Da Groj

What an AWESOME weekend. The car was great, the weather was great, everyone was great...you see a pattern yet? We'll here's some pics so you can relive the weekend. If anyone needs any hi-res images, just click on shakedown067 at the bottom of the galleries and shoot me an email.

VIDEO of one of the playoff runs on Saturday...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb0EdqCJHHU


http://gwatdesigns.com/fast/Fast-091017/


http://gwatdesigns.com/fast/Fast-091018/Fast-091018

Excellent photos, thanks for sharing them!

Nice pictures...thanks for sharing them.

Nice shots, Eric - I've sent an email to you so I can feed my vanity. I don't know what I'd do without bumpstops...

I really, really had a great time this weekend. Howard, you did a terrific job from start to finish - the relay event (something we've not done before) went off without a hitch, was a cool twist on the sport, and was just plain fun. Sunday went off just as well. The courses both days were a blast - quick (but not too quick), with a good mix of elements, and really made you think in a couple spots. And as usual - excellent company, all around!

We had a lot of help this weekend - before, during and after the event, which was great and very much appreciated. And extra thanks to those who pulled double-, and triple-duty when we came up a little short in the worker dept.

Shon - thanks for the car-swap - always fun!



We need an event chair for next month - registration is already open - let's get the show on the road!
November event thread

Thanks!
Howard, I surely liked your course. That is what the meaning of flow is - it worked really well.

I also liked very much the 4-lunch-3. This format has many benefits, which were evident.

Nice job!

And to all the newbs.. welcome- hope to see you again.

Had a great time Sunday way to go Howard. A quick note also about loading the trailer please load more heavy stuff to the front.

RESULTS?

leftandright wrote:I also liked very much the 4-lunch-3. This format has many benefits, which were evident.

I agree. A lot of people don't like it though. Maybe we can compromise and switch back and forth between events.

The team event was interesting and different, but probably not something I would be interested in doing again. I had a "free run" after I saw a teammate hit a cone and the course on Saturday was so much more fun when I could push it hard, instead of just concentrating on being clean.

Also, I heard the lunchtime rant about stopping for a downed cone and then continuing on your run was directed at me. Please tell me this is true, so I can tell you why you are wrong. Even if it wasn't directed at me, I think "threatening" the entire group is pretty tactless.

Thank you everyone for organizing this and thank you Howard for going an extra mile with the course. It was really different but at the same time fun. I could not help but smile everytime after my runs. I had a blast as usual and very well organized although Saturday was a bit tiring with people leaving and not a lot of workers in the end but overall perfect weather, perfect course and perfect weekend

Thank you for the pictures, I did not even know someone was taking pics out there else I would have said cheese..haha

Here are a few videos I think are worth showing LOL

Oct 17:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnh2gKDoY38" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oct 18:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXUztugYJBg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z53wSzWt8-E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once again thank you for everything and not to mention the pizza was worth being lazy in the afternoon runs..

Looking forward to the next event.

Interesting videos. Looks like two different drivers!

Mostly good hands on Saturday. Could be smoother in some places, but good technique, good control of the wheel.

Bad hands on Sunday. All crossed up. Everywhere. All the time.

Would have to watch them a few more times to pick up anything else worthwhile.

Got a couple of vids myself.

Sunday, 2nd best run. --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0x_xZ1mUus

Saturday, the only time I remembered to press record. --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLxGyQ-SSPU

Still have to work more on looking further down the course. Got better on sunday, but lots of room for improvement. Just wish I'd got the spin out on tape...maybe not.

The lunchtime "rant" was intended as an instructional meeting, especially for the newer particiipants. There was a description of how to look behind the cars for cones, etc to avoid missing the downed cones. There was a reiteration of safety and not putting yourself at risk to reset a cone and that it was better to flag a car than to risk being hlit. There was also a discussion that if you stop for a downed cone or are red flagged that you will get a rerun and that you don't lose that run. Once you stop for a downed cone or are red flagged, you should get off the course in a timely manner, you don't have to go throught all the gates, and you should go through the timing lights to help us stay on sequence. Typically, you should ber able to do this at 25-30 mph. That does not mean you get a free practice run. If you run the course flat out after being flagged or stopping, than the time for that run will be counted. Obviously, before you stopped you were running at full speed. This is to prevent giving an unfair advantage to a driver who would get multiple extra runs due to errors by course workers, timing errors, etc. While FAST does run under its own rules, if you think it is different at other events I don't think that is the case. Rule 7.9.2 of the current SCCA rules states exactly the same thing. There were no threats. In fact the primary purpose was to remind people how to avoid missing the down cones.
I also don't really like splitting the run groups, but with a long course I was worried that people would really hate being out on course as workers for the three hours it would have taken due to the fact that we had only two groups. If we had enough workers for three groups we could have done all the runs at once. This is easier at SPC where we can cover the course with fewer workers. I actually prefer four run groups so you can run, watch, work, watch and have more of a chance to get some teaching for those who want it as well as a chance to just watch the other drivers.

As always, I had a great time. I enjoyed everything about the event except my driving. It was terrible, but some times you(at least I do) need a bad day to make you remember the basics of auto-x that you've learned along the way. Thanks for the input Jeremy, it helped me drop my times during the second set of runs. While I didn't run as fast as I wanted to, I still had a lot of fun.

Yesterday's course made me realize something about myself. I rely on "memory" more than I think I do. And, in tight sections of a course, I don't practice my own "look ahead" mantra. I rely more on "thinking ahead", which usually works. But, anyone who saw my second run in the Yaris yesterday afternoon saw what happens when you don't look ahead, are relying on thinking ahead, and FORGET something! What I forgot was that after the hard left, there's a kink back to the right and left again before going across the course into the sweeping S turn. Made the left and looked up for my gate across the course... and it wasn't there!

Wasn't the only mistake of that nature that I made yesterday, either. I must be getting old. Maybe I should paste a course map on my dashboard?

Loren wrote:Wasn't the only mistake of that nature that I made yesterday, either. I must be getting old. Maybe I should paste a course map on my dashboard?

Nah, just stick it under your windshield wiper.

Native wrote:Shon - thanks for the car-swap - always fun!

I enjoyed this too. The only bad thing with this experience is that it is going to impact the urgency in which I purchase some new shocks.

leftandright wrote:And to all the newbs.. welcome- hope to see you again.

Overall...I did have a great time and you will be seeing much much more of me. As a "newbie" I did enjoy the Saturday team event. It really forced me to meet people and spend time talking to the guys on my team. But of course, when Sunday came around it was nice to actually see my own personal times. I really appreciate all the advice and support everyone was willing to offer. Loren thanks for riding with me on Sunday...I feel like I learned a lot!

See you guys in SP!

Shon, remember... if you can learn to drive fast on a "crappy" setup, you'll be that much faster and more versatile as a driver when you're presented with something better!

Your shocks are a bit sloppy, but far from hopeless. Replacing that slipping clutch should be your priority before shocks.

Speaking of tires... keep in mind that the wear you experienced this weekend was probably about 23-24 runs (9-10 runs on Saturday and 14 on Sunday) on fairly long courses. That's the equivalent of about 4 typical autocrosses.

Results are in. The vettes come in 7th and 8th overall. HELL YEAH! I scored just .3 over Tim. Watch out man, I'm coming for ya.

impalanut wrote:This is to prevent giving an unfair advantage to a driver who would get multiple extra runs due to errors by course workers, timing errors, etc.

Didn't think anyone cared about extra looks at the course. Maybe we should ban ride alongs too, since someone may get more than another person. Give me a break, this isn't the National Championships.

In my opinion, as long as you exit the course in a safe and timely manner, and don't hit any cones, spin out, or do anything else that would hold up the event, then you are OK. I'd be more pissed off if someone actually drove the whole way back at 25 mph and held up the event. If you want me to do that to prove a point, I will.

Just looking over the results. Congrats to Shon Sparks. He was the only driver with no cones and no off course runs for the entire day on Sunday. Nice job.

Loren wrote:Interesting videos. Looks like two different drivers!

Mostly good hands on Saturday. Could be smoother in some places, but good technique, good control of the wheel.

Bad hands on Sunday. All crossed up. Everywhere. All the time.

Would have to watch them a few more times to pick up anything else worthwhile.

Thanks Loren as usual, I did pick up some pointers from you and Jeremy (Thank you Jeremy) on Saturday and on Sunday and the whole pupose of making videos is to learn what and where I am doing wrong and try to improve one thing at a time at least. I need to sit with experienced people like you, Jeremy and other good drivers more and take pointers to shave off a few more seconds off of my time and do better in future

One of the things I think we all needed badly since the course was complicated was a course map, I am used to of coming back from the run, look at the map and see what and where am I doing wrong and course map comes in handy when you are discussing it with an instructor or just trying to realize where you messed up and stuff.