Porsche GT3 Road Trip V2: Moab, Telluride, Ouray, Cortez, Sedona

It was going to be pretty hard to beat the amazing road trip we took last summer (see my prior post : Porsche 911 GT3: Grand Tour of Eight U.S. Western States)

But this year, I think we managed to equal it! This year's plan was to get to the amazing roads around the San Juan Mountains and Telluride, Colorado and spend the July 4 celebration in that scenic mountain town. 

Once again, the car to take was the 2018 Porsche GT3 (a "991.2 GT3 6-Speed" for my Porschephile friends). For a 10-day trip, it has all the luggage space we needed and ensured that once I arrived on the roads that I was most interested in, it was going provide plenty of fun factor. 

A few of those target roads that I really wanted to drive included Colorado Highway 550 through Silverton and Ouray to Durango, also known as the "Million Dollar Highway", Highway 141 from Moab to Telluride, and anything else we might discover along the way. The route we planned out would encompass a minimum of 2,325 miles, about 39 hours of driving, and 5 Western States. 

Day 1: Danville, CA to Moab, UT

Day one was going to be our longest leg of the trip: about 930 miles if we went on Highway 80 and closer to 910 miles if we took highway 50. Waze said the 80 route was faster, although a few more miles. Waze suggested the 910 mile trip would take 14 hours and 20 minutes. But having done Highway 50 last year, I knew that it had far less traffic, almost no big rigs to slow you down, and open stretches of road where I could open the car up and cruise at healthy speeds, if ya know what I mean. 

And I was right. The GT3 gobbled up miles like a recovering Ozempic addict at a pancake breakfast. We made just 3 stops for gas, enjoyed the scenery in the small towns we passed through, and arrived in Moab after 915 miles in 11 hours and 55 minutes. Cruise control on those straight, empty stretches of Highway 50 was key to managing almost 23 MPG and averaging 78 MPH for the whole trip, including stops. And we got to Moab in time to enjoy the evening sun and do some research into the impressive bug collection on the front of the 911.

A long day deserves a good pizza and a brew, and we found both at Antica Forma in Moab while enjoying the late evening setting sun in this beautiful desert town. We stayed at the cozy Moab Springs Ranch in a terrific cottage/bungalow just outside of downtown.

Day 2: Moab, Utah

We started early to beat the heat and crowds entering Arches National Park. We had an 8 am reserved entry time to Arches, and the goal was to get in a hike early. So we headed straight for the Delicate Arches trailhead to get that hike done with nice morning light on the well-known arch. Seems many people had the same idea, as there were quite a few hikers. The 3.2 mile out-and back hike is pretty easy, even for an old dude like me, but some people seemed to really dislike the uphill section in the open sun. But the Arch was a sight and worth the walk, everyone would agree. 

We spent the rest of the morning driving around the 25 mile park loop, stopping to take small walks to see other arches and rock formations. I was awed by the Courthouse Towers section and couldn't get enough at just staring at those rock formations! 

We spent the afternoon driving the Island in the Sky Road around the upper rim of Canyonlands National Park. It's a stunning scene, a massive set of canyons carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers. Grand View point lived up to its name. The road is twisty and fun and relatively empty, with plenty of areas to pull out and enjoy the views.

We even got a little serenade from a guy practicing his Alpine Horn over the canyon...

Day 3: Moab to Telluride

Leaving Moab, we headed south on Highway 191 and continued to be amazed by the amount of infrastructure here that supports the off-road recreational enthusiast. if you're into 4WD, Jeeps, big trucks, side-by-sides, quads, Baja racers, mountain bikes, dirt bikes, or anything else that crawls or drives through dirt and mountains, you have to come to Moab. Plenty of adventure tours for the newbies.  Just come check it out! 

Just outside of Moab on Hwy 191 you will come to "Hole in the Rock". You literally can't miss it. The signs painted on the canyon walls ensure that. This is a classic Western US tourist stop with tours of a house built into the rock, general store, and all kinds of oddities to see. This here is 'Murica and it's why I love a good road trip.

We turned East on Highway 46 through La Sal toward the Colorado State line and Highway 90 through the town of Bedrock.  There were sections of this road where we din't see another car for 30 minutes. It's remote, beautiful, and fun.

I love a good abandoned general store, and the town of Bedrock didn't let me down. (EDIT: Fun fact that someone informed me of after they read this... This general store was featured in the Movie "Thelma and Louise" when Louise makes a phone call from the store. Apparently, the film also used locations through this route we were on through the La Sal Mountains).

Highway 141 up to Gateway and back

This detour allowed us to experience a gorgeous stretch of Highway 141's Unawepp Tabeguache Scenic Byway. From the town of Gateway down to Naturita, this is a classic Colorado canyon that gives you a fascinating look at nature's power and makes you wonder why you didn't study geology in college. The stratified layers, the colors, the uplifts, the erosion, the variation of rock density and differences in consolidation that you see through this canyon tells a complex story of our planet and makes you feel humbled to be such a tiny blip in the timeline of the Earth's history.

One of the many picturesque stops along the way is a lookout over the "Hanging Flume", which was built in 1887 for use in gold mining operations. An engineering marvel, it was built into the side of the canyon rock by mostly Asian immigrants (read: forced labor) over the span of three years and at its peak, this 12-mile long flume moved over 80,000,000 gallon each day from its origin near Uravan, CO down to the mining operations along the Delores River. It was abandoned after only three years as the gold mining wasn't as productive as hoped.

We stopped and marveled at the flume remnants (135 years old) and in doing so met some nice folks. The first couple to approach us were in their late 70s and gave us a historic lesson about the gold, platinum, and uranium mining operations that had supported the area over many generations. Our next meet was a nice Subaru driver who pulled over to see the GT3 and make sure he gave me tons of ideas for the best drives in this part of Colorado. I learned much, pouring over the wonderfully anachronistic analog map atlas he pulled out of the Subie. I got the sense he loved to drive and had done a million miles himself and he wanted to make sure that we fully took advantage of the GT3 capabilities on proper roads! Highway 141 was a real surprise treat.

Here is a short Time-lapse of Highway 141 a bit south of Gateway, CO:

Highway 145 into Telluride was initially uneventful, albeit through some beautiful mesas and farmland with some long straight shots. Until we passed Norwood, CO. Just after that, Highway 145 skirts alongside the box canyon wall and dips down to the level of the San Miguel River, and then winds its way alongside the river for about 30 miles of gorgeous red-rock canyon and river, eventually through the towns of Placerville and Sawpit before approaching Telluride.

We arrived in Telluride in the afternoon and settled in for what would be 6 days of hiking, eating, rafting, fishing, and exploring. A gorgeous town set in a make-believe looking valley, punctuated by the headwaters of the San Miguel River pouring down the face of a 13,000 foot mountain.

Day 4-8: Enjoy Telluride

How to describe Telluride? Superlatives don't do it justice. It's a bit indescribable. But I will say that it embodies all the best aspects of a mountain town and ski/summer area you could hope for. While Vail is a great ski resort that has grown into a village and a town, and while Aspen has a great charming town with a couple world-class ski areas, Telluride combines all that into one perfect package. The town itself is separate from the ski and bike oriented "Mountain Village", so you have both distinct vibes here. The free Gondola connects the Village up on the bluff with the town in the valley below. It's a pretty seamless connection. World-class mountain biking and hiking in the summer and world-class skiing in the Winter. What's not to love. It's a good thing that it's hard to get to, or it would be even more overrun with out-of-towners like me.

We spent the next 6 days staying out of the car, with the exception of one day trip to Mesa Verde National Park. In Telluride, we took a whitewater rafting trip, hiked to Bridal Veil Falls, hiked the ridges above the village and town, enjoyed lots of great food, watched the July 4 parade and fireworks and just generally fell in love with the place.

July 2 we took a great Class II-III white water rafting trip down the San Miguel river with Telluride Outside. Absolutely professional guides and an unbelievably fun river trip! No photos. I was busy paddling (this was not a quiet float, we were working the whole time).

Dinner shout out to "221 South Oak" a charming small house converted by the owner into a cozy bistro with a unique menu. We ate well. 

July 4 in Telluride: what a great place to celebrate the birth of America! Fun morning parade with all the small town America feels. Afternoon music in the park with hot dogs and ice cream and games and dogs and kids and volunteer firefighters selling beer. Followed by a fantastic meal at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant where I doubled-down on lobster in celebration of America. Lobster Corn dog appetizer followed by a Surf n' Surf combo of Lobster Tail and Halibut. Daaaaamn.  Good stuff.

Finished the night off with a great Drone / Light / Fireworks show at the Town Park.  Telluride does it right!

Where we stayed: Quick shout out to our friends at Exclusive Resorts ('ER"). We have been ER members since 2010 and have travelled the world and the U.S., staying in homes owned by the club and bringing our friends and family with us. Combining the advantages of a private home (3-5 bedrooms, space for everyone, kitchen, etc) with a Resort Hotel (concierge service, housekeeping), the club residences are always beautifully designed, impeccably maintained, and perfectly located. In this case, we were located in Mountain Village just a couple minute walk  to the Gondola that would take us to the top of the mountain or down into Town center. This residence was bigger than we needed for this trip, but at least if I snored, Jill could kick me into a different bedroom.

Side Trip: Mesa Verde National Park 

We drove south on Highway 145 again and it was a brilliant morning. We headed toward Cortez and Delores and the first half the drive was more spectacular views of mountains, rivers and small towns like Rico, CO.  We even spied the Top of Mt Wilson, which you might recognize as the mountain featured on logo of the Coors Light can (which turns blue when the beer is cold).

Past Rico, we started to get flat high plains headed into Cortez. We had lunch in Cortez (Sushi!) and then headed for Mesa Verde National Park. It's a magical spot with 800+ years of history of the Pueblo people, well preserved by the beautiful structures built into the walls of the canyon for living, gathering, and story-telling. We took the walking tour of the Cliff Palace area and we were gobsmacked! (borrowing that term from my Canadian friends). 

On the way home, I was feeling a sore throat come back that had plagued me for a couple weeks prior to our trip (I had been treated with antibiotics). It had almost gone completely away but it was back now with a vengeance. So we took a short trip to the local Urgent Care in Cortez and I was prescribed an antibiotic and some steroids for an indeterminate infection in my right side tonsil.

Well here's where our plans went completely awry. The next day it was worse than ever. A very sore throat, massive earache, etc. Our last day in Telluride we just hung around the village, read books and hoped I'd get better. The Mountain Village is charming and fun and not a bad place to recover. The next day we were leaving for Sedona and driving my target road: Highway 550 through Ouray and Silverton to Durango and then Sedona. We had even booked a Jeep tour in Sedona.

But alas, it wasn't to be. I almost stopped breathing that night as I lay in bed. My throat got so swollen I couldn't talk or swallow. My head hurt like someone had driven a railroad spike down through my ear, through my jaw joint and down into my throat, finishing it off with razors in there to keep me from swallowing. My soft palate was so swollen it felt like a sock was stuffed in there. 

Day 9: Time to Panic and drive fast

So I woke my wife up at 5 am and decided I needed real medical help.  The best hospital was in Utah, 375 miles away.  Figuring we could do it in 6 hours, it was faster than trying anything else, so we loaded up the GT3 and headed back up beautiful highway 145, 90, 191 through Moab and right to the University of Utah Emergency Room (a level 1 trauma center and the top-ranked hospital in Utah). 

My lovely wife Jill even took a turn driving since I was in absolute misery.  She doesn't like driving like I do, so she's a trooper, and she's damn good with the GT3! Luckily, she had been driving manual transmission cars for many years before we ever met.

And we got to the hospital just in time. Apparently, this was getting pretty serious. I spent 6 hours in ER and had 6+ medical professionals discussing what turned out to be a peritonsillar abscess. It was very large and growing and spreading (about 5 cm in diameter, larger than a golf ball in my throat). I won't go into nasty details, but after a CT scan and some ultrasound (it's a boy!), they had to get all this stuff out of my tonsils and neck. The Doctors told me that if I had waited another hour or two, I may have been dead... apparently if something that large ruptures, it goes septic and can kill you pretty quickly. This is the downside for me never having had my tonsils removed as a kid. Also, it turns out that my life actually depended on my wife knowing how to drive a manual transmission. As the T-Shirt says: Save the Manuals!

Ouray, Silvertoin, Durango, and Sedona:

Well, now I know what my next road trip will be, since I missed all these wonderful spots. I can't wait to get back.  The people of the San Juan Mountain area of Colorado are a special breed, and the sights of this part of Colorado are an absolute treat.

Day 10: Headed home

The next morning, we left Salt Lake City for our final leg. Not the route I hoped, and back across the great salt flats on Highway 80. But the upside was that we could set the Cruise Control at a smooth 105 and cruise through Utah and Nevada, stopping for gas in Winnemucca. The car is so smooth and settled at that speed, just running about 4200 rpm. Feels like you're going 70. 

We made it home in 9 hours and 10 minutes. I should have slowed down a bit to make it 9:11.  Dang. Maybe next time. For now, it's just time to wash off all the bugs. 

Oh, and the total trip? Ended up being exactly 42 hours of driving, 2619 miles covered, at an average speed of 64 MPH, while getting 22.3 MPG. That equates to roughly 117.44 gallons of gas. At around $4.75 a gallon average for our stops made this a bargain tour costing under $600.  Ok, that's just gas cost, not including anything else, particularly that Emergency Room bill I'm dreading. No matter what, it was a great trip, I highly recommend.

THE END

Removing the Rust Monster on the 1971 Datsun 510

It was time for the final big repair item on the 510 I bought on Bring a Trailer in 2023. The Rust Monster! I know this is one thing people don't want to deal with and it scares them away at auctions. But I had seen it in person and it wasn't as bad as I worried about and I had somewhat of an idea of what it would take to fix it. The rust was under the rocker panels, and mainly centered in a few spots. the car had gotten a paint job some 20 years ago or so, and it seems they just allowed a few open holes to exist and painted over corrosion to keep it from spreading. It kinda worked.

So, I took the car to a friend of mine who does fantastic work. He ended up tearing out a good chunk of the rocker panels on both sides, removing rust, and treating the area under the rocker panels with some rust-inhibitor. Still not perfect, but it isn't an outside car and it isn't show car.

 Overall, though, he did great work removing the rust, welding in or filing in new rocker panel material, re-sealing it all, straightening out the bent pinch-welds, paint matching it all, and even using texturized paint-chip protection material, similar to what most new cars have on exposed underside rocker panels. So now it has that pebble finish under the side trim.

I'm really happy with how it turned out!

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Bonus shot: Many people notice and comment on the massive stack of CA registration stickers that this car has accumulated through the decades. That's legit vintage!

Completed Datsun 510 Clutch replacement and engine check/freshen

Well, I finished installing the clutch a while back, and I pulled out the engine just to do some "tidying up". 

Overall, it was in pretty good shape so I decided to leave the bottom end alone. I adjusted the valves a bit, inspected and confirmed that the springs, etc were all in pretty good shape.

I pulled off all items I could, repainted things like the fan shroud, oil pan, belly pan, etc. Decided to leave the block as-is. Did a bunch of grinding and sanding and painting of other bits and bobs. 

I bought a new low-profile intake manifold so I don't need an adapter for the Weber carb, and I could then install the nice old air cleaner element I bought to bring her back to a stock look. Had the Exhaust manifold blasted and re-coated.

After doing all that, I put back the oil pan and valve cover with fresh gaskets. Then I tried to re-install everything on my own. It isn't easy without a full lift. I re-installed the engine then I tried several times to get that transmission back attached to the engine while under the car but I had very little room between the Quickjacks while laying on my back with no help. I even tried attaching the transmission and installing the whole thing, but that didn't work well. Not on my own.

So I gave up and I was going to haul it to my local expert Datsun shop but.... then decided to give it "one more try". This time, with 4 jack stands so I wasn't crowded by the Quickjack. After 20 minutes or so of bench-pressing that transmission and using my knee to shove the unit forward to engage with the engine, I was exhausted. I pulled the transmission jack over with my foot and rolled it under the transmission and let it sit. I walked away for about 15 minutes. Sometimes ya just need a break. Rotated the engine a bit with the front pulley to re-align the internals and jumped back under.  And presto! I slid that transmission right back onto the engine and tightened 'er down!

After that. it was time to start adding pieces back on. Thanks to lots of help from my friend Alex, we got it done in a few hours. We reinstalled the driveshaft, flywheel cover (had to slightly detach the transmission again), new head-manifold studs and gasket, exhaust manifold, intake manifold and carb, new head gasket, radiator hoses, spark plug wires, distributor cap, vacuum tubes (one still unused off the distributor I need to find a destination for ;-) ). Fan shroud, belly pan, weber carb adapter, air filter element, and the hood.

It was touch and go whether the hood would have clearance. I wanted to re-install the light blue OEM air filter element housing on the weber and bought a new intake manifold to allow the clearance. As we lowered the hood, I felt a resistance, but it didn't seem to be the air filter. So we re-aligned the panel gaps on the hood because they were a bit misaligned. and then the hood slid right down into place with no resistance. Very satisfying. 

A highly rewarding rainy afternoon, always better with a friend and a couple cold beers.

A few days later, I filled the engine oil, new coolant, transmission oil, and differential oil. I checked everything twice. Then, it was time for the moment of truth. I checked the electrical, tried a few cranks, checked for leaks, and then fired it up! 

And I couldn't be happier. It runs so smoothly now and the clutch doesn't chatter and the gears shift smoothly!  I can't describe the mix of joy and relief you get when something like this starts right back up!

But I wasn't done yet! Now I pulled off the wheels again and replaced the leaky rear brake cylinders, installed new rear brake shoes, flushed new brake fluid through the system, and then re-painted the wheels for a close-to-color match look. I love it!

Removing the Datsun 510 Transmission, Clutch replacement coming soon!

As a follow-up to my post about the purchase of my 1969 original-owner Datsun 510, and the one about my first steps in the restoration, several months of driving had lead me to the decision to replace the clutch.

Of course that, as always, is leading to more of the "While I'm in there..." disease. 

To replace the clutch. I pulled the transmission, and to do so I needed to remove the motor mounts to tilt the engine, and I had to remove hoses, etc for the tilt. So now the engine is completely disconnected so I'm compelled to just go ahead and take it out to more easily do the clutch and rebuild at least the top end while cleaning the whole thing up. 

After 53 years of some neglect, I have a feeling this is going to take me down a long path. But hey, that's why I bought the car, to bring it at least partially back to its original glory. The engine bay is the least nice part of the car, so I'll have to decide just how far I want to go in re-wiring, refinishing and painting it. Since I have no plans to repaint the whole car, I expect I'll be a bit hesitant to over-do the engine bay, but we shall see.

Removing the transmission without a second pair of hands was sometimes frustrating. I should have asked for some help but I kinda wanted to do it myself. At least now it's out and getting cleaned up. More updates to follow!

Racing the Mazda MX5 Cup car with our private race group

Well, I've had the MX5 Cup car for about six months now and it continues to impress me. Our track club, the Turn 2 Driver's Club, has some excellent racers and drivers amongst our group. They race in everything from Porsche Cup cars to historic MGs and from Lamborghini Trofeos to Formula 3 and Formula Mazda. But every one of them that gets in the MX5 loves it. Just as I do. For me, it's the perfect companion car for my Datsun 510 historic race car. They both rely on light weight, balance, grip and cornering ability to get around the track fast, as opposed to out right power. They both teach you more about brake pressures, brake release and throttle points than almost any high-horsepower supercar with tons of driving aids. They are pure  and raw cars for driving, and that is what makes them so popular and compelling.

So, I thought I'd share a couple videos and thoughts. This first one is a 3-car video shot during one of our small private races at Thunderhill Raceway in October. Of the five cars on track, only three had their video cameras rolling (I was not one of them). I'm in the red/white/black car #5. I qualified in second, so I'm starting on the right side of the front row and you'll see me go around the outside of Turn 1 at the start of the race to take first place going into Turn 2. But I lose that position in Turn 9 and it's instructive to see why. These cars are so well matched and highly sensitive to mistakes. If you pick the wrong gear (in my case) or get to throttle just a tad late, the next guy will catch you. As I said, it is a car that makes you better because you need to focus on every small detail of your race.

And here is another video from inside the MX5. I went to a track day with Hooked on Driving on Dec 2 at Thunderhill Raceway with a few friends from our "Turn 2" in our MX5 Cup cars. Good fun was had. I was a bit off my recent personal best time of 2:03.9 from that prior race day, but I did manage a 2:04.9 on tires that weren't fresh. Not too much traffic on the track, but it's sometimes hard to convince those GT3s that yes, in fact, that MX5 is still on your tail! 

The MX5 is so much fun, and I let a couple GT3 drivers test it out (off track) because they were curious how the heck it corners and brakes so well. They came away impressed, which says a lot. I'm still two to three seconds off the lap pace that my professional MX5 driving coach can do in this car, so I've got more to learn about trusting the car at high speeds in corners like Turn 1, where I'm losing several MPH. Of course, at my age and stage of life, I have a slightly different motivation and risk-aversion profile than the 23-year old pros that drive this car for a living.

Dave , Car Guy is also Dave, MX-5 Cup Guy

It is inevitable, I suppose.  If one is a car enthusiast, regardless of whether you're into high-end brands or home-built racers, the legend of the Mazda MX-5 as a driver's car and a great track weapon eventually filter into your brain. 

Inevitable outcome: I bought my first MX-5.

In my case, this is not a street car (in fact, has no VIN). It is a factory MX5 Cup car. I bought it used from Flis Performance in Florida, after getting refurbished. This is chassis 214 from the factory. It won the 2021 MX-5 Cup championship, driven by Gresham Wagner. 

Although it's now painted white, I am planning on returning it to its championship-winning livery, minus the Spark Performance logos. I will be racing it on the West Coast, primarily in private group of 10 racers with new Cup cars, part of the Turn 2 Club I belong to. We are coached and directed by Aaron Jeansonne, who is also being partially sponsored by the Turn 2 club the year. Aaron is in a close battle for the championship lead of the IMSA Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup series.

I'll still be racing my Datsun 510 in the historic CSRG and SVRA groups, but hopefully doing both will make me better in each!

My car was refurbished by Flis Performance with new seat, harness, padding, paint, etc. Spark Performance has replaced and refurbished all the mechanicals recently as well. Charlie Hayes Racing (CHR) took my car in and made the finishing touches. The guys at CHR, led strongly by Charlie, are an amazing resource and they are the ones supporting our group, prepping and maintaining the cars, doing transport, etc. I can't say enough good things about this crew!

I tried an MX-5 out a few months back, at the suggestion of my friend Rick (with whom I also race Datsun 510s), and I was hooked. Thanks, Rick! The sequential transmission in the Cup car is fantastic. Left foot braking possible, with no clutch used on shifts. Bang, bang! The car is a lot like my 510, handling wise, but with more precise steering and far better brakes! Playful at the limit without being scary. A car you can really go hard in and it rewards you when your inputs are correct. 

The Turn 2 Club is a group of about 35 drivers that are active in racing and other track activities. We do about 25 track days together at Sonoma Raceway (Sears Point), Laguna Seca, and Thunderhill.  About 9 of our members have now purchased these MX-5 Cup cars and we are doing racing/driving development together and creating our own small race series. Many of our guys also race in Formula 3, IMSA, Porsche Sprint Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and historic racing. As we do our own thing with these great race cars, we are blessed to have Aaron Jeansonne as our great coach and mentor. We fully expect him to win the MX-5 Cup championship this year.

It's a sequential shifter, so I'm going to try to unlearn 30+ years of heel-toe downshifting habit because the straight cut gears allow left foot braking and no-clutch shifting. We shall see how that goes. Old dog, new trick, as they say. I'm a pretty dang old dog, so new tricks are not my specialty. But I keep trying! By the way, to understand how these cars are prepared by Flis Performance for the rigors of the MX-5 Cup series, check out this video:

When I then had my first test day in the car, I loved it. We were at Sonoma Raceway with the Turn 2 drivers club. We had six of us testing in MX5s, plus other club members out in a variety of street cars, Cup cars, and formula cars. The car is easy to drive. It recovers well if you have fast hands and a feel for using the throttle to maintain stability. Worst thing to do on this car is to be coasting off throttle through a hard turn. The work I need to do is to get to full throttle a bit earlier in several turns. It’s subtle differences that help.

The transmission is an absolute hoot. Once you use the clutch to come out of pit lane from a start in 1st gear, you no longer use it. Upshifts are just hard pulls backward on the solid sequential shifter knob, which feels perfectly sized for the job. The car rev-matches on downshifts, so going into a corner from 4th to 1st while braking hard is a delight. “Bang, bang, bang!” There is a very mechanical feel to those straight cut gears that is accompanied by a very subtle electronic addition of the perfect rev match you hear. Plus a pop from the exhaust. Driving behind one, you will see the flames out the exhaust on the downshift. First gear is tall, goes to 60 mph at 7200 rpm.

The brakes are solid and it takes a lot to induce ABS. The brake zones aren’t super hard at Sonoma, except turns 7 and 11. The car turns in wonderfully and has so much mechanical grip that you find yourself growing in confidence with each lap. I never found myself sending the rear end out on corner exit, as long as i was unwinding my hands after apex. The only times I got squirrelly was on an aggressive brake release or over top of a hill as the car hit light, if I hit brakes without straight hands. 

The last couple of days I was at the track again testing the car. My new livery matching the old one from the championship is partly completed! We had 7 of us out in MX-5s and did a bunch of exercises and sessions to improve brake points, passing strategies, and throttle inputs.  Below is a video of a couple laps whereI got my times down to where I'm happy for now. Note this is the Sonoma Configuration with the added turn 9 "bus-stop / kink" that slows you down before Turn 10, as the Indy cars use. It makes the track times about 4 seconds slower than the standard track configuration, as it removes the very high speed normal Turn 10.

Another Day in September with some additional practice. Down to 1:53 at Sonoma. I need to find a couple  more seconds.