Marc's Public Blog - Cars


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Below is a recounting of various car events I've attended along the years, from car club meets, autocrosses, track events, and enthusiast drives.

Table of Content for cars:

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2020/03/26 Getting a bit of fresh air: Curvy Roads, 650S, Sun, Light Rain, Hail, Hiking, Big Basin Redwoods
π 2020-03-26 01:01 in Cars, Ncars, Public
Afer being cooped up for 2 weeks, it was time to go out for a bit of fresh air, stretching my car's legs, and going to the beach for a few walks:

quick stop on skyline
quick stop on skyline


before long, we reached Pescadero beach
before long, we reached Pescadero beach

Caltrans nicely were closing all the beach parking lots as we arrived
Caltrans nicely were closing all the beach parking lots as we arrived










We then drove down Hwy 1 to hit a few beaches:



found a nice surfer
found a nice surfer




the next beach
the next beach

where skyline of the beach, ends up
where skyline of the beach, ends up



We ended up going to Shark Fin Cove or lunch:

railroad to nowhere
railroad to nowhere


I went to check out the cave which was really a storm drain
I went to check out the cave which was really a storm drain

didn't smell so good :)
didn't smell so good :)

nice hole in the rock
nice hole in the rock



After lunch, we drove back up on bonny doon road. which was find until we hite what looked like snow on the road. How as that possible? Turns out, it hailed so much that the hail accumulated on the ground and looked like snow:


it was melting, but super slick
it was melting, but super slick

Eventually, after driving not as fast as I wished due to the uncertain roads, we got to 236 and big basin redwoods, which was closed as expected:



After that, it was a fun drive up 236, and 9 back home.

2020/03/06 Fast Toys Club at Laguna Seca, 105db
π 2020-03-06 01:01 in Cars, Ncars
Thanks to my friend Justice, I learned about this track day, which ended up getting few cars. I was able to attend with my F458C, maybe the last time I get to drive it since I'm looking at selling it, given that I just don't do track driving enough to be worth owning my own racecar. It was a bit bittersweet, but I was able to get a few 1:31 times. Unfortunately, by the time I put fresh tires, the track got warmer, and my times went up instead of down. I know I could have had 1:29 early in the morning, but never got to actually do it, oh well.

The plan is that I'll be able to rent from Fast Toys Club in the future:

ideally that's the one of the cars I'll be able to rent/drive after selling mine
ideally that's the one of the cars I'll be able to rent/drive after selling mine

After a quick drivers' meeting, it was time to go on track:




Lots of Mclarens:










Justice took his SVJ, beautiful car:





Ken came with my car and gave me support during the day:


a few pictures for posterity
a few pictures for posterity



I had a bit of extra fun by taking my Tesla around the track for a few laps. It was of course slower, I boiled the brake fluid in a single lap, but it was fun :)


I had fun, despite my times getting worse throughout the day as the track got warmer. In the afternoon, all the rungroups merged, so it was interesting, but it worked out pretty well.
Thanks to Fast Toys Club for the good day.

2020/03/06 4 laps with my Model 3 at Laguna Seca, 2 1.55 laps with toasted brakes
π 2020-03-06 01:01 in Cars, Ncars
Since I was at Laguna Seca with my racecar and I had driven in the Model 3 (AWD LR, but not performance, 18" aero wheels), I figured I'd try the Tesla for a few laps. I should have planned this better and re-read my friend Matt Crowley's report when he tried that in his car a while back. Also, I didn't know Matt spent $3500 fixing his brakes after the day. This probably would have talked me out of trying :)

trying to get some charge from the 50A/220V plug I found.
trying to get some charge from the 50A/220V plug I found.


Laguna unplugged me soon thereafter and put a nice note that such power was worth $700 + 40% surcharge, how nice of them, over $1000 for $4's worth of electricity.

ready, all you need is stickers, right? (they fit nicely on top of the mud I got driving in the snow in tahoe)
ready, all you need is stickers, right? (they fit nicely on top of the mud I got driving in the snow in tahoe)

Anyway, given that ignorance is bliss, I went out with all my crap in the car, I figured removing it wouldn't change much anyway, and planned on doing only 3 laps so as not to thoroughly destroy the brakes. I did manage to hit 119 mph on my 2nd lap, and that was just when the brakes started not working due to overheating. Stopping in turn 2 was going to be "fun" (I made it though).
After 2 laps and boiled brake fluid, but also having passed a lamborghini and a porsche on the outside of the corkscrew, and being blackflagged for it :) I figured I'd call it a day. My 2nd lap (which was far from clean) was 1:56.

Those were not fast drivers, but it was cool to pass a few of them:

I passed several cars on the outside after the corkscrew in my ferrari, but got one in my tesla too :)
I passed several cars on the outside after the corkscrew in my ferrari, but got one in my tesla too :)

Sorry to the driver, I must have scared him a bit, he likely never saw/heard me until 'WTF is that car doing here'
Sorry to the driver, I must have scared him a bit, he likely never saw/heard me until 'WTF is that car doing here'

And then there was the lambo I passed fair and square :)
And then there was the lambo I passed fair and square :)

wee!
wee!

Here is the first "session": (really 2 full laps and then I got black flagged for passing the porsche and scaring it). I passed the porsche at 3:40 and the lambo at 5:00

I came back for 2 more laps later in the afternoon when the track was warmer, my tires still over inflated, and my brake fluid still boiled (no firm pedal), and I got 2 laps of 1:55. I didn't commit for more speed in the straights because honestly I didn't know that car would stop and I didn't really want to completely destroy my braking hardware. Had done my first lap right, now knowing how to drive that car, I should have been able to get a single lap at 1:50 before the brakes gave up.

4 laps, 13 miles, 35% battery used
4 laps, 13 miles, 35% battery used

Two cleaner laps at 1:55 each, obviously not that fast, but my brake fluid was alrady boiled, my tires were likely too inflated (55psi) and the track was already 3-4 seconds slower than it was in the morning when I started I wonder how much faster the car could have been (I was already 10 mph slower before 2 due to the lack of brakes):

Looks like a full battery would have given 36 miles and 12 laps or so. This makes me question the wisdom of going through the work of tracking a tesla with proper brakes and tires. 12 laps is not a lot, and if you don't have a supercharger nearby (which is still 1h charge), that's not a lot of laps.

Overheating stuff, made other stuff unhappy :)
Overheating stuff, made other stuff unhappy :)

1.5Kw/mile, it's 1.5H of my house's power used in a single mile
1.5Kw/mile, it's 1.5H of my house's power used in a single mile

On the plus side, despite all the errors I got, the car recovered when it cooled down, and even the brake fluid got back in a state that my brakes work somewhat. Not as well as before, but enough to stop the car :)
At least I didn't ran the pads down to the backing plates while destroying the rotors. That said, it's still amazing how a single lap at laguna seca can overheat stock breaks and boil brake fluid (which is exactly what happened in my case).

This was stupid, but it was fun. For comparison I did some 1:31's in my Ferrari F458 Challenge GT3 that morning on used tires. Looks like a stock Model 3 Performance with proper tires and brakes, can go 10 seconds faster than my 1:55's, not bad!


Thanks to Fast Toys Club for the great track day, the report on the day in my F458C is here

More pages: April 2023 January 2023 August 2022 August 2021 July 2021 April 2021 November 2020 August 2020 June 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 April 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 November 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 September 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 October 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 February 2010 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 November 2008 May 2008 April 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 June 2007 April 2007 December 2006 November 2006 May 2006 January 2006 July 2005 May 2005 April 2005 January 2005 December 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 February 2004 October 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 November 2002 October 2002 July 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 October 2001 September 2001 August 2001 July 2001 June 2001 May 2001 April 2001 March 2001 February 2001 December 2000 November 2000 October 2000 September 2000 August 2000 July 2000

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