There's a lot of attention...
There's a lot of attention to detail here. These are 1.7 roller rockers from Crane. The valvesprings are from Patriot Performance. These are generally called Patriot Gold. The retainers are titanium and also from Patriot Performance.
- Danny notices that the left front brake rotor on his car is cracked. Not just a little crack-but a huge crack. For some reason, DJ Racing cracks a whole lot of rotors every spring. Then, as suddenly as this cracking begins, it all stops. Once they get to the first week in June, they seldom crack another rotor. Try and figure that one out. It may have something to do with the cars living through a Michigan winter. The combination of moisture and cold air during the winter may have something to do with it.
4:00 - We finally break for lunch. Damn. These guys are focused.
The really interesting thing is that on Sunday, no one even shows up at the track until 11:00. They roll the car covers off and fire up the cars. While everyone else is working on their cars, Joe and Danny are still home in bed. This is a no drama team. All of the work was completed before race day. I guess that's the point of a good testing program.
Danny's Three Rules of Testing
1. Have a plan-with specific goals-before you even arrive at the track
2. Stick to the plan, but be cognizant of other things that may be going on. It's OK to change a plan, but remember you first need a plan.
3. Keep detailed records of what takes place. DJ Racing has the most complete notes of any race team I've ever seen. There are shelves in Danny's office that hold a huge number of notebooks. Danny can tell you the tire pressures that he used in 1989 at the June Mid-Ohio race. You don't have to be quite that good, but you at least need to try.
Who's Who?
Three identical Corvettes are fun to sort out. You can really only tell them apart by the numbers. OK, I can only tell them apart by the numbers. Danny and Joe don't seem to have this problem.
| #33 |
Joe Cauley |
| #37 |
Danny Kellemyer |
| #39 |
Jeff Cauley |
| Difficulty Index - 4 Wrenches |
| Anyone’s Project: no tools required | 1 Wrench |
| Beginner: basic tools | 2 Wrenches |
| Experienced: special tools | 3 Wrenches |
| Accomplished: special tools and outside help | 4 Wrenches |
| Professionals Only: send this work out | 5 Wrenches |
This is the reason you need...
This is the reason you need to look at your rotors every time your Corvette comes off the track. The small cracks really aren't an issue, but once the cracks reach the edge of the rotor, you need to change them out. Based on what I'm noticing with C5 and C6 Corvettes, you really need to carry extra brake rotors with you if you run track events. Danny feels the best brake rotors are the stock GM rotors. In fact, a lot of the aftermarket rotors are simply GM rotors with slots milled into them. Or, with holes drilled into them for the street car crowd.
These are the fastest Corvettes...
These are the fastest Corvettes in the Midwest. Their consistent speed is the result of lots of careful thinking and equally careful preparation.
There are really no secrets...
There are really no secrets to Corvette speed. It doesn't take a bunch of aftermarket parts and a huge bank account to go fast. Consider that both these cars have been racing for over a decade now and they're seldom beaten. Getting the idea?