Flavoade
Active Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2017
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 20
- Location
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2017 Shelby GT350 GB w/ Blk Roof, and Black stripe
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey guys!
So I finally had my first Track Day with the 350, and I am glad I did it. I was told I wouldn't sell the car if I tracked it and I see what ya meant. I bought the car in 2017 from Jim Dobson Ford in Indiana for sticker, and had it shipped to me in Baton Rouge.
I never found the time to go to the track, but I recently received some more vacation time and saw the opportunity. Nola Motorsports Park in New Orleans was hosting a Track Day Lite. Basically just some lead and follow parade laps to learn the track. We picked up the pace around the end of the day and I was able to get a feel for the car.
What I learned from the day was that I definitely have room to grow into the car. At my current skill level I should be able to get more seat time and get more out of the car before I ever need to do any mods. I will likely buy a set of 6gr wheels and tires so I don't wear out my street set. The car is very, very capable, which honestly surprised me. I knew the car had potential, seeing how the car easily handled my mistakes without even flinching really intrigued me; easily the most capable car I have driven on track.
I used sport mode as I wanted the safety systems, as I was still getting a feel for the car. I was surprised by how balanced the car felt, even though its large. There were a few times where the car would under steer and all I had to do was apply a little throttle and the car would gently rotate and point where I needed to go. I will definitely attend more track days, and plan to go to a Heavy Track Day to explore more of the limits of the car
Some other interesting things I learned while at the track was from one of the instructors. Xtreme Xperience has a shop at Nola and one of the instructors worked full time for the track. I asked what he thought my car could do on the track, which his response was, "Oh yeah it will do good. I think it ran a 2 minute lap time when Ford brought the car down for testing." I inquired further and he revealed to me that Ford Performance uses Nola Motorsports Park, along with other tracks, to test their vehicles. He said that Ford tested the Focus RS, Ford GT, GT350 and the New GT500. He explained that Ford comes twice a year to test vehicles and perform shakedowns. He told me the above cars were brought to the track during development, and he was able to see them go around.
So it seems that one of the reasons my car responded so well to this track is because it spent some development time there, along with the fact its a great car. He did tell me the GT500 was fast around the track and that Ford used a GT3, ZL1, and I believe a Z06 as a benchmark. He told me AMG, Porsche, BMW, and other Manufacturers bring their cars as well.
Long read but yeah.
Here are some videos of the laps. It felt a lot faster than the camera makes it look. Let me know if you like the Camera mount, and audio setup.
So I finally had my first Track Day with the 350, and I am glad I did it. I was told I wouldn't sell the car if I tracked it and I see what ya meant. I bought the car in 2017 from Jim Dobson Ford in Indiana for sticker, and had it shipped to me in Baton Rouge.
I never found the time to go to the track, but I recently received some more vacation time and saw the opportunity. Nola Motorsports Park in New Orleans was hosting a Track Day Lite. Basically just some lead and follow parade laps to learn the track. We picked up the pace around the end of the day and I was able to get a feel for the car.
What I learned from the day was that I definitely have room to grow into the car. At my current skill level I should be able to get more seat time and get more out of the car before I ever need to do any mods. I will likely buy a set of 6gr wheels and tires so I don't wear out my street set. The car is very, very capable, which honestly surprised me. I knew the car had potential, seeing how the car easily handled my mistakes without even flinching really intrigued me; easily the most capable car I have driven on track.
I used sport mode as I wanted the safety systems, as I was still getting a feel for the car. I was surprised by how balanced the car felt, even though its large. There were a few times where the car would under steer and all I had to do was apply a little throttle and the car would gently rotate and point where I needed to go. I will definitely attend more track days, and plan to go to a Heavy Track Day to explore more of the limits of the car
Some other interesting things I learned while at the track was from one of the instructors. Xtreme Xperience has a shop at Nola and one of the instructors worked full time for the track. I asked what he thought my car could do on the track, which his response was, "Oh yeah it will do good. I think it ran a 2 minute lap time when Ford brought the car down for testing." I inquired further and he revealed to me that Ford Performance uses Nola Motorsports Park, along with other tracks, to test their vehicles. He said that Ford tested the Focus RS, Ford GT, GT350 and the New GT500. He explained that Ford comes twice a year to test vehicles and perform shakedowns. He told me the above cars were brought to the track during development, and he was able to see them go around.
So it seems that one of the reasons my car responded so well to this track is because it spent some development time there, along with the fact its a great car. He did tell me the GT500 was fast around the track and that Ford used a GT3, ZL1, and I believe a Z06 as a benchmark. He told me AMG, Porsche, BMW, and other Manufacturers bring their cars as well.
Long read but yeah.
Here are some videos of the laps. It felt a lot faster than the camera makes it look. Let me know if you like the Camera mount, and audio setup.
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