Track: Mosport DDT (CCW w/ 2 kinks), Bowmanville
Weather Conditions: 14°C sunny
Test & Tune
Run 1 - Dampers +18F/+20R, Cold Tire Pressures 33/35 psi
I went out on track to warm up and then spun out on the uphill. I came back into the pit lane and had something from the rear suspension howling like a banshee. Now, I should mention that for the past few weeks I've had a faint howling noise from the rear creep up once in a while and it was getting worse just this past week. But seems like that spin out really aggravated whatever was happening back there. It's probably a wheel bearing but I can't be 100% sure at the moment. The car still drives fine apart from the noise (and no body damage phewf) but I decided to play it safe by posting a DNS and having my car towed back for free. CAA Plus ftw! I also noticed later on that there is a clunking around in the front and a crunching feeling when turning the steering wheel left. Hrmm...
The day wasn't a total write off though. I was able to give my friend Jason some pointers in his Evo X and help him break into the 1:08's (previous best was 1:09.3). Was a great feeling even though afterwards I felt sick! LOL... I'm a terrible passenger, it's not your driving! Free BBQ by NEX was also yummy. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around to spectate the OTA because the tow truck came a bit early...
Conclusion
It's safe to say that my 2011 track season is over. It's been such a crazy summer with 10 track days!!! In 2010 I only did 4 track days, and in 2009 when I first started it was 3. More track days this year than my first two combined. To be honest it's nice to finally have a break. I'm a little exhausted mentally, physically, and especially financially.
I learned so much this year, but still have so much more to learn. Really thinking hard about what to focus on for 2012: which events to enter, and if/how I want to tweak the car. There are a few options I'm considering but at the end of the day it all boils down to the budget. This year was a bit of an exception and I might not be fortunate enough to have as big of a track budget for next year. We'll see though. I'm sure I can make something work, or I'll just have to work more.
