Some Videos of Redhead Racing & Performance at Road America

[redheadracing]

Since you asked.......

To parrot Jake by quoting my first driving instructor, Coasting? There's no coasting in racing! You're a race car driver....you're either on the gas, or on the brake. There isn't anything else!

With all the horsepower, you seemed too content to just suck up to the Porsches and stay behind, instead of pressing the issue and passing them.

You are too late on the throttle off the corner most of the time. Even with a sizeable HP advantage, there still looks to be room for higher straightaway speeds with an earlier application of the throttle. I can't think of one corner on that track where you couldn't be accelerating prior to the apex. The carousel doesn't apply due to the many lines that can be run. Even there you still need to be on the gas well before you hit the straight.

While I have never run Road America (it's on the list, though), can anyone else share? Is the kink supposed to be flat? It just seemed like you were giving up to much real estate backing off the throttle through that corner.

Use all the real estate. You look to have leftover room on a lot of corner exits because you're not using up the whole track. You could carry more speed off the corner if you allow the car to track all the way out.

Learn to heel-and-toe downshift. It seems you may be overslowing the car on corner entry by not being able to blip the throttle to match revs. It takes a lot of practice to get it right, but pays off in my opinion.

T1 looks like you could do it in 4th and carry a bit more speed.

Did you get your start doing HPDE events? Your style looks like the classic got-to-be-careful-cuz-I'm-driving-my-street-car-on-the-racetrack type. There is room for a bit more aggression in your style. Maybe it's just not who you are, and that's OK, but it appears you could "attack" the corners a bit harder.

Don't take this the wrong way, I went through all of this, with the possible exception of the HPDE stuff (I was too stupid to drive my street car safely on the race track. I drove it like it WAS a race car!). I too learned on a high HP car and overcame a lot of driving errors with gobs of HP. It wasn't until I started driving low HP IT and SM cars that I truly came to appreciate that which we refer to as "momentum".

Good luck in your future races.
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Thanks for the input.

I would agree that I could have been on the gas more. If you watch the second vid that is day to and I did quite a bit better, I was able to get more speed and I commited more.

I can see you point about me diving like I was an HPDE driver. Up until last year that was the case, I was running the car wheel to wheel and there was still a loan on it.... LOL.
I would say that if I want to be more competive that I need to push the car more and not worry about it so much.

You are correct about the Kink at Road America. It should be flat out. But it is sure scarry when you are going in there at 100+ mph with those concrete walls 15 ft off the track. I did manage to get my self to go lat out once in the second race and it did help alot. I just need to commit to it more. Although there were at least 2 cars that went home with some major body dammage that weekend from going off in the kink.

Thanks for the pointer on the heel toe'ing. I am praticing that on the street to get it my head as habit.

Thanks again for all of the help......

The last to races we did were at Gingerman and we took first over all both days.

RedHead is still new. His car is very well prepped, and his track set up is sweet. We're talking semi, full trailer (complete with matching graphics) huge awning, etc. I give him credit for running "UNR" instead of trying to pass it off as an ITA CRX.

My guess is the only reason he runs in IT is because he is close in lap times to other IT cars. I'd imagine that with a few more races he will get tired of running away from the pack and move to another group like GT or at least Production where his car is more suited to be.

Hey Redhead...I still got fast lap of race on Saturday!

Steve

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Thanks Steve....I try with the track setup. I figure if I am going to build some cars to rent I really need to have the setup to go with it. It was not as expencive as everyone thinks it is though. Less that buying a new F350 and a single car enclosed trailer......

Thanks for the props about running UNR.... It sucks running it because there is no points but you are correct I am running with the IT group beacuse of safty of the car and lap times. This winter we are thinking of doing the safty requirements to run GT and see how we do.... that depends on the $$$ though....

Which are are you btw?

whats funny here is that redhead racing has forgot to mention that though the civic is a IT car the real class he is in is IT/UNR wich is an unresticted class and there is no competion with that car. also forgot to mention the realtime racing influances in that car, but i will say no more about that as i only know second hand on that. the car/driver may look fast but then again a known cheater car will always look fast!
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I am not trying to imply or make my self look better then I am. Yes the car is running UNR. I have no problems with that, well other then I do not get any points for racing and that is the only place I fit with my car.

I don't know what you are saying about the Realtime Racing influences, but yes as a Honda driver I would look at Realtime and King Motorsports and the leaders in the field and that there work influenced the car. But I had done all the wrenching on the car myself, except for the cage and the machining work on the motor.

And am I cheating if I am running UNR, it is unrestricted after all. I personally hope that someday SCCA MCSCC will accept some type of class for swaped motor cars so we can run for points and have some competition. I am currently just trying to get more track time so I can improve my racing skills.

on the subject of gear choice....

One way to practice going in faster to a corner...

Go into it in a gear that is higher then you normally would. Do this a few times with the same corner, maybe one your having trouble with...maybe a faster type corner.
Sometimes this can subconsiously make you release your brakes earlier on entry into the corner, because your struggling to get the car thru the corner faster so that your car with pull with that higher gear.
It also takes away any temptation to over-slow the car during your downshift before corner entry.

Another trick I learned (road racing motorcycles...but I think it applies to cars as well...) Approach the corner that you are working on...say you have been taking it at 60mph...or middle of third gear...whatever...

Approach the corner at 60mph, even though you could approach it at 80, then brake to 60, then turn in, etc...

So, the second time...approach at 65 mph or a couple hundred rpm's higher in third, whatever....
You'll want to get on the brakes, but resist the urge....You should be fighting the car all the way to track out.

you may have to do this until you scare yourself...Maybe try it on a safer corner with no wall or such at track out.

The point is, your trying to stay away from the brakes before turn in. Of course, if someone is behind you this may not be possible.

sense of speed is so very important. Some are better then others at it.
But, when you are lapping at within a second or half second every lap, then you have a decent sense of speed....

So, when your working this one problem corner...trying different lines or some such, it is your sense of speed that you rely on to keep yourself from overcharging or going too slow thru the corner.

If your finding that you dont have to fight the car to track out, then try increasing your speed thru the corner in incremental steps...By just one mph, for instance. Every time, a little faster...

I went to VIR for the first time last nov. and had problems with the blind, over the hill left turn after the esses....

It was high speed and should be flat out in my car (not necessarily yours )
I had a very limited time on track...but this is how the race went...

I would approach this left turn (not sure the number) and not only get off the gas, but tap the brakes before turn in...
Next lap, I got off the gas and barely brushed the brakes....

Next lap, off the gas, and stayed away from the brakes.
Next lap, I didnt get completely out of the throttle, just backed off halfway...

Get the idea?

This corner kinda scared me because track out wasnt very freindly if you went off, and your really flying!

I only got down to the 2min 30 sec (grand course?), but I know I can carry more speed here, along with a couple of other corners, and can drop about 3 or so seconds....
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Matt thanks for the info.... I will be trying this the next time we are at the track!

[Newbie]

I'm the blue and yellow #17 RX-7. I introduced myself on Sunday morning. I was just coasting during the sprint race Sunday trying to save the car for the 4 hours...would have been better off pushing it, maybe 3rd gear would have gone away in the sprint instead of waiting for the enduro. I'll see you at Blackhawk on the 17th assuming I get the transmission fixed. I'll be on it, so we'll see what that thing can really do!

Steve

[jake7140]

Thoughts on RA:
Just watched the first half of the first vid, maybe the second day was different, but....

- straight from 1 to 3, don't follow the track edge. go right under the tip of the sign donw into 3
- go straight from 3 to 5, don't follow the right edge of the track. It comes back to you.
- Turn 7: Stay on the gas, it's wide out there
- carousel: enter and stay in the middle of the track, on the gas earlier, as soon or sooner than you can see the curbing. tighten in to the apex and slingshot out of the bottom of the carousel.
- try turning in later in the kink. Just hang on a tick longer, and you can see the exit. What tends to happen I think is that the kink is longer than it looks, and you still have more turning to do if you turn in too early, then you freak, then stuff goes wrong (trialing throttle oversteer)

In general, I think as most others have said, stay ON the gas, then get ON the brakes, accellerate earlier, don't coast. Carry out the edge at corner exit.

Of course I've never come in first in class! Good Luck!

[redheadracing]

I'm the blue and yellow #17 RX-7. I introduced myself on Sunday morning. I was just coasting during the sprint race Sunday trying to save the car for the 4 hours...would have been better off pushing it, maybe 3rd gear would have gone away in the sprint instead of waiting for the enduro. I'll see you at Blackhawk on the 17th assuming I get the transmission fixed. I'll be on it, so we'll see what that thing can really do!

Steve
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Steve,

I was not able to make the race last week. I was in Denver for business. Are you going to be at the Autobahn? I will be there and I will bring my A game, althought I have not raced there before. I also need to get an MSD in my car, I am having some ignition break up at 8k-9.5k.

[Newbie]

I plan on being there. Kind of scary that you spin yours HIGHER than I spin mine...and I have a rotary! Autobahn south is a fun track. You'll be able to uncork that thing in a few spots, especially the back straight.

I had a pretty bad showing at Blackhawk. Qualified on a dead shock and trashed tires. By the time I got up to 5th, everyone else had checked out. Plus I was at a wedding on Saturday night...3 1/2 hours of sleep but not hung over. I was so far behind the car all day it made it more of an adventure than it should have been.

FWIW, I bought a new coil (factory OEM from Mazda - $170.00 w/o igniters). Bring on that MSD