Racing Your 9th Gen Corolla

[SpeedyJab]

Hey Everyone,

I have been campaigning my 2003 Corolla in the NASA (National Auto Sport Association) in Time Trial F in southern California. I have been to Laguna Seca, Auto Club Speedway, Buttonwillow Raceway, Willow Springs Raceway & Spring Mountain Raceway. I am currently in 2nd place in points for the season with one more event to go and am the only near stock car in my class, everyone else is a full prepped race car. I have Hart drilled/slotted rotors w/ ceramic pads in front, 2" generic lowing springs, generic exhaust and running Toyo RR race tires. My goal is to prove that Toyota's are every bit as capable if not better than Honda Civic's and just because noone runs them, doesn't mean they can't be competitive. Check out my Youtube channel SpeedyJab09 or Google Plus TeamSpeedyMotorsports. If you are interested in learning more and hopefully joining me out on the track to represent Toyota, I'd be happy to share my experiences with you and help you get started.



Thanks,

Team Speedy Motorsports

 

[charles jackson]

how do you find it compared to other cars speed and handling wise? ive been curious how my car would stack up against some others but i havent ever taken it on a track

 

[SpeedyJab]

Hey Charles,

It actually stacks up really well and I can usually out turn most cars on the track. I really think our car is one of the best to start with, most people think a high horsepower car is the way to go but I disagree until you have the training. I have had a lot of guys who drive corvettes, mustangs, etc come up to me after an event and ask me what I did to me car because they couldn't loose me in the corners. I run with NASA pro racing because of the great instruction, so they are a good place to start and they have a region in your area. Enjoy.

 

[rk97]

What tires are you running?

 

[SpeedyJab]

What tires are you running?

I just started running Toyo RR's at our last event at Laguna Seca, I got a free set of 205/50ZR15. They are a little slim and I can use up to 215's but can't complain or be picky with free. The begining of the season and all last year I used BFG sport comps and they were pretty good on the track for a summer tire.

 

[rk97]

I'm used to racing motorcycles, so while the basic principles are the same, the costs and modifications are quite a bit different. How many days will a set of tires last you?

 

[SpeedyJab]

So far, I've just used the race tires for one weekend at Laguna Seca for our Western Championships, so I really don't know yet. In talking with some of the guys, I think I can probably get a season out of them which is 6 weekends for a total of 12 events and about 80 minutes each day. I'm sure just like any motorsports, I think it will depend alot on how aggressive I am in my braking, turn in and not over cooking my tires. I can tell you they are much softer than what I was running before (G-sport high performance summer tire) and I do use up the fronts alot more than the rears so tire rotation will be key. I do have data on my BFG's, I ran one 1 1/2 sets over a 2 year period attending 10 weekends and daily driving in between. Hope that helps.

 

[rk97]

Ah the advantage of racing a low-powered vehicle!

When I was racing a 600RR, I would cook a rear tire in 3-4 days, and that is if it was dry, and I could flip it to keep the wear even. The fronts would last maybe 6-8 days, but both front and rear would start to offer less grip after the first couple of races.

My riding improved to the point where I out-paced my budget. Sold the 600RR and now race an XR100 on kart tracks. An entire season costs me what 1 or 2 weekends would run me on the bigger bike. I imagine racing a corolla instead of a corvette is somewhat similar. Have fun and stay safe.

 

[SpeedyJab]

Yes exactly and I love being the underdog that noone takes seriously until you prove it on the track. Eventually I will upgrade to a more powerful car, but for now its a perfect car to explore my limits with and without dropping a serious amount of coin in the process. Sounds like your having some fun on the track as well, any videos up on youtube?

Keep it up maybe I'll see ya out there one day.

 

[rk97]

I never ran a camera on the big bike, but i'm on a few races (actually one crash) from a user named "zippytech"

I have tons of footage of the kart track stuff

The user "Bark615" is my teammate and uploads a lot more of our videos.

 

[SpeedyJab]

Nice.......good lines. You guys are brave and it takes some talent, you make it look effortless.

 

[rk97]

Nice.......good lines. You guys are brave and it takes some talent, you make it look effortless.

I appreciate that, but I'm solidly in the second pack of experts. I turn :57's at that track when I'm racing. The fast guys will turn :55's, and the 13 yr old (who started racing before me!) has clipped off a :53.8 or something insane like that.

With the mini bikes in particular, I tend to leave too much room a the apex so I can put a knee down.

 

[Adam Palmer]

Too cool! Congrats on placing so high my buddy's brother races time trial I think he has an older RX7; crazy that your corolla can keep up!!! Keep killing it haha