I did not have a chance to drive on any tracks for over 3 months at the end of 2005.
I knew that had to change in 2006, and I wasted no time, completing a track day at Mobara Twin Circuit on 01/05.The car I would be piloting is my newly acquired 1999 Honda Integra Type R. It's equipped with some useless garbage:
Mugen intake
Amuse exhaust
Zeal Superfunction coilovers w/standard rates of F14k/R10k (I have F15k/R22k Swift springs waiting in the wings, but the wife has told me I can't install them until the car is retired from street duty.
)Spoon front strut tower bar
Spoon calipers w/Cobalt Friction Spec VR front brake pads and Endless RF650 brake fluid
Bridgestone RE-01R street tyres in 215/45/16
The event was held by an organization called "JASC". The track required taping of the lights and taping a number to both doors of the car. The course would be run in normal layout. Timers were available for rental for the small fee of $10. The track time was divided between grip and drift. The weather was the coldest I have ever been in at a track day. It even snowed during lunch, making it the only the second time I've seen snow fall.
There were two groups of grip, one for beginners and one for anyone who had driven on a track before. I had wanted to run in beginner due to my unfamiliarity with the track, the tyres, and the car. They forced me into the faster group when they learned I had prior experience.
When I received the list of cars in my run group, I was horrified. Track days are not races, but at the same time, no one wants to be a rolling road block. It appeared that I was going to have to try to learn the track while not holding up EVERYONE else in the group up. In my group, I shared the track with the following:
Civic Ferio(EK4), completely gutted (interior consisted of a dash and driver's seat) on Advan A048 race tyres (the apparent tyre of choice, as you will see)
Lancer Evolution (CT9A) heavily modified (upgraded turbo, etc) on Advan A048 race tyres
Supra TT (JZA80) on Azenis RT615 street tyres
S2000 (AP1) race prepped (cage, seat, harness, fiberglass body panels, etc) on Advan A04javascript:emoticon(':P')8 race tyres
S2000 (AP2) (lightly modded) on Bridgestone RE-01R street tyres
STi Spec C Type RA (GDB) (full compliment of bolt-on's) on Advan A048 race tyres
STi (GCB) heavily modified (upgraded turbo, etc) on Advan A048 race tyres
STi (GCB) heavily modified (upgraded turbo, etc) on Advan A048 race tyres
The race prepped S2000 was very intimidating due to the "Mobara Twin Circuit" sticker he sported on his trunk. Also the fact that nearly all of the cars were equipped with race tyres AND had twice the HP made me worry that I would never get a clean lap in without having to yield to a faster car. It became very clear to me why so few people in Japan bring FWD Honda's to the track.
Mobara's East circuit is a very technical track and reminds me a lot of a big autocross course. I suppose, the "tightness" of the course is what makes it such a big hit with the drifters.
Track impressions (please take with a grain of salt, due to the fact I'm a track n00b):
Looking at this map, I'll start from the front straightaway.
After coming down the front straight, I was in third gear. Only a slight tap of the brakes was required before turning into Turn 1. I apexed late here to set me up for Turn 2.
Under braking for Turn 2, I downshifted to second gear. This corner required the most braking as you're still carrying most of your speed from the straightaway. Another late apex, to make sure I was ready for Turn 3.
On the short straightaway between Turn 2 and 3, I was forced to upshift to third gear. An ever so slight lift of the throttle was all that was needed before turning into Turn 3. I apexed this corner normally and tracked out to the right.
In third gear, I headed into the first chicane, which is Turn 4. I braked slightly before tapping the first berm in the right hander, then tapped the second berm in the left hander. This chicane felt more like an autocross than a road course. It is a very slow section of the track.
Coming out of the first chicane, I was still in third gear, so I downshifted to second gear before turning into Turn 5. Turn 5 is nothing special, basically a u-turn. Hit the apex, nail the gas and you're on your way to Turn 6.
A shift to third is required before turning into Turn 6, but no braking is required. I went flat out through here. The right hander here has no berm, and the left hander has only a slight bump. This slight bump will help the inside rear to get a little bit more air, as you hit the apex.
As I headed into Turn 8, I had to brake significantly harder than I did for all other corners except for Turn 2. A downshift to second gear is required here as it is a fairly tight turn. I apexed this corner late again, then aimed directly for the apex of Turn 9.
Turn 9 is a chicane in theory. In reality, I found it was not really a turn at all, IMHO. I went flat out through here and shifted into third gear in the middle of it. I treated this section as part of a straightaway that leads into Turn 10 (the final turn).
I had a decent amount of speed heading into Turn 10 and was in third gear. I made sure I was on the right edge of the track before turning in. As you brake, you will feel like you're heading straight into the wall. A late apex in this turn allowed me to get notably more exit speed.
And in a nutshell, that's what driving around Mobara in an ITR is like. Sorry, we don't have a video camera here in Japan, so no in-car video.
At the end of the day, the lap times were as follows:
S2000 (AP1) 48.65
S2000 (AP2) 52.98
Civic (EK4) 54.xx
STi (GDB) 53.87
Evo (CT9A) 53.72
Both of the GCB-type STi's were in the high 53's.
I managed a 52.16 in the ITR, meaning the three fastest cars of the day were non-turbo Hondas.
I'm sure I'm still leaving some time on the table, so I'll attack this track again in the future.I autocrossed my ITR for 3 years in stock class, so the tight transitions of this track were nothing new to me. For those who wish to begin their track driving career, I would highly recommend learning at this track. Learning the basics on a very technical course will reap huge benefits later, when driving on a much less technical road course, IMHO.
Next up is attending Tokyo Auto Salon on 01/13, then a track day at Tsukuba on 01/14. It will consist of two, timed, 30 minute sessions. I can't wait.
I'll add pics to this thread later, it's 4:00 AM here and I need to get some sleep.
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