If you guys are in the northern California area, you should check out the event next year. $150 donation to their children's charity and you get 4 laps on the track + a hotlap ride along with an instructor. It rained this year, but last year the weather was great.

https://sonoma.speedwaycharities.org/


Here are some pics from the event.

























I'm putting a video together from the cameras I had mounted and I'm trying out some software to overlay OBD II gauge info over the video. Here is a screen shot from that experiment.

 

I'm sure the ride-along hot lap was hot, but how were the other four laps? Were they parade laps or did you get enough speed for it to be interesting?

 

You get enough speed to have some fun, but you aren't finding out what the absolute maximum your tires are capable of. It's lead follow style and with the rain this year, I'd say they were pushing me to go fast than I wanted to go, but then again, I've only had the car a couple weeks... I quickly discovered that 1/3 throttle in second gear on a wet track spun the tires and gave the back end a wiggle

There were two cars that spun out so bad they had to be towed off the track this year (stuck in the dirt/mud). My max speed was 70 something this year, but it was about 90 something last year and since it was dry last year I carried more speed through the corners. Oh and I was driving a Lotus Elise Type 72d last year, so that was a little different

This year they changed it up and did smaller groups and matched car performance, which made it even more fun.

I tend to make a day out of it. Convoy up to the track with family and friends, stop for coffee mid way, grab some lunch when we get to Sonoma, do the event at the track, take some pictures, take the opportunity to play with some new gadgets like cameras, mics, gauges and then convoy back home.

 

Sounds like a relaxing day: Fun, low pressure laps and an outing with friends.

I've done NASA HPDE 1/2/3 at Sonoma a couple of cars back, and think I got close to 90 when things dried out a little. That was in my Saab 9-2x Linear (the one people called the Saabaru because it was badged as a Saab but made by Subaru) with all of 165 HP. I had great fun in torrential rain because I had good tires, AWD, and no power, so smooth driving on the line had me blowing past people in much faster cars. They couldn't touch the gas without things getting overly "interesting." As you say, 1/3 throttle would do it.

I've been thinking about NASA again this year to try out the new car, and as much as I love my home track (Sonoma) I was considering an event they've got at Laguna Seca. I've only been on track there one weekend, but it was marvelous. My finish was mediocre, but the track is a beauty.

 

Laguna Seca is a fun track, but that left turn heading down hill is a nail biter. Did a lap on there once in a minivan, surprised I didn't roll it!