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NASA Northeast

GHIT 0261: Our NJMP HPDE Event – Part Deux

Everyone prepping to push
Audra, Elizabeth and Lisa
Audra's M2
SAMSUNG CSC

GHIT 0261:  Our NJMP HPDE Event – Part Deux

We had a large group of drivers at the recent NASA Northeast HPDE event at NJMP’s Lightning course.  Since schedules did not fully coincide last week, we broke our group up into two different episodes.  We start off with our usual goals for the weekend and cover how the event went.  For this NJMP HPDE, we had Audra on who had never been to this track and was driving her 2017 BMW M2 for the weekend.  Adam came to the event and was going to use Bill’s M3 but due to mechanical issues, he had to use Vicki’s 1999 turbo NB Miata for one of his stints.  Elizabeth was trying her new to her SpecE30 on the track.  Lisa returns for a second visit on this event and drove Audra’s M2 at the event in the Hyperdrive session

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Helmet looking for a driver

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  We start off with our personal goals for the event.  Each event we try to make sure we each have at least one goal, but no more than 3 for the weekend.

2)  Elizabeth had a bit of motion sickness after going out with Bill as a passenger.  We may have found a cure for this, hopefully it will prevent motion sickness as well.  We will test this again at our next few events.

3)  Each level of the HPDE has a download session and some of the levels have classrooms during the weekend.  We discuss the benefits of each and offer some suggestions for further improvement.

4)  Highlights from the weekend and our traditional Good, Bad, and the Ugly

5)  Adam advanced from HPDE 1 to HPDE 2.

6)  Audra advanced from HPDE 1 to HPDE 2.

7)  Vicki advanced from HPDE 2 to HPDE 3.

8)  Elizabeth advanced from to HPDE 2.

9)  We also shared a ton of Ahh Hah moments we had at this event.  Its awesome to hear how everyone of us progressed.

10)  Adam gave a good review of driving the E46 M3 vs the turbo NB Miata.

GHIT 0261: Our NJMP HPDE Event – Part Deux

Spec E30 vs @46 M3
SAMSUNG CSC

HPDE at NJMP Lightning with NASA NE

2019 ND2 Miata

GHIT Podcast 0203: Our Latest HPDE with NASA Northeast in May 2021 at NJMP Lightning

We review our latest high performance driving education (HPDE) event at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey.  We had four drivers at the event from our team.  Jennifer, Vicki, and Liam were in the HPDE 2 run group for this weekend. Bill was in the HPDE 3-4 group.  We each learned quite a bit a this event and we are all better drivers after these two days on NJMP Lightning.    

On this episode’s Dominating with Dawson, Ben goes into the acronym OSB. OSB is sometimes used to describe someone in a learning environment where it stands for “Other Sports Beckon”.  We believe that anyone can learn how to drive at a track or an autocross event.  While there are differences in everyone at the rate that they learn, or their initial skill/experience level, literally everyone can get to a very proficient level. But they take need to be open to learning and be willing to put in the effort to improve.  We then move into how different teaching approaches are better able to match with different student personalities and how the needs of the student may change as their experience and skill level progresses.

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. 

Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it. This would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/NJMPHPDEMay2021

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS 

Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, we have a discount code for all Apex Pro systems. You will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1) Car reviews:  Jennifer was in a 2019 ND.2 Mazda Miata with the stock OEM Continental tires and brakes.  Liam was in his 2017 Toyota 86 TRD with Hankook RS4 tires and Raybestos ST-43 racing pads.  Vicki was in her 1999 NB Miata with a Flyin’ Miata Turbo, Hankook RS4 tires and ST-43 racing pads.  Bill was in his 2004 BMW E46 M3 with yellow Pagid brake pads and Michelin Pilot SuperSport 4 tires.

  • Turbo Miata NB
  • 2004 E46 M3

2)  Telemetry we used for this event:  Apex Pro and Garmin Catalysts.

3)  How we owe our friends Jeff and Jim from the Three Pedal Mafia for saving our weekend by letting us use their family’s RV.  Let’s just summarize by saying our prep for the vent did not go as planned.  Situation normal.

4)  Vicki’s prep to her turbo NB Miata did not go as planned before the event and at the event, but we did a few adjustments and all went well.  It should be back up and running for our HPDE at Mid Ohio this coming weekend.  Pro tip, do not try to adjust your wiring harness while the car is running.

5)  Vicki and Jennifer’s thoughts on being in HPDE 2 vs HPDE 1.  It was Vicki’s second time in HPDE 2 and Jennifer and Liam’s first time in HPDE 2.  We also go into some of the differences in the HPDE’s between this event and some of the other organizations we have attended.

6)  Let’s talk about point by’s at every post stint debrief, lol.

7)  Vicki’s impressions of driving the E46 M3 on track for the first time.

8)  We go over our goals going into the event and how we did during the event and what we learned over this weekend.  We also go into some of the challenges we each face as we progress and grow as drivers on the track.

9)  Liam pops in for a quick summary towards the end with his thoughts on the weekend.  He also had a great time at the event and finally had a chance to be on track with the Garmin Catalyst.

GHIT 0203:  HPDE at NJMP Lightning with NASA North East

GHIT 0067: Watkins Glen HPDE Review

Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International

Welcome to our latest podcast episode where we review our Watkins Glen HPDE with NASA North East at the world famous racetrack.  We had a great weekend with 5 of our team showing up and two other friends from the Everyone Racers Podcast and The Three Pedal Mafia racing team, Chris and Chrissy.

Just some of the cars in attendance

We summarize the prepping of the many cars we brought and the debacle it became for almost every car we brought.

Cars we prepped for the Watkins Glen HPDE included:

  1. BMW E36 1998 race car
    1. Roll bar prep and Passenger racing seat installation
    2. Issue:  Will not start as we were prepping to leave.  Issue still TBD
    1. Roll bar padding and switch to racing seats and racing harness from OEM
    2. Issue:  4-point belts are not acceptable so hot swap at Watkins Glen to install two new 6-point harness sets
  2. 1999 Mazda MX-5 Turbo Miata with Flyin Miata Turbo
    1. Installed new roll bar
    2. Issue:  did not finish roll bar installation and did not remember to reconnect the battery before giving it to Jennifer
  3. 2019 Mazda MX-5
    1. Mostly no issue, except cleaning
  4. 2017 Toyota GT TRD
    1. Bad Lug bolts and Missing Lug bolts
    2. Waited until day before to get parts, ended up with bad hub threads and missing bolts, and doesn’t know how to click the pay button after registering for the HPDE
    3. Cue the sad trombone please
  5. 2013 Dodge Dart
    1. Did not have time to change to race seats, nor brake pads and fluid, nor tires from standard OEM
  6. 2017 BMW M240i
    1. No issues since Chris and Chrissy are always prepared, unlike us.
  7. Race Prepped Honda Civic

Brad was an excellent test passenger for three different cars on the track.  He reviews his first ever race laps in the Turbo NB MX-5 versus the race prepped Honda Civic vs a new Acura NSX. 

Team photo WGI 2019
Our team for the weekend

Vicki, Jennifer, and Bill covered our in car instructors and areas we worked on and improved over the weekend. 

These areas included:

  1. Track vision
  2. Racing lines in general
  3. Braking points and braking pressure and the proper application and removal of the braking pressure
  4. Turn in Points
  5. Input sequencing
  6. Several drills, including vision and non-shifting the entire lap or session
  7. Car control
  8. Learning and feeling what is correct and what isn’t with immediate feedback
  9. Late apexing vs early apexing and turn in
  10. Prep is key to racing

In addition, we also reviewed our thoughts of the track and the NASA North East HPDE event in general. 

We also reviewed the relative performance of the Turbo 1999 NB MX-5 to the newly updated 2019 MX-5 ND.

GHIT 0067: Watkins Glen HPDE Review

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