex. 130??? For you yes, for me not even near it! Cheers Alex. Oh and of course you'll see me back. Lots and lots of improvement for me to make! I really did love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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