I8ABMR

I had an opportunity to hit a new track with a new organization. Rather than NASA ( National Auto Sport Association) , this time it was ProAutoSports. The track day was exciting because it was a new track, new group, and also completed my track list. I HAVE NOW HIT EVERY TRACK IN AZ IN MY ISF !! That was the goal when I bought the car......and we did it !! After this if I want more variety I will hit Chuckwalla and maybe Laguna Secca. I did INDE , which required staying overnight and riving 4 hours. Just don't like doing that kind of time investment just to hit the track when I have a wife and kids at home.

The ProAutoGroup is super cool because they have 4-5 times the number of track days as NASA. They run literally every 2 weeks. I also likes the fact that they cars were all mostly higher end daily drivers. Not just torn down civics, miatas, and ancient vettes.

The track was very smooth and had 4 straights! I did 2 sessions. First was with an instructor who hitched a ride ( had no student ), and in the second session I went out alone and EASILY kept up with a dodge viper in front of me. I had to back off because of the stones he was kicking up. As soon as I did he spun the car while "trying to make some room " on me. Driver of the Viper came up to me after the session to tell me that he couldnt believe the speed of the F and the grip it had in the corners compared to his. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him its bone stock. LOL

2 things I learned were, 1. The Audi S4, Viper, and even GT500 are all not as fast as I thought. 2. The F is more car than what I thought it was when I bought it.

My garage and man cave are quickly becoming filled with 8x10s of me and my ISF on the track . I LOVE IT !

ISF and the Viper and GT 500
( this session is hard driving from the get go . No yellow on lap 1 )


Session 1 Viper right behind me........and he stays there the entire time !
( just a note that in session 1 we can not pass first lap . Forward a few minutes to see the real driving)

I8ABMR

Some pics from the day

Lmood

iTrader: (3)

Very cool! Looks like a lot of cool cars out there.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Glad to see you still going out on track! Just leaving pca event at VIR right now... Guy took his Mclaren into a tire wall this afternoon.

Did they really let you go out on track with that radar detector on your dash and floor mats in?

RedlineAZ

iTrader: (5)

Good stuff man!!! My brother raced a blue viper at speed world down the 1/4 mile track and they did back to back runs over and over, with like fractions of a second between them each race lol. Do you remember if the viper had a personalized plate that read "URSLOW"?

MRxSLAYx

Thanks for the share! That GT2RS OMG!!!!

I8ABMR

It was great. I saw the new M4, GT3, GT2RS,MP412c, Vipers, Zr1, bunch of mustangs, Z06 vettes, and the usual M3s.
Very cool !!! Mats were clipped in and they checked. Radar detector was no issue. Ouch, cant believe they would put that thing into a wall. During our session they let the McLaren head out first to protect it from any rock damage. It had blue tape all over it .

No. His plate was XHLR8N or something like that. I lost a little respect for the Viper after that session. Even before he went off I was following him into a tight turn and he was oversteering mid corner where my F and the GT500 ahead were fine. I can only imagine what it was like in that car when it spun into the dirt. They probably couldnt breathe . I couldnt see when I went through the cloud and it covered my car in dust.

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

Always nice to see people enjoying their cars. The F is a very capable vehicle and always seems to surprise.

Bigcloud

Good job man. My last event was two weekends ago @ VIR. I put my race car away for the winter. So sad.

suprasupra

With no disrespect toward you or our IFS's , the driver of the viper was a squid !!! they should have checked him for DUI he was all over the place and never seemed to be on the correct line. A viper in the right hands on a smooth racetrack is a formidable track car and an ISF would have a hard time keeping one in sight.

I am glad you are having fun and enjoying your car

Blzn335

Cool, looks like it was good times. Wish I could have been there. Next one for sure!

dannyk8232

Thanks for posting.....makes me want to take mine to a track

I8ABMR

you got that right. You can hear me over and over in the video stating that the Viper is not as fast as they make it out to see. Even on the long straights when he was going all out in a straight line I could easily keep up ( and in all honesty had to back off because he was in the way and just kicking up rocks with those steam roller rear tires

I can imagine man. For us in AZ we are in out heavenly temperature period for the next 7 months !! Going to do as many as I can this winter ( or what we call winter lol). I think its official. AMP is my favorite track in AZ. Its the best, smoothest, closest, and even has clean bathrooms lol

His lines were not perfect but even on the straights I was up his *** and had to back off several times. I told my instructor when we started that there was a Viper behind us and that I would probably have to let him by. The instructor said " you never know who is driving ". You guys are correct in saying I was a better driver than him but he was rocking more than 200 hp more and HUGE tires ( same with the GT500 I "killed"lol). HE should have been faster in the straights . Even a lap before he went off he almost spun the car in a low speed corner. My opinion was that the driver was not very good, and that the Viper is also not very good. No traction control in a car with an 8L V10 and 640HP !?! Thats just stupid engineering. Dodge has plenty of that !! ( sounds lame but he just showed the world that power is nothing without control)

I love this damn car !! Cant believe how much fun it is to drive on the track. My lines are getting better and I am realizing every time I hit the track that the ISF is truly a special car. She can do it all. After all the laps I just tossed my stuff in the trunk, started her up, hit the AC, turned on some tunes, and bounced . The car coddled my in luxury , silence, and AC as I proceeded to call my wife and kids to tell them how the day went ( and that I was ok). The M3 is a better track car, BUT I DONT THINK THERE IS A BETTER CAR IN THIS CLASS TO OWN.

Rich, this track is amazing !! Imagine indy with less of the elevation changes in the braking zones, and a little less technical on some of the turns. I found that this track was even easier on the brakes and since the average speed is higher it made it that much more fun to power out of sweepers and turns. I promise you, you will like this more than INDE. Sounds like a bold statement but you will see. ProAuto will be there 4 times next year and they have one in January. Il hit you up as it gets closer

DO IT !! Listen, I know its scary, and we are all thinking " im going to mess up my car". NOPE!! This car is designed for it, and everyone on the track with you is in love with their car too. HPDE is not racing it is just drivers education. People will allow you to pass and you can back off ( like I did ) if you are worried about following too close and getting rock chips ( or if you are worried taht the dude in the Viper in front of you will fly off the track).

The onky thing you will beat up and is the tires and brakes, and even then thats if you are doing them all the time. I would HIGHLY recommend that do just one session. You will love it and I think you will develop a new respect for your car. Giggling as you kill an on ramp and pass a dozen cars is fun, but this is REALLY FUN!!!

I8ABMR

Just got a pic from the event photographer . Will be buying the cd . He said he got 15 shots !!

RangerJoe

iTrader: (1)

For a comfy DD car that has some potential, the IS F is pretty high on my list. I had instructors who really enjoyed the heated seats in my 350 on cold track days. The weight on this platform really starts to show when you push it, but it's certainly a lot of fun.

I call any day that you don't break something a good track day. Some of those trains looks pretty bad. What was the passing policy?