Obsolescence to Obsession – Tales of the Rented Mule (FPRS GT350 Track Attack #14)

[svttim]

Road America After-Action Report - Round 1 of the "Rode Hard & Put Up Wet" tour is in the books!

Friday night in the paddock - something wicked this way comes (storms!!!).

The Big Deal -

First things first - the newly paved track surface at Road America is going to be awesome..... someday..... just as soon as it gets "rubbered-in" and seasoned. It's billiard table smooth and the original curbing was left in place, so turn-in, apex, and track-out markers that were not on the pavement survived last October's resurfacing. But, since it's soooooo green, the grip level isn't there yet. Braking resulted in lots of ABS intervention and both braking and turning surprisingly caused the Pirelli slicks to sing soprano.

Add in a bit of precipitation - well, ok.... maybe more than a bit - and the Mule and I decided to sit out Saturday morning.

Running of the Mule -

We made it out for just one of the afternoon sessions - the only one that was pretty much dry - but it was more of a recon mission to check things out. Unfortunately, sprinkles returned and I had a loose shift knob on the MGW that required a run to the store for a very thin wrench to tighten the jamb nut, so I missed the last session of the day.

Sunday morning brought more rain around sunrise and the track was still soaked when the first session was headed out, which was my group. So, we sat that session out, as well.

By mid-morning, though, the sun was out and temps were on the rise. More importantly, the track was dry!!! The Mule really hit its stride. With my 220+ lb nephew on-board for a ride along, I ran a couple of back-to-back 2:36.7 laps - a personal best. Somewhat of a surprise, as we really weren't pushing too hard.

Crackin' Me Up -

The only real problem of the weekend was just before the last session of the day when I discovered some cracks forming on the right rear tire. In the session before that, I had a slight wiggle from the right rear under trail braking, so I'm wondering if I rolled the sidewall over a bit or put too much stress into it due to the new track surface.

The cracks look somewhat like freeze cracking or dry rot, but weren't present when I washed and inspected the wheels / tires before heading out to the event last week. Of particular concern is how this small area of tiny cracks spreads out (see red arrows in pic) to be a full circumferential crack just below the shoulder mold lines. Based on this, I called it a day and loaded up for the haul home.

Otherwise, all is well with the Mule. The replaced clutch, which I did a bunch of on-road break in with last year, was no problem and the alternator / voltage regulator issue seems to have been resolved. The "Service Charging System Now!!!" warning is gone and there were no DTCs or "battery" icon lighting up on the dash.

So, with that, we'll call it a successful first outing of 2023.

One satisfied Mule getting some well deserved rest.....

Sounds like its time for some rains.

Sponsored

 

[honeybadger]

Crackin' Me Up -

The only real problem of the weekend was just before the last session of the day when I discovered some cracks forming on the right rear tire. In the session before that, I had a slight wiggle from the right rear under trail braking, so I'm wondering if I rolled the sidewall over a bit or put too much stress into it due to the new track surface.

The cracks look somewhat like freeze cracking or dry rot, but weren't present when I washed and inspected the wheels / tires before heading out to the event last week. Of particular concern is how this small area of tiny cracks spreads out (see red arrows in pic) to be a full circumferential crack just below the shoulder mold lines. Based on this, I called it a day and loaded up for the haul home.

Agree on your hypothesis of being a dry crack. Any idea when these were made?

I've run Pirellis at 19 PSI on an out lap multiple times - I'd be shocked if it were due solely to tire pressure. My guess is dry crack - but freezing temps could also be a reason

 

[Muligan]

Time to awaken the sleeping Mule..... some new shoes arrived the other day - YOWZA!

Apex SM-10RS forged 19x11 in satin bronze.

 

[Hobdul]

Oh man I can't wait to see these on the Mule! I signed up for the pre-order for these wheels in bronze, but then financial prudence forced me to cancel the pre-order. I think it's going to look amazing with the white/blue stripes.

 

[Tomster]

Oh man I can't wait to see these on the Mule! I signed up for the pre-order for these wheels in bronze, but then financial prudence forced me to cancel the pre-order. I think it's going to look amazing with the white/blue stripes.

Wow, I like those better than the SV902s I have. Definitely.

 

[Muligan]

O Canada...... or a Mule Loose in the Land of Moose.

We just returned from a great long-weekend trip to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) in the southeastern hill country of Ontario, Canada... just northeast of Toronto. The Mule and I joined four friends (including @Goz To 11) for the 1400+ mile round trip to this historic track.

We kicked it off with a two-day haul, including an overnight stop at Port Huron, MI, before jumping the border into Canada.

Although the border crossings have eased somewhat in recent months, we were still concerned about entering with the cars and all our tools, equipment, and spares. We made sure to have our passport, drivers license, and even copies of our event registration confirmation, packing inventory, and vehicle titles, registration, and insurance docs. Fortunately, our entire group made it in and out with no issues and without igniting an international incident - maybe the Mule's rockin' of the Canadian flag helped us breeze across the border.

Having arrived before we could get into the track, we took some time to settle into our weekend retreat - a horse farm with a huge guest wing on the main house. Plenty of trailer parking, lots of bedrooms, and a great patio / pool area. It's located about 15 minutes from the track in Bethany, Ont. and is highly recommended if you're headed to Mosport.

Once the track opened for early check-in / drop-off, we headed over and set up our paddock. Here are a few of the US contingent pulling up to the gates.

The Track -

Mosport opened in 1961, and has done a great job of upgrading things in a way that preserves its charm. The facilities include the original track (known as the Grand Prix course), a smaller track called the Driver Development Centre, and a go-kart track. Our event was taking place on the GP track, which has been host to just about every pro racing body, including Formula One, Trans Am, Can Am, Indycar, etc. It's about 2.5 miles long, encompasses ten turns, and covers nearly 200 feet of vertical change.

The front straight - upper left in the photo - is about the only level portion of the track and is located at the top of the hill. From there, it's a combination of blind and mostly downhill right, left, right, and left turns until you hit the bottom with a huge compression before going through the reducing radius 180 degree turns known as Moss Corner (5a, 5b, and 5c). After that, it's full-throttle up the Andretti straight through the woods to the Esses, which include a wide right sweeper (8) and then the much tighter turns 9 (entry-road crossover) and 10. Although many of the turns are blind, due to both the proximity of the concrete walls and the elevation change, turns 2 & 4 bring a special pucker factor due to the addition of a steep dropoff (aim for the tree tops) - over a hundred feet in turn 2 alone - and the off-camber outer portion of the track, which can suck you in and introduce you to the aforementioned concrete wall if you're not lucky enough to get spit out and survive the wild ride (more on that later).

Event Organization -

The event was a three-day shindig put on by Trillium Chapter of the BMW club (BMWCCA, actually, not Canada) and Friday was an "invitation only" day for solo-qualified drivers and instructors. After submitting my driving CV last winter, the Mule and I were accepted for that day, even though we'd never run with the group or driven at Mosport. When we arrived at registration on Friday morning, it was funny to be asked if we were going to run in the "fast" or the "faster" group - those were the only choices for that day if you weren't an instructor (or instructor-in-training). Knowing the track's reputation, I elected to run with the slow guys in "fast" and spent the first session in the passenger seat of a local instructor who had run lots of laps at Mosport over the years. He then rode with me in the Mule during the second session and signed me off for the rest of the weekend.

The Friday schedule was great - eight 1/2 hour sessions for each group!!! The only downside was that it had rained overnight and the track started out somewhat wet, but was mostly dry by mid-morning. The Mule ran really well and by the end of the day we were turning lap times in the 1:35-1:39 range.... not bad for the first time out and running on OEM wheels with MPSS tires.

Oh Yeah - Tires -

The weather reports leading up to the event were calling for rain every day. I kept looking at the Apex wheels with fresh Yokohama Advan slicks and thinking that if I went on those, there's a chance I may not get a single lap in all weekend. With my pathetic little 4Runner as a tow vehicle, there's absolutely no room to bring a second set of wheels/tires, so as the departure time loomed, I had to make a decision. If I bought a set of rains and it ended up not being wet enough, I'd also be stranded in the paddock all weekend. So, I split the risk and pulled down the OEM wheels / tires that were on the Mule when it came from FPRS and bolted them on. At least with those, I could still get out there if the track was wet and if it was dry, well, I could circulate at a somewhat slower pace (more on that later, too).

About That Forecast -

After a beautiful Friday, Saturday brought the rain - and lots of it. It also brought crowds..... many more drivers and cars, so heavy traffic and less (and shorter) sessions. We only had four 20 minute sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and only one of those on Saturday had something resembling a dry track - with lots of wet spots and standing water.

I took advantage of that dry-ish session and went out with @Goz To 11 and one of the BMW instructors for a bit of follow-the-leader to hopefully learn the line a bit better and work on my approach to Corner 4 - fastest of the blind, off-camber, dramatic drop corners on the track (and yep, more on that later - you can see where this is going).

Saturday Night Reception -

The club put on a great dinner for us in the Event Centre that looks out over the Esses and the front straight, complete with the track's own microbrew commemorating the year of the first race. By the time the reception started, the rain had left the area and it was a beautiful evening.

Corner Four -

So, there I was on Sunday morning, having a great time so far and thinking I'm learning the track and not being a speed-bump for the really fast guys. The old-ish MPSS tires were serving me well, the weather was outstanding, and the track surface was starting to get rubbered in again after being somewhat green at the start of the day due to all the rain. And then it happened........

Remember those references to blind, off-camber, steep drop off turns, especially Corner Four - which is the fastest? Well, on the penultimate lap of the second session of the morning, I got into the Moss / Corner Five complex pretty hot after nailing the previous corner and ran a bit wide in that tight, slow 180 degree turn. I thought to myself - "hey, watch out, those tires are starting to get a bit greasy - maybe slow it down or just go in and let them cool before the next session." I guess I forgot to read this little warning on the dash.....

So, what did I do? Well, I sure didn't slow down or go in..... I just kept hammering it around one more time and, as I approached Corner Four, I was determined to nail it again. And right then and there is when I realized I did exactly the wrong thing. You know how things start to move in a slow motion sorta way when you're in over your head? Yeah...... that's where I was.

As I turned in, I was carrying a whole bunch of speed - probably more than before. After the lift to settle the car (no braking), I turned in before the brow of the hill (prior to the bridge) while still blind, and the Mule pushed a bit. Okay.... no problem..... as I'm easing back on the throttle to balance the car, I'll just hold off on applying any real juice for a second or two and the push will stop. Nope.... that didn't work..... and now I'm being sucked out to the off-camber side of the track and headed towards the steep hillside of grass that leads to a very solid looking concrete wall at the bottom with nothing but forest behind it (don't look over there - look where you want the car to go). Since steady throttle wasn't getting rid of the push and lifting will result in a spin, let's try easing the throttle just a bit to see if that gives more of a four-wheel drift than a push, which should help rotate the car towards the direction we want it to go. Sure enough, it's working..... just barely..... and the four-wheel drift is scrubbing off speed and traction is coming back. Only now, we're not pointed downhill towards the apex..... in fact, we're sorta pointed diagonally across the track and looking behind the apex cone. Hmmmm.... nothing off the bow looks too solid, so just keep the wheel straight and the throttle consistent - don't try and steer our way out of this now and muck it up. Here we go ..... off-track excursion is coming fast. With a somewhat loud "BANG," we're up-and-over the curbing , across the grass behind the apex cone, another "BANG" back over the curbing and onto the track as it comes around to meet us.

Once on track, I pulled off-line to avoid throwing clag everywhere. I then did a quick check of things - no noises that indicate dragging parts of the car, oil pressure OK (concerned about the composite pan), steering OK, brakes OK, all four corners of the car seem OK (tires and springs), so I brought it around at a reasonable pace and entered the pits for my four-wheels-off-talking-to. The checkered flag was out and the pit marshal just gave the Mule a quick once over and sent me on my way.

Back in the paddock, it was apparent that the Mule had been doing some grazing......

An underside inspection revealed a bit of damage to the already broken (from FPRS) front undertray, but nothing serious. Since the undertray was loose in a couple of places, it was time to load up. End of the day for the poor Mule.

Wrapping It All Up -

The event was really well organized and my thanks go out to the Trillium Chapter BMW club and its instructors, as well as all my friends that accompanied me on the trip (and those new ones I met). The club even had a pro photographer there on Sunday and he got some great shots - which were provided to all of us free-of-charge. Here's one of the Mule when it wasn't bouncing around off-piste......

The trip home continued our adventure, as one of our party had a front caliper freeze up on his tow vehicle. But, we're car guys, so we let it cool down until it released, then he limped it to the next town, where a parts store had a caliper in stock. With all of our tools and "skills," we were able to get the caliper changed and the convoy back on the road in no time.

It's adventures like this that build character, confidence, memories, and friendships. Get out there and enjoy your GT350 (or whatever you drive) however you please and no matter the adversity - just be careful on those blind, off-camber, downhill, fast turns at new tracks.

P.S. -

Here's the first look at the ventilated undertray....... more to come on this, for sure.

 

[5.2 liters of democracy]

I had similar damage on my splitter from running off at Auto Club Speedway. With a plastic welder, some mesh, and some body filler I was able to keep it alive for two more days there and it stood up to 165+ mph. If you have any issues getting a new undertray, that is one method that can help.

Great read, always enjoy these updates!

 

[Muligan]

Finally getting the Mule cleaned-up after the weekend at Mosport and added the latest track outline - with a special designator highlighting the unique line we took through T4 on our last lap there.

 

[key01]

Finally getting the Mule cleaned-up after the weekend at Mosport and added the latest track outline - with a special designator highlighting the unique line we took through T4 on our last lap there.

Yep, I know that corner all too well. I was punted off track in an IMSA race in ‘98 under heavy braking there. It is an amazing and challenging track though. Is the 4Runner handling the towing job? I thought they only towed like 5,000#? My Tacoma is rated at 7,500# and I’d be nervous as hell with towing a track car all that way.

 

[Muligan]

Glad you could make it by for another update on the Mule's exploits. This installment finds us back at the stable after a great mid-week run at Gingerman Raceway outside of South Haven, MI.

This event is hosted by Mohawk Track Experience as sort of a kick-off for a week of fun that culminates in Detroit on Aug 19th at the Woodward Dream Cruise. As such, it attracts some incredible Shelbys and Fords, as well as lots of factory and race team attendees. Monday is reserved for novices, with Tuesday and Wednesday having more run groups (the advanced group typically being populated by some real hotshoes running current / former pro Mustang race cars). Although the Mule and I typically run in advanced, because of the number and caliber of super fast cars and drivers at this event us mere mortals get placed in something called "intermediate-plus." Well, I guess that sounds better than "advanced-slow."

You may recall that 2023 is the year of the "Rode Hard & Put Up Wet" tour. Well, so far it's been raining buckets for every event this summer. I was scheduled to depart on Monday in the pouring rain, but (fortunately???) work conspired to delay push-back for 24 hours. So, I didn't arrive until late in the day on Tuesday, meaning just one day on track this time.

However, given the repairs I made recently after the off at Mosport during the last outing and a few things I did to address on-going issues, this was going to be more of a shake-down / test & tune day just to make sure that everything was working properly.

As with last year, I was able to finagle a spare room at a friend's house on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan halfway between South Haven and Saugatuck. It's an absolutely gorgeous area, if you don't mind the erosion and potential for your multi-million home to slide a hundred feet down to the beach. The good news is that their home was built on the opposite side of the road, so no danger to worry about here. The views at sundown from their place are amazing.

Wednesday was sunny and cool, perfect weather to exercise the Mule. I was on Yokohama A005 Advan slicks for the first time ever, so decided to take is somewhat easy during the first session. The Yokos I got from my tire source had one or two sessions on them previously - likely just a heat cycle and/or practice session - and they were in great shape. But, they're 300/690-19s, so they're a bit narrow compared to the Pirellis I've been running. They also took a couple more laps to warm up and get sticky, but that could have been due to the cool overnight temps and the still cold track surface. Overall they seem to be a good tire - plenty of grip and very predictable - but I think I'd like to get a set of the 310 version, which would be more in line with the section width of the Pirelli DHs. I have a stack of four of each sitting next to each other in the shop and the Yokos are about six inches shorter than the stack of Pirellis..... that translates to a much smaller contact patch, which probably explains the push I was feeling with the Yokos this time out. One positive thing about the smaller size, though, was that they are a bit smaller in circumference, giving a bit of gearing advantage. As such, the Mule seemed a bit quicker out of the corners.

So what about all those repairs? Well, after Mosport, the Mule's nose and undertrays were removed for a thorough inspection. The only casualty from that off was the front undertray (see pics in post #261). But, there was lots of clean-up to be done, including what could pass for a rather large mouse nest in the differential cooler scoops on the rear diffuser.

I also did some additional clean up and gave the unprotected dry-carbon canards a coating of Eastwood's two-part satin epoxy spray paint to protect them from UV damage.

While the undertrays were off, I did a full inspection and found no other damage. I did use the access to the underside of the engine bay to address another problem, though. You may recall that I was getting a warning on the dash that said "Service Charge System NOW!!!!" along with a fast chime and a battery icon on the dash. I changed the alternator back in the early part of the season, but the one I took out looked brand new, so I didn't return it to claim my $75 core charge. Sure enough, after a session or two at the first event after putting in the new alternator, the warning and chimes came back. The codes that were showing up after this related to the voltage regulator, which is connected to a three-prong plug just below the main battery lead. Thanks to @ChipG, I replaced that pigtail and it appears to have done the job. There is a generic version of the wiring available on line from various sources, but I found the OEM Ford part number and picked one up from the place that has been working with me on parts lately.

I was also getting a code for evap purge valve. I replaced that with a new one last season, but the code and engine icon keep coming back. I disconnected the lead and on inspection noticed that the terminals were somewhat dirty / corroded and that the rubber weather seal was torn and pushed all the way to the back of the plug. I cleaned it up and installed a new seal and it seems to have fixed the problem for now. Time will tell on this one, though, as the appearance of the code and light were somewhat intermittent.

One of the most tedious things I've ever done on a car was to fix all of the fins on the oil and transmission coolers. Using a couple of tiny screwdrivers, I straightened out all of the bent fins on both coolers and then cut out some stainless steel mesh and attached it to the backside of the air funnels that are part of the front fascia, feeding air to the coolers. I figure that while the screens block a bit of air, they block a lot less than the bent fins were blocking. Temps at the track seemed to be a bit lower than previous outings, but it could have simply been the chilly temps. In any event, at least those coolers are a bit more protected now.

Before pic of oil cooler......

After pic through the grill........

Well, that's about it for this round. Next up is Mid-Ohio in late September. But, in the meantime, we'll be getting ready for the Ultimate Track Car Challenge that is coming in mid-October. Still have to get that Anderson Composites carbon fiber hood trimmed and painted, so check back in the coming weeks for more updates.

For now, the Mule is patiently waiting for the next ride..........

 

[DaveB]

O Canada...... or a Mule Loose in the Land of Moose.

We just returned from a great long-weekend trip to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) in the southeastern hill country of Ontario, Canada... just northeast of Toronto. The Mule and I joined four friends (including @Goz To 11) for the 1400+ mile round trip to this historic track.

We kicked it off with a two-day haul, including an overnight stop at Port Huron, MI, before jumping the border into Canada.

Although the border crossings have eased somewhat in recent months, we were still concerned about entering with the cars and all our tools, equipment, and spares. We made sure to have our passport, drivers license, and even copies of our event registration confirmation, packing inventory, and vehicle titles, registration, and insurance docs. Fortunately, our entire group made it in and out with no issues and without igniting an international incident - maybe the Mule's rockin' of the Canadian flag helped us breeze across the border.

Having arrived before we could get into the track, we took some time to settle into our weekend retreat - a horse farm with a huge guest wing on the main house. Plenty of trailer parking, lots of bedrooms, and a great patio / pool area. It's located about 15 minutes from the track in Bethany, Ont. and is highly recommended if you're headed to Mosport.

Once the track opened for early check-in / drop-off, we headed over and set up our paddock. Here are a few of the US contingent pulling up to the gates.

The Track -

Mosport opened in 1961, and has done a great job of upgrading things in a way that preserves its charm. The facilities include the original track (known as the Grand Prix course), a smaller track called the Driver Development Centre, and a go-kart track. Our event was taking place on the GP track, which has been host to just about every pro racing body, including Formula One, Trans Am, Can Am, Indycar, etc. It's about 2.5 miles long, encompasses ten turns, and covers nearly 200 feet of vertical change.

The front straight - upper left in the photo - is about the only level portion of the track and is located at the top of the hill. From there, it's a combination of blind and mostly downhill right, left, right, and left turns until you hit the bottom with a huge compression before going through the reducing radius 180 degree turns known as Moss Corner (5a, 5b, and 5c). After that, it's full-throttle up the Andretti straight through the woods to the Esses, which include a wide right sweeper (8) and then the much tighter turns 9 (entry-road crossover) and 10. Although many of the turns are blind, due to both the proximity of the concrete walls and the elevation change, turns 2 & 4 bring a special pucker factor due to the addition of a steep dropoff (aim for the tree tops) - over a hundred feet in turn 2 alone - and the off-camber outer portion of the track, which can suck you in and introduce you to the aforementioned concrete wall if you're not lucky enough to get spit out and survive the wild ride (more on that later).

Event Organization -

The event was a three-day shindig put on by Trillium Chapter of the BMW club (BMWCCA, actually, not Canada) and Friday was an "invitation only" day for solo-qualified drivers and instructors. After submitting my driving CV last winter, the Mule and I were accepted for that day, even though we'd never run with the group or driven at Mosport. When we arrived at registration on Friday morning, it was funny to be asked if we were going to run in the "fast" or the "faster" group - those were the only choices for that day if you weren't an instructor (or instructor-in-training). Knowing the track's reputation, I elected to run with the slow guys in "fast" and spent the first session in the passenger seat of a local instructor who had run lots of laps at Mosport over the years. He then rode with me in the Mule during the second session and signed me off for the rest of the weekend.

The Friday schedule was great - eight 1/2 hour sessions for each group!!! The only downside was that it had rained overnight and the track started out somewhat wet, but was mostly dry by mid-morning. The Mule ran really well and by the end of the day we were turning lap times in the 1:35-1:39 range.... not bad for the first time out and running on OEM wheels with MPSS tires.

Oh Yeah - Tires -

The weather reports leading up to the event were calling for rain every day. I kept looking at the Apex wheels with fresh Yokohama Advan slicks and thinking that if I went on those, there's a chance I may not get a single lap in all weekend. With my pathetic little 4Runner as a tow vehicle, there's absolutely no room to bring a second set of wheels/tires, so as the departure time loomed, I had to make a decision. If I bought a set of rains and it ended up not being wet enough, I'd also be stranded in the paddock all weekend. So, I split the risk and pulled down the OEM wheels / tires that were on the Mule when it came from FPRS and bolted them on. At least with those, I could still get out there if the track was wet and if it was dry, well, I could circulate at a somewhat slower pace (more on that later, too).

About That Forecast -

After a beautiful Friday, Saturday brought the rain - and lots of it. It also brought crowds..... many more drivers and cars, so heavy traffic and less (and shorter) sessions. We only had four 20 minute sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and only one of those on Saturday had something resembling a dry track - with lots of wet spots and standing water.

I took advantage of that dry-ish session and went out with @Goz To 11 and one of the BMW instructors for a bit of follow-the-leader to hopefully learn the line a bit better and work on my approach to Corner 4 - fastest of the blind, off-camber, dramatic drop corners on the track (and yep, more on that later - you can see where this is going).

Saturday Night Reception -

The club put on a great dinner for us in the Event Centre that looks out over the Esses and the front straight, complete with the track's own microbrew commemorating the year of the first race. By the time the reception started, the rain had left the area and it was a beautiful evening.

Corner Four -

So, there I was on Sunday morning, having a great time so far and thinking I'm learning the track and not being a speed-bump for the really fast guys. The old-ish MPSS tires were serving me well, the weather was outstanding, and the track surface was starting to get rubbered in again after being somewhat green at the start of the day due to all the rain. And then it happened........

Remember those references to blind, off-camber, steep drop off turns, especially Corner Four - which is the fastest? Well, on the penultimate lap of the second session of the morning, I got into the Moss / Corner Five complex pretty hot after nailing the previous corner and ran a bit wide in that tight, slow 180 degree turn. I thought to myself - "hey, watch out, those tires are starting to get a bit greasy - maybe slow it down or just go in and let them cool before the next session." I guess I forgot to read this little warning on the dash.....

So, what did I do? Well, I sure didn't slow down or go in..... I just kept hammering it around one more time and, as I approached Corner Four, I was determined to nail it again. And right then and there is when I realized I did exactly the wrong thing. You know how things start to move in a slow motion sorta way when you're in over your head? Yeah...... that's where I was.

As I turned in, I was carrying a whole bunch of speed - probably more than before. After the lift to settle the car (no braking), I turned in before the brow of the hill (prior to the bridge) while still blind, and the Mule pushed a bit. Okay.... no problem..... as I'm easing back on the throttle to balance the car, I'll just hold off on applying any real juice for a second or two and the push will stop. Nope.... that didn't work..... and now I'm being sucked out to the off-camber side of the track and headed towards the steep hillside of grass that leads to a very solid looking concrete wall at the bottom with nothing but forest behind it (don't look over there - look where you want the car to go). Since steady throttle wasn't getting rid of the push and lifting will result in a spin, let's try easing the throttle just a bit to see if that gives more of a four-wheel drift than a push, which should help rotate the car towards the direction we want it to go. Sure enough, it's working..... just barely..... and the four-wheel drift is scrubbing off speed and traction is coming back. Only now, we're not pointed downhill towards the apex..... in fact, we're sorta pointed diagonally across the track and looking behind the apex cone. Hmmmm.... nothing off the bow looks too solid, so just keep the wheel straight and the throttle consistent - don't try and steer our way out of this now and muck it up. Here we go ..... off-track excursion is coming fast. With a somewhat loud "BANG," we're up-and-over the curbing , across the grass behind the apex cone, another "BANG" back over the curbing and onto the track as it comes around to meet us.

Once on track, I pulled off-line to avoid throwing clag everywhere. I then did a quick check of things - no noises that indicate dragging parts of the car, oil pressure OK (concerned about the composite pan), steering OK, brakes OK, all four corners of the car seem OK (tires and springs), so I brought it around at a reasonable pace and entered the pits for my four-wheels-off-talking-to. The checkered flag was out and the pit marshal just gave the Mule a quick once over and sent me on my way.

Back in the paddock, it was apparent that the Mule had been doing some grazing......

An underside inspection revealed a bit of damage to the already broken (from FPRS) front undertray, but nothing serious. Since the undertray was loose in a couple of places, it was time to load up. End of the day for the poor Mule.

Wrapping It All Up -

The event was really well organized and my thanks go out to the Trillium Chapter BMW club and its instructors, as well as all my friends that accompanied me on the trip (and those new ones I met). The club even had a pro photographer there on Sunday and he got some great shots - which were provided to all of us free-of-charge. Here's one of the Mule when it wasn't bouncing around off-piste......

The trip home continued our adventure, as one of our party had a front caliper freeze up on his tow vehicle. But, we're car guys, so we let it cool down until it released, then he limped it to the next town, where a parts store had a caliper in stock. With all of our tools and "skills," we were able to get the caliper changed and the convoy back on the road in no time.

It's adventures like this that build character, confidence, memories, and friendships. Get out there and enjoy your GT350 (or whatever you drive) however you please and no matter the adversity - just be careful on those blind, off-camber, downhill, fast turns at new tracks.

P.S. -

Here's the first look at the ventilated undertray....... more to come on this, for sure.

That was an awesome, well told story. Thank you for sharing

 

[Muligan]

Hey there - sure nice to see ya! Glad you could drop in for another update on the Rented Mule's on-track adventures. This time, we're a week past our Mid-Ohio outing with MVP Tracktime and in the throes of prepping for the upcoming TireRack / Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge.

Last week was our first time ever at Mid-Ohio. That's a recurring theme these past couple of seasons, as we've been trying to expand our horizons with the Mule and visit some new tracks every season.

Although I continue to call Road America my home track and it will always hold a special place in my heart, what I'm seeing as I travel to new tracks has really opened my eyes and made me a better driver. Elevation changes, blind corners, off-camber spots..... sometimes all in one place, conspire to challenge me at every event. Add to the mix different surface materials, unpredictable weather, and lots and lots of really fast cars and drivers and you have a tasty recipe for driver improvement.

That brings us to Mid-Ohio. Sometimes, the journey really is half (or more) of the fun. I'm not much for using nav when on the road - I'd rather just look at a map (or GoogleMaps) and plot a route via dead-reckoning navigation. This time, it meant that after a short blast on the interstate for the first hour or so of the trip..... just enough to get me through the never-ending tangle of traffic on I80/94 around the southern end of Lake Michigan at the Illinois / Indiana border, we headed south on I65 and exited at Merrillville, IN and onto the Lincoln Highway (US30).

Heading out at sunrise in the fog.......

With head on a swivel and eyes peeled, it wasn't too hard to pick out lots of cool remnants of the old road (at least in Indiana) - diners, truck stops, long abandoned rights-of-way, etc.... were all there to reward a slightly slower pace. I have lots of books on the Lincoln Highway and the route it cuts across the US from Times Square to San Francisco. Route 66 gets all the attention (and songs), but the Lincoln Highway has lots to offer those who wander. On a side note, the Lincoln Highway runs right past the airport where my shop is located and also within a few miles from where I first met the Mule - Utah Motorsports Campus near Salt Lake City.

Must be getting close.......

After a day's drive, we arrived at Mid-Ohio in time to catch a ride with one of the coolest instructors - our very own @Goz To 11. Scott was kind enough to give me an introductory ride and, considering I hadn't done any more than looked at a couple of quick videos of the track, it was a great idea. His M-Roadster was certainly a good choice of mounts for this weekend, as the track seems to favor cars with high power, low weight, and great handling. Soon, we were giggling our way around the track and I was trying to figure out where the next corner was and what was over the next hill. As I climbed out of his car at the end of the session, I hope he didn't see just how green I was when the helmet came off. Now I remember why I stopped doing in-car instruction all those years ago..... I truly don't make a good on-track passenger and always end up a bit urpy after just a few minutes at speed. For some reason, the passenger seat always seems to go just a bit faster and slide a bit more than the one on the left side of the car.... go figure.

Walking the paddock the next morning, I was surprised to see so many fast cars. Lots of high-end machinery, including Maserati, McLaren, Vipers, not to mention so many race-ready Porsches (GT2, GT3, and GT4 flavors)..... and you couldn't swing a dead cat without it hitting a hotted up ZL1-1LE (I counted at least eight of those monsters). That part of the country sure seems to have lots of enthusiasts who know their way around a track.

One of the best sights in the paddock, though, was the Mule's cousins..... #12 and #15, as @Slywilliez and Mrs. Slywilliez made the trip and we all met for the first time!

Mini family reunion.....

So, what about the track? The first session was a familiar refrain for someone who has been visiting new tracks on a regular basis.... lots of mirror driving and a seriously tired left arm from giving a point-by to so many of the aforementioned fast cars. But, we all played well together and I managed to hold my own and avoid slowing anyone down too much.

We were running the "club course," with the chicane at the end of the straight before the Keyhole. I really liked this configuration, as it added some challenge and helped to slow guys like me a bit before hammering it through the Keyhole onto a fairly long straight with a slight kink in it. But, by far, my favorite corner was Madness. At first sight, the day before in my ride-along, it was more than a bit daunting - up the hill, turn on the brow, then an off-camber exit down and into a series of esses. Although a fairly short track, it makes up for it by keeping drivers engaged and always working.

The next session, with some understanding of the topography and general rhythm of the track, we knocked nearly ten seconds off the best time from that first session and actually started being the recipient of some of those point-bys. Then, by the mid-day break, we had the times down to consistent low 1:41s - most laps within a few hundredths of each other.

After one more session, while running through my pre-session checklist, I noticed a problem with the left front tire. From the looks of it, I think it was a combination of a few things: 1) tires that are a bit too small for a car of the Mule's girth; 2) too little pressure - only got up to 32 psi hot; 3) a few places on the track with hard right turns that tax the left front; and 4) a driver unfamiliar with the track who was overdriving the slow spots. The result? Four spots where the tread layer was blistering and peeling back.

Yokohama crispy critter.......

Although we had a couple of spare tires that Scott brought along for the Mule, there just wasn't enough time in the day to get them mounted before the end of the last session. And, since home obligations were already cutting the weekend short by a day, that was the end of a great first visit to Mid-Ohio.

On the long-ish and slow ride back home down the Lincoln Highway, I had plenty of time to reflect on a couple of firsts. I'm sure this was just the first of many times that I'll be at Mid-Ohio... I'm looking forward to figuring out that place, learning to preserve my tires, and get down into the mid-1:30s. Also, as I was driving home, it dawned on me that this was an anniversary celebration of sorts - five years to the day that I first drove the Mule at the FPRS Track Attack.

As the glow of a great track weekend fades and the thrash to get ready for the UTCC at NCM Motorsport Park (Bowling Green, KY) continues, we'll leave you with a few pics from Mid-Ohio.

Next up - UTCC season ender!

 

[Lorne34]

Great Summary. This track is on my list!

 

[rocsteady]

Terrific thread; I went from "let me check this first post out" to "I just read the entire thing." Really great stuff. For those of us who only get out VERY occasionally to the track, it's a lot of fun to live vicariously through threads like yours. Thank you very much for taking the time to do the write-ups. Really good stuff.

 

[svttim]

Glad you could make it by for another update on the Mule's exploits. This installment finds us back at the stable after a great mid-week run at Gingerman Raceway outside of South Haven, MI.

This event is hosted by Mohawk Track Experience as sort of a kick-off for a week of fun that culminates in Detroit on Aug 19th at the Woodward Dream Cruise. As such, it attracts some incredible Shelbys and Fords, as well as lots of factory and race team attendees. Monday is reserved for novices, with Tuesday and Wednesday having more run groups (the advanced group typically being populated by some real hotshoes running current / former pro Mustang race cars). Although the Mule and I typically run in advanced, because of the number and caliber of super fast cars and drivers at this event us mere mortals get placed in something called "intermediate-plus." Well, I guess that sounds better than "advanced-slow."

You may recall that 2023 is the year of the "Rode Hard & Put Up Wet" tour. Well, so far it's been raining buckets for every event this summer. I was scheduled to depart on Monday in the pouring rain, but (fortunately???) work conspired to delay push-back for 24 hours. So, I didn't arrive until late in the day on Tuesday, meaning just one day on track this time.

However, given the repairs I made recently after the off at Mosport during the last outing and a few things I did to address on-going issues, this was going to be more of a shake-down / test & tune day just to make sure that everything was working properly.

As with last year, I was able to finagle a spare room at a friend's house on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan halfway between South Haven and Saugatuck. It's an absolutely gorgeous area, if you don't mind the erosion and potential for your multi-million home to slide a hundred feet down to the beach. The good news is that their home was built on the opposite side of the road, so no danger to worry about here. The views at sundown from their place are amazing.

Wednesday was sunny and cool, perfect weather to exercise the Mule. I was on Yokohama A005 Advan slicks for the first time ever, so decided to take is somewhat easy during the first session. The Yokos I got from my tire source had one or two sessions on them previously - likely just a heat cycle and/or practice session - and they were in great shape. But, they're 300/690-19s, so they're a bit narrow compared to the Pirellis I've been running. They also took a couple more laps to warm up and get sticky, but that could have been due to the cool overnight temps and the still cold track surface. Overall they seem to be a good tire - plenty of grip and very predictable - but I think I'd like to get a set of the 310 version, which would be more in line with the section width of the Pirelli DHs. I have a stack of four of each sitting next to each other in the shop and the Yokos are about six inches shorter than the stack of Pirellis..... that translates to a much smaller contact patch, which probably explains the push I was feeling with the Yokos this time out. One positive thing about the smaller size, though, was that they are a bit smaller in circumference, giving a bit of gearing advantage. As such, the Mule seemed a bit quicker out of the corners.

So what about all those repairs? Well, after Mosport, the Mule's nose and undertrays were removed for a thorough inspection. The only casualty from that off was the front undertray (see pics in post #261). But, there was lots of clean-up to be done, including what could pass for a rather large mouse nest in the differential cooler scoops on the rear diffuser.

I also did some additional clean up and gave the unprotected dry-carbon canards a coating of Eastwood's two-part satin epoxy spray paint to protect them from UV damage.

While the undertrays were off, I did a full inspection and found no other damage. I did use the access to the underside of the engine bay to address another problem, though. You may recall that I was getting a warning on the dash that said "Service Charge System NOW!!!!" along with a fast chime and a battery icon on the dash. I changed the alternator back in the early part of the season, but the one I took out looked brand new, so I didn't return it to claim my $75 core charge. Sure enough, after a session or two at the first event after putting in the new alternator, the warning and chimes came back. The codes that were showing up after this related to the voltage regulator, which is connected to a three-prong plug just below the main battery lead. Thanks to @ChipG, I replaced that pigtail and it appears to have done the job. There is a generic version of the wiring available on line from various sources, but I found the OEM Ford part number and picked one up from the place that has been working with me on parts lately.

I was also getting a code for evap purge valve. I replaced that with a new one last season, but the code and engine icon keep coming back. I disconnected the lead and on inspection noticed that the terminals were somewhat dirty / corroded and that the rubber weather seal was torn and pushed all the way to the back of the plug. I cleaned it up and installed a new seal and it seems to have fixed the problem for now. Time will tell on this one, though, as the appearance of the code and light were somewhat intermittent.

One of the most tedious things I've ever done on a car was to fix all of the fins on the oil and transmission coolers. Using a couple of tiny screwdrivers, I straightened out all of the bent fins on both coolers and then cut out some stainless steel mesh and attached it to the backside of the air funnels that are part of the front fascia, feeding air to the coolers. I figure that while the screens block a bit of air, they block a lot less than the bent fins were blocking. Temps at the track seemed to be a bit lower than previous outings, but it could have simply been the chilly temps. In any event, at least those coolers are a bit more protected now.

Before pic of oil cooler......

After pic through the grill........

Well, that's about it for this round. Next up is Mid-Ohio in late September. But, in the meantime, we'll be getting ready for the Ultimate Track Car Challenge that is coming in mid-October. Still have to get that Anderson Composites carbon fiber hood trimmed and painted, so check back in the coming weeks for more updates.

For now, the Mule is patiently waiting for the next ride..........

It will be interesting to see what happens with the screen. Screen will decrease airflow. Although that does look a bit more open.

Sponsored