Oakland Acres 6/26/05

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

I took the 2.5RS and drove on rally tires, and Cosby Wood took his yeller WRX and drove on Continental Contiextremecontacts - the tires that took first overall at every THSCC event last year (so yes, when I didn't win... it was because I was on the wrong TIRES!

). It was hot & muggy when we arrived (around 8am), and by the end of the day we both had pounding headaches from heat & dust. Christine went up too, but she spent most of the day with her grandma. She brought her by for a few minutes, but afterward grandma said, "I didn't like it out there - it was too dusty." It was VERY dusty this time - the owner said it was the dustiest he's ever seen it. Rob told me that they were going to start spraying the course down between run groups from now on.

Now, about the times... rally tires are much faster on loose dirt than street tires - duh. I'd guesstimate around 4 seconds :shock:

faster on a 1:40 course (and it wasn't nearly as loose this time as it was last time). So yes, Phillip - we were at an extreme disadvantage last time. And so was Cosby this time. I rode with him his first run, and he was sliding all over the place. He had a couple of slight offs in the AM, and I think another in the PM, but after the loose stuff got swept off, he ran a 1:38 on his last run of the day. Not too shabby - just needs to start off more carefully next time. :lol:

I didn't hear all the times from my run group, but after putting in a careful and "hackish" 1:41, I had a 1:38 and a 1:37 in the AM, and (2) 1:38's and a 1:37 in the PM. The only cumulative times I heard that were close were run by Rob Bergstrom - after I swept the course for him. :roll:

Rob actually had a 1:36.5 on his last run of the day. :oops:

He was on his usual Traction T/A's, but with one rally tire on the front - I think he'd gotten a puncture or something. Matt, the guy that was fastest overall last time, was stuck right around 1:40 all day. Rob said he thinks it's me, then him for top overall, but I think it might be him then me - unless somebody else quietly stomped both of us! :lol:

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:29 am

Where was this one? I don't remember you mentioning it beforehand.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

http://www.thsccforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3236

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Really good action photos from a spectator:

http://www.yangllc.com/rallyracing/webgallery/

I would've brought out the Rebel XT for some action photos, but I didn't have a dust-proof housing. :roll:

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

Kevin Allen wrote:

but I didn't have a dust-proof housing. :roll:

CosbyWood · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2005 8:36 pm

I got's to say that I had a large amount of fun, but at the same time was scared beyond belief. That was my first and most likely my last event up there as I can't bring myself to realize that everything will be alright when there's those tractor tires to contend with. Even though I know I won't hit one, it still lingers in the back of my mind that it could happen. :oops:

Kevin Hoff · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:58 pm

So why _do_ they have those huge tractor tires laying around? Are there areas that need serious protection that aren't immediately obvious in the pics? I'd think the bogey penalty plus normal cone penalties would be enough to keep people from going way off course. (not trashing on another club, just trying to figure it out from pics having not been there.)

Dang Kevin that's some serious tire wear in such a small number of runs. Were they new when you started?

--Kevin H.

CosbyWood · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:44 am

Here's my thoughts on it. Not sure exactly the reasoning behind all the tires, but the course is stagnant so instead of marking it with cones all the time, just leave something more permanent but still "flexable" in the event of running into it. Also, those larger tractor tires are sitting right in front of a 3-tier tower so it seems logical that they are protecting that somewhat. I could be way off course (no pun intended :lol:

) but that's what comes to mind on the tires. :wink:

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:08 am

When they first started doing rallycrosses there, the course looked much different. I was there (so was Mike Whitney I think) that first day. The course was incredibly serpentine, and the field was overgrown to a height of 5-6 feet everwhere. It was almost like a maze. Over the course of several events, the course started getting shortcutted ruthlessly. This is because there were almost no cones placed, because the grass was so tall that the course workers couldn't see the cones anyway.

The big tractor tires were originally added in a spot where the course runs very close to itself (out near the small platform) as a safety measure, and I assume also to discourage people from taking a shortcut through there. They were also added up at the firetower, as lots of people typically stand very close to the course there.

At that point the course really started to develop a look of permanence, so I'd think that the half-tire details were added by someone else who thought they'd make the place look like a real racetrack.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Quote:

Dang Kevin that's some serious tire wear in such a small number of runs. Were they new when you started?

They were new. You should see Matt Demicco's tires - Galant VR4, no camber... :shock:

They were pretty chewed up; he had to rotate them during lunch.

Phillip Redd · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:21 pm

That did look really, really dusty this time.

And Kevin, that was some serious tire wear for 6 runs. :cry:

It looks like Cosby is getting a handle on sliding that WRX around without that front strut tower brace. (You did leave it off didn't you Coz?) :lol:

What kind of wheels did you end up getting Kevin?

I wish I could have made it but I'm going for suspension first and then I'll start working on getting rally tires.

Of course Kevin: if you need a co-driver in the RS, let me know. How did the RS compare with the wagon? How much of the better times do you think were the tires and how much was the different gearing of the car?

See y'all on the 9th.

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

June 2001:

My "first" rallycross car. Thanks Hertz!

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2005 6:31 am

Was that picture from the first event they ever had in that field, or was the course already established when you ran there? That picture doesn't look too much different than the current course.

You would know if it was the first event, as the course we did the morning drive-through on didn't look much like that. IIRC it was also raining, and several 2WD cars got stuck (slipping on the grass) on the drive-through!

If it was the first event, the picture must've been taken in the afternoon. By that time the course had "developed" into about it's current configuration.

CosbyWood · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2005 6:57 am

Phillip Redd wrote:

(You did leave it off didn't you Coz?)

As a matter of fact I did. It's been off ever since the last event. Haven't decided yet what I'm really going to do, plus I'm just to lazy to put it back together. :lol:

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Carl Fisher wrote:

Was that picture from the first event they ever had in that field, or was the course already established when you ran there? That picture doesn't look too much different than the current course.

You would know if it was the first event, as the course we did the morning drive-through on didn't look much like that. IIRC it was also raining, and several 2WD cars got stuck (slipping on the grass) on the drive-through!

If it was the first event, the picture must've been taken in the afternoon. By that time the course had "developed" into about it's current configuration.

That was the event. And the picture was from the afternoon. The Mustang had some scars on the front bumper by the end of the day because in one section, the only thing defining the course was some 1" diameter trees. Just run 'em over!

I got stuck on my first comp run. The afternoon was a blast though.

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Oakland Acres 6/26/05

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