Brought the Mazda 6 to the Streets of Willow track for a second time! It was EXTREMELY hot (100-110 degrees the whole day) and my driving was very unconfident so I couldn’t get the goal time I wanted. Originally I wanted to get a 1:39, but I ended the last session with a 1:45 which is only a second off my previous best time from last year. Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed, but I learned a lot and drove back in the same car I came with so that’s good!





My Setup:



Suspension

-Godspeed Mono SS Coilovers (full stiff in all four corners)

-Godspeed Rear Camber Arms (-2.1f, -1.8r, 0 toe)

-Corksport Front Strut Tower Bar

-Corksport Rear Sway Bar



Wheels/Tires

-Genesis Wheels 18x8 +25 front | 18x7.5 +28 rear

-Toyo Proxes 4s All Seasons 255 front 235 rear





What I Have to Improve:
-Braking: I need to brake harder so I’m on the brake for less time and I can stay on acceleration more

-Driving lines: I get sloppy once I get in the mindset of putting down fast times so I end up missing the lines or following them sloppily

-Confidence: My driving confidence has gone down for sure because it’s been so long since I drove at that capacity. The new setup also made the car drive a lot more sensitively (I did end up spinning out in the last session)! I need to work on having confidence in my driving and in the car’s capabilities.



To end this long writeup, the Mazda 6 has a lot of potential in HPDE’s. It’s not a fast car, but it does handle extremely well. With a tune, better driving and better tires this car can definitely put down a 1:35-1:38. My next event with the Mazda 6 will probably be Buttonwillow which is a longer and higher speed track which should be interesting!

 

NEVER, NEVER use your ignition key (or any key for that matter) to cut/slice the tape on a box. The glue residue from the tape with get into your ignition switch (or lock) and eventually cause problems.

 

As always GREAT VIDEO. Looks like you had a GREAT time!

 

For anyone...wanting to improve Track Times I recomend spending some $$$ and get driving lessons. Many tracks offer these Driving Schools and you will improve your BEST TRACK times after attending one of these Schools. I know we all like to think we know how to drive our car fast/quick but self learning unless you are naturally talented (and then you would be professionally racing) takes years of practice. Participating in a driving/Track school will decrease the disadvantage of having to train for years to learn driving skills to race or improve your personal best on a Track. Remember it not all about how well a car is set up but how well the skills of the driver are to lower you Track times.

 

BMWCCA will do track days/driving schools where you do some classroom and then laps in your car with an instructor. Usually two days at the track but you only get about four 30 min driving sessions each day. And you dont need a BMW. I've done buttonwillow a couple of times and Las Vegas speedway (road course) once (about 15 years ago). Lots of fun. And you are better off learning to drive properly in a standard car than a high performance car. It is safer to drive well at the edge of a crap cars ability than a high performance cars envelope where you are going much faster if you lose control... same skills apply...