Track report - I need a bigger battery, cooling and brakes were fine

[brianman]

Nice write-up. I was just curious if you happened to know or ask anyone at the Ridge if they would be reinstalling their Destination Chargers that they had before the new construction. I recalled they were setup for 12kW before they took them down.

Haven't heard anything.

During the construction, they said they intended to reinstall them but since construction somewhat completed then radio silence.

 

[ahhlun]

Haven't heard anything.

During the construction, they said they intended to reinstall them but since construction somewhat completed then radio silence.

Do you have any videos we can watch?! Do you mind to share them?

 

[flexnix]

Nice write up sir. So technically with a stock M3P I wouldn't be able to track it? Right off the bat it would probably give me brake fluid heat warning? So switching to which higher quality DOT4 fluid would help minimize this?

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Nice write up sir. So technically with a stock M3P I wouldn't be able to track it? Right off the bat it would probably give me brake fluid heat warning? So switching to which higher quality DOT4 fluid would help minimize this?

First off, the brake overheat warning you get from the car is estimated as there's no actual temperature sensor, but if you get it with the stock brakes then it's not just the fluid getting too hot, the rotors and pads will be way too hot so you'll be in fade city before you know it. But, you can certainly track a stock M3P if you're using a brake-friendly track and not asking too much of them.

If your local track isn't brake friendly or you are going to be hunting lap records, the minimum you will want to do is replace the fluid and swap the stock pads for some proper track pads like Carbotech, Endless, RB etc.

 

[llamas]

Haven't been able to get out much in the COVID era, but I managed to make it to The Ridge Motorsports Park (Shelton, WA) yesterday. Open lapping combined with a new-to-me supercharger location (Tumwater) was a big improvement. My 100% rated is 288 mi.

Weather report was 55-60 F cloudy in the morning and 60-65 with sunbreaks in the afternoon.

Rough timeline of the day (from memory + texts):

1. 3:30a - Wake up, shower, load car
2. 4:00a - Wheels rolling
3. 5:30a - Supercharging at Tumwater, WA
4. 7:00a - Arrive at paddock, prep car, take brief nap
5. 8:15a - Driver's meeting (I was listening from my car with windows open) then brief nap
6. 9:00a - Red group on track
7. 9:20a - Turn on track mode
8. 9:25a - Grid up
9. 9:30a - On track, very slippery, couple laps of yellow
10. 9:50a - Off track, thought I missed checkers because I saw 4 exit in front of me.
11. 10:00a - On track, still slippery
12. ~10:40a - Off track
13. 11:15a - Supercharging at Tumwater, WA
14. 1:19p - On track, dry
15. 1:49p - Off track [30min on track, 60% battery used ~ 173 rated miles; track mode compressor setting disabled]
16. 2:29p - Supercharging at Tumwater, WA; pining for 700rmi Model 3
17. 4:01p - On track, dry
18. 4:28p - Off track [27min on track, 66% battery used ~ 190 rated miles; track mode compressor setting enabled]
19. 4:54p - Car loaded, heading to Tumwater, WA before heading home
20. 7:00p - Home

Track time between charges:

1. 20min + 40min = ~60min
2. 30min
3. 27min

Haven't had much track (autocross or lapping) in 2020 and it shows. Especially in the first session; my inputs were not smooth. Even so, I really miss it. :|

Some car specs:

• suspension -- MCS 2WNR (set at 9 rebound 3 compression), 800lb front / 1000lb rear Eibach 6in
• Unpugged Performance SS brake line kit with ATE Type 200 DOT4 fluid
• "gently used" Cobalt pads cut down from a subaru (IIRC) shape
• TSportLine 18" wheels
• all season tires

Great write up, thanks @brianman.

I went to the Ridge for the first time a few months ago and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the charging infrastructure is still not there (more on this below). Here are my notes for comparison:

6:30am: Wake up, shower, breakfast
7:00am: At the Lacey Supercharger, took me 40 mins to get from 65% to 95%
7:40am: Head to the RMP
8:10am: Arrive at the RMP with 85%
8:20am: Drivers meeting, then 2.5 sessions (20-25% battery each)
12:30pm: Drive to the Tumwater Supercharger. It was much more dicey — tons of semi and pick up trucks, some of them blocking the Supercharger spots. I would recommend charging at Lacey over Tumwater. Got from 30% to 90%.
2:30pm: got to the RMP for 2 more sessions

Regarding charging infrastructure: the Ridge used to have a charging station, but it got removed when the performance center was constructed. It sounds like the electrical lines into the facility are at capacity, so adding stations would necessitate upgrading the electrical service from the street — so the RMP would need to invest into their electrical infrastructure if they wanted to add EV chargers onsite.

 

[Freelancer1331]

I noted this in the PNW thread, but I'll share here too; I chatted with Shaye Kane at RMP in February 2022 and was told that they hope to have a charging solution sometime in the next 2-5 years. You can get on their mailing list for updates as progress eventually gets made