Alex and I went to the Full Auto Motor Sports event today at the Tropicana Field's parking lot. We got there around 6:45am. It was still pretty dark out. And cold. The high today was in the 60's. And it was really windy. I guess it's much better than being hot and sweaty!
The drivers were split into two types: Grip (groups A, B, C) and Drift (groups D, E, F). I was in group C. Group A was for experienced drivers. They got to go first, while the novice drivers had a quick safety/tip session. Each group got 4 sessions through out the day.
There were many different types of cars. The majority of the Drift cars were Nissan 240SX. There were also a Toyota MR2, a few Nissan 350Zs, and an S2000 (David). The Grip cars varied a lot more, including cars such as S2000 (mine), 350Z, Mustang, 240SX, RX-7, Corvette, Elise/Exige, and WRX. There were also some higher end cars such as Corvette Z06, M3, and Viper. One car that stood out the most was a Miata with a Corvette engine. He ran for one session and I didn't see him anymore. Not sure what happened.
In my first session, I drove alone for a few laps and with a professional driver (Drew) for a few laps. He gave me some pointers, but I think my lack of experience hindered me quite a bit. Alex joined me in my second session. It was fun to try different camera angles.
Then we had lunch. After lunch I ran back home to get my wheel locks so I could change the tires. I got back to the event just in time for my third session to start. This time around I had Matt riding with me. He also drove a couple of laps to show me how I should be driving. Definitely his driving was way better than mine. With a bit more experience/lap time and a few extra advice, I felt like my driving was improving. But alas I got a little ahead of myself and I ended up spinning out (my only time). Alex joined me for a couple of laps at the end of this session.
Afterward we got my front tires changed by Advance Performance Tires n Wheels. In my fourth and final session, I started off slow because of the new tires. But i was able to feel the extra grip. New tire definitely made a big difference. I could feel the car wasn't trying to break loose as much as before. My unofficial (aka Alex's stopwatch) fastest lap was 55s. Before I was averaging about 59s.
You can view the pictures on my Picasa Web/Alex's Facebook album and the videos on my youtube playlist. If you only want to watch a few, I recommend these:
The course layout:
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