anyone autox at zmax april 7th

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Sat Apr 07, 2012 6:49 pm

Things I learned at ZMax this weekend:

(1) I am not good at autocross
(2) Zmax is now a FULLY sealed asphalt, low grip surface a la G'Vegas.
(3) My car tends to spin when a shock mount nut comes loose and falls off.
(4) I am not good at autocross.
(5) Jon Nwanagu (sp) is a great dude, letting a stranger (me) drive his STR CR for my final run.

For those of you doing the SuperShootout thing, #2 is the most pertinent. Soften up that setup! This course did get much faster during the third and fourth heat as rubber got laid down, but the morning runs were...entertaining...and included much spinning.

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:44 pm

having equipment failure makes life interesting. I was not there for the autocross, I was testing at Tae Kwon Do.

Preliminary reports say I passed.

Now I can do basic sparring.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:35 am

Steven Carter wrote:

Things I learned at ZMax this weekend:

(1) I am not good at autocross
(2) Zmax is now a FULLY sealed asphalt, low grip surface a la G'Vegas.
(3) My car tends to spin when a shock mount nut comes loose and falls off.
(4) I am not good at autocross.
(5) Jon Nwanagu (sp) is a great dude, letting a stranger (me) drive his STR CR for my final run.

For those of you doing the SuperShootout thing, #2 is the most pertinent. Soften up that setup! This course did get much faster during the third and fourth heat as rubber got laid down, but the morning runs were...entertaining...and included much spinning.

First of all, as the famous (or infamous) Eric Peterson might say, "shut your pie hole and drive". You are a good autocrosser. And, going to different venues will make you better. Also, you have a new car that is totally different from what you have driven in the past, and you are certainly still sorting it out. I'm sure that you learned a lot yesterday. I wasn't kidding when I told you to drive it as if it was raining.
And second, yesterday was a very important day, especially for anyone who plans to attend the Shootout in 2 weeks. Now that the entire surface has been sealed, it is totally different. I think much of the slipping and sliding we saw yesterday was the result of drivers having driven at zMax before, and trying to drive it the same way they have in the past. The course yesterday was very sweepy as well. Something that we don't see as much of due to the long, narrow courses that we have at Danville or Sanford. I'm sorry that the Shootout conflicts THSCC's schedule. It would be a great opportunity for many to get some great seat time and compete with some of the best drivers. The payouts go deep and as we all know, one cone can change the standings in a heartbeat!

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:59 am

Gwen Baake wrote:

Steven Carter wrote:

Things I learned at ZMax this weekend:

(1) I am not good at autocross
(2) Zmax is now a FULLY sealed asphalt, low grip surface a la G'Vegas.
(3) My car tends to spin when a shock mount nut comes loose and falls off.
(4) I am not good at autocross.
(5) Jon Nwanagu (sp) is a great dude, letting a stranger (me) drive his STR CR for my final run.

For those of you doing the SuperShootout thing, #2 is the most pertinent. Soften up that setup! This course did get much faster during the third and fourth heat as rubber got laid down, but the morning runs were...entertaining...and included much spinning.

First of all, as the famous (or infamous) Eric Peterson might say, "shut your pie hole and drive". You are a good autocrosser. And, going to different venues will make you better. Also, you have a new car that is totally different from what you have driven in the past, and you are certainly still sorting it out. I'm sure that you learned a lot yesterday. I wasn't kidding when I told you to drive it as if it was raining.
And second, yesterday was a very important day, especially for anyone who plans to attend the Shootout in 2 weeks. Now that the entire surface has been sealed, it is totally different. I think much of the slipping and sliding we saw yesterday was the result of drivers having driven at zMax before, and trying to drive it the same way they have in the past. The course yesterday was very sweepy as well. Something that we don't see as much of due to the long, narrow courses that we have at Danville or Sanford. I'm sorry that the Shootout conflicts THSCC's schedule. It would be a great opportunity for many to get some great seat time and compete with some of the best drivers. The payouts go deep and as we all know, one cone can change the standings in a heartbeat!

They sealed the whole thing? Boooo!

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:10 am

MarcusMcRae wrote:

Gwen Baake wrote:

Steven Carter wrote:

Things I learned at ZMax this weekend:

(1) I am not good at autocross
(2) Zmax is now a FULLY sealed asphalt, low grip surface a la G'Vegas.
(3) My car tends to spin when a shock mount nut comes loose and falls off.
(4) I am not good at autocross.
(5) Jon Nwanagu (sp) is a great dude, letting a stranger (me) drive his STR CR for my final run.

For those of you doing the SuperShootout thing, #2 is the most pertinent. Soften up that setup! This course did get much faster during the third and fourth heat as rubber got laid down, but the morning runs were...entertaining...and included much spinning.

First of all, as the famous (or infamous) Eric Peterson might say, "shut your pie hole and drive". You are a good autocrosser. And, going to different venues will make you better. Also, you have a new car that is totally different from what you have driven in the past, and you are certainly still sorting it out. I'm sure that you learned a lot yesterday. I wasn't kidding when I told you to drive it as if it was raining.
And second, yesterday was a very important day, especially for anyone who plans to attend the Shootout in 2 weeks. Now that the entire surface has been sealed, it is totally different. I think much of the slipping and sliding we saw yesterday was the result of drivers having driven at zMax before, and trying to drive it the same way they have in the past. The course yesterday was very sweepy as well. Something that we don't see as much of due to the long, narrow courses that we have at Danville or Sanford. I'm sorry that the Shootout conflicts THSCC's schedule. It would be a great opportunity for many to get some great seat time and compete with some of the best drivers. The payouts go deep and as we all know, one cone can change the standings in a heartbeat!

They sealed the whole thing? Boooo!

Yep! Shiny!

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 11:29 am

Thanks, Gwen. I wasn't intending on looking for a smack on the back, but thanks for the reboot!

It was more like "wow...I thought I was getting better at this, but now that I see I am 4-6 secs behind really good drivers, I have a new appreciation for how far I have to go." Humbling, to say the least---and I didn't have to drive to Lincoln to experience that :lol:

Zmax is the most challenging site around. On camber, off camber, now sealed...the course design enticed the uninitiated (me) to overdrive the straightish sections, then get in massive trouble at the decreasing radius sweeper that resulted in two spins and a DNF out of my four runs. I will definitely go back in August--you know, glutton for punishment as I am :wink:

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 12:26 pm

Gwen and Steve,

Did the grip improve as the day warmed? As I recall G'ville was terrible cold but not bad on fresh slicks (not DOT's but actual slicks) when warm/hot.

I'll be there on brand new slicks. Worst case I get lots of car control practice and the tires will still be "like new" for the Blytheville events in June.

Steve,

How new were your tires?

Thanks!

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 12:51 pm

Steven Carter wrote:

Thanks, Gwen. I wasn't intending on looking for a smack on the back, but thanks for the reboot!

It was more like "wow...I thought I was getting better at this, but now that I see I am 4-6 secs behind really good drivers, I have a new appreciation for how far I have to go." Humbling, to say the least---and I didn't have to drive to Lincoln to experience that :lol:

Zmax is the most challenging site around. On camber, off camber, now sealed...the course design enticed the uninitiated (me) to overdrive the straightish sections, then get in massive trouble at the decreasing radius sweeper that resulted in two spins and a DNF out of my four runs. I will definitely go back in August--you know, glutton for punishment as I am :wink:

Steve,
I know you don't *need* a pat on the back....but you're doing the right things to improve and that should be mentioned. Getting away from your comfort zone and pitting your skill set against different drivers is both humbling and rewarding. Your comments confirm that you learned bunches yesterday. Now, apply what you learned. (clearly the most difficult part, as witnessed by watching me...a constant work in progress.)

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:00 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Gwen and Steve,

Did the grip improve as the day warmed? As I recall G'ville was terrible cold but not bad on fresh slicks (not DOT's but actual slicks) when warm/hot.

I'll be there on brand new slicks. Worst case I get lots of car control practice and the tires will still be "like new" for the Blytheville events in June.

Steve,

How new were your tires?

Thanks!

Dick,
Actually, if you didn't let the sealer mess with your head, the grip was never any worse than it ever was on the old part that was previously sealed. Yes, I think it improved slightly as the day progressed, but even earlier it was better once drivers figured out the surface. There were a number of drivers on new rubber who were there dialing in their cars for the Shootout. They didn't seem to have issues with the surface once they dialed in.

Glad to hear you'll be at Blytheville. Sounds like you're getting back into the game.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:13 pm

On first heat, a lot of the Stock class cars spun much more easily than I expected on the first short sweeper. Maybe in part due to rear bar, esp GS and HS, but probably more due to surface grip/temps and lack of rubber laid down by precding drivers. At the end of the day, tarmac temps were 120F on a clouldless 70 degree day. Morning temps were near 48 degrees, IIRC. Big advantage to late run groups.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 2:19 pm

Gwen Baake wrote:

Dick,

Glad to hear you'll be at Blytheville. Sounds like you're getting back into the game.

Gwen and Steve,

Thanks for the info!

Yes, I'm getting back in the game. Retired from work last Monday! Plenty of time and, hopefully, enough money and "youth" left to play!

Gwen,

For Blytheville, is the Comfort Inn shown as the staff hotel as good as any place to stay?

Thanks!

Dick

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 2:55 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Gwen Baake wrote:

Dick,

Glad to hear you'll be at Blytheville. Sounds like you're getting back into the game.

Gwen and Steve,

Thanks for the info!

Yes, I'm getting back in the game. Retired from work last Monday! Plenty of time and, hopefully, enough money and "youth" left to play!

Gwen,

For Blytheville, is the Comfort Inn shown as the staff hotel as good as any place to stay?

Thanks!

Dick

"as good as" might be a quantitative statement, it's not great by any means, but there's a restaurant right there and it's where most people stay. Not my turn to make reservations, but I'll let you know if some other place comes into play.

As far as being young enough, that's more a state of mind than a calendar reference, so, you're definitely young enough.

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 4:08 pm

you guys need to try rallycross now. Slippery dirt, grippy dirt, rutted, not rutted, gravel, mud.. all in one run! and you have to turn! Autocross is fun, but rally is where its at.

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:37 am

Damn guys now your making me wish I did skip work to go to Zmax! Oh well there is always 2 weeks.

Zach Hill · **Posted:** Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:33 pm

Steven Carter wrote:

Things I learned at ZMax this weekend:

(1) I am not good at autocross
(2) Zmax is now a FULLY sealed asphalt, low grip surface a la G'Vegas.

I experienced a nice reality check at last year's NCAC at ZMAX struggling for grip. I discovered far too late that the 205/225 tires I was running at the time preferred less air pressure to give more grip. I wonder if softening the setup would have helped too? In either case, I find ZMAX to be very challenging and different from the typical THSCC runway courses. I think it's great practice for us to go and run ZMAX as much as possible for the sharp contrast. I wish I could have made this last weekend. :-(

Steven Carter wrote:

(3) My car tends to spin when a shock mount nut comes loose and falls off.
(4) I am not good at autocross.
(5) Jon Nwanagu (sp) is a great dude, letting a stranger (me) drive his STR CR for my final run.

Sorry to hear about your mechanical troubles. Hopefully it only caused you to spin and nothing more (no damage to car, etc.).

Jon is a really cool dude indeed. I remember about two years ago at a Triad event he was working grid while I was driving, and he started talking to me between runs, giving me a little unsolicited coaching and advice. I think I found nearly a whole second on my last run that day after listening to what he had to say. Great driver and a nice guy. :thumbsup:

How was his car to drive?

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