CMP 8/29-8/30

[bmart]

Hello all!

CMP on the new pavement is coming up fast, and I'm stoked for it! I have about 15k miles on the old surface and even though all of my pavement defect markers will be gone, the reduction in tire wear should more than offset that. I'm going on Sunday in the car to have a look for a few laps.

My goals: I expect to be able to look up and further down the track instead of at the surface for my hints. I'm determined to get turn 1 right, including trail braking! I can't wait to see if there's still a hump to go around in the fast kink (hope not). I'm so looking forward to the new drive out of turns 7 and 8, and perhaps mostly to see if the bumps in turn 11 are gone.



The real question is, what are you going to work on, and how do you plan to get up to speed on the new surface?

 

[bmart]

Hi guys,

I got to drive CMP on four wheels today and had a hoot! The new surface is dreamy. I noticed no tire wear (reduced from the old surface) and no issues with grip (increased from the old surface) at all. Some folks were setting decent times earlier in the weekend. It'll take some time to get rubber on the track, but it looks like a real winner.

Things worth noting:

• No more visual indicators for braking, turn in, exit, etc. Start slow and come up to speed. Maybe N2 will put some cones out for entry/exit points.
• A LOT of lasers were used to get the surface flat/smooth and it shows. Buttery loveliness now. You would not know that it was the same track as the goat path we're used to.
• Two spots were ground down to make it flat, the inside 1/2 of turn 7 and a small area just before the kink on the back straight. I wasn't bothered by either visually or by track feedback.
• The line through the kink is different than before the repave. The bump is gone and there are two curbs there now, one on each side of the access road. The first one is the one we'll use. It takes you right over where the hump was, so it should be faster/safe/straighter. There is NO residue from the hump. It is flat.
• The old washboard surface after turn 12 is now glass smooth. I can't wait to try that on the bike.
• There is a drop off from the track surface to the grass in the carousel, so stay on the tarmac until it gets beaten down by the cars.
• There is a bit of a dip at the outer edge of the track coming out of turn 8 on the left side. until the cars mash that down, I'll be staying off of the wavy rumble strip there.

Anyone ready to roll at the NEW CMP???

 

[bmart]

A few pics to whet your appetites.

Turns 1 & 2



Turn 3



Turn 7 I mentioned



Turn 10 looking backward.

 

[NickMac]

I am signed up for CMP with N2 on both Saturday Aug 29th and Sunday Aug 30th. Thanks for the amazing write up and all the key details I was wondering about. Looking forward to walking the track and inspecting for myself. I am headed there also this weekend too, with another Org, so I will provide some feedback early next week.

 

[bmart]

Awesome! Be sure to stop in and say hi to Alan tomorrow. He'll be helping out, but not riding.

 

[bmart]

N2 guys, do we have any info on what compound tires to bring to CMP? The old days was Q3 and hard compound (med+).

 

[okrider]

Anyone know if there's going to be a lap timer transmitter at these events? I just got a lap timer without a transmitter, hoping to track my times

 

[bmart]

Most people run a GPS timer on their bikes if they want a timer. I haven't seen a beacon out in years. I just use a free app on my phone (RaceChrono).

 

[okrider]

Do you keep the phone on your bike or on your suit? I would really love to see my lap time on the track

 

[bmart]

I tuck it in my leathers between the chest protector and my shirt. There are multiple apps available, but I'm cheap, so I use the free one.

 

[NickMac]

I just spent the weekend (Aug 22nd-23rd) riding the new pavement at CMP. The NEW track surface is smooth as slik, has incredible grip and reliability. CMP did an amazing job and this track will be a must visit for all serious track days riders and amateur racers for the foreseeable future. I am an intermediate rider using tire warmers and Dunlops on a 2012 r6. You can easily make a set of tires last a couple weekends here.

Saturday morning many riders in all groups noticed the need to increase psi slightly from normal (plus 2-3 psi in the rear), due to minor "cold tears" on the right side of the tire. As always, be diligent: watch you pressures throughout the day as your tires and the track heats up and temperatures change.

The surface provides incredible grip for the front tire and by Sunday I was aggressively trial braking into 5 or 6 of the corners. I dropped my lap times by close to 10 seconds as the weekend went on, the sun came out, and rubber applied to the track. The old "bump" in the kink, turn 10 is gone, yahoo. That is now a very fast corner. The carousel is 100% better and able to push harder and ride different lines there. Start slow and build pace, have a great weekend, looking forward to riding with all of you.

 

[Rich]

Agree with NickMac overall as I ran the Saturday Novice sessions and improved on my previous best by 11 seconds to a 1:57. The little milling section at the end of the carousel is something you can feel, but doesn't upset the bike or the drive off. Overall the new surface is awesome, just bummed I'm not available this coming weekend to ride it again. It's been a good summer after riding CMP in May, VIR Full in July and now the new CMP surface.

 

[okrider]

is there a CC limit to what we can ride on track? I just got a 85cc 2stroke with street tires I'd love to test out. I realize it'll be way underpowered (especially with 200+ lbs me on top of it) compared to all the other guys out there. Wondering if I can take it out on a session, like the last Novice session of the day or something. Or maybe take it out to the skidpad?

 

[TimTheAsian]

is there a CC limit to what we can ride on track? I just got a 85cc 2stroke with street tires I'd love to test out. I realize it'll be way underpowered (especially with 200+ lbs me on top of it) compared to all the other guys out there. Wondering if I can take it out on a session, like the last Novice session of the day or something. Or maybe take it out to the skidpad?

Whats the top speed? It's probably a no. There are mini tracks for stuff like that.

 

[okrider]

that checks out, I did get it for the mini/gokart tracks, just haven't had time to go out yet. I may still bring it to ride it around the paddock

 

[bmart]

Check out the CMP site. They have a great kart track and they run bikes on it too.

 

[bmart]

 

[okrider]

I'll talk to them when I arrive, see how late they run the kart track and if I can take my bike on it, maybe I'll stay back for it on Monday. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[bmart]

CMP doesn't get any better than this. WOOT!