THSCC Forums

According to Eric, it's going bad. It's pouring rain and the tree isn't working, so they've canceled morning runs. Sorta. You can still take your runs for practice, but they will not count AND worst of all you still have to work. And it's POURING. Karl and Eric have no rain tires, but Chris and Jonathan (in my STi), do. So they're taking their practice on the assumption (which seems likely) that both this afternoon and tomorrow will also be wet.

Hmm, seems like I picked a good one to miss.


--Donnie

I was sad that I had to miss Nationals this year until I heard the weather report for this weekend and next week. Now I just have to deal with this stupid gas crap and driving to NY next week for a wedding.

Edited to add Day one results link:
http://scca.com/documents/resultfiles/12147_friday%20preliminary.pdf

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2010 Honda Fit Sport
Couple of bicycles

Eric decided to withdraw from the event. Apparently Karl's street tires aren't on legal wheels and they had no rain tires, so he's just babysitting. So I guess Karl was running on slicks, which would explain his times.

weather.com had the forecast for Topeka looking fine next week, though. *shrug* I'm heading that way tomorrow, so I'll be driving through Ike. *sigh*


--Donnie

Yeah, Hoosier A6s aren't the money setup in lots of standing water. Still, I am right there with the only other AS car on dry tires, a car and driver that won Toledo several weeks ago. I'm actually really happy about that.

More rain tomorrow unfortunately. Hopefully it will dry out in time for Nationals.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

http://www.scca.com/newsarticle.aspx?hub=3&news=3442

Wow. 6 inches of rain. Good thing you're having fun

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

Rodney is a waxer (but in a good way)

"Fun" is relative. This is more fun than being broken down on the side of the road covered in diesel fuel.

Oh. Wait...

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

Yeah, I should have probably mentioned that.

Karl was following Eric, who was driving my Sportchassis and trailer. They stopped and fueled up and about 200 miles later Eric noticed the thing was acting weird and the gauge was saying empty. Pulled into a stop only to find a busted high pressure fuel line on the motor had been spraying all the fuel out as they drove. Apparently Karl thought it was raining there was so much fuel spewing.

So they were stuck in Louisville for a day while the thing got fixed. Or, better yet, while they waited for the shop to even get to it. Sounds like it only took a couple hours to actually fix it. Turns out it was warrantied even though the thing is out of warranty because it's a known problem, but I never got a recall notice or anything. This is why I'll be glad to not have a Freightliner very much longer. *sigh*

I hate it for those guys...first broken down on the road and then they get to Topeka for THIS.

And now I'm wondering about even going myself. I should have been on the road already today, but that put me going right though the midwest at the same time as Ike, and apparently the midwest is already pretty water logged (EVERYWHERE, not just Topeka). Given the fuel situation and the actual storm...


--Donnie

After the mess with the fuel line spraying fuel everywhere, Karl said that a tire carcass got kicked up and hit the front of the S2000 apparently necessitating another new front bumper when he gets back to Raleigh.

At least he has rain tires for Topeka, oh wait...

Seriously, even with all the rain and trials and tribulations of getting out there, I am extremely jealous of everyone from THSCC that is playing in Topeka!

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

Yeah, if it weren't for bad luck, Karl and Eric wouldn't have any.

Just to update, I'm now flying to Kansas on Monday morning, flying out from there on Wednesday to SLC, and back to RDU on the following Monday. All those flights on Southwest total a hair over $1000. Hotel will be right around that for the seven nights (the Hampton Inn in Tooele had a room, which I find a minor miracle). Fuel for the motorcoach would have been $4,000 if there's no HUGE spike in diesel prices, and there's likely to be some flooding in the midwest that I would have had to deal with.

Flying it is.


--Donnie

All I can say is I'm glad I have a sense of humor, and Donna was not chasing PS points this year.
The event was a joke, as said it was pouring Fri AM and as usual the tree and timing system would not work when they tried to start the event. They left the poor first group workers out on course for more than an hour while they futzed with it. (I just can't understand why they cannot weather proof the system when they have this very problem every time it rains, and 1/2 the times when it doesn't. Is the equipment budget that small that they can't afford plastic bags and electrical tape? I can think of dozens of simple ways to waterproof a connection...)
I just discovered there are at least two different compounds of Hoosier radial rains, and the first is much poorer than the newest one. I bought a set of them off a fellow AS competitor who shall remain nameless (not anyone local) a couple months ago to have for nationals. I think it wouldn't be hard to guess which compound he so graciously sold to me! They gripped worse than street tires. You know there was a traction problem when Donna finishes dead last in class.
The weather looks much better for the practice tomorrow and the rest of the week. Anyone want to attend a rain tire bonfire when we get back?

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

Jonathan won AS by over two seconds. It was still wet today, but he opened up his lead considerably. Chris got knocked out of the trophies in ladies, unfortunately.

Jonathan had to run against a CSP car that had a one second lead PER SIDE and just couldn't quite make that up in the challenge, so he went out in the first round. But that put him in the bonus challenge, and he won that. So we think between the bonus challenge, the class win at the event, and the championship that he won 10 total tires. It was a good day for the car owner.




--Donnie

Not saying anything to demean Johnathan, he drove some amazing runs given the conditions, but because of the constantly changing weather conditions and equipment problems any/all results were far from meaningful IMHO. A rear wheel drive car was like bringing a rock to a gun fight.
I suggested Friday when the equipment wouldn't work that all the drivers go into the impound shelter and play "rock, paper, scissors" to determine the winners.

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

Congrats to Roberts for the class win, as well as to Feinberg for grabbing 2nd in DS in only the second time in the car. Chris, go get 'em at the Solo Championships.

Also, Spratte, the pedal on the right makes you go faster. Really And Karl, just do what we talked about, and listen to JR.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

How so? Everyone got eight timed runs, correct? There were few second drivers (if any?) for changing conditions to have affected much. Jonathan only won by a little more (if any) than he won by in the same car two years ago when it was dry. Last year doesn't count as he stood on his first four runs when everyone else got 12 (and he still won). Just how often does someone put down times at ANY ProSolo, let alone the Finale, that would win in just their first four runs, anyway?

So while you're not "saying anything to demean" and then blowing off "any/all" results, the two don't mix. Unless there's something else I'm missing. Please enlighten as I'm genuinely curious.



Has been in AS for the last three years now at the Pro. I don't think Hoosier made it any big secret about the new rain compound, either. You must have gotten REALLY old tires, too, since that new compound came out sometime in 2007, IIRC. The tires Jonathan was on are the newer compound and were bought prior to Nats last year, IIRC. Either that or there's an even newer compound I don't know about and Jonathan was on the "old" compound as well.


--Donnie

EVIL AWD spawned by Satan himself.

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9