Tracking Your Ferrari is a MUST!!

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What is POC Cup

 

Porsche Owners Club - SoCal based club since 1955

 

BRP will be 1 million degrees. I'm off to sonoma this Thursday for my 1st time there doing scca majors race in prep for the championship there in October. It is going to be bit over 90 degrees at sonoma this week. Ouch!!

Too bad I don't have enough time to do the speedsf event with you there too in my 550. I could use the practice.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login I’m thinking of BRP this Sunday with Speed Ventures. I’ve never run Counter clockwise and I just got the car 1/2 wrapped and Feynlab coated.

 

My tip on BRP is going off into the dirt is much safer less damaging than trying to correct and hitting the wall on Sunrise or Sunset. The dirt at BRP is very alkaline. Add water or moisture to the dirt and it will eat your paint if left on overnight. If you get BRP dusty wash the car and dry it when you get home to prevent that. Check out my buds doing the SpecCorvette racing. From nothing add $20K and you can have a SC car and rub plastic fenders. It is loads of fun and cheaper than one set of ceramic Ferrari brakes or a Ferrari fender.

 

What' going on at Sonoma this weekend? Be fun to get together, what's your schedule

 

Bummer! That post was weeks ago. We really need to get together with john too. I think it would be a hoot to all three get together at CoTA when he gets his 500 "6.0L" up and running.

I will be up there again and have to remember you are in the bay area. How close are you to Sonoma raceway?

 

About an hour and a half depending on traffic.

I've probably run that track a hundred times with SCCA, vintage, and various trackdays. Came 2nd in the Western Regional runoffs once in a Formula Ford 1600 I think in 1978 or 79

 

Well I'll have to pick your brain on that track. I only raced it back in Jun-July. I have raced 22 tracks and have to say Sonoma was very difficult and never gives the driver a rest. It is fun though and I need more laps there but will just show up at Runoffs and go for it.

 

I got my 82 Mondial in February (not working), works now, and hoping to track it next summer, after more prep. I have been tracking my Porsche 951 (my prior restoration project), lots of fun!

Any Ferrari owners of 80s cars that track them in the Midwest. At the several events I went in Midwest I would only rarely see a Ferrari (like 2-3 times) and usually relatively new ones...

anybody?

 

Just spent two days at the track (The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, WA).

First day was open lapping, and as usual I was the only Ferrari and this does not go un-noticed. Always receive some comments along the lines of 'wow, great to see a Ferrari at the track being used for what it was designed rather than at a show'n'shine or C&C', and 'cool, its a three pedal'.

Second day was a charity event for children with cancer and their families. Set up as a regular lapping day, but kids and adults could hop as many rides as they wanted. Kids were absolutely amazing. Not once did they give a 'thumbs down' to slow or stop the ride. One girl could not walk unassisted, but there she was with a helmet and getting strapped into a seat. Fearless.

One adult had ridden in a Porche, a 458, and a 570S. After a couple laps in the 360, 3-pedal he said he liked it the most.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login I’ll be looking for 100–105dB events at LS otherwise I have to upshift and cruise uphill where sound meter is. (Stock exhaust)

 

I tried for the better part of 30 years to get the AZ Ferrari guys to the track, but they would rather participate in the PPE series (Posing, Parking and Eating), The last straw was when a member 'advised' me on how to get members to participate in a track day. He said we should bring a caterer, a detailer and a massage therapist...... I gave up and kept doing my own thing and instructing for different car clubs.

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Image Unavailable, Please Login A glorious Sunday here at Buttonwillow Raceway with CalClub. No sound level issues so far.

 

I did the BMW club two weeks ago and HOD today. Really is an amazing experience. What should hot pressure be in the tires? TIA

 

Hello Daniel,

Glad to hear you got your getting back in the saddle. Tracking the Mondial is crazy fun. (You know the adage driving a slow car fast...)
Here is a small l sampling of lap times of the Mondial t and QV from the past 10 years. In the right hands, the Mondial always surprises people...

 

That’s quite the spreadsheet you got there!!!!!

 

Tire pressure— without pyro— I like getting close to the tiny triangles on the sidewall. (A tip from a guy named Eric who races 488 Challenge)
I’ve been at 30 hot front and 34-36 hot in rear on my Nittos.

Which means 24 cold with tire press warning lights for awhile.

Fwiw

 

As a newbie to F cars and tracking - how on earth would the brakes fail due to brake fluid boiling? Would different brake fluid help? Ive just had the car serviced with all fluids changed. The pads are only worn by 20%. Having my brakes fail is not something I ever want to experience.

Someone else here mentions the F street cars dont have enough cooling vents for the brakes. That stuns me - Ive had a few track days in Porsche cars (air cooled and newer) and never had brake fail issues. Thats with having instructors teach me and push me beyond what I thought I could ever do on a track.

Any advice on how to avoid this situation in the Ferrari (430 and 458)? Does using a different Dot brake fluid help? Im no 'racer' but love getting out on the track. Thanks.

 

Different brake fluids have different boiling points (https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=BRAKEFLUID). There are dry and wet values, being fresh from the bottle and after absorbing moisture, respectively. The more moisture (water) the lower the boiling point. So best you can do is use brake fluid with a high dry boiling point and keep it fresh.

I've been using the Motul RBF600 without any issues thus far.

 

My tracks days are mostly with the BMW CCA and our NJ chapter has a hard tech rule requiring the brake fluid be FLUSHED out with new fluid less than six months prior to an event. We don’t care what type or brand but do insist on new fluid and FULL flushing.

On the rare occasions we see students experience brake fluid boiling it was always concluded that the flush was preformed by someone other that the driver. Some of these brake fluid changes, flushes, or services are not being performed correctly and the result is old fluid boiling at track use temps.

We now recommended that an entire Liter of new, unopened fluid be flushed through the system. This means some removal of fluid from the reservoir, addition of new fluid to the reservoir and bleeding of old fluid from each caliper while the balance of the full Liter is being added to the reservoir to the point where the new fluid is bleeding from each caliper. The concept is simple but for some reason it is not being done by all service sources.

The typical sequence for bleeding brake fluid from each caliper is right rear, left rear, right front, and left front. This is furthest point from reservoir first and closest last.

We also recommend that when paying for a brake fluid flush the driver have a brief discussion with the mechanic/service writer to verify a flush is being done and NOT simply a brake bleed.

For me, my track prep is always brake fluid, pad thickness, and tire wear. Everything else is important but rarely needs attention.
Doug

 

Excellent tips and advice thanks v much.

 

Doug,

Sounds like you help out with your CCA. Not sure about latest BMW's but many new cars have passageways that allow fluid into the brake reservoir via the top opening. Those passageways are not big enough to get a tube in there and suck out old fluid to top off and bleed. Often you can nearly suck dry the rear circuit but can't enter the front. So you have to be creative. Also, sometimes the debris screen can't be removed without a little damage to it because of its one way design. You have to deal with this or waste a lot more fluid new fluid hence your 1 liter statement. That is a lot of bleeding but it must be done if you don't gain access to the bottom of your reservoir.

 

Boiling any fluid by definition changes it from liquid to gas. Any kind of gas in a brake line is bad, because it compresses before the fluid does, hence, no braking. Look for a fluid with a high wet as well as high dry boiling point. Unless you flush right before a track event, you will have at least some moisture in the system.


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