Re: March 18 @ SPC - The "After School" Autocross

[yamaha731]

Last time I did that course I did it in 27.44 let see if I've gotten any better since then

Unless you're halfway through a clutch install right now, I'm predicting your best time will be a DNS. Ouch!

I was really thinking about it last night but the transmision looked really heavy anybody know anyone that would install it for a good price

[Solar]

And another great event run by the group from FAST ! Well done Dave and Ron

Really great to see a lot of the students from yesterday out there having fun and driving well.

I had a really good time driving this fun fast course.

And to everyone that stayed around and helped clean up, reset the course and load the trailer, THANK YOU !! (see it's not a thankless job)

[Loren]

I'm glad we decided to start handing out awards at the end of our events. It's starting to feel more like an old-school autocross club! Everybody sticks around to the end, helps clean up, shares in the victories, and some of us enjoy a post-event gathering. Good stuff!

And a great weekend of autocross!

[Charles]

I'm glad we decided to start handing out awards at the end of our events. It's starting to feel more like an old-school autocross club! Everybody sticks around to the end, helps clean up, shares in the victories, and some of us enjoy a post-event gathering. Good stuff!

And a great weekend of autocross!

We'll see if that holds once the outside temp goes back up to 95 degs at 10am

[Loren]

We'll see if that holds once the outside temp goes back up to 95 degs at 10am

One can hope. <--- I'm a spinning beacon of hope!

[nc4me]

Had a good time today. I really enjoy the post event socializing with those that can make it. The course was fun, but I never felt like I had a good run. That last turn always got me.

[wrx-auto-x]

great event guys. it was god to get back out on the track after missing almost a years worth of racing after moving down here. i may not be able to move my legacy through the cones as fast as a miata but it was still great fun. maybe soon i can get the wife to let me buy some coilovers and tires. see you all again soon.

and loren thx again for the heads up on the cancellation, i appreciate it. i really enjoyed myself.

[Loren]

Had a good time today. I really enjoy the post event socializing with those that can make it. The course was fun, but I never felt like I had a good run. That last turn always got me.

A lot of people had trouble with that. The solution was actually all the way back in the big sweeper. Staying wide on that sweeper, late-apexing the right so that you could late-apex the left allowed you to get to the left early enough and far enough to flow through the last turn with a proper late apex.

Still wasn't easy, even if you got it close to right! I don't think I ever got it right, either.

[rojeho]

Great event today and this whole weekend. Thanks to the chairs for making it all run smooth.

I talked to Ron R already, but I think we may have solved some of our ghost timing problems near the end of the day. We had one extra person in the trailer, so I took the opportunity to get Michele to run the system. On our last "no timer start," Michele noticed that it happened when a car finished at almost the same time a car was crossing the start. I'm guessing that the wireless system can only take one input in say a half-second window, and finish takes priority over start.

Once I went out and explained to Bob T at the start line what we saw and he either made sure to start a car early enough or to hold it until the car finished, there were no more ghost problems.

Maybe next month a couple of people can test this theory.

[Loren]

Can be bench tested easily enough. Sounds feasible, though.

Most of the day, after each run group got past their first run, I tried to have the starter start the second car when the first one was approaching the last turn to speed things up a little. (with 32-second runs, it should have put us as about a 28-second interval... which is respectable, but not uncomfortably fast for people to keep up with) I don't think I did so in the last group, since I'd just finished running and was camped out in the shade.

[blacksheep-1]

That last corner stuck for me all day until the last run when I needed it most, I pushed right off, I couldn't freaki'n believe it.

[blacksheep-1]

It's not that heavy, if an old fart like me can bench press it, anyone can, just unbolt it from the bellhousing so you don't have to line up the entire clutch/driveline assembly. For installing it put the bellhousing on and line everything up, then go get some long metric bolts, cut the ends off of them and cut a screwdriver slot in them. Use them as dowels so you can line up the trans, then slide it forward into the clutch, T/O bearing and pilot bearing, once that is done, unscrew the dowels one at a time and replace them with the actual trans bolts. If you have problems place a strap around it and stuff the thing up through the shifter hole and have your wife help you pull it up while you bench it.

BTW you will need one of these:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/kingcobra.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and one of these, but don't tell anyone:

http://www.lethalperformance.com/96-98- ... ank-p-5394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BTW, the top starter bolt, you have to reach through the motor mount area, behind the a/c compressor with a long-long wobble extension.

[twistedwankel]

Sounds like the "best deal" is at Rob's house.

Use AAA+ for drop ship.

Wasn't much fun today not being able to help Amy open a can of whupass on you

Good luck with the clutch for April. Over 30 enter soon.

[aparke]

Yes, thanks a bunch Dave and Ron ( ...and Chris for the design?) A fun day and a good, flowing, "simple" course.

[Jamie]

...I never felt like I had a good run. That last turn always got me.

[cough]3d...or is it 2d...overall...one of only three guys to go faster than 29 seconds....[/cough] We all want those problems....

Someone once characterized autocross as motorsport where drivers added time to a theoretically perfect lap. This course was a perfect illustration! I think I did that last corner right once...unfortunately, not at the same time I did other things right. It was beautiful, though!

A couple of things worth mentioning. Reshuffling the 3-group work order to R1/W3, R2/W1, R3/W2 meant we had drivers coming in from an hour-plus in the sun to jump in their cars and drive. The second group escaped this because of the lunch break, but the third group took it right on the chin. A third-group drivers I rode with mentioned they would have liked to have driven, then gone out to work rather than the reverse, so it's more than theoretical. And today was relatively mild.

Also, if we're going to throw new folks into key spots, we need to make sure they know what we expect of them. By their own admission, the two guys who picked up tech this morning hadn't run at SPC since the SunRiders days...so they set it up like it was done back then. At the same time, there were an awful lot of cars sitting in the paddock with their hoods and trunk lids up, waiting for someone to walk by and tech them. Not difficult to close up, but even easier to prevent in the first place. Same thing with the corner captains...we had several who'd never been responsible for flags and radio before, and weren't expecting it this time -- it showed a few times. Again, easy to fix with a couple minutes of instruction.

No blood, no bent sheet metal, though...can't be a bad day if it ends like that.

[Jeremy]

Noob worker chiefs.
It's always run then work with an odd number of groups. I remember making those mistakes 10 years ago.
Among many other mistakes.

[Dave]

Thanks to everyone! Ron and I couldn't have completed this weekend without a "FAST" team effort!!!!!!

[rab]

Thanks guys! Great course! Great fun!
I had one good run (well at least for me ) Thanks to all of the Sat Instructors! .
I did learn what happens when I push to hard That's what I get trying to decrease my time by just adding speed. (Sorry all of my helpful Sat instructors... old habits die hard. )

Sorry I couldn't stay after for the presentations and to help clean up.

Thanks again for a great day!

[Jamie]

Among many other mistakes.

But I see you didn't make the mistake of waiting to sign up for next month's event.

[blacksheep-1]

So when is this year's points over with? because I need to take some time to work on the nuclear mustang and park the "horsey car"