Seat time with a difference - #project86
I’m a firm believer that seat time is everything when it comes to getting the most out of the car and yourself – but seat time isn’t just for racetracks. For a change of pace last weekend, I headed to the first round of the NSW 86/BRZ Club motorkhana series with some mates.
Far too often I find myself obsessing over sector times, tyre pressures and damper settings on the racetrack so a casual skid was just what the doctor ordered. The main objective of the day was to have fun, but pushing myself ever closer to the cones certainly didn’t hurt my car control.
Thanks to the NSW 86/BRZ club for organising the day with a particular mention to Brent and Mitch for running the day and all others that volunteered to time the day!
The other benefit of the wet skid pad is plenty of skids with minimal tyre wear, as you’ll see above.
After a day of skids we loaded up the car to make the trip to Wakefield park for yet another Trackschool day the next morning. What I said earlier about the car control rang true – I was chomping at the bit and felt incredibly confident despite being the first car out on a cold, slippery track. It was amazing how much more comfortable I felt with the car slithering about as the tyres were warming up.
That Monday was also the first time out on a set of new (to me) Toyo R888-R tyres which felt fantastic. There is a lot to be said about the need to gain confidence with higher grip levels, even the worn set of rubber felt much tackier than my old Goodrides.
The data confirmed this, suggesting a mid 1:10 would be possible in the car as it sits (thanks to a reference lap set by the man Boz). In the last session of the say I came painfully close, but a busy track with traffic meant I didn’t break into the magic number, but I still cracked a PB of 1:11.
Not one to back down from a challenge, I’ll be back this Monday to dip into the 1:10s at Wakefield before I set my sights on Sydney Motor Sport park. I’ll explain what the plans are for the season in the coming days, but I’m chuffed with 1:10’s in a very lightly modified 86 (coilovers, wheels, tyres and a seat, stock intake, exhaust and no tune).
It wouldn’t be remotely possible for a punter like me to get close to those times without the help of the wonderful instructors at Trackschool. Yes, they are a sponsor and a good friend of ours but they’re also a fantastic organisation!
Don’t mind the dodgy angle but here’s a quick incar from Monday.
Images: Chris Gligorov / Apex Creative House for Trackschool Trackdays