Return to the ROVAL!

Time for some ROVAL!!

For the second year in a row the NMS Cayman returned to a Track Night in America event driving on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. These events are sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America, and at tracks all across the country they let you get out on track for multiple 20 minute sessions on a weeknight. This way you get some high speed driving on a local track and don't have to commit to a full weekend at a higher cost. At last year's ROVAL TNiA I had just put on some new tires, and there was a lot less drama this year. 

Charlotte Motor Speedway. 
Located near Charlotte NC!
Weird!

Maybe I'll check the brake pads!

Over three driving sessions, I managed to drop my lap time, so that was fun. Along the way I also managed to miss two of the chicanes when my tires, brakes, and brain weren't warmed up enough, so I had to pull into the pits to have a discussion and explain what I had done wrong. It wasn't like going to the Superintendent's office, and it's a good safety precaution too. Then they let me get back out on track pretty quickly. 

Look at all those fans!

First session: Other than the mistake listed above, I enjoyed the change to the infield section, which made you really slow down just as you get back on the oval. NASCAR changed this part of the track about a year ago, so that was fun to experience. My best one lap in this session was a 1:53. Oh, Track Night events aren't competitive, but you just can't help wanting to go faster too!

Fastest lap info. top speed 115.7 mph, slowest 29.1 mph. 

Second session: This was even more fun, no missed chicanes, and I had multiple laps of 1:50. During every session you are sharing the track with other cars, and you have to let the faster drivers pass you in the designated passing zones. One of the safety rules is that for passing on the oval, you give the faster car the "point-by" signal and they can pass you on the uphill (right) side. Making this a standard procedure keeps everyone aware of what the other car is doing, and makes it safer for everyone. The only slight issue I experienced with this was that I was pointing by a few fast cars right at the start/finish line, and one of them kind of slowed down for the approach to the infield, and I had to really drop my speed to make sure they could pass me. Not a big deal, it just took them longer to pass me than I thought. 

Lotus in another group. 

Lamborghini in another group. 

Third session: For the final time on track for the day, the sun was setting, and after about one lap we saw black flags all over the course. The waving black flags at all stations tell all drivers to return to the pit. Maybe there was an issue on track, but since I didn't see anything, and we only sat in the pit lane for a very short time,  so I think it was a just a flag awareness drill to make sure all the drivers are paying attention. Anyway, we got back out very quickly, and I managed two runs just under 1:50, another right on 1:50.000, and one more at 1:50.137. I'm not winning any races, just trying to keep consistent, and improve if possible. My fastest lap of 1:49.52 included a lot of ABS braking at the final chicane, but I just managed to stay on the pavement and finish the lap. 

    FASTEST LAP ON YOUTUBE

Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. This guy was 10 seconds faster than me!
I saw one of his laps on YouTube. 

With the two chicanes on track, it was a heavy braking for both, and I had a "Brake Wear" warning on my dash. My rear brakes still have the brake pad sensors on them to tell you when it's time for some new pads, so I'll check those out at home. My front pads only had 2 track days on them, and for this event I'd measured them all at 10mm, so practically new. Anyway, the final chicane on my fastest lap was braking from 113 down to 33mph, so that's going to put some wear on those pads!

Another run group gets ready to go. 

If you're looking for a fun way to get your car on track, check out the Track Night in America website!     

    TRACK NIGHT IN AMERICA PAGE