THSCC Forums

Explain, please. I think they are still fine, earlier I was just joking about how heavy a braking zone there is after that high speed slalom.

I think, for safety's sake, that slaloms on the straights of the track section may need to be kept at slightly lower speeds. Seeing how close Mike and Rob got to contact when they went off was concerning.

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Steve Carter
1972 Datsun 240Z-- resto pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/srcartermd
2007 GPW Honda S2000-- STR 86

Done.
http://youtu.be/pNGw-WVDDwM
Hard to say as it looks like the "holeshot" section on run 6 (first 500ft or so) is where you established the gap between run 5 and 6 (check out freezeframe at 11 secs) Really interesting how much a good launch plays a role in our autocross setup--I bet this would be mitigated by the SCCA-styled curving chute entry, but I digress. Might have been a touch faster in run 6 without the looseness into the chicane, but by only a tenth or two as you were slowing down to hit the entry anyway.

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Steve Carter
1972 Datsun 240Z-- resto pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/srcartermd
2007 GPW Honda S2000-- STR 86

Video of my best NCCAR run that was "almost" fast enough to beat Art but still off the pace of the BMW's.

http://youtu.be/NYfWBLYVyno

For comparison here is a video of my best raw time today at the VMSC event at VMP. The official results say "clean" but the announcer said "cone in the Chicago Box".

http://youtu.be/4TXUhmbr6uE

Same video but with the overlay used for the NCCAR video

http://youtu.be/gDPXIBfpAF4

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

I agree that the last slalom was fine. It just forced us to slow down. I liked the course a lot despite driving like a$$. I liked the E30M3 and know why they are popular good power and torque, look cool. My only complaint is that I could never find the %%$R#&%_#_^_+%&$_ gears. I couldn't get the car into 2nd for the turnaround in time and on what would have been a pretty quick run, I couldn't find 3rd and coasted through the lane changes and halfway down the hill I didn't have the problem with getting out of shape in the fast section but I decided to go off at the top of the hill. I forgot that I needed a brake tap as I was going a bit quicker than the novices I rode with LOL. Thanks to John for letting me thrash on his car.

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1990 Faded Reddish CSP Lite Miata
2002 Electron Blue Corvette Z06
2005 Mazda 6 Wagon
2003 Nissan Pathfinder DTV (Dog Transport Vehicle)

Do you have times for everyone? I couldn't get any event times on Saturday for the current event, so I assumed the system had some issues. I have no idea what the tires were in our class or whether or not cones were hit, etc. I know I DNF'd my first two runs (holy c**p that tiny jink was an issue at speed until I took Keith's advice to get into 3rd...which of course meant I then hit the turn-around cone at some ungodly speed ).

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

Chuck

Don't get your hopes up too high but I think you got 1st with Keith 2nd. Art was 3rd and I was about .03 behind Art. Art and I were NOT close to you and Keith.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Dick and I ran in the 68.1s, Chuck was about 1.7 seconds faster, and Keith was either about .7 or 1 second behind Chuck. Nice driving Chuck and Keith!

That last slalom was really frustrating. Too fast for 1st gear and way too slow for 2nd. This may be a heretical statement, but I've never thought that VDA had that much grip. It's really smooth, but I've always had serious understeer problems there, whether on fat Hoosiers or skinny Rivals.

I put in new Koni yellow rear shocks last week and I think that cured some wierdness I experienced in event #1. I also set them a bit stiffer than I used to with Hoosiers, and switched my tire pressures around to run more all around, with 2 lbs more in the rear than in the front. The car wasn't as pushy as it was in event #1, and I was even rewarded with a big wiggle on the first cone of the offset slalom on a couple of runs. Setting all 4 tires to 39 lbs, ejecting the passenger, and other variables in my driving that I can't recall settled the car out. Scientific method, the sure way to 3rd place.

Perhaps I should have gone to 3rd after the lane change. My spreadsheet says 65 mph is all I can do in 2nd gear on Rivals, and I hit the rev limiter a couple of places each run. On the other hand, I always hit it within a second of a braking zone, so I can't blame that. I think louder mufflers are the answer

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Art McDonald
Premier Amateur #518
2008 Dishman Cup
Pivot Cone Snob

Rodney is a waxer (but in a good way)

Excellent event! Hat's off to everyone that made that happen. I had reservation about running the course in that direction, but it worked out very well. I have to admit I was holding my breath when the high speed off's happened on the straight away slalom. I have to agree w/ the comments that section should have been slowed down. I know in my last run I went for it. I went in to 3rd after the lane changes and was carrying plenty of speed heading into the straight. I lost control and gathered it back it, but there was some pucker factor there considering my speed. Other than that, an excellent course setup.

We got lucky w/ the weather, but since I had nothing to do w/ the event, I knew we were ok 6 runs was also a big bonus. Jordan is still getting his head wrapped around driving the mustang, but is doing great. Still can't wait for him to best me in an event.

Again, great job everyone!!!

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Rodney

'08 Bullitt mustang, CAM 7
Autox VP '09-'10, President '11-'12, interim President 2nd half of ‘14
proud recipient of the Bowie Grey service award '12
Now just a guy driving a mustang....

Watching my video doesn't make it look as bad as it felt. This video is crappy as my flip cam battery died yet again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXQv759ZWPI

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

Art,

Keith really helped me out by pointing what should have been obvious to me (this of course would be no news to my wife). Getting into 3rd early for the final turn onto the main straight as I was dealing with a super twitchy car at speed through that jink-slalom. I had to upshift to third somewhere along there (2nd runs out at 68mph and I was on the limiter by the jink-slalom devil), but short shifting and getting into 3rd sooner was the key.

He also said to try 2nd out of the turn-around. Even though it was a super slow exit, there is plenty of torque to reach the tire's limits relatively quickly. I was wasting time trying to manage wheelspin/drifting in 1st and then having to do a 1-2 upshift mid-late-turn on the VDA. Just staying in 2nd solved those "fun" issues and allowed me to focus on "tight is right" and trying to stay right on the limit around that left.

Thanks Keith, I really appreciate the discussion. Thankfully you didn't follow up the 3rd gear early discussion with "isn't that obvious", or "how long have you been doing this again?" Oh and thanks also for the tire pressure tips.

Art,

Are you getting lots of rollover with the Rivals? You might want to experiment with lower pressures. I'm running 275/35-18 all around on 8.5/9.5 wheels, and the 275s up front, while pinched a bit, are working well (I think). I had been running hot pressures of 38/36, but at this event I went down to 35/33 after talking with Keith about what he's running. I still had no significant rollover issues at those pressures which you can't fathom how on a camber challenged strut car with minimal adjustment (i.e. I have -1.4 up front) how happy that makes me. (after years of E46 pain in D-stock years ago).

Also, you might want to consider trying 275/35s all around on your 8" wheels? I have friend in FL who is actually running an E39 M5 beast in F-street (M5 has 8"/9.5" wheels), and he went with the 275s pinched up front year and is doing really well with the car, and his front tire wear is much improved (the M5 has ZERO camber adjustment from the factory and is stuck at -0.5, so he's dealing with that fun issue).

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

Good to hear that both SVT focuses (foci?) where working on "clearancing" their fenderwells in the back.

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2012 MX-5 Sport SUV

Actually that wasn't the tire rubbing but the control arm rubbing the wheel

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

You're very welcome, Chuck - glad the suggestions helped. Wish I could've given you a tighter battle - even my last run, which was finally cone-free, was well off your pace - great driving!

Thanks to the event organizers for a very fun event. After a rough start of my relationship with NCCAR a couple years ago (several rainy, cold events), it's quickly become my favorite AX venue of any I've been to, thanks to the past few events having great weather and mainly for THSCC arranging to use the track for fast sections & long laps. Patrice's course design this weekend was particularly fun and challenging - great mix of on-the-edge speed and major speed transitions to test patience. Great job!

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Keith Q.
2008 Top Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmX8XuZ_DCo&NR=1

Keith - how you you kept knocking over the big pivot cone? I could feel the red mist after the 2nd time.

Keith,

I had an epiphany Sat night when my wife asked how the autocross went... That pivot cone and that incredulous feeling you had about tagging it...I think I have the answer.

You were driving the ZHP, internally, naturally. The E46 M3 looks and feels so similar in the driver's seat, *but* that tail on the M3 version is wider with the much larger offset rear wheels. I wish I could have thought of this at the time to tell you to just visualize 3 extra inches in width out back, think of that wide tail as you approach the pivot, etc. Maybe?

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2