11/10 SPC Turnpike Course Event

[Loren]

Thanks, John. That's one of the cleanest videos I've seen of me driving.

Remember, folks, tag your YouTube FAST autocross videos with "drivefastvids" and they'll show up in the website video gallery:
http://drivefast.org/gallery/videos/

[Native]

Jim, Ed, you two did a great job putting together another smooooth event. Thank you very much both, and as well everyone who helped out. FAST is a great team!

Loren, you out-did yourself with the course. Most excellent! I still would've loved it even if I hadn't put down some of my best driving in a good, long time (thanks, John, Brian)! And I see by the points table that I'm solidly in 4th place again - ah...order is restored.

Matt, Rob - enjoyed driving with y'all. Congrats Matt for unseating the mighty Brian! I'm curious to know what you thought of your "staggered" tire set up. Rob, I see your times got quicker and quicker - well done!

I'm glad to hear there was a lot of cleanup help - I'm sure that made it go much more quickly and easily.

Greg, thank you very much for the photos!

I won't make December, so I'll see you all in Jan!

[garage west]

My video-- I took the easy entry on the slalom both times. Felt like I slowed too much for the hairpin. Car kinda bogged coming out of there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDpPEp7XWo

54.220

[Jamie]

Just to confirm what I heard afterwards, was it better to start the slalom on the left both times?

I don't think it really mattered all that much, just depended on how fast you exited the turn going into the slalom decided your line. I really didn't see a huge advantage going right on the second time through, there was enough room to easily make that left turn heading towards the finish, at least for me and the people I was riding with anyhow. I know that if I tried to enter it on the right, I would've had to scrub off a ton of speed before the turn entering the slalom that I couldn't afford to lose with my car.

You had a to scrub off a ton of speed somewhere -- it was just a matter of which end of the slalom you wanted to do it. Also played to the type of car -- if you were in something that was hard to toss into the sweeper after the slalom, you ended up in the wall on the outside...or taking off more speed.

[Jeremy]

Thanks, John.

No offense, but I would say that car had another 0.7 to 1 sec. in it. Even more time to be had when you get rid of some of that understeer.

[garage west]

Thanks, John.

No offense, but I would say that car had another 0.7 to 1 sec. in it. Even more time to be had when you get rid of some of that understeer.

None taken. It's been a challenge to tune. Racing Beat springs are low-rate. It's on the bumpstops.

[Loren]

Thanks, John.

No offense, but I would say that car had another 0.7 to 1 sec. in it. Even more time to be had when you get rid of some of that understeer.

Oh, I'm sure I agree on both counts. I'm a "pretty good" driver, not a "great" driver, there will always be a little more left out there. And the car definitely still has the inclination to understeer a little. (but I'm not going to blame it all on the car... I should have still beat Drew yesterday!)

BTW, John. I watched your videos, and there seems to be VERY little difference in how you're driving vs. how I'm driving. I could pick out that I'm probably pushing it slightly more in steady-state cornering. That might be worth a few tenths. Otherwise, the only difference I noticed was that you seemed to take the slalom to the left every time vs. taking it to the right the 2nd time through. (perhaps that answers the question of which way was better?)

[Solar]

Great day, Awesome course , Excellent results. Thanks everyone!

What a great picture !

[twistedwankel]

Otherwise, the only difference I noticed was that you seemed to take the slalom to the left every time vs. taking it to the right the 2nd time through. (perhaps that answers the question of which way was better?)

Borrowed cars are always faster. Charles would have beaten the Jerster in the Stang were he not ice racing the Datsun.

[Solar]

You had a to scrub off a ton of speed somewhere -- it was just a matter of which end of the slalom you wanted to do it. Also played to the type of car -- if you were in something that was hard to toss into the sweeper after the slalom, you ended up in the wall on the outside...or taking off more speed.

Very true, "but"...

I had no problem going either way because my car exiting the slalom didn't have enough power to make a difference. My "truck engine" has very little response exiting any corner, so I'm stuck to make a decision whether to hang the sweeper fast, or to brake a bit and enter the entry tighter and shorten the distance heading towards the finish.

[Loren]

Brian, not being able to accelerate out of that last turn before the back straight is EXACTLY why you should have taken the slalom to the right to optimize the entry into that turn. The more speed you can carry into that turn and the better line you carve through it, the more speed you have entering the back straight.

Fundamental truth: The most important turn on any course is the one before the longest straight.

Brian... which way did the guy who beat you take it?

[AScoda]

... I should have still beat Drew yesterday!

I hurt something in my back yesterday. I think I pulled my ass-kicking muscle. That's in my back, right Loren?
Oh, wait, I guess you wouldn't know, I'll ask Howard.

Trash talk aside, left entry both laps worked better for me. No problems getting through the left at the end of the slalom from the left side. A lot more speed scrubbing involved to try to get to a right entry.

Left, left FTW!

[Loren]

Well, I guess that doesn't answer the question. I never tried it the other way. Going right wasn't too difficult to do and felt great on the exit, so I went that way.

Of course, the Mustang has more torque to accelerate down the back straight, so corner speed isn't as important. Maybe the answer here is "it depends on your driving style and what you're driving?

I do love course options without clear answers!

[twistedwankel]

Left, left FTW!

That's exactly what Howard said before we ran. But did I listen? No. I was still happy with the Left then right and stuck with it but was almost straight going in and really fast leaving at the end.

I think it depended on your car/tires/setup and how much time you wanted to hang ten out on that last turn into the slalom. I swear John was squealing out there forever compared to Loren on that entry and Loren squealed more over the whole course. BUT I never make (evidence) videos of my own shitty runs to think about.

I think everyone who lost is way overthinking this one decision. I knocked off a whole second when I drove with gusto in the best power gear for "the grin factor" over the whole course. Everything else being equal. My first two intellectual runs were almost identical even tho' one had a passenger. Poo on precision this time.

[Solar]

Brian, not being able to accelerate out of that last turn before the back straight is EXACTLY why you should have taken the slalom to the right to optimize the entry into that turn. The more speed you can carry into that turn and the better line you carve through it, the more speed you have entering the back straight.

Fundamental truth: The most important turn on any course is the one before the longest straight.

Brian... which way did the guy who beat you take it?

The professor has spoken, kinda figured that you would.

I was speaking about how my car handles, I have no idea which line Matt took on the second slalom, but I found my car handled really well on the left side exit towards the finish. Ask anyone that rode with me, and they will confirm my that, my car stuck through that turn. I was able to go wide into the middle slalom cone and keep a ton of speed through the corner and go tight into the sweeper, and hang the car out without losing any speed.

Fundamental truth: The most important turn on any course is the one before the longest straight.

For me that was the way to go with my car, and I was able to flat foot it all the way to the finish.

[Loren]

The one thing I tried to get Jim to do (that I would have done) is play with some offset on that slalom to make the "easy" entry a little less easy. That would have made the choice of which way to go even harder.

FWIW, I didn't slow down much more entering the slalom to the right vs. left because when I went right, I committed to it before I ever turned in for the sweeper. I got wider on the apex, went a little deeper into the sweeper and gave myself plenty of space to make the turn and tuck inside the first slalom cone without dropping anchor for it.

I need to find a way to incorporate that "finish turn" somewhere besides the finish. That's always fun, and would be more so if it could be made just slightly more challenging... and without risk to the timing equipment.

[impalanut]

I did it both ways, and it was faster going in on the left. this was for a few reasons. First, easy in allowed more speed for the entire slalom, second, the sweeper before the slalom could be done closer to all the cones, instead of going in deeper to allow the sharp turn in the hard way, and third, even though it was a little slower out of the slalom, the total distance of the turn out of the slalom was less, and you still had to slow for the left hander before the last long straight. With street tires it may be different due to less grip on all turns.

[BrandLoyal]

I was very happy with my driving today, "but" seems like someone in S5 class was a little happier than I was with their driving. Good job Matt for breaking my year and a half or so win streak; no disrespect to anyone else driving in S5, but it's been a while since I finished second. Now Matt has to worry about me being hungry for my next win, so watch out my friend, I'm coming after you.

Brian... which way did the guy who beat you take it?

when I was FAST I did but I do know it took me 20 minutes to wipe all the smeared cone from the side of the door. My co-driver swears it was his instructor.. I doubt it.
Let me know when you want co-drive my car Brian and show me how fast it really will go!!

[Native]

...I do know it took me 20 minutes to wipe all the smeared cone from the side of the door. My co-driver swears it was his instructor.. I doubt it.

Your codriver tells the truth. Maybe you don't recall, but I did apologize to you for the marks.

[buddy bodean]

I say 4 more runs! Do I hear a second? Would love to repeat this course again -- soon.