Circuit Map: Adams Motorsports Park (AMP), Riverside CA

Last week we had the opportunity to gather some new driving data with help from local driver Vincent Luong and his Subaru Wagon. This small track is particularly unique in that they host many types of events for vehicles ranging from karts, automobiles, super-moto, and even mini-bikes. Adam's Motorsports Park has quickly become a popular local race and hangout location, catering to different motorsports groups and events.

The data acquired from this day was during their Tuesday night "Time-Attack" events held weekly. This day Vincent and his wagon ran against a mixed field ranging everything from run of the mill daily-driven econoboxes, small hatchbacks, muscle cars, to track regular Miatas, S2000's, and even a Lotus.

AMP features various layouts as well as paved/dirt sections for different types of vehicles

Despite being a relatively small track (for automobiles), it's proven to be a popular short track layout with regulars coming in from all over Southern California. It also provides plenty of turns and straights for karts, mini-bikes, and even super-moto, with several layouts to mix it up.

Though we could not participate in the event nor attend this time around, we are happy to announce that we now have Adams Motorsports Park (AMP) circuit map available for anyone with DigSpice to download and use (with official start/finish line).

Our driver data comes from Vincent, a local automobile enthusiast who began grip driving since acquiring his '93 Subaru Impreza Wagon. His initial interest was sparked playing Gran Turismo, and wanting to do the same in real life. He got a great deal and purchased this wagon back in 2010... not knowing it was a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) variant of the popular AWD platform. Since then the wagon has gone through a complete transformation, including an entire AWD drivetrain swap and an EJ22 engine swap (which features mixed components from the EJ18 to increase compression).

Vincent's wagon in the early stages of transformation

How the wagon sits now, she cleans up nicely!

Various STi bits adorn the car inside and out

There's no turbo here! Vincent has plans to swap this NA EJ22/18 for a full 05-07 STi EJ257 in the near future

What's a track car without proper brakes? Large Brembo calipers help scrub speed and heat over the stock units at the track

The simple interior compliments the functional, track-oriented exterior

Hard to believe this wagon used to be something your mom might have been driving to get the kids to school and pick up groceries!

Getting back to the data, in the usual fashion, data recorded has been sent over to the DigSpice programmers in Japan and voila! We have a full circuit map generated using data and points from Vincent's driving data! The same can be done with anyone's data by "tracing" the inner and outer boundaries of a circuit and using the built-in circuit map generator within the Driving Analysis Software included with each DigSpice GPS Data-Logger.

The complete layout/map of AMP is shown, allowing drivers to view their line regardless of what layout they run

Since the complete paved area is shown in the circuit map, any rider or driver can run any layout on the track, clockwise or counter, and still record data like normal. There is no need to change settings or load additional maps if the layout changes. The beauty of DigSpice is it's portability, and the ability to simply turn on the logger when you're ready to go, and then download the data later. No hassle, no set up, just turn on and go!

A screen capture of the fastest lap data latched/synced with video footage from the event

Since we had in-car video from the time-attack event, we are able to load the raw video (most video formats supported), and sync the video to the lap data for real-time footage of the driver at any specific point/time during the lap. Once the video is latched, users can easily skip lap data forward or back, and the video will automatically show the correct frame from that point on the track. For continuous lap data/footage, the video will stay latched even when comparing different laps, making back to back or continuous lap analyzing a cinch.

Because the drivers at this grip time-attack event can rest between heats/sessions, it gives the perfect opportunity to fine-tune settings and driving techniques/lines in between. Novice and experienced drivers alike can benefit from data-logging and post race analyzing, shaving off seconds a little at a time. Being a kart track, it's easy to see that the track is fairly low-speed and technical, favoring smaller, lighter cars. We can see from the data that some of the fastest times in Vincent's wagon were recorded on laps that took the widest line, and when driving as straight in a line as possible through the connecting turns.

We will continue to add more local and kart/motorcycle tracks to expand our library of circuit data that can be downloaded and used by any DigSpice user for free. We also look to feature more unique tracks and personal rides in future blog entries so be sure to let us know when you decide to hit the track!

Big thanks to Vincent, you can find more details on the progress of the car on his build thread at www.rs25.com

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Race Day: Jettribe Lake Elsinore Open Round 4 with Tanaka Racing

Just a quick recap of our last race event (for points) at the Jettribe Lake Elsinore Open for Round 4 of the CA series.

We arrived early again to set up our pit area at Lake Elsinore in sunny California. It's was looking to be another hot day for race day at this closed course race.

Certainly not the biggest, but Tanaka Racing's Tundra is well suited to pull a full trailer with two runabouts and a full-size quad/ATV

 Maneuvering full size trucks and trailers in the makeshift pits can be tricky, but it seems riders/teams stake out the same spots every season, which makes things a little easier if you know your way around. We positioned the truck at a location similar to last season and began unloading our gear/watercraft. Did I mention it was really hot?

Typical of the usual pit setup - large area to work, and canopy to cover all tools, equipment, gear, etc.

This was the temperature just as it was coming down from peak, a canopy/tent is a must here at the lake races

We made a quick tour of the pits and made our way to the front to check the course layout and race schedule. PWC racing is definitely no joke, as some teams bring 4-5 skis per trailer, with full pit crew personnel in tow. Everything from converted panel trucks, vans, commercial trucks, and tricked out personal rides fill the pits and parking area. Many teams arrive early to pick out the best launch area pit spots, as the rest of the shore is dotted with branches and debris, making it difficult to launch and retrieve watercraft.

The Xterra behind this custom GMC dually looks very small in comparison...

Many crews show their support in numbers, as in the case with the KMG racing crew

A shot of the pits on the shore side, these guys come early to set up their tents and launch areas right by the shore

The course layout has a split section similar to the last Lake Perris open layout, and just about as small/technical as the last race. Although max speed won't be realized in this race, previous testing with our DigSpice Data Logger has shown that we have improved acceleration compared to previous data.

Here's the course layout for the day's race

Data from practice sessions and straight line testing showed approximately 3.1-3.5 sec for 0-40mph sprints for Tanaka Racing's stock-engine Ultra 260X

Not sure how clean the waters are but luckily there are showers for those who get into the water

All day, there are skis lined up and ready to go

In all, there were about 50-odd participants spread across 18 races

The line of jet-ski's keeps going and going...

Just before the second set of races, riders in the free style event compete during a timed session. People gathered to watch two riders show their best moves.

Ok... Getting back to the race! Due to the smaller groupings in the Amateur and Novice classes, the runabout stock class was entered in with the N/A Runabout and Expert Runabout (Open class) groups to make for an exciting race.

Akira Tanaka staying close to Evelyn's 300X running in the Women's Runabout class

...however Akira's older 260X could not match the 300X's straight line speed with a close finish

Race #8 proved to be exciting as expected with 3 different classes running head to head with Novice class starting last with a "dead start" (no key in ignition)

The Expert Open class riders come up to the Stock class runabouts at about half way through the race... very fast skis

Anthony's lighter Novice/Stock class RXP-X 260 proved to be a tough competitor

N/A Runabout class skis, such as Brian and Brandon's Sea-Doos also proved to be very quick around the track

Another race finished and some points! Congrats to Akira and Tanaka Racing for their finish!

Viewing the data, we can see that his fastest times were realized taking the smoothest turns with wider radius (red line) through the turns. Despite the short course and stock engine, the ski still managed to hit 50mph in the short straight which is quite something considering the weight of these large runabouts.

The red triangle on the Y-axis of the G map shows the radius of the turn at that moment on the track

At the end of the day, Akira Tanaka managed 1st in Amateur/Stock, and 2nd in Novice/Stock classes for runabouts. With nothing but a 2 man team getting this 1000+lb behemoth watercraft to and from the start line throughout the busy day, it was a long day, but a great finish!

Track Day: TopDrift Round 3 by JustDrift at Streets of Willow w/ Hiro Sumida

With help from Hiro Sumida, long time driver and no stranger to drifting larger 4 door sedans, we were able to gather some great driving and track data from the TopDrift even held by JustDrift. Hiro's original blog post can be found here.

The track was the usual Streets of Willow at the versatile Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA. The kicker was, they were running a new reverse layout for this event.

Shingo and Taka, what are they up to?

Hiro decided to swap steering racks to aid with better steering angle. This new layout is smaller, and Streets of Willow is already a tight track to begin with!

Can never have enough steering angle when it comes to drifting!

Vantage point is always the downside at WSIR... Hard to take photos without zoom lens...

Drifting into the night...

After a long day, we took a look at the driving data Hiro provided to see entry speeds and mid-drift speed and G's. In the images below we can see entry speeds approaching the turn, as well as the max speed along the short back straight into the wide skidpad. Solid lines indicate acceleration, while dashed lines indicate deceleration.

Here you can see the previous circuit map data with Hiro's driving data loaded up onto the Driving Analysis Software. As you can see, this layout utilized sections of the track previously not used during our normal track sections.

Is Hiro offroading? During previous events we have primarily ran the main course layout so no data was present

A quick update to the circuit map and now we have alternate routes shown (click to enlarge)

Now with the updated Circuit Map, users can enjoy easy data-logging regardless of the direction or layout of the track. GPS image-based mapping is possible, but basing our data off actual sampling gives us an accurate track layout.

Big thanks to Hiro Sumida and accompanying crew. We hope to gather more circuit maps as well as additional track layouts at future events!

Follow Hiro's blog for direct updates here at http://www.tomeipowered.com/HiroS4Door/

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Race Day: Jettribe Lake Perris Open Round 3 with Tanaka Racing

We joined Tanaka Racing again this past weekend to log and support the team at the Jettribe Lake Perris Open in the Amateur and Novice classes (since they were running a mostly stock jet-ski). As expected, the California weather pulled through with warm weather throughout the day despite initial overcast and clouds as we arrived at Perris, CA.

Arriving at Lake Perris at 7:30 for initial lake entry inspections

Upon arrival, we stop in a line at the entrance for vehicles towing or entering the water. To prevent the introduction of invasive species, all watercraft are inspected for water in and around the watercraft's hull, and in any compartments. We had no problem getting in, but as you can see from the line forming at 7:30 in the morning, they take it very seriously!

Once past inspection, it was time to set up our pit area and get ready for the driver's briefing and practice sessions. Despite occupying such a small beach area of the man-made lake, organizers did a great job getting racers in and out of the water in time for their heat. At this point, race organizers also do a visual inspection of skis for safety and to make sure skis meet class requirements.

Here we are at the Tanaka Racing pit area, and the Stock class Kawasaki Ultra 260X that Aki Tanaka raced for the day

As the sun began to show its face and the clouds cleared, the beach area became packed with large trailers, motorhomes, large tents, stages, and spectator vehicles. It proved to be quite a challenge to maneuver the large 1000lb Stock-Runabout class Tanaka Racing Kawasaki Ultra 260X to and from the small beach landing with all of the spectators and rival team carts, trucks and pit crew all fighting for the same space between races.

A look at the chaos in the landing area/start line for the day's race layout

After the drivers' meeting, each class of watercraft was allowed to run a brief practice session on the course. We brought our DigSpice GPS-Datalogger to check the Tanaka Racing 260X's cornering speeds in relation to other stock-class rivals. Stock-class Sea-Doo's proved to have an edge on the smaller course layout despite the wide/tight 2-way section of the course.

Data from previous test sessions shows that the heavy 260X suffers on exit-speed,

We can see from the data that as much as 10mph is lost mid-turn during sharp slalom sections in the heavy Kawasaki, even more on hard hair-pins. Watching the G/Radius grid, we see that the ski corners well, pulling as much as 1.2G+ in 45-50M radius turns, but has drop quite a bit of speed. This loss of speed directly translated to the course layout of this day's race, as the course layout proved to be much tighter and smaller than what most racers have anticipated... This layout heavily favored lighter watercraft such as those from Sea-Doo and the lighter/nimble Sport and Stand-up classes.

The course layout for round 3 proved to be a technical challenge for heavier watercraft, barely scratching 50mph

The course starts with the starting gate right from the beach landing, and into the first left-hander. Racers are immediately thrown into the last split/2-way section of the course, splitting the field, only to converge again at nearly full speed as they approach the aggressive slalom section. This slalom is a series of sharp hair-pins which sets riders facing eachother as they make their way through the buoys. As you can imagine, it gets very choppy as the waves from each passing ski hits the next. After the slalom is a high-speed dash to the faster section of the course, which brings rider back to the split-section and to the start/finish line.

Since the Tanaka Racing 260X is set up for off-shore, the non-adjustable sponsons on the side of the watercraft provided too much "grip" for this tight course, not allowing the rear to swing out and carry momentum through the turn. Unfortunately being that the sponsons were non-adjustable, we had to make-do with the settings we had, and will consider changes for the next race.

The view for most of the day, rushing to get Tanaka Racing's 260X in and out as quick as possible

With back-to-back races and 2 heats, the course was always busy and the beach always lined with pit-crew and spectators. A slight start mishap led to a DNS during Tanaka's second heat. After pulling the ski aside and with some beach-side help, a loose starter wire turned out to be the culprit, and we managed to make the final race of the stock-runabout class. Despite the results, this race provided valuable experience for us and the team, and we hope to tag along for the next race at Lake Elsinore in a better prepared ski!

We will continue to monitor the ski and rider's progress with the DigSpice GPS-Datalogger at the next test session, and hope to finish strong at the next race! Stay tuned for more!

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web: www.DigSpice.com
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Dealer Inquiries are Welcome!