09/03/04 Lotus track day, the 14th for the Meanie in 8,500 miles. As expected, a lot of cool machinery showed up - even my 'ex' Elise! It was really neat to see that car on the track again.

The day was cooler than previous outings and this was reflected in the lap times - consistent 1:39s and a best of 1:38.5 (with a passenger, no less). I'm having a bit too much fun sliding the car around (see short video)...

Why do I say too much? Well, my brand-new tires with less than 1K miles on them are almost down to wear bars (one actially is) and are chunking. Likewise, having just spent $400 on new brake pads and sensors the pad warning light is on again and visual inspection shows about 1/3 of pad remaining. I'll spare you the pictures. OK, this might just be the last track day for the Meanie this year....

09/28/04 Changed the brakes yet again. This time I went with slotted/vented/drilled front rotors from MiniMania which were surprisingly inexpensive and EBC Green Stuff brake pads all around. The front rotors had developed cracks all over their surface but the rears held up OK so I decided to leave those alone. Yeah, I know, I promised to hold off on brake pictures - I lied :)

There are numerous references on the web to Green Stuff pads causing rotors to warp. The pads are supposed to produce a lot less dust than others and generate a lot of friction. Perhaps both contribute to higher temperatures and indeed on the break-in run just using the binders sparingly caused the fronts to smoke. The pads do offer noticeably more braking force for a given pedal pressure - enough to require a readjustment on my part. But anyway, the brakes are now functional again though I don't know if they'd be up to track duty. I also replaced the front brake sensor (the old one wore through and caused the warning light to go on). The MINI sensors have a wire loop that is broken once the rotor wears through the sensor, so if the light goes on the sensor has to be replaced. Turning the ignition to 'run' position without actually starting the engine makes the light reset in about 30 seconds as long as both front and rear sensors are good.

Friday is an Alfa track day, one of the last of the season. I'm debating whether to run the Meanie and risk my brand-new brakes again or just sit it out. I'll see what kind of mood I'm in when the day comes I guess...

10/01/04 Despite earlier intentions to the contrary I just couldn't resist the last bit of great weather for the year and ran one more track day with the Meanie, an Alfa event at PIR. Mother Nature cooperated in a big way, from perfect temperatures to some lunchtime entertainment courtesy of a small Mount St. Helens eruption some 50 miles away. We watched the details on the TV in the club room and could simultaneously see the steam cloud rising in the windows next to it. Neat.

As usual for an Alfa day, turnout was relatively modest (about 70 cars) but very interesting. Alfa days are second only to Lotus ones in terms of quality and variety of machinery.

One of the neatest cars there was an antique Bentley. While it only participated in parade-like 'Fast Tour' laps, it was driven to the event on public roads. I've no idea what this thing is worth but my guess is well into seven figures. It's truly an artifact of another age...

The Meanie performed well as always. Even the new brakes did quite well although after 110 track miles they are showing a bit of wear and the paint on the fronts has wilted so it's no longer green (the rears are still mostly green though). Braking force was strong and consistent with no fade, and the pads didn't even catch fire - that I know of! Left front tire is now a slick and will get replaced tomorrow. For whatever reason, this was the most relaxed trackday ever for me even though I wasn't going any slower. Barely worked up a sweat. I'm wondering if my newly-found comfort in sliding the MINI all over the place will translate to the new Elise that's due to arrive in about 3 weeks... But that is another story ;) Overall, very glad I decided to do the event. An excellent conclusion to Meanie's track season.