Attention all ITC drivers, A special event just for you!

[jumbojimbo]

If Hardesty is too busy at the Ohio figure skating championships with his wife, I would think about renting his car for the weekend.

You wouldn't want to drive it, it will be red and white by then. You should rent Ruck's car and show us how ITC is done, I'm sure he can put a coat of chartreuse on it by then.

[jumbojimbo]

Before I started racing I expected Mid-Ohio to be my home track. It's the closest track, I had driven it on PDXs and I've seen hundreds of races there. Nelson? That's a dump, right? You have to take a weed whacker to clear your paddock space.

So I didn't have high expectations when I pulled into Nelson for the first time for a fun day the day before the 2008 Great Lakes school. But when I got there the infield was actually so nice I stopped to take pictures. Mist rising over freshly cut green grass and all that stuff. Granted, Nelson is a bit quaint, but it’s also very compact, clean and friendly.

I still like Mid-Ohio, it's great driver's track and some of the facilities are better, but over the last 3 years I've run 10 weekends at Nelson and I consider it my home track.

The track: Well, yes, it's a potato with a handle on it. You only brake two and a half times, it's bumpy and there aren't a lot of places to pass. But it's not as simple to drive as it seems and there are places you have to work hard and be brave to squeeze out another couple of tenths of second.

Tech: Tech and impound is right there between track exit and grid. Throw a rock and you hit the scoring tower. Throw another rock and you hit the restrooms.

Paddock: The paddock is in the infield and all of the paddock space is grass. There are no paved paddock spaces or garages. Space near the restrooms and grid is usually snapped up early, but the paddock is flat and wide open so even if you don’t get a prime spot you’re still not far away. One place to avoid is the flat area behind the restrooms. It gets soggy and if the wind blows wrong you get a nose full. The other place to avoid is down the hill toward the kink where it also gets soggy.

Many ITC cars paddock along the back straight near the cutover. As you drive across the track take the first right. It’s close to the restrooms and grid, quiet at night and there is an outhouse in case of emergency. We usually build a bonfire and drink a few beers in the evenings. A couple of guys also paddock by the bridge near the trees.

Restrooms: There are flush toilets in the main restroom building. I think 4 of the 6 toilets in the main building are flush type. I’ve always found them clean although they appear to have been designed by someone with very short thighs. I can't imagine how GregV fits in there, maybe he sits sideways? There are some outhouses scattered around the property but several of them are closed so be sure to check before you paddock near one if you plan to depend on it. I've heard that the women's restrooms are nicer than the mens but I've never been drunk enough to wander in the wrong side.

Showers: Showers are located in the main restroom building. There are two very small phone booth style showers. The water output is meagre, but at least the stalls are private and the water is hot. I always imagine I am on a cruise ship. A cruise ship with birds in the ceiling.

Spectating: The best place to watch is a the top of the deck/tower by grid. You can see most of the back straight, the kink , 12-13, the front straight, and 1-4. The one place you can see is the carosel, but you can't see that from anywhere. Since the entire infield is open you can jump on a bike be at turn 3-4 in about 30 seconds. The only reason to drive is if you want to spectate from the outside of turn 13 and you have to go across the bridge.

Hotels: There is a nice Holiday Inn Express in Newton Falls about 20 minutes away. Pool, wifi and breakfast for $100 a night. Across the road are two converted Bates Motels, I've stayed at the Econolodge for about $65 which has a very minimalistic continental breakfast and extremely slow free wifi. But it's clean and it's a room and shower. All of this is very convieniently located near the Asian Spa. No joke, there is a massage parlor just a short walk away. I don't know what goes on there but our waitress at Roby Lee's said "It's disgusting" and she wasn't kidding.

Dining: There is a dairy dream kind of place to the northwest. It has everything from corn dogs to frog legs on the menu. And ice cream if you are pregnant. I like to go into Newton Falls to Roby Lee's. Half the place is restaurant/bar and the other half is a banquet hall. I don't think I've even been there when there wasn't a reception going on. It can be quite entertaining with drunken guests wandering into the bar.

Other good things about Nelson: Like I said, it's friendly, they want you there. If you arrive at 11pm you'll be able to get in. Pets are allowed. Bikes are allowed. Walking the track is allowed.

Fun days: Nelson runs fun days. Imagine a PDX without the tech inspection and grid nazi's. You can literally get as much track time as you want.

So come on out, join us, it sure would be nice to have our own ITC group for once.

[joeg]

Just to give this a bump.

Worth making the trip!!

[Jim Royal]

Thanks Jim, I could not have said it better.

Hi Joe, Do you have any friends from up north that you can talk into making the trip?

OK lets see, I know nobody has this set in stone but we have:

Bill S
Joe G
Jim H
Ryan S
Jim R Sr
Carl H
Steph F
Jinx J
Kristian S (and maybe some of his Waterford friends!)
Dave P (Any one else intesested from MARRS?)
Fred W (If Steph trash talks enough he'll come!)
Jim R

This could get very interesting, I'm excited to go racing and there is a foot of snow on the ground!

Thanks,
Jim Royal
ITC Renault

[Gary Swanson]

Jim - great job! Might even repair the Fiesta after its not-so-successful maiden flight attempt at the end of the Mid-Ohio straight. Course, might also have to put new tires on it for the first time ever, although I don't think it would know how to handle such treatment.

See you in May.
Gary

[evanwebb]

Hey if my car hasn't started the conversion to ITE by then I'll seriously consider coming out. ITC scirocco here... Keep me posted on developments...

[Motor City Hamilton]

Any of you guys on PS3 with Gran Turismo 5? I have been playing in a Spec Miata Series with this group on GT5. Tons of fun and really close racing just like the real spec Miata. I am not available on Sunday nights to race in their series, but am having fun practicing with them every night after 9 pm.

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=139251

Buy a 1989 Miata from the new car dealership, add the allowed upgrades and join us. I am MotorCtyHamilton on PS3.

I was thinking about starting a Honda Civic league with the Red Pepper Racing dot com guys, but I don't think there are enough of them to race much. Might make it an I.T. Spectacular type of event... low horsepower cars with limited mods???

[Motor City Hamilton]

You wouldn't want to drive it, it will be red and white by then. You should rent Ruck's car and show us how ITC is done, I'm sure he can put a coat of chartreuse on it by then.

I told you that obnoxious green paint is worth 1 second per lap. Enjoy going slower in red.

[ssc25]

Please keep this thread updated. I am thinking about trying to make the trip from Nashville TN. We will be bringing another vw scirocco with two different drivers (one sat and one sun). Looking foward to it as we have never been to this track. Thanks!!

[Jim Royal]

I will keep this thread up to date with the latest. Hope to see you there!


Thanks,
Jim Royal
ITC Renault

[AjG]

You ITC guys seem to have a good thing going at Nelson...
I wish there was a non-ancient, RWD car for ITC.

[ITA_honda]

You ITC guys seem to have a good thing going at Nelson...
I wish there was a non-ancient, RWD car for ITC.

Did all of you sell your Pinto's? Just put a restrictor on it and run ITC. lol.

[ssc25]

Any updates? Is it still on?

[Jim Royal]

Yep, Still on! And we have our own group in the Supps! I have a meeting tomorrow night, I will get the schedual, Group# etc. and post it.
Thank,
Jim

[Jim Royal]

Here is the tenative schedual. We are group #4 ITC all by itself! If for some reason we don't get 15 cars we will get combined with group #5.

Schedule

Friday – May 27, 2011
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Registration
7:00 pm - 9:10 pm Tech Inspection

Saturday – May 28, 2011

7:00 am - 9:30 am Registration
7:15 am PDX Classroom
7:30 am Tech Inspection
8:00 am 20 Minute PDX Session
8:30 am 10 Minute Regional Qualifying
Sessions by Race Groups 1 and
3 thru 8. 15 Minute Qualifying
for Group 2 only.

Followed by 10 Lap Qualifying Races
for Groups 1 and 3 thru 8

Approx. Noon Lunch

Approx. 12:10 pm PDX Classroom
Approx. 12:30 pm 20 Minute PDX Session

Followed by 15 Lap Regional Races for all Groups

End of Day Party for ALL WORKERS,
DRIVERS, AND CREW to be
Held under Timing & Scoring Tower

Sunday – May 29, 2011

7:00 am - 9:00 am Registration
7:15 am PDX Classroom
7:30 am Tech Inspection
8:00 am 20 Minute PDX Session
8:30 am 15 Minute Regional Qualifying
Sessions by Race Groups

Approx. 11:30 Lunch

Approx. 11:30 pm PDX Classroom
Approx. Noon 20 Minute PDX Session

Followed by 18 Lap Regional Races by Groups
The stewards of the meet reserve the right to alter the schedule during the weekend.

GROUPINGS

GROUP 1 GTL, EP, FP, HP, SPU, SRF
GROUP 2 FST
GROUP 3 CFF, FF, FV, F500
GROUP 4 ITC
GROUP 5 ITB, SM, SSM, SSB, SSC
GROUP 6 ITA, IT7, ITS, T2, T3, STU
GROUP 7 GT1, 2, 3, AS, ST, STO, T1, ITR, ITE, SPO
GROUP 8 FA, FB, FC, FE, FM, FS, S2, CSR, DSR

[joeg]

Jim--Have them get the link working on the MVR site so we can register by mail.

[dave parker]

Jim
Please let me know how to register for this event. Can I register online or by snail mail?

I am working on the rest of the MARRS ITC drivers as well.

cheers
dave parker

[Jim Royal]

As soon as the Supps. become official you will be able to register online or by mail. Once approved, Sandy will turn on the links under racing 2011 here:

http://www.mvrscca.org/home.pdf



This is also where the Official entry list will be found.

[jumbojimbo]

For those who have never been to Nelson Ledges, here is a video example ITC lap. This isn’t necessarily a good lap around Nelson, it’s just a lap that shows the landmarks. I won’t claim to have any great insights on how to get around the track, but here are the landmarks I use to get around the track.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI1NgBZmJI4[/ame]

The Bridge: Notice how narrow the runoff is at the bridge. Remember this when you are doing race starts. You do not want to get pushed off the track between the start finish line and the bridge.

Turn 1-2: Fourth gear in the Civic. The turn-in reference point for turn 1 is the break in the pavement. I try to turn in at the break or a little after but I usually don’t have the guts and I turn in early which makes the apex harder to hit. The apex is fairly late, there is a patch on the right, not the first patch, the second patch, which is bigger. Turn 1 flows right into turn 2 and the track out point is a little extra ledge of pavement on the left.

At the exit there is an extra ledge of pavement you can’t quite see until you are right on top of it. Carl told us in school that using that extra ledge is the fast way around. But using that ledge is pretty scary because if you miss the patch there is a big drop off and you are off and maybe into the tire wall.

Turn 3: The reference for the turn in to 3 is another break in the pavement. The apex is late. There is a curb on the inside of the turn that you do not want to hit, it will throw you across the track and off into the grass. You want to almost clip the curb but don’t hit. I use the black tar patch as the apex. That might be a little early.

If it is wet or cold turn 3 is very slippery at and after the apex, but after the apex there is a break in the pavement where the track is suddenly very sticky. If you trust it, you can slide through the turn and use the sticky exit to hold you. If you trust it.

At the exit of 3 there is an extra patch of pavement you can use. It is a little more slippery than the main track so use it with caution.

I don’t lift or brake through turns 1-3. Possibly that means my car is too stable and not loose enough, but that gives you an idea of how fast turns 1-3 can be taken.

Turn 4-6 (oak tree): The braking reference point for oak tree is the break in pavement. There is a little bump and I brake after the bump/break and go down to 3rd gear. It’s easy to get lazy and turn while braking, not a good idea. At the entrance to oak tree the track is about three lanes wide. The best entry is the middle lane. You can enter low and the track will hold you. But definitely don’t enter too high, the track falls away and you will lose traction.

Through turns 5 and 6 the three lanes continue. The middle lane has the most banking, the lower lane has a little less. The banking falls away in the upper lane although you might not see it from inside the car. If you get too wide you can push right off the track.

You can apex at the exit of 6 if you want, there is a patch of dirt on the left. But it isn’t necessary, you can get a little more rpm if you stay one half to a full car width to the right.

Turn 7-9 (carousel) the carousel is a bitch. It’s a big long 180 sweeper that closes up at the exit. I stay in 4th gear even though the car drags a bit at the exit because 3rd runs out of RPM instantly.

What Carl taught me was to ride through 7-8 at the middle or left of the track without lifting. You want to stay high and lift all the way near the break in the pavement to get the car to rotate. The car rotates and you hit the gas and go.

Once you get past the break in the pavement you do not want to be on the outside 1/3 of the track, it is slick and the car won’t turn. There is an apex way way late, sometimes I aim for it, sometimes I don’t. The main thing I work on is getting the car to rotate, getting on the gas early and being as nice to the steering wheel as possible to scrub as little speed as possible. That sounds easy, but it isn't.

There is a patch of pavement at the track out point. Be careful using it because there is a big dropoff and you’ll be in the tire wall if you get 2 wheels off. And the patch itself is not that sturdy.

Turn 10: I don’t know why they even number this turn, it is just a bend in the straight. I don’t have to shift to 5th, I stay in 4th down the entire straight most of the time. It’s not worth the effort to get get the shifter into 5th.

Turn 11 (kink): There are about 4 very small painted lines on the left to use as a turn in reference point for the kink. The apex is the broken pavement after where the old track re-enters. There is a little dip in the pavement at the apex. Be careful in the morning because there is often a puddle of water at the apex. And there is a curb on the inside of the apex that you do not want to hit or it will throw you across the track. After the kink the track wanders back and forth, you should make it as straight as possible.

In a C car you can go through the kink without lifting. It’s possible to go two wide through the kink but you better trust the other driver. You do not want to go off in the kink.

Turn 12: There are two choices in turn 12. You can brake early and apex late and power to 13. Or you can brake late, apex early carry speed to the grass, but you’ll be slower on the entry to 13 and perhaps not as well lined up because you will be too far right and have trouble lining up.

There is a bump at the end of the straight before turn 12, ITC cars should be braking after the bump and before the crossover road. I try to brake early, shift down to 3rd and be back on the gas before the curb starts and apex near the end of the curb. You do not want to hit the curb.

Turn 13: You want to be under control, brake early and apex late. I have to downshift to 2nd because the car will drag in 3rd, but I upshift back to 3rd before the brake in pavement at the exit. Probably I should stay in 3rd but I just can’t do it.

On the entry to 13 there are a couple of things to aim at across the street. There is a pole and a house, etc. I use the dark patch of pavement and the telephone pole. You don’t want to exaggerate the entry and make the turn longer than it needs to be. You just need to make the straight as long as possible. At the apex there is (of course) some broken pavement. There is some extra pavement at the track out point. But I think it is a longer way around if you use it. It seems to me that if you are using the extra pavement at the exit you are apexing too early. I could be wrong, Jay almost always uses the extra pavement at the exit.

And now you are back to the start finish. The ITC track record is 1:21.054 set by Carl Holbrook in a Renault Alliance. At the last race in Oct 2010 we ran mid 1:23 in the morning and mid 1:22 in the afternoon.

I’m not sure I have any real speed secrets to getting around Nelson. But I think you’ll find that the Nelson ITC regulars are a friendly group who don’t mind sharing (most of) what they know about the track.

[joeg]

Very nice write-up, Jim!

This is a great track for those who have not been there.