Archives

All posts for the month July, 2012

Tire pressure check

Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Georgia has again proven to be one of the most technical tracks to master. AMP is quickly making a name for itself due to the dramatic elevation changes, technical layout, and sharp corners. This past weekend, Forged Performance hosted a two day High Performance Driver’s Education event open to all types of cars and drivers of varying skill levels. Given that 90% of the attendees had never laid eyes on this new circuit, we began the day with a very detailed driver’s briefing while spending extra time cautioning everyone on the track’s key features Our hauler was a popular spot to hydrate and say cool throughout the day. AMP’s facilities are improving on a daily basis but we are thankful they put their money where it initially matters most: The Track!

Unlike some of our other events, this program was open to all makes, models, and driver skill levels and the more experience drivers were always willing to offer some tips and advice throughout the day.

Photobucket

Our cadre of instructors graciously donated their time to instruct the novices throughout the weekend and we can’t thank them enough. It takes a brave soul to ride shotgun while a novice driver learns the track and events like this cannot happen without a group of dedicated instructors. It was rewarding to see the enormous improvements in technique and car control throughout the day. Driving a car at the limit involves not only incredible precision, but perfect timing and a subtle touch and these drivers quickly picked up many of the fundamental skills in just one weekend.

On Sunday, attendees were treated to one of Scott Siegel’s famous Data Analysis seminars and reviewed a sample fast lap, complete with video and data displayed on a 60 inch plasma TV. Everyone, regardless of skill level, learned quite a bit.
Photobucket

Most importantly, we all had more track time than we could consume and are looking forward to returning again soon.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

-ATLANTA MOTORSPORTS PARK
-SIEGEL RACING
-TRAQMATE
-GRAND CHAMPION BBQ

This past Friday, I stuck around the shop after hours to document the installation of Ryan@Forged’s Alcon Brake kit. We stay so busy these days, we just can’t squeeze our own vehicles in during normal business hours! One of the best things about working at Forged Performance is hanging out after hours with such a great group of guys (oh, and the cars are cool too). We have all heard great things about Alcon’s Super Kit but as soon as the system was unpacked and in our hands, the high quality craftsmanship was clearly evident. The massive 15.75 inch 2-piece floating rotors, that use Alcon’s bobbin drive system and crescent groove pattern, caused Ryan to start to twitch just a little at the sight of them! Once Ryan un-boxed the gigantic mono-block six piston calipers, jaws dropped through-out the shop and we realized that this brake kit really was the real deal and far from just “hype”. While the OEM GT-R brakes are VERY impressive, there is always room for improvement – Alcon knows this better than any of us. Alcon was able to use a thicker brake rotor with crescent slots that provide gas relief and pad cleaning, while minimizing the pedal pulsations; they also converted the rear four piston caliper set-up to a six piston to match the fronts. Most of you know all this though, after all, Alcon is not new to high end motorsports grade parts, these are the same guys that provide braking systems to IRL IndyCar Series, NASCAR, Daytona Prototypes, Australian V8 Super Car Series, Grand Am, WRC, and more! I would say they know their stuff!

The install was pretty straight forward and went as smoothly as we all expected from a brake kit of this caliber. We were able to get the brakes bled and shut down shop by 11pm. Unfortunately we have had a group of rain showers almost every night here in Atlanta for the past week; because of this, Ryan was not able to properly test his new found braking capabilities Friday night. Over the next few days, Ryan was able to find some dry patches and while the brakes still haven’t been used to their full potential, at proper operating temperatures with warm tires, he has already pulled over 1.3 G’s under braking! Stay tuned for additional tests as we get his car out on track and really push the Alcon Super Kit to the extreme.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Most of you know that I frequently instruct and coach other drivers at Road Atlanta and other tracks in the area. This weekend, I decided to volunteer my time and spent the day coaching some freshly minted Georgia State drivers at the Tire Rack Street Survival driving clinic at the Gwinett County Fairgrounds.

Classroom Instruction

Hosted by the local Peachtree Chapter of the  BMW Car Club of America, nationally recognized programs like these, undoubtedly save thousands of lives each year by teaching the basics of car control and driving near the limits while simulating real world driving situations and typical evasive maneuvers. It’s like defensive driving on steroids!

Unlike most car related driving programs, this is not a racing program or even a high performance driving program.  Instead, the teenagers learned some valuable skills that will better prepare them for the unexpected hazards of driving on public roads. With a combination of detailed classroom instruction, and plenty of time behind the wheel, they learned how to control their car in the wet, skidding front and rear tires, emergency stops, weight transfer, and how to avoid unexpected hazards. All of the instructors are experienced and approved BMWCCA performance driving instructors with many years of experience.  Students were paired up one-on-one with an instructor in order to maximize the learning and training experience.  My student, Nicole, had started her first year of college and her parents recommended the course to her. She picked up the skills in no time ant all, and towards the end of the day, she was sliding and man-handling her parent’s Lexus like a seasoned pro!

It’s weekends like this, that make me reflect and be thankful for the opportunities we have each day. All of us take things for granted, but sharing with others reinvigorates me to push even harder.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Those sneaky instructors tossed unexpected flying objects into the student’s paths! No cones were harmed in this demonstration…OK maybe one or two.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

More images can be found below. Thank you!

Welcome to Barber MSP


This past weekend, we headed to Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds Alabama for another Chin Motorsports HPDE event. Barber is one of the signature tracks in the South East and has played hosted to Indy Car, Grand Am, and numerous professional and amateur motorsports teams. I have been to many race tracks during my tenure with Forged Performance, and this is by far the nicest track facility I have ever seen. The property contains some interesting artwork that is sure to catch your eye.  The track is the vision of George Barber who had a passion for vintage motorcycles. The track was designed by Alan Wilson primarily as a motorcycle circuit course, but has gained favor with four wheeled racers as well.

Photobucket

The infield and the outer perimeter access roads are adored with beautiful sculptures and metal artwork, often hidden between trees and other natural structures. Accented by perfectly manicured grass fields, Barber Motorsports Park feels more like a museum or golf course, rather than a world class racing facility.

Photobucket

Early Saturday morning, we had breakfast in the hotel lobby with our fellow BMP attendees and proceeded to the track to unload the cars and set up camp. Inside the Forged Performance rig were two 2013 Black Edition GT-R’s, ready for battle with an identical set-up of JRZ Pro Silent coilovers, Michelin PSS’s, FP Sway Bars, Alcon Rotors, FP Stainless Steel Brake Lines, and a simple tune.

After the driver’s meeting, it was time to hit the track and warm up for the “Driver Dual” we had planned for Sunday between Jay with his Super Silver 2013 BE GT-R and Sharif with his Deep Blue Pearl 2013 BE GT-R.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Brutus tags along to every track event we attend!
Photobucket

After a sticky, hot Saturday, Sharif and Jay came off the track running times within a half second of each other. At dinner that night, the only things both drivers talked about were the technicalities of the track and what changes they could make to improve their lap times.

Sunday started off with a bang, as Sharif and Jay started battling it out for the fastest lap time in the 2013 Black Edition GT-R. Both drivers spent all day going back and forth about whose lap time was faster and by the end of the day it was clear that we were never going to be able to declare a “winner”.

But here are some awesome pictures we took from the weekend!

Photobucket

Barber is also home to the Porsche Driving School where anyone can recieve training in the latest and greatest Porsche sports cars and even the legendary Porsche Cup Cars! The parking lot provides temporary storage for several dozen of these cars.

Photobucket
Brand new 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S’s that are used by Porsche Driving School

Photobucket

Photobucket
Our customer, Paul, in his 2010 GT-R

Photobucket
Sharif handed his keys to BimmerWorld Driver Seth Thomas for a quick test drive of Sharif’s setup! He was impressed!

A big “Thank-You” goes out to Chin Motorsports for hosting another exciting event at Barber Motorsports Park. We had a great weekend and can’t wait to see everyone at our Atlanta Motorsports Park Track Event July 28 and 29!

The rest of the photos are below!

We have our FP Spec GT-R 4-Point Bolt in Cage for the 2009+ R35 GT-R in-stock and ready to ship! As a leader in innovative and safe track oriented products, we have installed and sold over a dozen of these cages in-house and have ramped up production to the point where we can now offer them to the general public. We have produced the safest, strongest, best fitting, and most OEM appearing 4 Point Cage in the industry which has undergone rigorous track testing – a signature of all Forged Performance branded products. We spared no expenses in creating the safest, strongest, best looking, best fitting and highest quality bolt-in 4 Point Cage/harness bar for the GT-R. The closer you look, the better our product looks and you’ll see the incredible attention to detail that our fabricators have.

Photobucket

Key Features:

Designed, tested, and manufactured In-House
Constructed from 1.50 X .095/.120 DOM for a tight OEM appearance
Individually fit and welding in a jig for .001 inch repeatable production tolerances
Every unit test fitted in a GT-R for a guaranteed perfect install
CNC Machined mounting bosses and precision cut base plates
Anchored to the strongest points of the OEM frame rail
Grade 8 or better fasteners
Professionally Tig Welded welded by our full time fabricators
Absolutely no cutting, trimming, or modifications needed for install
Factory seat belt provisions retained with 100% OEM functionality
Provisions for proper mounting of Racing Harnesses
Works with OEM Seats or Racing Seats
High Durability Gloss Black Powder Coating (Custom colors available at extra cost and lead time)
Includes all hardware neatly organized for easy installation in 2-3 hours with hand tools
Weighs 37lbs

MSRP: $2495 – All Forged Performance products include FREE Shipping!

Availability: In Stock

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Track Legal Schroth Harnesses Available as well. Ask us for details!

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket