Event: HANSON International Driving School
Track: CTMP DDT
Weather Conditions: 20°C, Sunny
So many Subies!
My second time at DDT this year and third time driving
the new layout in my WRX. Very motivated to improve upon my poor results at
CSCS Round 1, my focus for the day was on getting the proper line through T2 and
committing to optimizing gearing for the track. No personal bests would be
broken on four year old Direzza ZII's but I had a few upgrades to my car that I
was eager to try out:
Front Suspension & Alignment
I replaced the front HotBits DT2 that were lent to me by
Can-Jam with the proper RCE T2 coilovers to match the rears. I also had an
alignment done. The last time I had an alignment was in 2013 and apparently my settings
were way off. The front of the car felt much better with the RCE T2's. I'm sure
some of that was due to having a proper alignment, but I also felt that the RCE
T2's soaked up bumps a bit better than the HotBits and were a bit more
compliant overall.
DIY fuel slosh box but improvements are needed
Fuel Slosh Box
I made a slosh box around my fuel pump using a 32oz Dubro
model airplane fuel tank and some check valves. However me being an idiot I
installed the check valves backwards and ended up having to remove one of them due
to fitment issues inside the fuel tank. Overall the slosh box helped a little
bit. I was able to get down to 1/4 tank before noticing fuel starvation vs. the
1/2 tank previously. There is obviously room for improvement with my design but
the whole thing was a PITA to install so I'm not really looking forward to doing this again.
Neetronics DCCD Settings
Besides calibrating the throttle position sensor (TPS), I
also changed the throttle override trigger (TTRG) and lock-up condition (TOVR)
to better suit my driving style. This fixed the driveline lash during part-throttle conditions and I'm about 90% happy with where the settings are
currently. I think some finer tuning could be done on corner exit throttle
conditions - I'm looking for just a hint more power oversteer so maybe I'll try
increasing TTRG or reducing TOVR by 5-10% for next time.
In-Car Footage
1st lapping session
2nd lapping session
3rd lapping session with Peter as co-driver
4th session cut short due to 1/4 tank fuel cut
Slower Shifting
One of my biggest leaks has to be the frequent miss shifts
that I make. Peter thinks I should slow down my shifts and I agree 100%.
Quality over quantity. The time I save by shifting quickly is lost tenfold when
I miss one. I'll need stay calm by practicing meditative breathing while
driving, even though at times it feels like I'm strapped to the back of a cruise missile. This is also my reasoning behind holding 4th on the back straight rather than having to do a double downshift from 5th to 3rd into T18.
My 3rd revision of pace notes for CTMP DDT
LFB denoted areas are theoretical at the moment and untested
Left Foot Braking
Due to my large turbo I'm getting quite a bit of turbo lag
coming out of some of the slower turns. In theory, on the turns that don't
require downshifting, I can use left foot braking to keep the turbo spooled for
a quicker exit. I think the turns I can apply LFB to are T2, T5, T7, and T15.
It will take a lot of practice on the street before being comfortable enough to
use on the track but it's a skill I definitely need to learn.
My next time attack event will CSCS Round 2 at TMP on June
26th. I'll try to fit in one more practice day to dial in my settings and get
comfortable with left foot braking before then.
