6.28.14 – “SKID PLATE RACING IN MY NEW ACCORD RACING MACHINE”
Skip all this reading and jump to the VIDEO if all these words are overwhelming!
This article describes what Skid Plate racing is http://goo.gl/TfQnSz.
Briefly, Skid Plate racing involves removing the rear wheels of a front wheel drive car and replacing them with flat metal plates that offer very little (no) traction. The cars slide and spin like driving on ice.
The car had a fair bit of damage after the last event (for a change!). Luckily it was mostly cosmetic – new hood, bumpers, and some dents to bang out. Robert Rice did a great job of having it all back together for the next event. That said, we didn’t have any time to paint. I was fine with that because I had never driven at Orange Show and I knew the car could be in for some hits . . . That didn’t stop Alex Miller from doing some decorating of his own:
PRACTICE/ QUALIFYING
None. Due to some scheduling problems, I was not able to get to the track in time for the practice/ qualifying session. So I knew I would be starting from the back, in last place. The bigger issue in my mind was the fact that I had never driven on this track. Orange Show is a much smaller track than Irwindale, where we normally race. It has heavier banking and is MUCH less forgiving in terms of runoff – the walls are very close to the track. There was definitely going to be a steep learning curve.
THE RACE!
Starting from last – I took my time in the opening laps to try and learn the track. It is a fun track and a little slower than Irwindale but also more technical. Believe it or not, I actually look at the telemetry data from these races and after looking at the data from this event you can see that a lap is really made in how long you can stretch the straights. Getting on the power as soon as possible and then hard on the brakes for the turns is key. The only way around the turns that I found was slowly.
The walls are another factor. The banking and exit from the turns really makes the car want to drift towards the walls. Once you are sucked into them, it is too late. I hit the walls twice – once was just a small bump reminding me to back off a little. The second time wasn’t – the bumper stuck to the wall, bringing the rear end around. Luckily I avoided taking out Robert’s car (who won the race!) and got going.
I got up to 8th from last (out of 15 or 16 cars) and stayed there most of the race. Towards the end I made a pass for 7th but didn’t make it stick – I spun in the next turn. I still managed to finish in 8th though. I had a ton of fun at this track and look forward to the next one. The car got away pretty clean, so a good night!
This is a edited version, click HERE for full race
Thanks again to Robert Rice Racing I would never have had the opportunity to do this without their help.
Thank you to TrakkTape – Great product for protecting my car on track!
Track Day Protection
Racing Adventures 