August 21st auto-x results are up.

[kary]

http://web2.pcasdr.org/pca/event_standi ... &database=

[Tim Comeau]

Thanks, Kary! I've been waiting for that..............
Can you believe the size of that M s/s class?! Good stuff!

You know, now that I think back from my corner working stint......
The "drive" that really got my attention, while passing through my section of the course( "coner" worker #4, top of the hill, fast right sweeper into the 2nd gear right hander, then immediately into a left increasing radius...) was HERB MEEDER's. # 161? orange 914.

Let me tell you......There were some efficient passes through my section of the track, BUT, If I could make the car that I was driving DO what I envisioned I needed to make it do, THAT was it! He just absolutely nailed it right.
He came in hot; fast enough so that you thought he had over cooked it. Went to trail braking into the turn...so beautiful...it looked as if he stood the car up on only the left front tire. No lock up. Perfect turn in point for his car, perfect rotation of the chassis, perfect apex, perfect throttle up to stop the rotation, perfect placement for the next turn, and there he went. The first part of this 2 part sequence was so GOOD I cheered and clapped!
Now, the funny thing was..........Herb heard me, looked over at me, and gave a thumbs up out through the open roof of his 914..... and sped off!
I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT.
I try so hard to feel that I've just nailed every turn, like that. So when I see another driver do it, it's just exhilarating.....
You guys know what I mean.
That's one of the reasons I keep coming back, and coming back again. The AX challenge. In February, it'll be 20 years worth. If it was boring in the least, you'd think I would have realized it by now.
Thanks for the memories PCASDR, and thanks to Bill Myrick for getting me to join.....
TC

[ttweed]

I try so hard to feel that I've just nailed every turn, like that.

You must have done pretty close to that to put a 944 Spec car in the top 10 times, Tim! That's a phenomenal drive. Good job! You beat me by over 2 seconds on raw time. Was that on Toyo RA-1s? They aren't even considered to be a great autox tire.

Nicked you on the BRI, though.

TT

[Jad]

Thanks for posting so quickly Kary!

And just to clear the record before the trash talking, there was a timing gliche and my actual best time of 64.87 was skipped. Martha agreed and changed it, but in the confusion, sent Kary the old version.

So, when Curt and Dan laugh at my squirrel being beaten by Tim's squirrel, he only won by .05 seconds, but still kept me from the topten. Gee, thanks for driving so well Tim. Would a tenth slower really have killed you

The Falken Azenis are pretty decent tires, but I would have beaten him on racetires Hey, I would have had the top time of day on race tires, yeah thats what I would have done

[ttweed]

And just to clear the record before the trash talking, there was a timing gliche and my actual best time of 64.87 was skipped.

Whoa! That was close, Skipper! The squirrel talk was about to rain down from Orange County on you something fierce!

If you ran a 64.87, by my calculations that puts you up to 11 TTOD on raw time and second place in the BRI (if you were in KS class, why didn't you run some R tires?) Pretty respectable, anyway.

TT

[gulf911]

Sure Jad, The Old timing glitch problem...oh brother..... Its a conspiracy!

[kary]

The timing glitch that Jad claims has been updated per Martha's request

[hmeeder]

Shucks, Tim. You're making me blush!

I remember that entire run quite well. It was my best of the day (and the only time I tried the slalom entering on the right. It seemed counter-intuitive the whole day, but Jackie Corwin told me that when she worked corners, she had observed several of the 'faster' drivers trying it. I know that timed runs typically isn't the time to try something new, but after I had one good one in the can, what the hell? Entering on the right gave the slalom a certain rhythm that just felt right. I think the slope and slight leftward sweep of that combination made the natural inclination to go to the left, but going to the right left the cars in a good 'attitude' throughout the series. I worked that same corner later and observed several people going in very hot on the left through the first 2 cones and then having to shove their noses into the pavement to kick their cars to the right around the 3rd cone and after that, back on the gas for the 4th cone and exit to the swale crossing. It seemed to upset the forward momentum of virtually everyone I watched that went through there entering on the left.)

One observation that I have about Autocrossing and why I think it always remains fresh is that we do have guys putting in some outstanding performances in cars that don't find themselves on a large track all that often. We have some tremendously fast cars (and their drivers) in this club, but to watch George Taylor or Tom Tweed or Jerry Sturm smoke cars with 3 times their HP or Tim Comeau post a top ten drive in a non-turbo 944 for Chrissakes. That's thrilling. Those cars just plain shouldn't be able to go that fast, but those drivers can make it happen, somehow. I love that!

Beautiful drive, Tim.

[Tim Comeau]

Thank YOU, gentlemen.
Tom, yeah the spec tire for our 944 class is the 225/50/15 Proxes RA-1. Same size front and rear means you can rotate them and make 'em last even longer!
And Herb, I probably missed the explanation, but what the hell is the story behind your avatar? Is that Satan driving it? I can just make out a pitch fork in there........

Also, if you entered the slalom section on the left (3rd gear), you could ignore the first cone, left foot-trail brake around the second, go to full throttle around the third, and still have time and room to smoothly make the left kink after shifting into 4th gear.
What was your experience entering on the right?
BTW, saw you cruise by on 70th street today.

[hmeeder]

Tim, that was definitely me, we only live a few blocks apart. I point out your Spec car to my wife on our way to the Ralph's. I'm about a block off of Aragon on the other side of University from you. I live on the mesa above the Joan Kroc center. I just can't believe what they are getting for houses in our neighborhoods. That clown Sheedy is selling a buttload of houses around here. Glad I bought when I did!

I can't explain why the entrance to that slalom on the right would be better than on the left, but it seemed to set up a rhythmic, pendulum effect in the vehicle which promoted a constant speed through the slalom resulting in a faster exit, whereas entering on the left seemd to be fast in (like you say, blow off that first cone, float around that 2nd) but to take that 3rd required some driving that seemed to upset the cars I observed and scrubbed a chunk of speed before getting back on that throttle.

Gagen took it on the right for all of his timed runs, but of the other top drivers I recall watching, Andy Galecki, Roland, you and your Dad all entered on the left. Perhaps it has something to do with left foot trail braking? Not a skill I have developed as of yet.

ps No story with my avatar. Just seems to be something that has gotten photographed quite a bit. I know of at least 5 or 6 photos of 914s in full conflagration. They burn better than VW buses! Probably because a lot of owners are cheap bastards that don't know enough to replace their fuel lines after 30 years! That photo just cracks me up! Dante's own Sports Car!

[ttweed]

http://web2.pcasdr.org/pca/event_standings.php?event_date=2004-08-21&database=

Kary-
When I looked at the season standings including the 8/21 event on your site, the 944 class has Russ McKee twice and he doesn't seem to have correct totals for either entry (s/b 35 points total and one entry shows 20 and the other 15)???

TT

[kary]

Tom, this is a common problem with the data as provided from either registration or timing. You will notice that Russ has two different car numbers and has two different car types though they are both in the 944 class. The software is not really smart at this point to know which Russ it correct though they both appear to be in the 944 class. I will have to get some time later to look at the raw data to determine what modifications should be made to the data to make actual events correct. Is it the 993 or the 944 and on which event did they participate?

[Tim Comeau]

I know that's not an easy task, Kary. I've been talking with Martha about her efforts to "clean up" the number listings. (She's my new PCA heroine) For example, Russ had 3 numbers? in 2 different classes in the results. He's only going to use #98 from now on so the others can be purged, after applicable points, if any, are brought forward, i.e., he can't bring 993 Ms/s points into 944-spec. Martha explained to me that it was a matter of merging data? and maybe tracking drivers by last name, instead of car number?
Go Martha!

[kary]

Tim, there really is nothing that complicated about this. A driver and a car make up an event entry. A driver has a first and last name. A car has a class and a number. This is how the database that I load works so if there are issues with the class and/or car number with a particular driver it is merely a mistake since it is impossible to have a 993 and a 944 in the spec class as in this example....at least I thought it was impossible!

[Tim Comeau]

You should have said how difficult it was, then fixed it easily. You might have become my new PCA hero!
As Martha explained (hope I recount it correctly), When Russ's number is pulled up, the data base "assumes" he is entering in the same class with the same kind of car, as last time. Is that right?