I'm taking my '07 G35 Coupe 6MT out to Summit Point Raceway, WV next month for an HPDE - 1st time for this car. Looking forward to seeing how she performs on the road course with mild mods (see signature). I plan to capture some in-car video at the event.


My primary track car is a Corvette C5. Here's a video from the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and at Watkins Glen. The G35 is my daily driver. This is the Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit in my old '93 Celica GT (momentum car).

 

Have fun! I imagine it might feel slow and heavy compared to your C5 though.

Nice C5, looks like you're flying through the course.

 

I've never rode along in a C5 yet. But I sure do pass a lot of them. But thats all driver there, I think a C5 is faster with a similar talented driver.

My advice - keep an eye on those brakes. If you push it hard those EBC Yellows won't last a whole day. I found out my '07 brakes were inadaquate wery quickly.

 

I'd be interested in seeing how the EBC yellowstuff does.

 

I usually run the Carbotech XP10/XP8 or the Wilwood H or E pads on my Corvette. I've run the EBC Yellows successfully on the Celica GT with no issues (albeit a lighter car than the G35).

I'm bringing an extra set of OEM pads should the EBCs not last the day on the G35. I'll keep you all posted on how well they do at the track. The Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit is tough on pads. Here's the track layout:

 

Thats a nice track

 

Good driving if you're passing a Corvette C5 - is that autocross or road course? It often comes down to driver skill. I have some great video of me beating up a Corvette C6 Coupe and a Lotus Elise in my old Celica GT on this circuit. Nothing beats seat time!

 

Are you going to the October 24 FATT? If so, I'll see you there.

 

I'm going to the TrackDaze event on 4-5 October. Hope to see you around at future events with the G35.

 

It's going to be my first time on a track (except for a couple slow laps in a stock car down at Old Dominion Speedway). Because I know that I will be hooked, I purchased a helmet yesterday.

I do have a question about my pads. I am currently running Porterfield Rs-4's in my front 6 pot Wilwoods and Hawk HPS in my rear stockers. The combination has worked fine on the street, do you think I will have any issues?

Any tips in prepping for the track would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

You're going to have an awesome time! It's very addictive - enjoy the experience and be prepared to learn a lot. Take a look at my other thread in this section: "New to HPDE: Here's some helpful hints". You're OK to use your current brake pads since you're in Level 1. However, I don't recommend the Hawk HPS for the road courses as you begin to build more skill and speed. Take a look at Carbotech XP8 for really good quality track pads. Looking forward to hearing about your experience. Mike

 

Had a great time at Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit with my G35 Coupe! Here's a short video - the weather was great. I'm looking forward to adding the 3 upgrades in my signature below and then I'm done - ready to take the car back out next season. Mike

 

Who else on the forum takes their car on the road courses (HPDE or racing)? I see plenty of modified G35s on the street, but not many at the track....

 

I've done a lot of HPDE this year. I've recently been bumped up from Intermediate to Advanced so I don't need an instructor to ride along any more. Now I'll probably get my butt kicked by everyone else in the run group as I'm getting into the moderately modified group and I'm continuing to run street tires. I got two events left this year and I'm going to pick up 2 autoX next month sometime as well. Unfortunately with the mods I'll be classed as XP in autoX which means I'll only be competing with my buddy driving my car.

I've never bothered to hook up a camera yet. I've been thinking about it for a while but there's always something better to spend my money on, besides none of my friends want to watch me zoom around a track anyway. They think it's blasphemy that I drive my car so hard.

 

I am counting the days until October 24th!