24 Hours of LeMons: Yugo!

After lots of track days, I decided that it would be fun to try racing in one of the upcoming 24 Hours of LeMons races coming up in my area. For those not familiar, these are races with $500 or less cars, the more shitty the better. Sounded like a lot of fun.

The one that looked promising was the 2016 "Vodden The Hell Are We Doing" event in May at Thunderhill Raceway near Willows, CA. I had driven at THill several times in HPDEs in my '97 Miata so I figured this would be a good fit.

I posted a "driver looking for team" message to the LeMons message boards and one of the first responses I got was from a man named Mike Spangler (later I would learn that this man, known as "Spank", was near legendary in LeMons circles). After a few back and forth emails, he offered me a ride on his team, driving (most likely) an '86 Hyundai Excel. A few months and a few more waffling emails later I agreed. I managed to drag my track-day friend Charlie into the mix as well.

Shortly after signing up, Spank sent us an email saying he had an '86 Yugo that he'd just acquired and "it gets up to an indicated 80mph and cruises quite well and it seems like it'll go even faster". A Yugo? a YUGO. Ok now I'm really in.

The Event

Charlie and I arrived at THill on Friday just before Spank and his friend Dave. When they arrived I got a good first look at what we'd be driving.

It actually looked better than I thought it would. After unloading, we got to work. There was a long list of "small details" we'd need to finish before we could get it to pass tech, which closed at 5pm. "No problem, that's like 4 hours away" I thought. I asked Spank what to start on. "Rear brakes." OK, no problem, I can do this. "New pads, drums, hydraulic lines, and we'll need to install long studs." Hmmm. Isn't that pretty much everything?

About this time our 4th driver, Bill, showed up and got right to work. Bill is a clever man. After he and Spank talked about how to lower the rear end, and the parts we'd need, Bill managed to get a bunch of broken motorcycle footpegs from the track workers, and proceeded to drill them out to make spacers. They worked like a charm. Meanwhile Charlie was busy getting the cage padding all installed.

The brakes, not so much. After about an hour we had them, well, started. Then came the downpour.
The forecast had called for a possibility of rain showers. This is what we got.

Half an hour later we all came out of our hiding places and tried to dry things off. A lot of stuff was pretty soaked, but we soldiered on under Spank's guidance. We didn't make it to tech in time, and after several more hours of working on the car (wiring harnesses, new battery holder, numbers, and hey, I got the right rear brake light to work!) Charlie and I called it a night. 

While we went off to our hotel, Spank stayed. I can only imagine how long he was up and just how many things he fixed overnight.

 

Race Day #1: Saturday

Saturday morning we started on more items that needed attention. Spank was smelling gas fumes inside the car, and after some digging he found this.

Luckily, he had a decent replacement hose ready. Actually, I don't think luck was involved. Spank came prepared. Besides many boxes of spare parts from who knows where, he also brought along a junked but mostly complete Fiat X1/9, since many of the parts were the same (the Yugo used a Fiat-designed engine). This man had clearly done his homework.

The next 4 or so hours were a blur. So many little things went awry that I literally can't remember them all, and of course I didn't bother taking pictures as we went along. I do remember a few things clearly:

•  A hose clamp for the oil cooler was rubbing on the distributor cap. We managed (after some "clever" engineering) to get it loose and move it around.
• After moving that, we noticed that the wires connected to the distributor were not very well connected. About half an hour later I had wired in a "new" (i.e. from some other old heap somewhere) connector. I even soldered the connections and taped it up real good.
• Changed the oil in the manual transmission. Only about a quart came out. We put three new quarts in.
• Within minutes about a quart leaked out of the CV joint seal.
• Tore apart the CV joint and replaced the seal with another that we had "lovingly removed" from a similar part Spank conjured from one of his many magic boxes, and put the whole thing back together.
• Spank suited up, got all belted in, started it up, and at sputtered and coughed, even at full throttle. Something had gone wrong in the timing.
• Much "civilized discourse" as to the reasons for above.
• Discovered that the "new" connector (see above) actually had a short circuit in it (nice 35+ year-old Yugoslavian wire sheathing that it was).
• Wired in yet another "new" connector (this time skipping the soldering).
• More gnashing of teeth as it still didn't run right.
• Various attempts: checking timing, pulling the timing belt cover, checking spark plug wiring, inspecting distributor parts...
• Replaced the ignition control module with another "new" part from the magic boxes.

Presto! Off to the races!

Spank took the car out for 15 minutes or so to feel it out. When he came back it was my turn. First time ever doing real wheel-to-wheel racing (well, if you can call "getting passed by 180 cars" "racing"), and in an '86 Yugo...

photo by Head-On Photos

The Yugo actually felt pretty good. It wallowed all over the track, the steering was, um, "loose", the gear shifter would *sometimes* actually let you select a gear, and the brakes felt like mush. But it actually had pretty good power, and once you adjusted to the front-wheel drive the cornering was really fun. The all-weather tires were extremely chatty in everything but full-on straights, and the harder I turned and the harder I hit the gas the more chatty it was and the better it turned. Amazing!

Unfortunately my time got cut short, as there was a lightning storm approaching and all cars had to exit. But I did get about 30 minutes (much of it under full-course yellow - there were a lot of, um "incidents").

Next up was Charlie. His first time as well in wheel-to-wheel racing.

He came back with a big smile. I got to take the Yugo out again for the last session. I almost made it. About 10 minutes before the end, as I was attempting to downshift from 4th to 3rd, the gear shift lever broke off underneath. I could feel it dragging on the ground unless I held it up, and for some reason the engine didn't want to idle (it would just sputter and die). I managed to get the car back into the paddock, stuck in 4th gear, revving the engine, and probably significantly shortening the clutch life. But I got it back in without a tow!

Saturday evening was lots of celebrations, beers, and general good times (we got the Yugo on the track! Yesss!). I was really warmed by the friendly fun atmosphere of the LeMons community.

Race Day #2: Sunday

Sunday morning before the track went hot I spent some time fashioning an iphone mount from a long grade 8 bolt and a bunch of nuts and washers. It worked pretty good. The guys at racecast.me set us up with a live feed of the iphone video (thanks for all the help Julian!). I mounted the camera facing backwards, and we were off to the races.

Sunday morning was Bill's first time in the Yugo. He did nearly 2 hours straight and came back all smiles. "It's like drifting a rally car on dirt!"

photo by Head-On Photos

Charlie and I took turns doing about an hour each. We had a great time.

Note the left turn signal. Somehow it was wired to the right brake light circuit. Photo by Head-On Photos

On my turn, I was just about to pull in ("2 more laps should do it" I thought) when the Yugo started sputtering and cutting out. I did *not* want to get a tow. I managed to pull off on the access road between 6 and 7 that leads back to the pits (car dying and me restarting it several times), and after waiting for the OK from the flagger, managed to get across and back to our area in the paddock. Turns out we were out of gas.

Charlie went next, and was supposed to do about an hour. 80 minutes later he pulled in. Turns out the clock we had taped to the dash had stopped running (Bill fixed it by smacking it with his hand). The sputtering and odd rough idling (as in, it didn't idle at all) were back, so Spank decided to pull the vacuum line from the brake master cylinder to fix it. A short discussion later (me saying "I'll make it work") and I was off. There was about half an hour left in the day.

That last half hour, the Yugo ran better than it had all weekend, as long as you kept it in 3rd or 4th and stayed on the gas hard (which I happily obliged).

photo by Head-On Photos

I had so much fun that I was actually sad to see the checkered flag (well, elated as well - we did it!).

photo by Head-On Photos

The cool-down parade lap was actually emotional for me and I choked up waving at all the track workers and paddock crowds as they gave the Yugo crazy thumbs up and applause. Pulling off the track I couldn't get the car into 1st or 2nd (and it didn't want to idle) so I ended up poking slowly along, revving the engine and slipping the cluth in 3rd all the way in. The Yugo made it!!

Awards Ceremony

At the end of the day there was a big awards ceremony. Some pretty cool awards went out. The biggest surprise of the day for me came when they got to the last (and apparently most coveted) award - the Index Of Effluency (look it up, it's a word). Our team, "Spank Squat", won it! Wow! Many folks try for years to get his award, and on our rookie try Charlie and I got it in Spank's team. Overwhelming!

I could not have dreamed for a better introduction to LeMons racing.  What an experience! I'd like to thank Spank for taking me and Charlie on and for his utter tenacity and dedication to getting the Yugo on the track. I have a ton of respect for that man. Damn.

The video wrap-up of the event:

 And the official writeup on Roadkill: http://www.roadkill.com/lemons-northern-california-winners/

Already looking forward to a currently-super-secret Spank special planned for a LeMons race later this year.... count me in Spank!

2016 ND Miata Club versus 1997 NA Miata - Laguna Seca

On October 2 2015 I took my new 2016 ND Miata Club w/BBS/Brembo (my new daily driver) to Laguna Seca to see what it could do, completely stock (no alignment changes, no new tires, nothing). I compared the laps to my current track car, a 1997 NA Miata, and my fastest time in it of 1:50.8.

The 1997 NA

My current track car is pretty close to a Spec Miata. It's a 1997 NA with:

• Spec Miata suspension: bilsteins, eibach springs
• Lowered, corner balanced, fenders rolled
• Race alignment (max caster and camber)
• Flyin' Miata sway bars with adjustable end links
• FCM bump stops
• Kosei K1 15x7 wheels, 30mm offset
• Stoptech slotted rotors
• Hawk DTC60 pads
• 90K miles on stock engine
• only engine mod: Koyo race radiator
• Hard Dog M1 roll bar
• Sparco EvoII seats
• Sparco 3" 6 point harnesses
• Torsen type 2 LSD (stock)
• Removed A/C
• De-powered power steering
• Recent clutch and rebuilt transmission

photos by Dito Milan: www.gotbluemilk.com

The 2016 ND

My 2016 is a Club model with the BBS/Brembo brake package. It's totally stock, with about 500 miles on it. I didn't change anything, down to using the recommended tire pressures on the door.

photos by Dito Milan: www.gotbluemilk.com

Street Comparison

On the street, comparing these two cars is almost pointless. The ND wins in just about every way. It has more pwer by a lot, making more power sooner in the lower rpm range. The suspension is solid but not overly stiff. Cornering on the street is almost mind-reading. The clutch is easy and smooth and the 6-speed transmission works perfect.

Where my NA beats it: the NA has a hard top. I dislike soft tops. The NA is simplest to work on by far. I have a feeling if I want to do much wrenching I'll need to up my computer skills (and I'm a UNIX programmer). The NA ironically has something else going for it: it's old. I don't care if it gets scratched up or dinged. I can park it just about anywhere and not worry about it. I can throw it into corners, not fearing what happens if it breaks loose. Hmmm.

The downside of the NA in its current form is that it's MISERABLE in normal street driving. The suspension is so stiff that even the smallest bumps hurt. If I hit a big pothole it feels like I'm getting kidney punched. The clutch is very tight. There's no A/C. The steering at low speeds is stupid hard. After even a short jaunt across town I'm ready to get out, walk away and not look back. And oh, I'm just not a big fan of pop-up headlights.

So there it is: on the street, ND all the way. No brainer.

Track Comparison

 1997 NA: 1:50.78

My fastest lap in the NA was 1:50.78. The NA stays super flat in the corners and the Toyo RRs grip like there's no tomorrow. Momentum is key in this car - slow as little as possible entering corners then full throttle past the apex and out.

2016 ND: 1:55.0

As much as I thought the increased power would help, the best I could muster in the ND was 1:55.0. The stock tires are garbage on the track. Lots of sliding around, and when they get hot (after about 4 hard laps) they get really greasy and let go just about everywhere.
The ND also has considerable body roll, which has been touted as "on purpose" and to "give more feedback". Well it just sucks. Between the tires and the body roll I felt like I was on hot marshmallows.
Since this is my daily driver (and a brand new car!) I also just wasn't willing to push it any more. Many times I had to do major countersteering corrections just to stay on the track. Scary. For example, in the NA I can go flat out through turn 4. In the ND I had to back off before entering otherwise I got oversteer. Yikes.
The power is way better, yes, and I did end up significantly faster at the end of the main straight, but the wallowy cornering just couldn't keep up.

side note: I had a great microphone setup ready for this video then left it at home. Doh! So the sound was basically all wind noise. So I got rid of the sound altogether. Sorry.

Conclusions

I know this isn't a fair test anyway, but I thought it would be interesting to try. On the street the ND wins easily. On the track the NA wins easily. In order to get the ND to beat the NA I'd have to get good tires, do a race alignment, add coilovers and stiffer sway bars, and lower the suspension. And if I did all that it would be miserable on the street. My NA is already that way, so no use in doing anything to the ND.

I'll just consider myself lucky to have both.

Lowering Lap Times versus Increasing Fun

If you ask most people what their goals are for track day driving, you'll often hear "go faster" or "lower my lap times". You'll also hear a lot of people say "have fun". At a certain point however, these two goals become at odds with each other.

If you are focused on getting lower lap times, you will be constantly scrutinizing every part of your car and your driving. Should I get different tires? Why am I understeering in turn 3? Do I need more camber? Will a cold air intake get me more power? How can I be smoother and get on the throttle earlier? The questions go on and on and can consume a person who is focused on lower lap times. At some point, it becomes less fun. Many people reach a certain lap time plateau and get very frustrated when the lap times don't improve, regardless of what they are trying. That frustration can eat away at any enjoyment that brought them to the sport in the first place.

I like to separate the two goals and only work on one or the other at any one time. If I'm focused on quicker laps, it becomes serious and I need to focus. If I'm deciding to have fun, I don't worry about lap times at all and just enjoy the experience - I purposefully take different lines, purposefully oversteer or understeer, give too much steering input, hit the brakes hard, and jam on the throttle. It's not faster at all, but it can be a LOT of fun.

Lately I've hit a lap time plateau at Laguna Seca (1:52.5 in my Miata). So I've purposefully decided that Laguna Days are Fun days. Who knows? Maybe by trying all sorts of odd stuff I'll find a better line somewhere or learn something that actually gets me around faster. But it really doesn't matter - I'm there for the fun.

Track Day Primer

Note: I'm not an expert track day driver. As of the time of this writing I've only had about 12 track days total on three different tracks. But I figured this might help a few people who are getting started.

What is a Track Day?

A track day is an opportunity for regular folks like you and me to take our street cars onto a real race track. It is not racing! Track Days are not a competition and are not timed. They are events designed to let us drive on race tracks for fun and learning.

There are many organizations that run track days. In my area (Northern California) the best one for beginners is Hooked On Driving. They offer lots of instruction and structure their track days with an emphasis on safety and fun. I highly recommend them for your first track day.

Is it Dangerous?

Driving on a track, just like driving on the street, can be dangerous. Oganizations that host track days always have saefty as their number one priority. Drivers are separated into run groups based on their skill level and past experience. Novice drivers are typically not on the track the same time as experienced drivers.

Coaches

New drivers always drive with a coach in the car. Your coach is there to help you stay safe, have fun, and learn. In some organizations, your coach will drive your car for the first couple of laps of the day. This allows the coach to check the car itself, and allows you to see the track before you get behind the wheel. After that your coach will ride with you as a passenger, giving advice and feedback and helping you to stay safe.

Before you get in the car, your coach will talk with you and ask questions to get a better understanding of your experience level and goals. Be open with your coach about what you hope to achieve (hopefully "have fun" is near the top of the list!) and any fears you have. 

Here's a great interview of the head coach of Hooked On Driving: Dev Clough: Head Coach for Hooked On Driving

Note that also there may be cases where you and your coach's style don't quite get along. That's okay! If you're not comfortable with your coach, ask to have a different coach. 

Typical Track Day

A typical track day will go something like this:

7:30am gates open
8:30am Drivers meeting - this is mandatory for all drivers
9:00am Novice/beginner instruction session in classroom setting
10:30am First novice session on track - most sessions typically last about 20 minutes
10:50am novice download meeting - talk about on-track issues and experiences
12:00pm next novice session
12:20pm novice session download
....

3:40pm last novice session
4:00pm smiles all around

For beginner/novice drivers, every on-track session is followed by a download meeting where drivers discuss issues they had on track and concerns or questions they may have. These meetings are super-helpful! Be sure to attend all of them (in some organizations they are mandatory to allow you back on track for the next session).


So, what do you need to do for you fisrt track day?

Determine your goals for the day.

What do you want to get out of the day? Do you want to do a lot of track days in the future, and want to get started toward becoming a safe, fast driver? Are you there just for the fun and thrill of driving a race track? Is this just something you've wanted to try for a long time? Maybe you're there because a friend or significant other does track days and you're not too sure about it? Whatever the case, have this in your head and talk to your coach about it when you get to the track. 

Personally, my main goal for every track day is "Have Fun!".

Check your car.

Most groups have car checklists that cover pretty much everything. In particular:

1. Tires. Be sure that your tires have at least half of their original tread on them. Check the pressures as well. If you're not sure what pressure to use, you might wait till you're at the track and ask your coach.
2. Brakes. You'll need at least half of the pad thickness to be there before you get on the track. You'll use it.
3. Seatbelts. Make sure they work well and aren't frayed at all (check down near the car frame along the seat very carefully).
4. Lug Nuts. If you don't have a good torque wrench, you should ask around at the track to borrow one. Check the torque on the lug nuts before you go out and after a few sessions on the track.
5. Gas. Put in premium gas and come to the track with the tank close to full. 

Here's a few sample car checklists:

Hooked On Driving's Tech Checklist 
NASA Car Checklist
Northern California Racing Club Car Checklist

 Learn the track layout ahead of time.

Just about every track has had some folks drive around it with cameras in their car that they've posted to youtube. This is a great resource. Try to find videos of drivers using the same kind of car you have. Note that most videos will be from drivers with more experience, so don't expect to be going as fast as they are.

A few of my videos:

You can also practice driving the track on video game consoles like the PS3 using Gran Turismo. In my area (northern CA) the only track usually in games is Laguna Seca, but I go there a lot so I do practice it a lot on the game. In most games you'll get around the track a lot faster than in real life, but you'll be amazed at how much it helps to have already virtually driven the track before you actually get on it in a real car.

Check out Jeremy Clarkson trying to go around Laguna Seca in real life versus in a video game:

You can also get most track layout maps online, usually via google search. Use them to learn the turn numbers and get a good feel for the map in your mind.

Some tracks are also available online in google maps and google street view. I like the street view because you can pan around and see what's to the left and right of any particular part of the track.

Google Street View of Laguna Seca 

Learn the Flags.

This is super important. You must know what the flags mean and be ready to react to them quickly. 
Different groups have different meanings for some flags, but here's the ones that are pretty much universal:

Be sure to learn ALL of the flags for your event!
 

Flag Stations

An often overlooked topic in many first-time track days is the flag stations and where they are located. I find this to be super important and I think it should be stressed in every beginner track day session. Some organizations, like NASA, are actually very good at this and require you to wave at every flag station on your first lap (and sometimes your last lap as well). I think this is a great idea and you should strive to do this as well. Before you try to learn the track, learn the flag stations. They can save your car (and your life!).

Point-By and Passing

A lot of new track drivers can get really nervous on the track and can inadvertently hold up faster drivers behind them, resulting in a traffic jam or 'conga line'. The best way to avoid this is to learn how to do point-bys and keep an eye on your mirrors.

So what's a "point-by"? It's simply an arm extended out the driver-side window, with the hand making a point. Note it should be a fully extended arm with a very deliberate, steady point. 

A good example of a point-by is at 0:55 into this video:

If you want to let someone pass you (see "passing zones" below), point them by. Note that when you do give a point-by, it is your responsibility to let the car pass. Sometimes a car behind you may not have much power, and you may need to let off the gas to let them by.

If a car is right behind you and you'd like them to back off until you can get to a passing zone, you can do a mirror tap to let them know you see them and will point them by the next chance you get. Just reach up and tap your rearview mirror a couple times. This really helps the driver behind you so they know you see them.

Passing Zones

Just about every organization that runs track days has specific passing zones for beginner drivers (and most other drivers as well). In a typical beginner group, passing will only be allowed on long straights and only with a point-by. Be sure to get the passing zone rules for your sessions and ask questions if you're not sure. You should also review the passing zones with your coach before getting on the track.

Dealing with traffic

The best advice when in traffic is BE PREDICTABLE. Don't make any radical moves, switch lanes, swerve left or right. Follow your line as much as possible while still giving other cars room to pass. And when you attempt to pass, try to keep as much room as possible between you and the car you're passing. Remember - it's not racing. If you're not sure if you can make a pass in a specific passing zone, don't pass. Wait for the next safe zone.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Remember - you're going to be on a real race track. Tracks are dangerous. You could very well end up crashing and having your car hauled home on a tow truck (or worse). Drive within your limits! Track days are not racing. Safety is the top priority over all else. That being said, there are a few situations that you may find yourself in that can either go smoothly or very badly depending on your reaction. Here's a few tips to help.

Going off track: if you're exiting a corner and it looks like you're going to go off the track, don't panic. Just before your wheels go off the pavement, straighten up the wheel and drive smoothly off. Do NOT try to crank the wheel more to stay on the track. If you do, when your front wheel gains traction again, your car will suddenly shoot across the track and you may go into a wall. In this situation, lift off the throttle, drive smoothly off, and when you are back in control drive smoothly back on. 

Here's an example of what not to do. The Evo in front of me gets two wheels off coming out of turn 10 at Laguna Seca, and he cranks the wheel to try to stay on. When the wheel catches, it shoots him across the track:

And a good example of what TO do:

   
There is some excellent information on the web about track days. One I found useful is this: Auto Trackday Monthly: Getting Started.

More to come....