March Laurinburg Event - DONE

Nathan Raymond · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:22 am

Did anyone consider just running over that cone in the center of the Chicago box just to keep speed through the end? Without it, there would have been a nice loooong straightaway to the finish.

I SERIOUSLY entertained the idea but was 50/50 if I would make up the 2 seconds by doing that. I went around it all four times in hopes I would err in favor of better times.

Keith Quistorff · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:22 am

I also entered to the right every time into the optional-direction slalom. During course walks I started out thinking left entry would be better since you're carrying more speed in than out; then I changed my mind based on higher exit speed carrying through a longer section of the course than higher entry speed would. Unfortunate or me, that slalom was where I picked up my only cone of the day on my fastest run.

The Chicago box was also a tough feature for me - it felt excruciatingly slow and really tested patience to get through there clean, especially since it exited to a long open run to the finish line.

Great event! Looking forward to our next autocross, it's gonna be a long 5 weeks.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:35 am

Nathan Raymond wrote:

Did anyone consider just running over that cone in the center of the Chicago box just to keep speed through the end? Without it, there would have been a nice loooong straightaway to the finish.

I SERIOUSLY entertained the idea but was 50/50 if I would make up the 2 seconds by doing that. I went around it all four times in hopes I would err in favor of better times.

Funny you should mention that. It's a question that comes up every year. :lol:

http://www.thscc.com/phpBB/viewtopic.ph ... e&start=30

You should be hearing from Wes soon.

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:54 am

I was a "righty" for the optional slalom as well. In my little pea brain, it only made sense. I agree on the comment on the chicago box as well. Carrying all that speed and then you have to dump it to make that last cone. :crazy:

Good course and props to all that helped setup, especally Friday where I understand it rained all day. It's no fun to work in the rain, no matter what you're doing. :thumbsup:

I'd also like to say that the novice schools seemed to go off with a hitch as well. Thanks again to Charlie and Phil and Mo and anyone else I missed who set up the courses. Thanks also Christine and all for lunch, always appreciated!! The 2 course lay out was good. My only concern here is that there was no over lap on the long slalom course which meant waiting. The P course was very good. After drivers cleared the turn around you could have 2 cars on course. I think at the end of the day it became the more popular place to run.

I was instructing my son Jordan and Kyle in the blue 350z and I would like to say, that despite my teaching, they both improved at the end of the day on Saturday! :car:

Aside from the wind on Saturday and rain Friday, this was a great weekend event. Bottom line, I had fun and loved tossing the car around again. :woo:

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:15 am

Great two days! Thanks to everybody who put this on. The Novice day went smoothly and thanks to the gale force winds, the rain blew out and the course was dry by the time registration closed.

I was having such a great last run that I decide (somewhere in the dark places in my mind) that this time I could go faster through that optional slalom.... cone, after cone paid for that little lapse in judgment. As I recall, I felt the last one flop out as I entered the chicago box. :oops:

There's always next month, right?

ChristopherLin · **Joined:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:44 pm **Posts:** 125

thanks for the wonderful event! I had a blast.

seems like the Honda Fit is a capable autocrosser, even on the all-season tires. I can't wait to see what some awesome tires and crash bolts can do to my times.

My times were very similar throughout the whole day, I just had different number of cones. I wish I had video and a datalogger to see where I'm losing time or making up time.

I can't help but to think that ABS is hurting my braking. Anybody have any tips on dealing with ABS? I kinda just stomp on the brake as hard as I can. I feel it pushing back when it locks, but it's a whole different feel from not having ABS.

Good luck to all the novices this year! I had fun instructing at novice school and you guys improved a lot over the course of the whole day.

Charlie Monroe · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:52 am

Thanks to everyone who helped this weekend. It is great to be involved with a group of people that pitch in and make these events work so well.

I learned a lot from Phil and Les. I wish I had video of Phil doing a test run during the rain on Friday. There was so much water on the surface, it looked more like a speedboat race than an autocross.

Mike Westerfield did a great job on the graphics for the dash plaque and drove the bus home last night.

Christine not only provided lunch at the novice school but helped the students learning to work the course and did lots of things that I would have otherwise forgotten.

Mo handled school registration and once the cars got rolling she kept everything on schedule and pretty much ran the show.

The instructors did a great job and the students seemed to have a blast. One of our friends attended the school, did his first event yesterday and emailed us his membership application so we can turn it in at the meeting. He is in a hurry because he wants the member price on Evo school.

I hope everyone had some fun.

Thanks,
Charlie

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

My thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this autocross a success! In particular, I want to thank my car owner, Karl Shultz, for allowing me the chance to drive his fabulous S2000!

Oh, and I went to the right of that first slalom cone after the sweeper.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:36 pm

Art,
Congratulations on taking home all that wood! :redcool:

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:42 pm

I had a good time too, and I went right for that slalom. Made the entry into that lane change that followed a lot faster. Full throttle in the S2000 for that once out of the slalom, orc certainly very nearly so.

I think - or, I hope anyway - that I've figured out why I hit so many cones in this car at Laurinburg. It's so stable and confidence inspiring, and there's so much grip, that I get cocky. I start expecting the car to do things that it just barely can't do. That stupid chicago box is a prime example - I'd go charging in there really hard and I think every time, I got bit. I need to be a little less aggressive sometimes - I've gone "too far" in that direction I think. Which is a better problem than the opposite.

For those of you not in the know, you missed quite a display from our man Art. FTS and FT Raw in my S2000. His first time in the car he beat, well, he beat everybody.

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:47 pm

Here's the breakdown of Art's Wood:

1st place AS
FTStock
FTRaw
FTPax

That my friend, is alot of wood!!!

Nicely done Art!!! :thumbsup:

David Teague · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:11 pm

Todd Breakey wrote:

Here's the breakdown of Art's Wood:

1st place AS
FTStock
FTRaw
FTPax

That my friend, is alot of wood!!!

Nicely done Art!!! :thumbsup:

Good Job Art!

Michael Westerfield · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:23 pm

ChristopherLin wrote:

I can't help but to think that ABS is hurting my braking. Anybody have any tips on dealing with ABS? I kinda just stomp on the brake as hard as I can. I feel it pushing back when it locks, but it's a whole different feel from not having ABS.

Don't know if it's like my prelude, but I can pull the ebrake up one click (so the brake like comes on, and drive around for a few seconds at which time the ABS light will come on as it disabled itself. Ebrake back off, and ABS disabled. Turning the car off, then on again will reset the ABS. Give it a shot, maybe the fit does something similar.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:36 pm

ChristopherLin wrote:

I can't help but to think that ABS is hurting my braking. Anybody have any tips on dealing with ABS? I kinda just stomp on the brake as hard as I can. I feel it pushing back when it locks, but it's a whole different feel from not having ABS.

It is not the ABS or the car, it is the driver. First off, you have a Fit and all season tires. The ABS is sensing the lose of grip as the front tires are trying to lock up and slide. You need to realize that there is only so much grip associated with your tires.

To correct this, simply back up your braking zone. It is better to brake too early than to late. It is easy to move your braking zone up on the next run. Plus braking early causes you to do what early? turn.

I forgot all of my autocross lessons at Rockingham last fall. I came screaming down the back straight and hit the brakes where I normally brake (very late). Well, I forgot I had HTZ's on the car and not r-comps. Slid right pass the turn, threw up a huge smoke screen and ruined two front tires.

[edit] I don't have ABS on the Camaro, it is not legal in CMC any ways[/edit]

Be thankful your ABS allowed you a nice smooth ride home.

Way to go Art! See what you can do when you get out of those pesky Fords!

Keith Quistorff · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:05 pm

Karl Shultz wrote:

For those of you not in the know, you missed quite a display from our man Art. FTS and FT Raw in my S2000. His first time in the car he beat, well, he beat everybody.

Great job, Art!

So what was Art's winning lap time?

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