The first time I have ever raced on road atlanta was the best thing that I have ever done!!!! I had a whit rx8 out on the track and that was what I wanted to do for my birthday... there was a **** load of cars there that day but a couple stood out... there was a orange new GT 500 that could not do anything in the turns so I did pass his *** twice! in one day... then there was a guy that I was talking to in between races that was driving a STI and he really thought that he was going to just blow by me.. But one thing I did learn there is that your car will not win you the race you have to know what your doing out there to be fast at all.. So as we were racing on the track I see the guy in his STI I start to gain on him as soon as we get into the turns I was throwing my car into every turn as hard as I could.. I already knew the correct race line to take on the track through my uncle and him teaching me.. I was gaining on the STI so fast it wasnt even funny next thing I knew I was right on his ***!! He really didnt want to have to signal for me to pass him but he couldnt shake me and was forced to.. I laughed my *** off as I was passing him.. I dont care what you all say the STIs are not that fast on the track even when we were on the back straight he couldnt gain on me... I think it was because he was older and so was the GT500 and they really werent trying to prove as much but still you know they had to feel pretty dumb when they seen me go by.. the guy in the sti after the race came up to me and started giving me excuses as to why he lost I thought it was pretty funny considering he had about 60 more hp than me.. I had new racing brake pads on my car and a K&N intake and some FALKEN wheels and tires put on before race day..
take your car to the track learn alot and apply it when your out there you will be very suprised with how well the rx8's do out there like I was... it was by far one of the best experiences of my life..

 

I love a story with a happy ending. Sounds like you had a great time.

 

Sounds like you had fun.
But, were you really racing? Doesn't sound like a race event.

 

Lol. I just read through this post in its entirety and...

a) this was not a race. it was an open track day with point byes- there's a HUGE difference.
b) A well driven STi>RX8 always.

Anyhow, your enthusiasm was great, yet, your perspective on the notion of speed will evolve in time, regarding what certain types of cars can do. Cheers.

 

Cameron,
Are you local to Atlanta? There is a good community of people here that run all levels of HPDE and Time Trial with several different organizations.
Also plenty of local 8 drivers who just like to meet up for the heck of it.

https://www.rx8club.com/se-rx-8-forum-30/nasa-road-atlanta-march-whos-going-134682/

http://GaRx8club.com

Feel free to PM me if you want to meet up with some local trackers

 

I agree that a well driven sti is faster than and rx8. But overall I liked the sti but after the initial violent push it fell on its face up top.....but that would be easily fixed wioth some modifications. Both are great cars and I chose the 8 based on the price I got it for and just liked it more. Sti' aren't really ever marked down here in Canada. 46K plus taxes......little pricey....couldn't justify it.

 

Relative to the RX8, it's still making more speed up top. Relative to itself, it feels like fell on its face up top.

 

yea I know it wasnt a competition but doesnt mean that they werent pushing there self to the limit... the funniest thing is that the GT500 was one of the slowest cars there... when I was behind him from the start he was all over the track I mean you could just see how top heavy they are and they definitly had no suppension helping the situation to me the mustang is a very porly made car.... I have hated them since that... I mean thats supposed to be the best of mustangs and thats all it could do with 500 hp.... I mean come on he porbably spent around 50 something on it and it was horrible on the track the tires that were on it stock were so generic I couldnt believe it... but ah well I didnt buy the piece of **** I got my 8 and very happy with it every day I drive it.... I will be posting my pics of the race day here as soon as I get a chance...

thank u.

 

"pushing to the limit" is much quicker than you're imagining. Pushing to the limit is the ragged edge of control- smoothly and precisely.

A GT500, stock, in well instructed hands will tear up many things out there. It will smoke our RX8. The new Mustang platform is much better than many people (including yourself) perceive it to be.

 

awwwe southFL, let the n00b have his shining moment in the sun as he passes other n00bs on the track lol

though i do highly recommend using punctuation...

 

with 300hp on tap, it better beat the rx8. Thing is with most folks, they rely on the hp to make up for their mistakes at the curves. The rx-8 works with the driver and ultimately be more rewarding as you work to carry more speeds into the curves. Momentum thing. Not point and shoot.

 

I've heard the same thign sabout EVO's. Very point and shoot(pedal) driving

 

glad to hear I am a noob.... oh and thanks for the english lesson dude.... but anyways yea I am sure the GT500 is a pretty good car but I am living in bowling green ky where the corvette is made and I would definitly say that if I had the money I would buy a vette over a shitty stang... oh and dude just because you have more posts than me doesnt mean your all badass it just means your online more than me... oh and you all are probably right I am sure if I spent 50k on a car I probably wouldnt push it as hard as everyone else.. but in the back straight there is no excuse and honestly the stang really isnt to much faster....

all I am saying is that the mustang is not worth what people pay look at the tires that come with it.... horrible... and they weigh way to much not really a great track car..

 

Cam, I wonder why all your detractors think the guy in the STi felt the need to discuss his issues with you if he wasn't "pushing" himself nor his car? A few years back I met Olddragger, Marietta8, legocken, and a bunch of other ATL people when they invited me to attend an HPDE at Road Atlanta. By the last two sessions of the weekend we were all pushing ourselves and our cars. That's the whole ponint of the event. At that time there was a guy with a then-new '05 Mustang who thought he was so bad-*** that he put his name on his door. Anyway, he and I were going back and forth in the expected spots on the track When he began to consistently falter he wouldn't let others pass. So, I got about 6 inches off his bumper in all the turns because I knew my brakes were better than his. He became so distracted that he went flying off into the grass/sand. That was funny.

 

-If you had 500hp on tap, you would drive your car slow on a road course as well until your right foot learned how to modulate the throttle.

-On the back straight, your head is faster than anything out there from what I gather. Your head>GT500.

-Weight and body roll doesn't mean a car can't turn a fast lap time.

-I've passed Vette drivers on road courses many a time. Does that mean the Vette sucks? No. It's an incredible car.

-Seat time will teach you many things. I'm still learning myself. One thing you will see is what any car can do in the hands of a good/bad driver. I've been mighty surprised many a time to see what's passing me and what I'm passing.
You're greatly understimating the capabilities of the cars which you're mentioning in this thread.

 

I've run off a Z06 (twice in one session) in front of me on the same carousel. Z06's must suck as track cars

 

Just goes to show that racing is as much about psychology as it is vehicle capability. You should see me on a dragstrip!

 

^What you posted in #14 & #17 reminds me of what Michael Schumacher once stated after a race

 

Oh I agree its much much faster than an rx8. I mean when driving the sti, its power drops off at higher rpms so it feels like it falls on its face. Also, I agree that sti's are making more power all over the rpm range but in top end, even though it would start to walk away from an rx8, I know they dont walk away that fast. From track experiance and having a friend who owns an sti. He pushes his car very hard and on the straights he pulled away but not a whole lot. Maybe a car or two by the end of the straight.

 

I hope I never have to share a track with you. That kind of abject stupidity would get you black flagged with any of the groups I run with.

Was the Mustang driver in the wrong? Certainly... but using your car to attempt to intimidate him into having an off track excursion is not right either, and it's incredibly dangerous. I'll suggest the same thing to you that I suggest to my students: if someone is holding you up on track and won't give you a point-by, pull into the pit hot lane the next time around to give yourself some space from the offending driver, instead of trying to intimidate or force yourself past.

If it really becomes an issue, mention it to the chief driving instructor once you come off track. Let the organizers take care of the other driver's behavior instead of taking it into your own hands and endangering all of the people sharing the track with you.

 

Best advice given at these events. Red mist must be tempered immediately before one's judgement is impaired. I even apply it to highway driving- will get off at an exit and get back on again if I find myself tangled with another driver.

 

I bet that extra 200+hp helped "unsuck" the Z06.

 

+1, just think how mad you would be if someone else did that to you and then came online and bragged about it.

 

Could have been the Rustang owner sweet mullet got in the way of his vision

 

Thanks for the comment.