THSCC Forums

I just wanted to thank everyone for making this a fantastic event! Our event chairs (Amy Mindick and Phil Fausz) helped set up a very challenging course. It was technical, and you paid the price for getting it wrong. Thanks also to Jim F (bus driver *and* course setup), Jim P. and Sally J. (course setup, *early* Sun AM setup). Another thanks to all the other workers (especially the folks in timing, we all managed to keep them busy!).

Many of our courses use most of the cones in the bus, this was no different. The difference was that this course forced you to drive around most of those cones! in spite of the several technical sections I was still able to see speeds pushing 55 mph on the taxiway (when I did it right).

Walking the course I commented how the finish (that I helped set up) would punish the people not looking ahead. You *had* to give up a little in the last gate before sweeping left to the lights.

Guess what, I went sideways trying not to DNF on my first run. Why? I wasn't looking ahead.

I ended up running well, but this was the first time in ages that I went out on my last run telling myself not to hit cones, and spend the last 1/3 of the course braking early and taking wide lines just to be clean. With the rain in the morning, it really was a 2 run event for most folks, and if you got it wrong the results wa a bunch of cone runs, or a sub par clean time.


We had to leave early, hopefully the fun runs went well!

Who are the lucky "squash" owners?

Scott

I would like to add my thanks to those that helped out. Except for the early rain (which was supposed to be late) it was a great event. The course was a lot of fun.

Hopefully Amy or Phil will chime in and let us know who got the "special" prizes

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Reading from my notes to post from:

The Great Pumpkin/Squash went to David Jones (NOV2) in a Firebird for squashing the greatest cumulative number of cones.

There was a tie for single-run Master Squasher with the "honors" going to Adam Ligon (DSP111) & Rob Lupella (ES13).

Unless Amy has the cone squashing counts handy, I'll have to tally them up from the results later.

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The person with too many names...
Mary E./ME/Emmie Fisher/Daniel/Daniel-Fisher
(& some others not suitable for posting!).
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If I remember correctly David Jones won the big Pumpkin with a grand total of 19 cones over 4 runs I think he left before we could present him with his "award"

Adam Ligon and Rob Lupella tied for the single run award both crushing a whooping 7 cones in one run. Earning themselves a small pumpkin to take home and the wrath of course workers everywhere.

I'd like to say thanks to all the folks who helped out with setup and thanks again to Amy and Phil.

Shawn

Those are the folks who won! Malia accepted the grand pumpkin on David's behalf. Great job with the spirit of auto"squash" guys!!

Thanks to the officers and the people who have standard positions that set up and go! You make being a chair very easy. It was amazing to me sunday morning to just watch everything come together.

Now for the fun part, creative criticism! Please, please, please help a novice designer out and provide some creative criticism (I'm asking for it!). If you want to keep it off the forum .... miner_amy@yahoo.com or send a private message within the forums - what a neat function! Thanks!

Thanks everyone that made Sunday happen. I had a great time once things dried out a little.

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2004 Ranger Edge
2003 Buell XB9R
2004 Trek 4900
2004 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Disc
2004 Lemond Reno

I had a good time and enjoyed driving in both the wet and dry.

I particularly liked the diagonal slalom element.

I was disapointed with the extra cones at the start that prevented you from making a right turn and then a 180 turn for real high speed flying start into the start timer.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

I really enjoyed the event yesterday, although I missed my car A LOT! Thanks to Peter Baio for letting me co-drive.

Photos are up...

http://kevinmallen.home.att.net/autoxphotos.htm

Sorry, Vincent, but no thumbnails this time - start downloading and go make a sandwich or something!

Kevin

No criticism here, only a question. Do you and Phil have a thing for slaloms or what!? Just happens that I like slaloms so it was a fun course for me. Although I usually hate decreasing slaloms, for some unknown reason I did that part well. I'm sure I could have attacked the long slalom on the paint better, but I dialed it back to keep from having another spin.

The only thing I didn't like was the offset gate to the finish. On my third run I actually tried to hold it flat, right after the hard left towards the finish. Obviously it didn't work as I spun and punted the finish cone about 25 feet!

Overall I'd say the course design was very good. Great job Phil and Amy.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

Amy, Despite the fact that I ran into many of those pesky cones and generally drove stupidly until my last fun run , I liked the course. Had good speed but forced me to slow down to go fast. I hope when I design my first course it is as good as yours.

Holder of the Great Pumpkin has spoken

For the record, that's Mike Whitney's finger in the closeup of DSP 32. I had a blast driving his car in the fun runs. I also have a bruise on my left shoulder from a too-tight harness. Thanks to Tom for his "slow down, smooth up" advice on my 3rd run. My 4th run was my best of the day: 10th place in the large TIR class. Not too shabby for a relative beginner.

Simon

Amy came prepared with a good course design and the other folks really helped with the design. Thanks to this experience, I now know that you don't HAVE to have an accurate map to be able to design a course. Just throw down some cones on graph paper and go with that.

BTW, this was Amy's fouth (as in the number 4) event. She's already done more in four events than some folks have all year. I for one really appreciate her effort.

This event would not have happened if it weren't for all the folks involved. If you can commit a weekend, try it out. It really isn't difficult, just a little time consuming. Thanks gang for another wonderful weekend.

phil

I also wanted to note the class act made by one of my fellow ESP competitors yesterday. Even with the season points battle on the line, Mr. Art McDonald stepped up to point out a T&S error which would have been in his favor. Apparently he was scored clean on a run on which he got two cones. Had he remained silent, I would have moved from 2nd to 3rd yesterday, and from 1st to 2nd in overall season points.

This just goes to show you the level of people we are competing against in THSCC. A true sportsman like Art always wants to win fair and square or not at all. Actions like that promote great respect among fellow competitors like Ryan and myself.

So my hat's off to Art for his high level of sportsmanship. And I'm sure he knows I would have done the same had the the situation been reversed. I look forward to another good battle with him in ESP next season.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

I got your thumbnails right here Kevin! Now I just wait til Monday mornings and look at the pics at work.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

I just wanted to pipe up and say that my wife and I had a lot of fun. What a great way to spend an anniversary!

I liked the course, even with two DNFs. I think had I not pushed as hard on my last run as I did in the diagonal slalom, it would have been my fastest run. Then again, I'd never pushed the car to the point where it broke loose that bad, so I got to see what that feels like.

Anyways, great course, great folks, great fun! Thanks!

-Mike

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2003 Mazda Protege5 (TheCheat)
2003 Subaru Impreza WRX (the wife's car, which she lets me race)