Test Day

Testing / Race Schedule

The 12 Hours of the Cascades is coming up quickly. Our testing schedule is as follows. We will test October 2nd and October 13th at PIR. We would like to get the other two drivers in the car for the 13th test day. We will also be on track on the friday the 16th in preparation for the 12 hour race on the 17th. Here is a link for the race schedule. http://www.cascadesportscarclub.org/Files/Race/2009/Enduro_Schedule.pdf
We would like crew to show up at the latest at noon on friday the 16th. We will practice a couple of pit stops including brake pad changes, fueling, and tire changes. As of today our crew chief is Dave Gilbert. Other crew includes Bob Skinner, Todd Butler, Todd Lamberton, John Raske, Billy Legg, and Ken Paddock. More info to follow.

Car/Driver Update

The car is currently all put back together and is at Bob Skinner's shop getting a baseline set up put on it in anticipation of our first test day at PIR on October 2nd. I drove the car up and down Bob's neighborhood street a couple of times and it feels like a rocket ship. Nothing like the Spec Racer. Looking forward to getting it on the track finally. Jim Murry, Jordan Wand, and Todd Butler have decided not to drive. However, it looks like Gary Manchester is in. I'm looking for one more driver. Here are some updated pictures.

Further development

Since I bought the car in March we have been systematically making additional modifications to it to make it a competitive endurance car. We have focused on weight, safety, handling, range, and power. Here are some of the changes we have made:

• Lightening - we have taken out another +/- 200 lbs from the car. This includes the dash, the undercoating, emergency brake, inner door panels.
• We have modified the gas tank filler so that we can fill the tank quicker than with the stock filler.
• Replaced all 4 shocks
• Serviced brakes and installed new brake lines
• Installed new Megan adjustable suspension parts including lower and upper control arms, rear camber arms and rear radius arms
• Replaced and refabricated roll cage. The workmanship on the existing cage was substandard.
• Installed new data acquistion - Racepak GX2
• Installed new clutch and flywheel
• new rear view mirror and side mirrors
• new front and rear tow hooks
• acquired spare transmission, suspension parts, axles, and hubs from salvaged car

Car Development - Car Background

The car was originally developed by a shop in Phoenix to be racedin the NASA PTB Class. It was raced in 5 NASA events in 2007 and in early 2008 before it was sold to a SCCA racer in Seattle. The guy in Seattle raced it once in ITE before he sold it to me. The car had the following modifications to it when I bought it:

• weld in roll cage with SFI padding
• window nets
• Firesafe fire system
• battery cut out switch
• Momo seat
• quick release steering wheel hub
• radio wiring
• Nismo front Cannars
• Carbor fiber rear hatch with adjustable rear wing
• Gulf/Livery color scheme
• HID lighting
• Injen Intake
• Injen TI dual exhaust
• Brembo brake package with hawk DTC60 pads
• K-Sport shocks
• Eibach front and rear sway bars
• AMB transponder
• Stock VQ 35 Engine with 39,000 miles on it

Background

Back in march of 2009 I bought a 2005 Fairlady 350 Z race car. I am intending to further develop the car into an endurance racer and to enter the 12 hours of the Cascades and the 25 hour of Thunderhill. Dave Gilbert has been working on the car since June. We are scheduled to test the car for the first time on September 3rd at PIR. The 12 hours of the Cascades is on October 17th. We will have 3 drivers for the 12 hour race and 4 for the 25 hr race. Todd Butler, Jim Murray, and Jordan Wand have all expressed interest in the 12 hour race.