Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5

[Jake]

Summit Point "D-Day Dogfight" - June 2016

Early gate entry FTW, especially after sitting in traffic on the Beltway and Greenway.



This weekend was hot. The track was slick, everyone's tires were performing at sub-optimal levels, and we all ran "a little slow." Nevertheless, I tried using some of what I learned from my last visit to Summit in April and pushed harder. Was able to spend all weekend running through T4 (the chute) with no brakes, just a brief lift off the throttle before getting back on it to go down the hill. Moving the driver's seat closer to the wheel really helped with brake pedal control and I was far more consistent with my braking on the front straight.

The car was a bit pushy at times. I was able to correct maybe two-thirds of it by changing my driving style, but a portion of it was seemingly unavoidable due to the lack of grip.

My Hoosiers are getting old (I believe they are from 2012 or 2013, no idea on heat cycle count) and while I could continue to run 'em until they cord, I'm wondering when it's appropriate to replace. Good old debate on if I'm fast enough to bother with new Hoosiers, versus being held back by the old ones. I'd like to continue doing some work using my street tires, getting faster on those, as I think more gains in technique are to be had there.

Best lap of the weekend was a 1:28.7, which I'm pretty happy with given the heat. It's still a second or two faster than my previous best, though I arrived on Friday night with a goal of a 1:27.x. Next time!

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Had a really great time hanging out with everyone in the paddock, too. MM representation was strong - very cool to see track weekends seemingly making a comeback among the student crowd. Keep it up, guys.

On to Dominion in late July!