Da Groj

Who DOESN'T like Twinkies?!?!

Long drive home - Check
Delicious dinner - Check
Hot shower - Check

I think I'm ready to recap an autocross!

Aside from being a bit on the windy side most of the day, it was a GREAT day all around. We were missing some key people at this event, which slowed setup just a little bit. But, even after doing a full "uncondensed" drivers meeting (we had to), we still got started within 30 minutes of schedule.

We knocked out 8 runs each over two run groups like clockwork! Had a pretty fantastic Publix lunch. Lots of people helped us get packed, and we were all on the road by 3:30. From start of setup to last car out in 7 hours. Pretty cool!

Dunnellon airport now has yet another surface for us to play on. There's the concrete bit, the old asphalt bit, the unusable old asphalt bit, and now... there's the NEW asphalt bit! They completely repaved about 500 feet of the access road that connects with the end of the runway that we use. It's beautiful! We can use part of it for course... and part of it for a gloriously nice grid!

Thanks for making the trip out to the D, y'all!

Oh, and the Results are up.

So.... how were the ohlins?

I didn't remember to press record on all of my runs. But, my last and bestest run, I did. There may be some foul language in this video. Sometimes cars require verbal encouragement.

https://youtu.be/PXX3tD7eyhs

Nice.
That turn-around lasted forever.

CaptainSquirts wrote:So.... how were the ohlins?

I'm pretty much over the moon - spent the whole day seeing what I could get out of the car at the limit and adjusting; needless to say - much hooning was had!
- Unfortunately, didn't realize that I coned away a good run and turned the volume to eleven on the last run thinking I had a quasi safety - and hero to zero...

Am really happy with the improvement in response; way more fun was had than I expected 24 hours ago.

Edit: also had the terrible realization that this takes away my #1 excuse!

Had an absolute blast. Really enjoyed the course, even though I forgot the most fundamental rule of autocross during my first few runs and didn't look far enough ahead. Specifically entering the crossover
However, having Ben jump in as a co-driver and some sage words of advice from Drew made it all come together on my 7th run for my first ever S4 class win I know for sure there was still more time in the car as I never really felt like I drove the whole course correctly in any run. It's strange, my first run on cold tires was a 37.79, I figured I'd easily be into the 36's after a few runs with some heat in the tires, but spent most of the day in the 38's

Thanks to everyone for helping to make the day run smoothly - especially as some key regulars weren't able to make it, it's great that there is enough knowledge base on hand to fill in. Good to see quite a few new competitors with us for this event too.

Pictures at the link below!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/42350329@ ... 5142656988

First run group only unfortunately as I was driving in the second group. Thanks to Isabel for spotting for me so I could get pictures around the course.

Managed to get a good sequence of the light blue S2000 drifting the turn around and a few pics of "cone levitation" at the first left-hander!

Feel free to use them as you like

@ Dan E- I made sure to get some shots of your car from various angles so you can see how the new suspension affects body roll etc.

dbeng wrote:Pictures at the link below!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/42350329@ ... 5142656988

@ Dan E- I made sure to get some shots of your car from various angles so you can see how the new suspension affects body roll etc.

Thanks - but all I see is the Jag in the album, no real reason to look further...

Looking on past pics, the dive looks much better - although I need to tinker with how to bring the height down ~ 1/2 inch.

So just a friendly reminder:

Please do not drive like a goon when arriving or leaving our sites. The main reason is because they are NOT our sites - they belong to someone else. And if the site owners see, or hear, any of us driving in any fashion they don't like, for any reason they may choose, they could not invite us back. We mention this during the drivers' meeting every time - please behave yourselves. Sites are very difficult to come by, and so we want to be ultra-respectful to them, and to all their neighbors.
Thanks.

Fun day, and with a free air show, too!
Thank you to all who helped out, pitched in, lent a hand here and there, and for being a great group of folks.

I liked the course - 40 seconds in a small space with good mix of speed with some tighter sections that required brakes and really smooth inputs. My mistakes moved around, and stuck me at the 39 barrier...

And Bill, you nailed it, sir! Got me by a solid quarter-second. Last event I got you by only 6/100ths, and I wrote this:

Native wrote:Bill! We were 6/100s apart - well done!
Now do it again.

That .24 was not exactly what I had in mind!
Guess I'd better quit sandbagging...

Nice pics, Dan! Good catches on those cones in mid-air!
Thanks.

First of all, thanks for the photos Dan! I enjoyed the location more than expected. Here is my fastest, clean run, 36.752 not the 36.551 I was credited with (the 36.551 was with a cone). https://www.facebook.com/joseph.vance.7 ... 575086050/

Well, here's my fastest run - my first S4 class win. To be honest, I'm embarrassed to post it- it looks like amateur hour. There is so much plowing at the turnaround it's horrible, way beyond what Loren pointed out on one of my earlier videos.
I definitely need to work on controlling my speed / line through turn-arounds Maybe I need to carry an instructor for a few runs at an event to remind me! Yeah.. guess that's what I should focus on for a while.

https://youtu.be/AGPiEoviCj4

And Just for fun here's Ben's last run. Not his fastest, but definitely the most fun!
Look for the four-wheel drift at the crossover (And not completely over driving the turnaround).

https://youtu.be/PlMUSQI6y6s

Native wrote: Guess I'd better quit sandbagging...

please quit. One of us must cross the Line of Shame.

mymomswagon wrote:One of us must cross the Line of Shame.

You're a quarter-second closer than me, at this point...