[LPM911]

Originally Posted by vranko

Nice job Ryan. 9Magazine has some great shots of your car already up on their Facebook page.

link?

[Ryan]

Recap of Sebring…sorry long winded, but a lot went on. Weekend was full of a lot of lows, but ended on a high note. First thanks to Charlie, Omar, Art, and Roberto from Intersport for all their support this weekend. Lots of little stuff needed to be sorted out which was no big deal, but major problem I had was “Ice mode” with the brakes. This is where you brake hard, the ABS gets confuses, and instead of 100% brake pressure, the pedal gets hard and you’re all of a sudden limited to about 20% braking capability.

Thursday Morning Test And Tune:
Just finished lightly raining (the only rain for the weekend), so track was damp. Went out for about 20 minutes just to rattle the car around and see what happened. Took it real easy. Came in and realized a few things didn’t work. I was getting no lap times or MPH on the AIM Pista. Turns out the brand new $400 GPS module went bad. None to be had in the paddock. Was bumming out because without that I’d have no Idea how I was doing…2:20s or 2:40. Mark from OG saved the day. He had a Smartycam which has built in GPS. It hooks directly into the AIM, which in turn can use the GPS. Lap times and speed now available so during qualifying I know what I’m doing. New Replay1080 w/hardwire remote was randomly shutting off. Talked to Mark and it’s a known issue he has encountered before. Need to upgrade the Version, then run a clean power supply from fuse box. Didn’t have time during the weekend to do, so no video. Well I had the smartycam he lent me, but that failed to record also…argh. Brakes felt real soft, so Intersport bled them.

Thurday Afternoon Test and Tune:
Go out easy at first, then try and pick up the pace. As I come around the S/F line Charlie goes, “Hey Ryan you just turn another 3 minute lap “. Fvck, like I don’t already know I’m going slow. Brakes are still soft, then go into “Ice mode” every other corner. Tried to figure out what was going on with the brakes. Went of 4 times in T7 (down the runoff road) as I messed with how to apply the brakes. Ice Mode every time. Corner workers must have thought “who is that idiot”. After coming close the wall in T1, figured it was too dangerous to be out there and came in. We ordered a new PCCB master cylinder from Suncoast and they delivered it to the track that afternoon. We also had a PSM failure indicating no steering angle sensor available. Turns out it’s in the clockspring that was removed. Had that overnighted as well.

Friday Morning First practice:
Go out and brakes feel good. Nice stiff pedal and no ice mode. Come in feeling good. Look at timing sheet and can’t find my name. Oops, Charlie forgot to hook up the power to the transponder. From the AIM I was doing low 2:27s. Car felt great. Handled awesome. We made no adjustments all weekend to the suspension. Not that it might not need minor tweaks, but handled good and most my focus was on the brakes.

Friday Morning Second practice:
Crap! Ice mode happening again. Come in after a few laps because too dangerous.

Friday Morning Third practice:
Put clockspring back in, removed PSM fault, then went out. Same Ice Mode problem. Come in after a few laps.

Friday Fun Race
Miss the fun race, as Charlie and Art are programming out a lot of the stuff in the Gateway using the PIWIS. After some research, we disconnect the Yaw Sensor and change pad compounds on the rear brakes. Brakes feel ok zooming thru the paddock.

Saturday Warmup
Art and Charlie decide to try program out a few more things in the morning. I test the car in the paddock, and ABS is now totally gone. Locked up the wheels a few times and flat spotted the tires. Decide to go out and just learn to drive the car with no ABS. Well turns out it was more than just no ABS. Wheels would lock when applying very little brake pressure. Just tried to survive getting around the first yellow flag lap without wrecking. Came in. Now tires have lots of flat spots.

Saturday Qualifying
Missed it all together. Art and Charlie stuck trying to change programming back to what it was the night before. PIWIS isn’t cooperating and it’s saying my car is an automatic. Can’t get it to program. I take my driving suit off, and am about to pack it in for the weekend. Was none to happy. Finally able to program it 15 minutes before Sprint 1.

Saturday Sprint 1
Ok, I’m starting DFL, in a new car with unknown brakes, on a track I’ve only gotten about 1hr “practice” in, if you can call it that. I figured I was last guy out, so when start came, I’d just putz along and test out the brakes, and could come in after one lap before the field caught me if they didn’t work. Start came, I hung back, and tested the brakes. Ok, hard pedal only once during the lap, I’m staying out. I adjusted my brake points back about 150-200ft from where I should brake, and drove. Ended up moving up about 15-20 positions, and ½ way thru the H field. Could have moved up further in H, but got stuck behind a GT4R car. Would have had plenty of opportunities if the brakes were good, but couldn’t find a safe enough time with the bad brakes. The 3 H cars that were only 3 seconds away, soon where over 30 seconds away because I was stuck. Luckily I’ve been driving 997 variants for 6 years, so I was used to handling a car like this. Thing stuck like glue to the track…even on flatspotted HoHos. Have to admit I was scared sh!tless out there. Had to be very carefull that when passing under braking, I had enough room just in case the pedal went hard. Survived the race. While disappointing because I couldn’t drive it as hard as it should be, and couldn’t make a lot good passes because of the brakes, at least I finished.

Saturday Sprint 2
Bad brakes and all I still qualified 3rd in class for Sprint 2. Was a lot more nervous starting here, as I know I would try to be more competitive. Had to keep mentally reminding myself not to try and win, but just survive and don’t do anything stupid. Pull into grid and I see a guy looking under my car, then see him call over another guy. They send me back to the paddock because they saw what they though was an oil line hanging down. Crap! Zoom back to Intersport, and turns out it was the weld for the O2 sensor bung broke, and the 02 sensor was dragging. Art pulls out the airbox, and yanks the 02 sensor, and puts airbox back as fast as he could. I jump in the car and haul ass thru the paddock trying to get back on grid. Yea I know, not supposed to, but don’t want to start DFl again. Grid closes 5 minutes before release. I get up there and they let me in. As I pull into my spot, I see the 2 minute signal. Thank you grid guys for letting me in. Get passed early by another H car because he could out brake me, and did. But had a nice time battling a 964 H trading places a few times, and finishing 4th. Still disappointed, but I survived and didn’t do anything stupid. Got the ice mode down to only happening about 10 times during this race. Most times it did, I would have to rim shoot the corner, but because I moved the braking points back, never went off.


Sunday Enduro
Qualified 3rd in class and 13th overall. Didn’t bother putting on sticker hohos. Figured I wouldn’t be competitive, so ran the same flatspotted hohos I had been using since Thurs. Go out in formation and I realize I’m screwed. 2 H cars to my left, but they are behind a GT4R car. I’m stuck on the outside behind a G car for the start. Start comes, and I try and power by the G car to the right, but he squeezes me to the wall and I have to brake to keep from wrecking. Damn 2 positions gone and not even at T1. Get to T3 and I somehow wiggle by enough to get back 1 position. By the end of the first lap, I’m running behind 2 other H cars for P2-4. Both these guys have been faster than me all weekend because of my brakes. I try and hang with them, and do. I let them battle each other for about 20 minutes, while I just hung back and kept up with them. Let them burn up their tires, and also not have to take a chance with brakes. Finally I decide to “press” the issue and get by both of them in a span of 2 laps. We hit traffic and I extend my lead on them, but still way behind the leader. I stay out for about an hour as my gas dropped, car got lighter, and had some free track. No idea where I stand, but just keep motoring. Began to slowly move up brake points, leaving room for hard pedal if it happened, but since it already happened on most corners, I knew about where I could go and still leave room for stopping if it happened. Only corner I always braked way early was T17. No room for error there. Come in for pit stop. As Charlie is filling I notice fuel is dripping down the gas can and onto the track. For those who don’t know this is an immediate DQ. Luckily the scrute didn’t notice it yet. I immediately throw my helmet on, jump over the wall, grab the towel Charlie had and put it over the spill. A minute later the scrute sees gas dripping on the towel. I lift the towel up the can and hold it there keeping anymore from dripping on the track. I think the Scrute noticed a damp spot on the track, and I think for sure he’s going to DQ me. He doesn’t! Maybe since when I pitted in as P1 overall, he didn’t want to. Don’t know, but the track gods were looking out for me. Jump back in and head to pit exit. Look at stopwatch and know we took too long. Ended up losing about 7 seconds as it took 5:07. Also as I look at my speedo, I jump about 10ft to early and I’m up to 40mph (speed is 35mph). penalty is either stop and go or 1 lap. Can’t remember, but just hoping I was past the guns. Look at Black flag station for the next few laps. Nothing..Phew. As I come to T2 a H car blows by me. Start running with him and we are in P2/P3. Hit a bunch of traffic, and he uses it well for blocking, so have to battle back up to him. With about 10 minutes left, he spins in front of me in T17. Got P2 now. On radio with Charlie and am told P1 is 20+ seconds ahead of me and P3 is about 18 seconds behind. Someone else on radio says P3 is only 4 seconds behind. I have to stay in it because not sure. Keep checking mirror for him. With a lap and a half left come around T10 and see 2 H cars in front of me. I know one is the leader and he seems to be going slower than usual. Not sure if he thinks he has a bigger lead than he does, or he’s trying to conserve gas. I hammer it, and pass him at the end of Bishop for P1. Turns out he cut it to close on fuel and was running out. One lap to go. Have to remind myself, just don’t do anything stupid, brake early so you don’t risk hard pedal, and finish. I must have taken T17 at 50mph that last lap. Got to tell you the euphoria was immense. From almost packing it up and leaving the day before, to the constant battle with the brakes, being scared every brake zone and pass I had to take wondering what the brakes were going to do, to actually winning was pretty intense.

I figured out what the difference was between the sprints and the enduro. The sprint I was one of the lowest classes in the group. That meant most my passes had to be under braking. It took longer for me to have a good enough setup to attempt a pass while leaving the safety margin I needed for the brakes. In the Enduro H was close to the top class. Most passes were under power, and less under braking, so I had less cars I had to wait for a safe enough setup to try the pass.

Again, thanks to the Intersport team. Once the brakes are sorted out, the car should be about 1.5-2 seconds a lap faster.

[Ryan]

Bman, thanks for the play by play. Everyone, thanks for the congrats, it was a mental workout, that's for sure!

[LPM911]

Congrats Ryan!

[forklift]

Great write up and huge congrats! F'ing awesome to get p1 in the enduro and get thru all the problems.

[tdatk]

Congrats Ryan, great write up too, impressive build and perseverance to do what you did.

[vranko]

Originally Posted by LPM911

link?

https://www.facebook.com/9magazine

Wow. Vasteve's face is intimidating

[vranko]

Originally Posted by Ryan

but major problem I had was “Ice mode” with the brakes. This is where you brake hard, the ABS gets confuses, and instead of 100% brake pressure, the pedal gets hard and you’re all of a sudden limited to about 20% braking capability.

Welcome to the Ice Pedal Club (Ice Pedal thread link). Sorry to hear you've joined. Intersport was checking out my ice pedal issues a few weeks ago. Robert M (PCA Potomac Instructor) was having the same issues with his Koni challenge car this year. He disabled the ABS. I'm in the process of checking with Napleton Porsche about the issue. Body Motion has a proprietary fix that they do for Caymans. Probably applies to Gen I 997s also.

Thanks for the detailed write-up and contrats on the great finish.

John

[87turbolook911]

Was great to see you Ryan. I could tell you were bummed and was focusing on finding a solution.

Here's a pic I snapped of you.

[HoodPin]

Congrats on toughing out the long weekened! Do doubt you're going to enjoy this car a bunch once the brakes gets sorted out. Odd that "ice pedal" is such a well known, but not very well understood/solved problem.