Double crossed [i]

The results are in. Good data all around and it looks like we have a nice rivalry between the Mazdaspeed 6 and the vr4.



Erik's thoughts regarding the practice and championship...

The championship course was roughly the same as the practice, but run backward with a change to the first slalom. This made the back section very fast, but it turned out to be just under the rev limiter, and had an uphill breaking section at the end that tested the anchoring of one's retinas.

Ian was in the first run group, and chose to run STU, meaning the cars he was up against had the same tires as him, but the added option of sway bars, lowering springs, intakes, exhaust systems, camber plates, and most importantly - wing and emblem removal/addition. He held his own for the first run or two and then got pushed to the back by some tuned up M3s. He was running about a second off the tuned Subies on a fifty second lap, so there's no shame in his fifth place finish in a totally under-built car.

I was working the first station during his group and got an up close view of some very tight competition. Apparently some of the drivers had enough control to 'nudge' the cones to the inside of the first apex without me noticing (a more experienced course worker alerted me to their shenanigans, and once I moved over to inspect more closely all the hijinks stopped, leading me to believe that they were intentionally bumping cones because they knew I - the nearest worker - was too far away to call them on it). Whatever the case, the caliber of driving was up a little from practice, as competitors only had four runs to put down a time and cones dislodged count against the time.

I only had one out-and-out cone to call the whole shift, and who was responsible? Who else…

Ian: Did you see where I hit a cone my last run? I don't know where it happened but they said plus one…

I was next to drive while Ian crewed for me over my break. A survey of the grid showed two other DSP drivers – a Civic SI and a four door Integra. The Integra wore street tires and didn't look fantastic at yesterday's practice (it ran while I worked course), so I was mostly worried about the SI running the same tires I had. The first lap out I was careful to go through the slalom the wrong way (Ian and I had spent much time discussing it and at the moment of truth I suffered from 'analysis paralysis'). When times came in from the other two cars I saw I was mistaken and the Integra, on street tires, four doors and all was going to be my main challenger.

Ian was instrumental in keeping my tires at proper pressure, cooling off the intake and reminding me that I should go through the offset slalom the right way – all of this allowed me to stay planted in the harness and keep my focus on the driving. I was happy to see my times improve steadily for the most part. The most intense point was finishing my last run (which did not improve on my penultimate fastest lap) and having to wait in the car staring at the clock for the Integra, who had been narrowing the gap all day, to finally finish his final. I kept a slight lead and since there were three cars in the class, I nabbed myself a trophy for the first place finish.

Ian had to work the third run group and I decided to go help him out when I got a call on the cell two minutes before the start

'So, what do I do with the radio?'

Competition being a little more controlled than practice, the radio is used to call in cone penalties, reruns, red flags, tech problems, safety issues, time-out for course repair and other necessary reporting.

With Ian practicing his radio speak (affirmative bandit, that's plus two cones on car five-ought-niner) and myself trying to translate the broken English of the other course workers in our section, we managed to make all the cone calls necessary (albeit way way late). There was a near-collision as the last few stations failed to red flag a speeding Corvette after an RX-7 suffered a spin-and-stall.

Overall the event went very smoothly and left a few lingering doubts, namely:

What class should Ian build for? The downside of buying the expensive performer is that the other car owners in the class have the money to tune them more than the average engineering student.

What happens if the Integra gets race tires? Does EA delve into the realm of power mods?

What class will CR build to? There is a lot of discussion here as he has already started down the path of modification against my better advice. Some of this can be estimated by factoring his times to mine (or Ian's) at the practice and seeing where it would land him in the other F-tuned groups if the same ratio applied to the I/E times from the event. Needless to say, there is no class where the three Falkens and one stretched Nankang will be the state of the competition (Ed: except F-stock which had no entrants), but practice handling the broken traction is applicable to sticky rubber, so it's all good fun now.

How many dates does CS have lined up with Corvette owners?

The results. And afterthoughts...

• If I moved down one class to worse tires and an engine driven fan, I would have had my ass handed to me, which is to say STS is a very competitive category.
• If Ian had run AS instead of STU he would have won his class.
• If CR had run FS he would have won his class (and come in dead last as well).
• If CR ran STU he would face the same trouble Ian did.
• If the proportion of times held up CR and Matt would have run in the mid-low 53s (calculating as a ratio of my best times to theirs).
• One more interesting point - the SCCA classes for the STi, vr4 and Mazdaspeed6 are a little strange. In stock they are (respectively) AS, FS and DS - in street touring they are all STU and in street prepared they are BSP, BSP and ESP.
  

Jack Murphy parking lot [s]

Yesterday was autocross.



I got a little sloppy on the charting. Oh well, it's all there. Getting so many runs was a real feather in our cap. Jon was testing the limits of traction, or so I noticed when I rode with him. Sliding off course was a real black eye for me on the first two runs. Erik peaked early, Ian improved until his tires stopped gripping. He's got some nasty chunks missing.

Most times were in the 63-65 range. The other SD SOLO photographer was happy with the 61 he ran in his rx8, a stock Vette managed a 56, and the karts were pulling low 50s.

Key lessons learned:

• Off camber corners are significant.
• Racier tire setups don't give much warning before breaking loose.
• Skillful driving and r-compounds are a good substitute for being short on power.
  

The results of the April event, for comparison.


White Lambda was definitely pushing the Ac around. For more photos of the event, including Jon with a cone in his wheel well, check my blog-dedicated flickr.


Yes folks, that wheel is off the ground.

Major cwnage [s]

Erik and Ian did autocross training.

West coast [s]

Saturday started with Mario Galaxy and In 'n' Out, then we drove down to Qualcomm to scout the autocross scene. Jon and Ty rode with Erik for a couple of laps, J and I did some shooting. Can't wait to get the vr down there. Scroll down for more information on the autocross events.


The lineup featured everything from four-door Toyollas to Lotuses and GT3s.


Ty was still wearing dive weights when he passenged on a couple laps.


'What is it about driving cars that makes you all such assholes?'


Obtaining a proper panned shot was the preoccupation. Thanks to Connie for the 300 mil with IS.


Not many people can go through car tires faster than bike tires.

Next we headed out to Cuyamaca to snap some scenery. I've long since lost any eye for landscapes, but it was a golden opportunity to play with hdr some more.


Ugh.

We happened upon a lonely snowman and though harming the creature seemed unconscionable, artistic interest won out in the end. The following images depict graphic violence and should not be seen without appropriate discretion.





As promised, some more info on the autocross events, courtesy of Erik.

Lap times:
Carrera GT3 – 55s
Highly modded miatas – 52s
84 corolla w/ stock motor 200K miles – mid to high 50s
S2000 and STI, and 2.5RS – high 50s
C6 Z06, s13, stock miata – mid 60s
My best time was 63.4, best time with 200+ lb ballast was a 64

The thing about autox is that the small, tight courses can really bring driver skill to the forefront over vehicle prep. I have beat Evo 8s in the rain and I have been blown away by near-stock civics on dry pavement. The biggest disadvantages I face are, in order of relevance:
1. Driver Skill
2. Driver Skill
3. Tires
4. Power, suspension, chassis…

I had an experienced driver ride along with me for a couple of runs. He mentioned a few good points, mostly that I was planning the lines badly, not looking far enough ahead, drifting too much (although he suspected the equipment had something to do with it, “Champiro? Never heard of ‘em”). On the plus he said my aggression level was good, and then after considering, added “maybe too good”.

In the hands of a capable driver, the ride makes the difference, but no ride can make up for the lack of skill. I ridden in WRX STi’s with full traction control and all wheel drive that couldn’t save their drivers from their own poor lines.

The event on Saturday was a practice; meaning that people could run and get times, but that no points or penalties were awarded and standings were not listed or affected. For a first timer, this is the event to attend, as it does not have the intensity of a competition. Better yet, a real noob should take advantage of the “novice school” offered over the summer. I plan to attend for my second year, as I could use the help.

The practices host a range of participants from first-timers in stock cars plodding around at moderate speed to experienced racers trying to shave a few tenths by playing with setup on their single seat, full-cage race cars. The relaxed atmosphere doesn’t intimidate, and everyone is friendly, but the strong drive for improvement is contagious, and even the newest of drivers start looking for ways to drop seconds. Everyone who races also takes a turn working the course, which generally means chasing the cones that stray automobiles tend to scatter over the course of the day. Working a practice is definitely a great way to see the cars up close, and doesn’t have the added pressure of tight competition that race days do. Fail to pick up a cone during competition and drivers have to repeat runs and start griping about fairness.

Jon’s car is perfect, Ty’s Civic would be fine too. Goat Cheese would need to comply with the same, and would probably find it difficult and expensive. There are some fees to pay and registrations to fill out (SCCA and SDR SOLO2), but I can guide anyone interested to the proper websites to take their money. If nothing else, I will try to give people a heads up for the novice school in early May – this is by far the best event for the first-timer.

Erik: Do you mind if I ride along?
Hot S2000 Driver: Ummm…
E: I heard you were a good driver to learn from.
H: Ok, I guess you look skinny, it can't hurt my time too much.
E: Yeah, I keep a trim figure for just such an occasion
(HS2000 goes on to break the 60s mark on that run).
H: Wow, thanks, you’re good luck!
E: Great run! That was awesome (gets high-five from H).