Planet 9

D&D · #1 03-05-2009, 10:42 PM

I'll be doing a DE at Laguna Seca, my first there (others were at Thunderhill). The last time I was on the track at Laguna there was no Andretti turn or other infield portion... just ran around the rim of the bowl.

My usual prep for my C 2.7 is to make sure liquids are topped up, Pagid Orange pads swapped for OEM pads and clean off the helmet. Tires still have groves, so they should still be servicable.

So, what sort of things should I be watching out for in this new adventrue??
Any tricky parts with our mid-engined cars??

What's a decent time --- though I have no illusions of setting any sort of hot lap --- more interested in getting (buying) some great photos of my Cayman with Laguna landmarks in the background

D of D&D

beez · #2 03-06-2009, 09:35 AM

You will have a lot of fun - I have a great turn-by-turn guide in PDF - includes pictures and diagrams of the line through the turns... if you'd like it, send me a PM with your e-mail address, and I'll send it to you.

brad

**JCay** · #3 03-06-2009, 02:54 PM

Who are you doing the DE with?

Beez, I'd love to get that from you too!

D&D · #4 03-07-2009, 10:53 PM

this DE is with "Your Private Track Day".... a sort of run what you bring group that I've done several DE's at Thunderhill. The good news is that the weather saints are cooperating... no rain in the forcast and basically sunny skies.

Right now, the schedule is a "three group" model -- essentially 20 minutes per hour -- with no stop for lunch. The groups are: Beginners, intermediates and advanced/instructors. I think the first group is out at 9:00...
So, I'll post my impressions of my Cayman 2.7's first Laguna DE... early next week.

Regards ... D

***DaveN007*** · #5 03-07-2009, 11:41 PM

Here is my best stock Cayman S lap. Sorry for poor quality. It is from my little digital camera. Advice? Play with throttle oversteer on the hairpin. Go for a ride in a 911 variant with a driver who knows how it is done and you will forever appreciate how awesome and different these cars are. This is a 1:49. My best at T-hill is a 2:14 for comparison.

This is your goal...enjoy!

Passing zone tips: If you haven't seen this, you MUST WATCH THE WHOLE THING.

D&D · #6 03-08-2009, 07:07 PM

thanks Dave.. some entertaining video's.. your lap in your CS will be helpful... for seeing the lines ... though I surely will give the "Salinas off ramp" due respect ! -- I remember that curve from years past !!

Later. D

**jaica** · #7 03-08-2009, 07:53 PM

If your car is over six months old I would flush the brake fluid. With a 2.7 I would use at least Motul 600. 2.7 are very hard on brake fluid.

HAVE FUN!

D&D · #8 03-10-2009, 08:30 PM

Right... here's my report...
Good comment about flushing the brake fluid.. Actually, I did flush the lines with Motul fluid last year.. and considered re-flushing before this event. I surely will flush before my next event.. even though braking this time was without any problems and was clearly better than most other cars in my group.

OK... here's the flash... Laguna was a BLAST !! A real surprise right ??

The organization was 20 minute sessions over three groups, that meant 7 sessions from 9 AM till 4. I guess because I had not run Laguna in a DE before, I got put in the group of "Beginners and 'Low Intermediates'" (the other groups were "intermediates" and Advanced/Instructors. Cars in this "Beginner and low intermediate" group included some older Carreras, a bunch of BMW's (525 and 540's), a gaggle of Corvettes, a hand full of WRX's, one really fast (modified) MiniCooper S, and assorted other stuff.

I was a bit put off with my assignment to the Beginner/Low Intermediate Group, but I went with it; and though it was often a bit frustrating since my lowly Cayman 2.7 was clearly running faster than most in the group, but it was a pretty good "ego" boost. One session I came up to two 911's, admittedly older Carreras and not the GT3's that were in the advanced group, and actually got them to wave me by before the end of the session. It was kinda fun, one session, that really fast MiniCooper S and I just pushed up to the rest in the group, getting the passing flag presented "for us"! One part that worked well was to take turn 11 and get on the gas earlier than others, and literally put the Cayman right in the guy's left rear view mirror and wave at the him waiting for the "point by" while accelerating up the front straight. OK, they were not the most experienced drivers, but it was F U N ...

In the spirit of full disclosure -- thanks to Breez for some really helpful recommendations on what to watch out for, one of the floating instructors who joined me for a session and provided some great encouragement, like " nice but you can take turn 4 without the braking you do", etc. and watching the video provided by DaveN007.

And, the Cayman is just sooooo balanced and capable.

So--- totally a BLAST..

D of D&D