Track weekend at Texas MSR, plus a question about tow hooks

[RocketGuy3]

Samus and I just had a good run at Texas MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, TX last weekend. Still pretty new to this stuff, but I moved up to the intermediate run group.

The final session of the weekend, where my shifting was finally starting to not suck a little bit, and I'm learning some heel-toe. A couple trains, though:
[ame]

Two runs earlier (session 6), one of my few runs with a lot of open road (clears up about halfway through).
[ame]



I feel like I'm getting smoother, but my footwork still leaves a lot to be desired. All three pedals need work.

(Only mod to my car is an ARH catback, which you can barely hear because my mic is a POS... I really need a better external mic and/or a better wind screen, and I need to get Harry's Lap Timer working next time.)

Now for my question, which I'm sure comes up here a lot, but the Mustang does not come with a tow hook, right? How do you guys handle this? Are there good aftermarket solutions or otherwise just better ways to get the car towed if you go into a ditch?

Any other comments/feedback appreciated...!

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[Trackaholic]

I had a guy with an S197 race car tell me to just pop the hood and use the strut brace if you really needed a tow. It sounded kinda crazy at first, but upon further reflection, I think it makes sense. The strut bar is pretty stout, especially if you can hook near the chassis, it is pretty cheap to replace if it gets damaged, plus it is hidden under the hood, so a little scuffing may not be that big a deal. Anyway, food for thought.

-T

 

[RocketGuy3]

I had a guy with an S197 race car tell me to just pop the hood and use the strut brace if you really needed a tow. It sounded kinda crazy at first, but upon further reflection, I think it makes sense. The strut bar is pretty stout, especially if you can hook near the chassis, it is pretty cheap to replace if it gets damaged, plus it is hidden under the hood, so a little scuffing may not be that big a deal. Anyway, food for thought.

-T

Interesting... wouldn't the hook have the potential to slide around from side to side on the strut brace?

 

[M3Convert]

Good hands!

Your next goal is to get your instructor to uncross his legs and grip the door handle!

 

[RocketGuy3]

Good hands!

Your next goal is to get your instructor to uncross his legs and grip the door handle!

Thanks. Haha, one of my friends commented on that, too... I blame some of it on being new to the car, some of it on having crappy tires, and of course some of it on just my skill level. But I was still going faster than I think it appears... really need to get Harry's set up next time, heh. I know my left knee was hurting after every session on day 2 from using it to brace myself against the door.

 

[M3Convert]

Thanks. Haha, one of my friends commented on that, too... I blame some of it on being new to the car, some of it on having crappy tires, and of course some of it on just my skill level. But I was still going faster than I think it appears... really need to get Harry's set up next time, heh. I know my left knee was hurting after every session on day 2 from using it to brace myself against the door.

Don't worry about your time. I think you were doing a good job and you did a great job with the hands which will promote a smooth line. You can judge your progress by the relative speed of you to your group. HLT is a bad tool for a novice.

As for knees...invest in some volleyball knee pads and put them to the side of your knee. They pad the bumps and help align your feet over your pedals when you are braced. The fit under pant legs too, so it can be your little secret!

 

[Norm Peterson]

Couple more things I can think of to save your knee(s) . . . don't tense up any muscles not being used to operate the controls (tends to lift weight up off the seat cushion and you can slide more) and for cheap either use a CG-Lock or a supplemental non-slacking seatbelt (just wrapped around the seat down near the OE 3-point). You'll still use your knees, just not nearly as hard.

Ditto on the smooth hands.

Practice rev-matching in your street driving even if you don't heel-toe. You don't need to fixate on the tach (best not to anyway) or even have a loud exhaust to get this down.

Familiarity with any given track will eliminate most situations where you suddenly decide to shift and feel like you have to hurry the process up. Might even be better to cruise along in the "wrong" gear for a bit while you get your focus and rhythm back.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

As for knees...invest in some volleyball knee pads and put them to the side of your knee. They pad the bumps and help align your feet over your pedals when you are braced. The fit under pant legs too, so it can be your little secret!

Thanks for this little tip.

I bet that even the all soft knee pads sold in the big box hardware stores could be used as well. Even though I have a set of these I'd never thought to use them - but they're going onto my checklist for next time..


Norm

 

[RocketGuy3]

Thanks for the great tips, guys. I do need to practice rev matching more on the street.

As for HLT, I've heard a lot that it's not great for beginners, and I get that, but I do think it could help just a bit as long as I don't focus too much on it (especially while driving). Plus, even if it's a little silly, I kinda like the idea of it making these videos a little more interesting, heh.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Here's a very brief snippet from last Saturday. NJMP/Thunderbolt approaching T1 from 120-ish. Top numbers are throttle %, bottom numbers are speed. 91 mph is very close to redline in 3rd.

If you blink around 0:02:00 you'll miss it because it only takes up 5 frames of video @ 30 frames/second.

[ame]

I've had a fair bit of practice doing this, but you'll get the hang of it.


Norm

 

[M3Convert]

Norm - you're the best!

 

[MaverickGT]

Nice track. Looks like a lot of fun.

What camera mount did you use?

 

[RocketGuy3]

Nice track. Looks like a lot of fun.

What camera mount did you use?

Yeah, it's a fun track. The full course (3.1 miles) is pretty long and technical with a decent bit of variety.

I'm not sure on the brand of the mount, will have to check next time I drive. I bought it off of a friend I met at one of these HPDEs who had an S197 Mustang GT. Apparently he bought it for like $120 or something, but he sold it to me second-hand for $30-40 IIRC. It's pretty nice, but I don't think I woulda paid $120 for it, heh.

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