Solar Yellow

I'm starting to think Julien is incapable of taking a bad picture. I look at a lot of shots, especially from the 'ring, Julien always manages to find new angles to keep things interesting, thanks for that!

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The best lap CG never did at VIR: Porsche 997 GT2 2:06

CG was at VIR yesterday and set us this video illustrating Traqmate Studio's "Theoretical Best Lap" feature. The software will take the video from your session's best segments and paste them together. (which is why you see cars appear and disappear!)

You are riding in a Porsche 997 GT2 and CG reported the track was very cold and grip was marginal. He also is not a fan of the OEM version of the Michelin Pilot Cup tires. The car still needs sorting as it understeers too much in the slower turns. However power is certainly is not lacking when he can put it down, I see a 156 mph (251km/h) on the main straight. That's about 20 mph faster than Stee's old e46 M3. His actual times Friday were in the 2:07 range.

Below is a graph comparing speeds between different cars and track days at VIR:

Red and Blue: CG GT2 (2:07s)

Black: Matt Becker (Lotus test driver/engineer) in CG's Exige S 2:11.9

Green: CG Exige S 2:13

Cyan: Stee M3 2:17

As CG commented (having been in the car with him) Becker is still the king of the "esses" his speed through that tricky section is just phenomenal.



You can see this video on your iPhone at this LINK
for other smartphones, choose this other LINK
when prompted choose "feed me Axis"




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Axis designed Sector 111.5 spoiler

When the brutal forces Adil and CG subjected the Axis-Martini Exige S to proved to be too much for a crucial aerodynamic component, a solution had to be engineered on the spot...

As you know, the Exige body generates a generous amount of downforce, so much so that it proved fatal for the pretty carbon fiber front spoiler CG and Adil had installed on the Axis-Martini Exige toy.

OK, that and the fact that Adil had previously cracked it at an autocross and thought he would cover the crack with a single SCCA sticker. Obviously the speeds at Watkins Glen made the blingy carbon fiber piece fold under and scrape itself into oblivion leaving the car without a chin.

Enter gaffers tape and years of study in a wind tunnel and you have this awesome looking and aerodynamically perfect (it has to be, just look at it) solution. As a bonus point, it proved to be 87% more structurally rigid than the original Lotus part!

Here are a few more pictures from the Group52 track day at the Glen earlier in June.

Finally, Axis Exige S MkII makes debut

I can't believe CG and Adil still hadn't gotten their act together to distribute proper pictures of the latest Axis acquisition... sheesh! Lucky for us Robert Plafta, one of our favorite photographers, snapped the extra tasty Exige S recently at Porsche club Autocross in New Jersey.
This latest Lotus is outfitted with all the factory performance options, LSD, Track pack, race shocks...the works.
Nice to see it has already earned some road rash as well! We should have some more pictures and video after next week end's track day.

In case you are wondering...

...why it is that we have not posted much Axis generated material lately. Well, here's the thing, when you drive street cars at the track often....they break, and at the moment most of our cars are just that, busted!

The Mcoupe has a bad clutch and in need of some buffing, the Spec Boxster has a bad cam position sensor, the M3 and Exige S have some overheating issues... think the Spec e30 is also getting some work done. As fas as I know the EVO and the 997 are the only cars that is running properly at the moment and that's probably only because they are not used as often! Of course we probably all need newbrake pads and tires...

No worries we are working on the "fleet" and we'll be back in action ASAP!.

Axis of Oversteer launches new service.

Axis of Oversteer will torture test your car to verify part durability and failure rates. CG and Adil got started this past week end during PDA's "Grand Slam Weekend" at Pocono Raceway. PDA ran all configurations of the track during the two days and with two drivers, the Exige-S was tested to the limit running the equivalent of 3 one hour enduros. Final tally: a popped off radiator hose and a cracked rotor car had to flatbedded home but it DID complete the day.

After a quick repair at Hunting Ridge Motors, the car was loaded onto a transporter and shipped to VIR where CG, on his first time at that track managed a very impressive 2:13 lap time.

He also got lap data from Matt Becker, chief engineer test driver for suspension development at Lotus. We will have a separate post on that later, suffice it to say that it was QUITE impressive.

After two days at VIR the car is driven to DC where it will again wait for CG to complete his TRI-TRACKTHLON at Lime Rock this next Saturday and Sunday with PCA.

OK Lotus, no charge for this one, but from now on...

I could tell you about Group52 ...

...but then I'd have to kill you!.

I think all us agree that our two days with Group52 were amongst the finest ever track days. Group 52 is a small group which organizes essentially unpublicized events held twice a year at Watkins Glen. Sold out way in advance, entry is as much by recommendation as application and is limited to 52 entries (there are 52 garage spaces at the Glen) give or take a few. It's open track, open passing and limited to very advanced level drivers.






I love Watkins Glen at this time of year, the weather can be perfect and everything, green. Not so the day before the event when Stee CG and I made our way up to out favorite luxury accommodation, the Relax-Inn in Montour Falls in a tropical thunderstorm....and yes CG was driving on shaved RA-1 tires!....
No matter, the next day the sun was out and the temperature perfect.



At the track we found all manner of machinery, most of it made our cars look like they stood still. Highlights a Palmer Jaguar and a bunch of 997 GT3Cup cars most there in the care of Farnbacher-Loles.



CG was running his and Adil's new Gulf (or is it Sunoco?) painted Exige S. It is a stunner of a car. I'm sure when the engine will get a little extra power and get sticky tires it will be uncatchable. I sure enjoyed taking pictures of it!



Amazingly both Stee and I destroyed our previous lap times at the Glen. I found it fairly easy to consistently run at a mid 2:14 sec pace. Running any faster required getting everything cooled and gettign into a "one lap" mindset. Both Stee and I got pretty good at it and in the end he got down to a 2:12.5 and I to a 2:12.3. Reasonable times for cars with full interior and air conditioning!


Going fast uses brakes and I discovered that Walter from OffCamberMotorsport (our #1 brake pad vendor) was right when he said that Performance Friction pads work ALL the way to the backing plate! check this out... and braking performance was still there.







After the first day and after the obligatory stop at Walmart for some great deals on micro fiber cloths and 50lb bags of cow chow (I kid you not...look at the picture). we headed for another of the Glen's secret trasures, the Stone Cat cafe. It's a fantastic restaurant on the east side of Seneca Lake a few miles out of town. Excellent organic local food and BBQ, reasonably priced and quite the change from the average track food!




We all had just purchased ChaseCam PDR-100 setups hooked up to our Traqmates and the system performed very well, I will have a separate write up later next week. I can confirm that the Chase 3 suction cup mount is good to at least 138mph...that was my top speed when I got a tow drafting Stees M3 through the back straight. That's 4 mph faster than I can go on my own very cool!

Here is a video with Traqmate data overlay of that first day's 2:12 lap. The video quality is not the best as I have yet to figure out which video format TrackVision likes to ingest....in fact I cannot wait until they come out with the long awaited 2.0 version of their product.

It comes out at 2:12.6 because of where I put the timing marker in Trackvision. My Traqmate time was 2:12.5


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Here is the raw Traqmate data for the above lap. You can download the free Traqview software HERE

I will download the faster 2:12.3 lap later tonight and post it tomorrow...


enjoy!

Nice save...

Continuing with our "Week of Awesomeness" reporting, about as good a save as I have ever seen: CG showing the Exige S who's boss right after cresting the uphill at Lime Rock.




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I love the number 12

Tired after a long day of open track Stee and I have a new favorite number: 12 as in 2:12. Just to think that last year we were ecstatic to have finally turned at 2:16.
Stee had a best lap at 2:12.7, 2/10 from my time of 2:12.5....amazing. CG deflowered the Exige S at 2:14.6....he wants more power and stickier tires!
Great video coming soon.

Axis going for a track day world record!

the perfect storm of scheduling has hit the Axis for the next 10 days: 5 cars and an aggregate of 15 track days and at least one autocross.
CG was at Pocono with Adil for a double infield open track day with PDA. Then it's on to Lime Rock on Tuesday with SCDA for a Lotus Clam bake and then straight from there to Watkins Glen for 2 days of open track with Group 52 on Wednesday and Thursday.
Stee will be joining CG for Group 52 then on to Summit Point to instruct at Hyperfest on the 23rd and 24th. badbadM will be doing the spec e30 NASA race there.
I was supposed to instruct at Watkins Glen next Monday and Tuesday but had to cancel because the MCoupe is still at the fabricator getting the roll bar, but I lucked out when HRM Motors' boss Mark Starr had to cancel his spot with Group 52...so I will be at the Glen with CG and Stee next wednesday/thursday then down to Summit to instruct at Hyperfest with Stee...

hopefully our cars will not explode.

Cool thing is that this week saw the debut of Adil's and CG's new toy...the Axis-Gulf S-exige! it is going to be an awesome track car...more on it as the marathon progresses.

Nice garden, you let cars drive on that?

Mas du Clos has to be one of the most gorgeous looking tracks on the planet, look at those manicured runoff lawns! They must be very exciting when it rains but man, they look pretty.

Here are some great shots from the Track4Fun guys who had what looks like a very Lotus-centric track day. Excellent pictures by Zamp and AlexF.

At the bottom is a movie clip from a 996GT3. Don't get thrown by the music, just a bit of humor which ends with the first oversteer moment!














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