XR Club - Lakeside Track Day

[Blue Thunder]

2ND TRACK DAY FOR THE YEAR

LAKESIDE RACEWAY

FRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2010
HI ALL,

Once again it’s time to get ready to go for a few hot laps in our own cars, the 2nd club track day of the year being held at Lakeside.

All clubbies are invited to attend this fantastic day and the choice is yours whether you want to have a go on the track or you just want to come and spend an enjoyable day with your fellow clubbies being a spectator.

We will point out that this day is NON – COMPETITIVE. There are no trophies to be won, it is just a fun day where you can get on the track and drive your car within your own ability, not the cars. There is no pressure on you other than to come out onto the track to have a bit of fun and do some laps at your own pace. We please ask everyone to drive within their own ability and at a speed you feel comfortable with. While some of the club members have plenty of experience on the track, the majority of us have not. At the end of the day we want everyone to drive their cars home straight. For the newer club members who may not be familiar with these days, there is no door handle to door handle racing. Everyone who is participating is placed into groups according to their experience and then you are sent out on the track at different intervals. Both the guys and the girls are invited to have a go. For those that are not experienced you are more than welcome to do nana laps, the day is purely about fun, fun, and fun. Once again we will stress, drive to your own ability, do have fun but most importantly keep it safe.

There will be a maximum of 40 cars allowed to participate in the track day at Lakeside. The Brisbane Commodore Car Club is coming along as well with them being allocated 10 – 15 cars on the track. The remainder will be the XR Club. There will be no mixing between the brands of cars in the groups on the day. Fords will run with Fords, Holden’s will run with Holden’s etc.

The club will have use of the track for the entire day. The day will be broken up probably into three to four sessions with us using the entire track. Everyone participating will be briefed about this on the day before heading out onto the track.

HERE ARE ALL THE DETAILS (Please read and absorb them)

DATE

Friday 24th September 2010

MEETING PLACE

Lakeside Raceway
Lakeside Road
Kurwongbah QLD 4503

MEETING TIME

We will be meeting at 7.30am for an 8.00 am start. Drivers will be briefed before going out onto the track.

COST

$150 per car. This is for the whole day, so if you are a two car family, you can bring them both and pay $150 for each car.

HELMET & CLOTHING REQUIRED

If you are going out on the track you MUST be wearing -

1. Australian Standards Approved Helmet

2. Long Sleeve Shirt – Preferably Cotton

3. Long Pants – Preferably Cotton

4. Enclosed Footwear

LUNCH

There are two choices for lunch. As always the club will be bringing the barbeque trailer along. There will be FREE sausages on bread for anyone that wants them. If you don’t wish to have the barbeque please BYO your own lunch.

Important Note – Whether you are participating on the track or just being a spectator we need to know the exact numbers in your group that require the barbeque lunch. If you fail to send an email with the number of people in your group that want to have the barbeque lunch, you may not be catered for and therefore you could miss out.

The club will be selling cold drinks on the day also.

BYO

1. Please BYO anything else you might want to eat or drink during the day other than what is mentioned above.

2. Folding Chairs

3. If you are going on the track please make sure you have the necessary helmet and clothing required which is listed above in this email.

REPLYING AND DEPOSITING OF MONEY

If you would like to participate in the track day at Lakeside -

1. Send an email to events@xrclub.com by no later than Friday 17th September 2010 with your full name as well as the other people’s names in your group that are going out onto the track. If you are a two car family and are running both cars on the track please let us know.

2. Important info that we need from you for lunch - Whether you are participating on the track or just being a spectator, we need to know the exact numbers in your group that require the barbeque lunch. If you fail to send an email with the number of people in your group that want to have the barbeque lunch, you may not be catered for and therefore you could miss out.

3. If you are going on the track you MUST deposit your money into the club’s bank account by no later than Friday 17th September 2010 to be included in the day.

BANK DETAILS

XR6 & XR8 Club of Qld
Heritage Building Society
Toowoomba
BSB – 638070
Account No – 7718977

Please make sure you leave a reference with your name when you deposit your money into the club’s bank account. For example – Track Day, S.Smith.

INDEMNITY FORMS & LICENCES FOR THE DAY

For those clubbies going onto the track, you will have three forms which you MUST fill out and sign beforehand. These forms are attached to this email and will include -

1. A Club Indemnity And Release

2. An Application For An AASA Licence. (You may buy a day licence for $20 or an annual licence for $55. Please pay for your licence on the morning of the event at Lakeside).

3. A Queensland Raceways Application For Private And General Testing.

To save some time on the morning please print them off and fill them out beforehand. We will have some forms on the day as well.


So come on everyone, get your name on the list for this great day. It is tremendous fun, so don’t miss it.

918

919

920

[CalaisRider]

I will definately be there. Last time out at QR was awesomme with you guys - it was a ton of fun. I personally like Lakeside as a driver circuit far better than QR (albeit a slight mistake can result in significant car damage)

My QR AASA licence was updated and paid for last week for a year.

I will send through the $$ and confirmation asap but pay day is a fortnight away.

Just be mindfull that whilst i have undertaken about 20 sprints events to date at QR and Lakeside I am an over 50 year old hence the reflexes are probably not as good as 20 years ago - the two ton luxo car should be good for 200kph on the main straight if I hang onto the nuts and don't back off for the left hand kink. LOL.

Pete

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

i am interested will give a definate in couple weeks once car has box and cam done

[Carbon]

I should be there mate.

[Darren]

my holidays start on the 27th......
hopefully I can line up an RDO for the 24th

I'm keen for it, just go to see if the my boss will let me put in for an RDO on the Friday before my holidays.

[BigJim]

I would also be advising members that there is noise restrictions on your cars at lakeside. I would find out what they are so you can make sure your car would be ok.

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

hmmmmmm that could be a problem

[ghz28]

The noise limit at Lakeside is 95dB measured at any point of the track, under any circumstances by their monitoring equipment.

They have up to three noise meters in operation at any one time, but always one on the main straight in the vicinity of the start/finish line.

If your car is too loud, you are not permitted to continue until action has been taken to make your vehicle compliant. They do have exhaust traps for hire at the track now, but its worth trying to be compliant before getting there.

Their stationary test is 95dB at 5 or 8 metres, seems to depend on who does the test sometimes, directly behind the vehicle, at 5000 rpm.

My red Commodore fails the stationary test by a couple of dB, but passes on track so I am permitted to run it. In fact it just seems that my car is loud when the engine is not loaded up, mx5s etc are way louder than my car on-track.

Cheers,

Garry

[Darren]

If Gary's car scraped it in, then most of our cars should be fine
8 metres is a very generous distance for a stationary noise test. The ADR test (which manufacturers test their cars at) is less than a metre.

Pete (Calaisrider) could probably shed a bit of light on it. He's raced his Calais several times at Lakeside without dramas, and that Calais makes a fair bit of noise at 7000+ rpm lol :)

btw, I got my RDO approved today, so I'm good to go :headbang:

[CalaisRider]

If Gary's car scraped it in, then most of our cars should be fine
8 metres is a very generous distance for a stationary noise test. The ADR test (which manufacturers test their cars at) is less than a metre.

Pete (Calaisrider) could probably shed a bit of light on it. He's raced his Calais several times at Lakeside without dramas, and that Calais makes a fair bit of noise at 7000+ rpm lol :)

btw, I got my RDO approved today, so I'm good to go :headbang:

:)

Darren most have heard my sorst doing big end rpm (except me). I now have a new Hurricane 3" system which has a whole different note to my previous one. Does the blue luxo meet the DB limit of Lakeside who knows, all I can say is that I have run out there with no probs to date.

As a generalisation, if my car doesn't get pinged for noise, then most BC cars wouldn't either. Mine really only yodels real loud between 6,500 and 7,000rpm which is a shitload higher than the stock limiter. Other than that its just a deep grumble that I would define as a true aussie V8 sound - Goldilocks and the Three Bears "perfect porridge" analagy - just right!!

Its the 8 metres that helps pass the test!!

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

ok well if pete passes i think i should be able to if not will be very close

[ghz28]

Most stock aftermarket exhausts will pass the Lakeside limits. Big cams can cause issues at high rpm and on overrun, but you can get round that by short shifting once you find where the noise monitors are on the day. ;)

If it it obviously loud, they will call you in, and now offer to rent you an exhaust damper to put over the outlet of your exhaust, will rob some power but at least should allow you to continue on with laps.

The exhaust I had at QR for the last joint day is 2.5dB too loud for Lakeside, I have a separate rear muffler section for Lakeside.

gh

ps.....Pete's current exhaust should be OK for Lakeside I think.

I have a noise meter so we can check it out Pete....

[newsyk06vr2.0]

im keen to come and have a go, if not i will be there to watch.

i wont thrash the VS but i wont be going granny speed either. LoL.

[Darren]

good stuff Andrew, I definitely recommend getting out on the track and having a run. It's an adrenaline rush!

Last time everyone just sat at their own pace, there's no pressure at all to push any harder than you & the car are comfortable with.

[microant]

I will be there as long as powercruise goes well :)

[Carbon]

glad you're coming mate. Arif has agreed too.

Please make sure your payments are in before the deadline

[Darren]

speaking of deadlines,
Shane or Adam, could you please update the dates ? I think the dates have been cut & pasted from the last event & not update ie 7th May
cheers

1. Send an email to events@xrclub.com by no later than Friday 7th May 2010 with your full name as well as the other people’s names in your group that are going out onto the track. If you are a two car family and are running both cars on the track please let us know.

2. Important info that we need from you for lunch - Whether you are participating on the track or just being a spectator, we need to know the exact numbers in your group that require the barbeque lunch. If you fail to send an email with the number of people in your group that want to have the barbeque lunch, you may not be catered for and therefore you could miss out.

3. If you are going on the track you MUST deposit your money into the club’s bank account by no later than Friday 7th May 2010 to be included in the day.

[Carbon]

Guys, can you please be sure to register your interest as per last time. We had an influx closer to the date last time. This time it would be easier for the XR guys if they knew a lot earlier what the numbers were...

[ghz28]

At this stage I will be in....it is less than a week after some minor surgery so I may or may not be able to drive, but should be OK according to the doctor today.

Again, happy to show those interested the safe line around Lakeside in a conga line type deal on the first session. Or even later in the day if someone wants more info happy to do slower laps and show the way round.

Hope it is a fine day....

Garry

[Darren]

thanks for your offer to assist us again Gary, it was much appreciated at the last track day. I'm hoping it's a fine day too, I don't plan on playing in the wet!

I have added the track day into the calendar, so could everyone who is interested in attending please follow the link below and add your name to the list in order to assist Adam & Shane - cheers.
http://www.brisbanecommodore.com/bccc/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=43&day=2010-9-24&redirect=1

Adam, any chance you could get the cutoff dates from Shane ? The dates mentioned in Shanes post say 7th of May....

[Blue Thunder]

Adam, any chance you could get the cutoff dates from Shane ? The dates mentioned in Shanes post say 7th of May....


Hi All,

Just to let you know the cut off date for the track day at Lakeside will be Friday 17th September 2010.

[Darren]

thanks Shane, I've just updated your original post with the correct cut-off date :thumbs up:

[Darren]

track day is coming up fast guys! September 24!!
we seem to have lost all momentum on the event. Come-on, the last one at at QR was awesome, an experience that is still fresh in my mind.

So far only myself and Garry have added our names to the confirmation list here http://www.brisbanecommodore.com/bccc/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=43&day=2010-9-24&redirect=1
The XR guys have been kind enough to invite us along, let's not disappoint them :thumbs up:

[ghz28]

I thought I had another person interested but he has changed his mind and is doing the Timeattack the following Tuesday instead.

Looks like we will have a good day Darren.............

gh

[Carbon]

I still want to come but the project I am working on is meant to be submitted that week so I am just not sure if I will be able to

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

wont know untill couple days prior need a couple small things fixed fingers crossed

[Derek VE SS]

If this is anything like the QR day how can you not go .... I wish I could attend. If any of you havnt tried a track day this is the best way to start ..

[Carbon]

If this is anything like the QR day how can you not go .... I wish I could attend. If any of you havnt tried a track day this is the best way to start ..

I agree Derek. For the money and track time you get, this is outstanding. I admit, a weekend would be better than a week day but I can tell you now you would generally pay more and not get as much track time on a weekend.

[Darren]

yeah we will have a really good day Garry. Do you know yet whether you will be able to drive ?

Agreed Adam, weekend of course would be the preferred day, however as you say the cost difference for a weekend vs a weekday is HUGE. You could probably roughly double the cost.

And like Derek said, the BCCC/XR track days are the best way to start as there is no pressure to drive beyond either your own and/or cars ability. The fact that we didn't even have anyone go off the track on the QR day lays testament to that. I've heard the time attack days aren't anywhere near as casual. Shame you are on the other side of the world now Derek!

[mackervl]

i'll be going paid today. alan

[Darren]

good to hear Alan, look forward to catching up
which reminds me I have to pay up as well!

[Carbon]

Guys

I have had an email from Shane from the XR Club.

For those interested in attending the track day, they want to know by Friday how many cars are going. You also need to pay your money into the Ford account.

Cheers

[Darren]

payment made & email sent :)

[ghz28]

I am making my payment tonight, not feeling very well after my surgery and might be back in hospital this weekend, but if all goes well will at least be able to be out there next Friday.

Garry

[Darren]

not good to hear Garry, hope you start feeling better soon. Take care mate

[ghz28]

Well I am still out of hospital and things are improving pretty quickly now it seems. I've just had it confirmed for me that pain hurts, and I seem to be allergic to pain. :)

Main issue at the moment it the damn weather, but as time goes on the forecast is improving, slowly, down to a few showers for Friday now. Hoping for "Fine" thanks.

Hope to see you there Friday Darren, and anyone else who is going/coming.

Garry

[Mercury Rising]

Hi guys if you are intending on a blat around Lakeside let us know at events@xrclub.com
You can turn up on Friday and pay us then - Troy our treasurer will be there with the receipt book - if you wish to do so
PS even if it still raining it will be on just the lap times will be slower :woohoo:

Alan XR Club secretary

[mackervl]

what's the story with friday if it's raining. is it going to be cancelled and if so, do we get a refund? if the track is wet i won't be circulating can't afford to pay for saftey fence. alan

[mackervl]

Hi guys if you are intending on a blat around Lakeside let us know at events@xrclub.com
You can turn up on Friday and pay us then - Troy our treasurer will be there with the receipt book - if you wish to do so
PS even if it still raining it will be on just the lap times will be slower :woohoo:

Alan XR Club secretary

sorry alan i didn't read your mail before i put mine up so it's still on regardless .

[Darren]

I'm with you Alan, if it's raining I won't be taking the car out on the track. But I will probably still come along as a spectator.

Let's hope the weather stays fine

[ghz28]

Weather is looking relatively good for Friday, as long as it is as good as it was today it would be a good day.

Garry

[Darren]

yeah I've been keeping an eye on the forecast Gary.
either way, I'll be heading out there. The weather in Toowoomba could be very different to Lakeside, so I won't really know what it's going to be like until I get there. And even if it's raining in the morning, I might get some runs in the afternoon if it clears up.

[liontamer2]

I understand if u don't won't to play..:cryin:

[Darren]

I understand if u don't won't to play..:cryin:

if the track is dry I'll be out there!
just don't trust my wet track driving abilities enough to chance it on the wet stuff. Would never forgive myself if I bent my pride & joy

[ghz28]

Darren, the weather today hopefully was a preview of tomorrow. I got the car all ready to go, but I am only taking slicks with me tomorrow, so if it is not suitable then it will be a quiet day for me.

By the way, I am taking CB radios with me so if we get to do the Congo Line thing, I can hopefully give a bit of audio help. I do have pit to car comms, but the in-car bit relies on the helmet fit out so not much help for anyone else.

Leaving home in the morning about 0630 and picking Seldo up on the way out.

Dave is very experienced former touring car driver so if you get the chance try to make time to talk with him and ask questions about driving and the track. I just hope my car behaves for the day.
Cheers,

garry

[Darren]

I'll try to remember to bring my UHF with me Garry, although I don't know how effective my communication will be with a full face helmet... I struggle understanding those hand held UHF's without a helmet lol :)

it's about a 2.5hr drive from Toowoomba, which means a 5am departure for me. I'm not an early morning person, so if I'm a few minutes late, I shouldn't be too far away

[Darren]

well it was a great day, a couple of near misses with 2 Falcons coming off at decent speeds - one tipped up on 2 wheels! However unfortunately there was another Falcon that ended up with some serious damage after coming to grief with the tyre wall. Hope he gets it all sorted...

Lakeside sure is a challenging circuit compared to QR. Lots of high speed corners and changing camber, drops, rises! Took me 45 laps to start getting my head around it. Did my best lap on my final session, it felt really good - ended up with a PB of 1.11.58 (after a bunch of 1.13's) which I was very pleased with. Once again some very quick cars from the blue oval out there, although I think Gary's VT might have got the best time for the day. I was suprised at how bloody quick those XR Focus's were.

I was really happy with the car, didn't miss a beat and was a pleasure to drive. Good to catch up with Alan & Gary again, as usual thanks for the valuable tips on getting the line through the corners right Gary & for the fuel which got me through a couple of extra sessions.

And last but not least, thanks again to the XR guys for inviting us out. Always a pleasure having a day out with you guys, your enthusiasm as a club is inspiring.

I will upload some of my video tomorrow

[ghz28]

yeah was a good day all round. Weather held off just nicely.

Was good to catch up again with everyone.

Darren congratulations on the time and glad you had a good day. Glad to help out any way I can.

Got some photos. See below......

[ghz28]

Few more photos.

[EQUIPE-T]

awsome pics there :)

Lakeside is an bloody brilliant track, not for the faint hearted if you really want to tackle it head on, but for thoes who did will know the thrill of it :), and i really wish my VS was up to that sort of racing ( but with brakes that are hardly there, a trans that has a mind of its own, and a motor thats got more groans than a 60yr old vally whore i doubt any kind of racing will see me driving it home afterwards haha )

Soon as the VS goes to a new home a 4x4 is in order for me now, and then ill be building a purpose built VN track car, hopefully then ill be out an about with yas :bouncing:

[CalaisRider]

:)

Some great photos in that lot Garry. I take it the track was dry as you had the Red Beast circulating on the slicks.

Geese Darren a couple of them pics make your car (and you) look like a real racer!!!

:(
Bloody work, wish I could have been there but it's all too hard Mon - Fri for me nowdays. I sent the car to Holden for ABS and parking sensor fixes that have been in a broken sad state for quite a whilse now - yayy.

[ghz28]

Yeah we were lucky, the weather actually held off at least until I left at about 1430. Ran slicks all day, different combinations trying to seek balance between the front and rear, think I have got it pretty close now.

The old narrow Dunlops we ran for all but 4 laps held up well and provided a lazy 61.8 on the day.

Off to QR on Tuesday for Timeattack, hope the weather holds off again, I only plan on taking slicks with me.....

gh

[CalaisRider]

Yuppers I am shoeing my 18s with slicks. Any advice on brand and pros and cons would be appreciated.

[Darren]

thanks for posting those photos Gary - awesome action shots! I love them. Will make for some good display photos for my walls :) I've got to try again to upload my video footage to youtube later today. First attempt failed part way through....

Shame you didn't get to see my last 2 sessions, I finally had enough confidence to pay more attention to getting serious about the racing lines we were discussing, particularly under the bridge and coming onto the straight. I knocked 2 seconds off my previous best time by working those lines. The tyres were squealing and the car had a bit of good controllable drift happening - I even managed to catch one of those BA Falcons, he eventually let me pass. Having said that, I'm glad that they waved the final lap flag on the last session when they did, I think I was getting a little cocky, didn't want to get too carried away and put it into a wall ;)

My oil catch can also worked perfect. Last time at QR, the car would start up with a smoke screen after sitting between sessions, thanks to intake manifold getting a gutful of oil. Oil catch can did it's job well, picking up the oil overflow. No smoke this time!

Yeah Pete, shame you couldn't be there, I had an absolute blast. I surprised at how easy Lakeside is on brakes compared to QR. But the tyres copped an absolute flogging compared to QR! I think I've shaved about 20,000kms off the front tyres. First couple of sessions I wasn't real happy with the track - it's kind of freaky compared to QR with all the walls so close, and the corners are very fast and far more challenging - doesn't help seeing a couple of the hardcore Ford racers going beyond the limits turning their cars around! But by the 3rd session it really started growing on me & I could start working on implementing Gary's racing line suggestions. By the last session, I felt like I was Brocky :thumbs up:

[mackervl]

x2 thanks for posting photos gary. had a top day didn't like to push it hard. 1st time on track & kept on thinking of sale of car. yeh daren i reckon your right about 20.000ks off tyres. i ended up using half tank of petrol,but who cares can't wait for the next one.

[Darren]

ok here's some video highlights - mainly my car because my personal cameraperson was a little biased ;) But there's some footage of both Gary & Alans car too. Enjoy

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

[ghz28]

If you want high res versions of those photos, pm me an email address and I will forward them on.

gh

ps....did notice just a touch of bias in the video, but only just :)

[CalaisRider]

My oil catch can also worked perfect. Last time at QR, the car would start up with a smoke screen after sitting between sessions, thanks to intake manifold getting a gutful of oil. Oil catch can did it's job well, picking up the oil overflow. No smoke this time!

Yeah Pete, shame you couldn't be there, I had an absolute blast. I surprised at how easy Lakeside is on brakes compared to QR. But the tyres copped an absolute flogging compared to QR! I think I've shaved about 20,000kms off the front tyres. First couple of sessions I wasn't real happy with the track - it's kind of freaky compared to QR with all the walls so close, and the corners are very fast and far more challenging - doesn't help seeing a couple of the hardcore Ford racers going beyond the limits turning their cars around! But by the 3rd session it really started growing on me & I could start working on implementing Gary's racing line suggestions. By the last session, I felt like I was Brocky :thumbs up:

:)

Sounds like you had a blast in the Ol Favourite Red car Darren. If your tearing rubber off you must have been giving it a fair flog. Yeh those walls are pretty close and not much margin for error without Big Bang Theory applied if you get it wrong LOL.

Tis weired how my two ton tessie circulates Lakeside ok but "hates" the National Circuit at QR.

[Darren]

yep Pete, I had a really enjoyable day. Glad we stuck to the one circuit layout, as compared to QR where we ran 3 different layouts in the one day. I had a far better opportunity to improve over the day by sticking to the single layout.

It all really started to click in the last session. I still have plenty of room for improvement though, I'm confident another day out there would see another 2 seconds shaved off my PB. But at the same time, I have to play it a little on the conservative side, too many solid objects to hit at Lakeside if things go wrong.... There was one casualty on the day, and at least 2 more very close encounters, enough to re-enforce the dangerous, unforgiving nature of the track ;)

[CalaisRider]

Yeh I have some sort of weired fear of the corner coming off the hill onto main straight. Maybe cause its a significant downhill thing. I want to give it more throttle to get a good run onto the straight but see all those tyres at the fence/armco as I run widish towards em and then the "oh sheit" factor kicks in and I back off (way, way too much).

Maybe I'm just getting too old and nervous for such stuff.

I'll give Lakeside another lash when my new brake rotors and QFM Comp 9 pads arrive from our sponsor GSL Rallysport. Saturday and/or Sunday are the only times for me. I see Time Attack has one happening on Sunday 31st October - depending on funds and getting the new brake stuff added I might go for a lash in Daily Driver Trim 20" wheels. Can't offord to re-shoe my 18" wheels with track tyres.