Road Racing - 1st hpde update, what a blast!

This HPDE was put on by ReZoom Motorsports at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham Al.


Well I unloaded off the trailer and the abs light was on....I broke the harness when I strapped the car down.....no abs.

Ok no prob, put ya big boy pants on and deal with...... yep it rained in the second session.....nice.

So I get more comfy I. the car,.I am killing the brakes......shaking, no fade....needs brake ducts.

Then the power steering pump breaks and shoots off 3 caps through the day. Sprays fluid all over, fluid is burnt ( fresh royal purple ) needs a pump and cooler.

Will install new rotors and.drill a relief hole in a new ps cap in the morning and see how that works.

I will be moved up to intermediate group from novice tomorrow, I passed every car on track except a Carrera 4 s, that bitch was fast!

Edit, day two:

I bought a new cap for the power steering pump, drilled a hole in it and tie rapped a rag over it, flushed and replaced the fluid. Pump is done, but it made it through the day, I need a pump and a cooler.


Put new rotors on first thing on day 2, killed em. I need bigger brakes and ducts. Car was vibrating so bad both days I was braking 100 feet from the #4 marker.


I was bumped to intermediate in the second session, instructor was with me, I went backwards...only passed 3 cars that session....ALLLL those cars have BIG brakes and SOFT tires....All damn fast. Was a humbling experience.

I got to Solo(no instructor) the last 2 sessions, man what fun. Car did VERY well, lots of grip even on the cheapo Maxxis 275-40-17's. Car felt very good.

I need to know what you guys are running for PS pumps and coolers.

What brakes and ducts? C-6 and Blaine Fab stuff?

What a great first HPDE on a great track.

Congrats on an enjoyable first HPDE.. Its a blast isn't it??

I might be able to help you out a bit with your questions..

As far as your PS pump woes, I understand, trust me I do. Its a common thing with our cars. Your best bet is to step up to a Turn One pump and run a decent cooler with good fluid. That would be option 1, and probably your best fool-proof bet. Option 2 is a bit riskier, but I have had great luck with it. Good stock pump, underdrive balancer, and a good fluid with a good size cooler directly in the path of some good cool airflow. This setup has been working well for me for quite some time now. I have had no boiling over and no other issues to speak of really.

As for your brakes, your best option would be to ditch the floating 2 piston caliper altogether and step up to a proper 4 piston setup. The PBR calipers are just too prone to spreading.. They work well for a while, but once they start getting pushed hard, with lots of heat, they will eventually give up the ghost.

That being said, if you are going to stick to a floating caliper, the C6 would be your best option. They are by far the stiffest of the current design for our cars and will last you the longest. Couple this with a GOOD rotor that has an efficient vane system and you should be good to go. Ducts are always a good idea if your cooking your brakes on the course you run. Blain Fab is probably your best source for them.. Alan knows what he is doing and has pre-engineerd just about anything you might need for your car now or in the future.

Oh, one more thing. A must have for anyone that is learning through HPDE days is a good camera. It will help you learn the lines, figure out where you missed your lines and where you can pick up speed. I would honestly invest in a ContourGPS if you do decide to get one. The integrated GPS is pretty cool in the fact that the embedded GPS data allows you to use 3rd party software like Dashware (what I use) to take the GPS data and interpret it into a visual graphic on the video itself. It can display tracking, track maps, lap times and more. Its a pretty sweet setup.

Heres an example of the kind of stuff you can do with a ContourGPS and Dashware.. Not bad for a total investment of around $400.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOY5EzMEJ8k

Sounds like another road racer is Born.

I cant help much with you problems but I will tell you what I have learned.

I first started road racing in a C5 Corvette Coupe Base everything.

I learned to learn the track and your car in its stock form first and begin upgrading from there.
Sticky tires and suspension will be your friend on the track and once you get your steering and brake issues taken care of you will have soooo much fun.


enjoy