Woofcast #3

1. Hey guys. Been listening in for a while now – it’s been fun!

   BTW, you guys mentioned at the beginning of this week’s podcast a MINI that flooded out about a year or so ago… that was mine (see http://tinyurl.com/3m79r ). No, I didn’t try to ford some high water, but yes, as soon as water rises above the level of the seats, insurance companies consider it a total loss. So don’t bother vacuuming, scrubbing, deodorizing and blowing off a Cure concert to try to save it… no dice.

   Anyways, loved the discussion of track days – been to a couple so far, and hope to go to some more soon. I wish I had this little discussion to reference before my first time out, because I (like many others I’m sure) had absolutely no idea what to expect.

   I must say, I agree that track days are at once the most humbling and most exciting experiences. I can’t tell people enough how much can be learned at one of these events. Well afterwards you find yourself searching for the best line on offramps and working on your smoothness. Another thing you pick up is a good sense of awareness, checking your background for traffic and looking ahead at the upcoming turns. You pick up a lot of skills that can be directly transferred to the street.

   And yeah, there’s usually a lot of cool machinery to oogle too. If you’re a car nut (and you prolly wouldn’t be there if you weren’t) it’s like being a kid in a candy shop. Full-bore race cars, open wheel formula cars, race bikes… my first time out, there were three events on three track configurations as well as M-B filming a commercial – all going on at the same time!

   I even got my boss and my girlfriend hooked! My girlfriend and I had our cars out at Pocono Raceway for a track day the week before the flood that claimed my MINI (and her S2K). Sniff.

   I’ve done a bunch of the mods you guys discussed to the new MINI (sways, tires, etc), but I haven’t yet had the chance to bring the car out to the track to see the difference. Keeping an eye out for a harness too…

   One cool trick I picked up from another MINI owner at the track – he took out his rear seatbacks. It only takes loosening one bolt (located in the boot at the base of the seats where they split) and a little fineggling. You get a bunch more exhaust sound in the cabin (which is cool, especially at track speeds) and you drop something like 50 pounds, which can help the car feel a bit more sprightly, at least on the butt dyno.

   Anyways, just wanted to drop a line to say hello and keep up the good work! Looking forward to next week!

2. I’ve not done a track day, MINI or otherwise, but my experience of similar type of events is that no matter how ‘fun’ it is supposed to be, there will be a large number of people there whose goal it is to make you feel stupid that you don’t drive fast enough, smart enough, your car isn’t mod’d enough or whatever. And thats why I doubt I’ll ever do a track day.

   Now, it might be different with MINI folk (though my experiences at the MINI meets I’ve been to suggests it won’t be) but my impression is definitely that if my car is stock, and my aim is not to do 150mph, then either I will be laughed at or simply made to feel that I am in the way.

   But an interesting discussion.

3. When we go out to the track that is absolutely positively not the case. There might be a fair amount of bench racing and plenty of talk about mods, but it’s nothing but fun for everybody. I have NEVER once been given any grief (except maybe just some goofin’ around) at driving an MCS on the track, nor has anyone else. EVER. I suppose that if I did, I probably wouldn’t go either.

   It does kinda help that I can go faster than some of them and keep up with almost the rest 😉

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