It’s crazy to think that less than two weeks ago, it was snowing in Western Washington while I was preparing for my California trip to Thunderhill.  There’s many different places I can begin to share my recent little adventures.  It really begins with my 2024 season opener at the Ridge.

At the beginning of February, I tested the many different mods that were made to the Elantra over the offseason.  Highlights of the upgrades made include the stiffer Swift Performance springs, extra negative camber, Girodisc rotors, and SXTH intercooler.  The rotors improved braking power, ability, and gave a better pedal feel.  Adding on RS3 brake ducts also helped ensure the brake quality lasted throughout the sessions.  On the other hand, the suspension upgrades made the car more stable in areas like T9-11.  The car was easier to have pointed in mid-corner and exits (T8 & T12).  Track conditions were not ideal, being mildly wet/damp in some areas and the track was relatively slow.  Admittedly, I was not driving to my full potential, losing time to my last PB in a few areas.  Given all of that, I still managed to go .3 quicker than my previous PB (1:54.07).  I proved to myself that this setup has the potential to go mid 1:53s, something to work towards when the car returns to Washington.

With track days going smoothly in WA, why make the effort to drive over ten hours, put hundreds of extra miles on the odometer, and purposefully deprive myself of my daily driver for a few months?  While I love driving at the Ridge and could continue to just solely drive the tracks in my local area, I wanted to branch out in the pursuit to grow as a driver.  I knew I had to do something that would make me step really outside my comfort zone and still be fun.  I have a connection in NorCal, being that I grew up in the area, in addition to the fact that many legendary California circuits exist.  Thunderhill was at the top of my initial list and when the opportunity came to drive there, I jumped on it immediately.  Nearly two months passed by and I quickly found myself driving down I-5 with all of my track gear in the back of my car. 

Greeted by the vast farmland and rolling hills that characterize the track, I was extremely enthusiastic and eager to turn some laps when I arrived at Thunderhill.  Immediately I noticed the narrowness of the track and was initially surprised at the elevation changes that can only be experienced in person.  My goal for the weekend was really just to set a lap time I could build on for future events and although I had an idea of a theoretical lap time, I set my expectations pretty low.  I I spent the first day getting comfortable with the elevation changes and finding reference points on a track that lacked them.  It was very difficult to find a flow, with a few black flagged sessions, traffic, and the fact it was my first day on the track.  Since I was trying to get some heat cycles into the fresh set of the Nankang CR-S tires, it turned out to work alright.  By the end of the day, I only had a handful (literally) of clean laps, but enough data to study some opportunity points.  This primarily included most of T1-2 and T8, among other minor adjustments.

For the second day, I only had the ability to run the two morning sessions due to my afternoon flight back to Washington.  At this point, I had also figured out most of the intricacies, like tire pressure and gear selection, so it just came down  to stringing in some clean laps.  The first session was a bust due to traffic, but I knew I was capable of a solid lap time.  I just needed to focus on what I studied the night before to drop time in the sections previously mentioned.  Finally, with some clear track, I drove some solid multiple 1:27 laps (even with traffic at some points).  I even fumbled two certain chances at mid-high 1:26s.  Once, exiting T6, when I saw the yellow flag (where it’s a blind rise), a car pulled over on the right side of the track, and opted to lift to be safe.  Second, was completely my own doing, where my slow point was far too late and caused myself some understeer in T10.  Despite all of that, I was completely capable of a mid 1:26 and this session turned out to be a huge success in gathering data.

The Elantra N did a great job throughout the weekend.  Even though it’s not summer, the SXTH intercooler has eliminated any heat soak issues I originally had and had no power issues throughout the 15-20 minute sessions.  Braking performance was superb and T1 and T7 entries are hard braking zones where there is significant lap time to be rewarded from good braking.  The car handled impressively well, being easy to point and sort direction, like in the esses (T4 exit - T6 entry).  The Nankang CR-S tires took a few laps to get up to speed, but provided lots of feedback and grip that lasts.  I found 33F/34F to be the ideal pressures for me and I’m hoping these tires can last as long as the AR-1s I had previously.  The EN is very well suited for this track and I’m hoping for a 1:26 or faster when I return.

All in all, it was a great introduction to Thunderhill and what California tracks have to offer.  I picked up some valuable  track day experience learning a brand new track in an unfamiliar environment, which accomplishes my goal for the trip.  Hoping to be back in the area soon to return to Thunderhill and visit some other amazing tracks.