Good fun On June 11 at Riverside AX

[ajackson]

Looking at the results, there were 10 San Diego members that showed up for the night time autocross up in Riverside. 5 of those managed a top 10 finish with Tom Tweed placing 3rd overall in his little GS car. I was definatly disapointed to see an M3 get TTOD though.

The volunteers did a great job, though I think they were unprepared for the amount of drivers that showed up. The very unofficial nature of everything makes more sense with what I hear is their usual attendance levels of 20 or so cars. That night they joined with the Orange Region and 66 cars registered. I think I left the event after 3am, after all the runs, but before they finished figuring out results. The parking lot was very small compared to Qualcomm, but they managed to squeeze a decent sized course (mostly of straits and 180 turns). Runoff was also a bit short, there were places where cars came close to eachother head on and turns/slaloms were right next to walls/polls/fences/etc.

I had lots of reservations going into the event, but I must admit to having a great time and I don't think anyone suffered any car damage. The first practise session was somewhat frustrating (I think for everyone) as there were many turns at almost full wheel lock and maybe 10mph. Those of us who can't shift into first at speed were stuck lugging the motor out of those turns way below the power band. By the end I was starting to get the hang of it and dropping my times down (as was everyone else).

This is only the second non SDR AX that I have been to and both of them have made me realize what a great job our volunteers do running our events and how lucky we are to have the stadium at our disposal. San Diego manages to run events with more than 100 drivers, pairing instructors, checking saftey, everything -- all that and keep things on time enough for 12+ runs.

This isn't meant to be disrespectful of the Riverside/Orange regions or say they did a bad job as much as it is to make sure everyone realizes how good we have it and that it is entirely due to the great volunteers we have.

Results can be found via the Zone 8 page here.

Pit Area:









The Course:




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[ttweed]

The parking lot was very small compared to Qualcomm, but they managed to squeeze a decent sized course (mostly of straits and 180 turns). Runoff was also a bit short, there were places where cars came close to eachother head on and turns/slaloms were right next to walls/polls/fences/etc.

Thanks for the report and the pics, Alan. I'm sure Greg Phillips is waiting anxiously for you to email them to him for the WW, especially since this is Parade month and he will be pressed for time on production.

I had many reservations myself about the course, and expressed them to Jim Burke, the event chair. It was very difficult to "read" the cones on first runs, and I saw a LOT of people getting lost on course. With the very close proximity of lanes going in opposite directions, the potential for disaster was fairly high, I thought, but not too much more than other layouts I have seen, most notably at Irwindale Raceway. They did add some pointer cones to help indicate the course direction in turns, but the density was still too light, as I saw many people mistake spaces between cones for a gate and go off course. The big difference was that this was a NIGHT event, and once the sun went down, the course became that much harder to see. The lighting in the lot was OK but not fabulous, and I found it very hard to pick out my braking points in the dark.

The "dragstrip, hairpin, dragstrip/hairpin" nature of the course design was definitely not optimal for my car, as I, too, refuse to utilize the weak 1st gear on my 901 box in the '67S, and the S engine is completely gutless at low RPMs. The M3 was well driven, and could really use its low end torque to pull itself out of the slow corners quickly. No surprise to me that it got TTOD, although I think Steve Lutz in his AI 914 was a bit off his game and could have taken it with a good run. Bob Bertrand did not run his 914 or he would have definitely been on top, as he has no qualms about floggin his car in those slow corners. He just floors it and slips the clutch to get revs up!

The delays were a bit aggravating for a geezer like me, who is not a late-night kind of guy. I ran in the first timed group and left right after, at 1:30am, so arrived back home by 3:30am. It was tiring, but fun, and I'm glad I went. You're right, though, SDR has the best autox program in the Zone, and I've been to events in almost all the other regions.

TT

[sushinav]

Great write up Alan! Sorry I missed it. We going to get together for the AX on the 25th?

[Michael Dolphin]

Alan and Tom's notes and observations are fair and accurate. We all had challenges, but that is the nature of an autcross, is it not? There are a lot of good pointers to be had on course design and rhythmically connecting course sections, but I daresay that sooner or later most of us actually did start to feel that we "knew the course. Still wasn't one of my best driving days, but...

I did personally monitor the safety factors that Tom noted until I felt comfortable that the starter was aware of the intervals needed to avoid simultaneous arrivals at head-on points.

As to management, I am in the process of preparing an "events management guide" with the help of several other AX participants within our Zone.

The opening section is Time Management and begins with the line --"keep your promise -- start when you say you would!!"..

Thanks, Alan for the photo of my driverless red Carrera 3.0 sitting in the middle of the course. I was actually walking thru and rearranging cones and getting sightlines on those areas of concern.

Will see you all at the August 13 AX...

BTW, keep your calendars poised for the Womens Tennis Assoc. event in Los Angeles. I may again need Cayenne driver-instructors for this years event.

[ttweed]

As to management, I am in the process of preparing an "events management guide" with the help of several other AX participants within our Zone.

Michael-

These two resources may be of help to you in such a project, if you aren't already aware of them:

Maverick Region PCA autox guide:
http://www.pca.org/mav/autocross/Manual.htm

SCCA Solo2 course design manual and sample maps, etc.:
http://www.houscca.com/solo2/course_maps.aspx

SCCA tends to use the "minimum cones" approach to course design, but they also chalk the boundaries of the course to give a visual cue to the layout.

HTH,
TT
TT

[Curt]

You guys know which model M3 took TTOD? e30, e36 or e46?

[ajackson]

Results say it was a '96 which would make it an e36 I think.

[Curt]

So a 3200 pound, 240 hp car was faster than the 65 Porsche's there? Who was in the M3, Bill Auberlen?

[ttweed]

Very funny, Curt. No, it was not Bill Auberlen in the BMW. The guy's name is Pierre Maurier (please, do NOT come back with any "French" jokes, now, as they are not politically correct! ) I corresponded with him recently, and his car is set up for STU class in SCCA Solo2, where he does pretty well with it, from what I can see of the results on the LA SCCA site, having a 1st and 3rd place finish in the two events he has run with them this year. It has GC coilovers with SA koni shocks, camber plates, UUC sways, CAI, Catback, and Azenis tires. He told me he had to downshift 4 times on that course to keep it moving, something I was not willing to do, so I will just have to say that the results were "course dependent," which are the most appropriate weasel-words I can come up with at this time.

Sorry to have let you down, but if it makes you feel better, I did beat all the BMWs at a couple of their events at Qualcomm a few years ago in my '73 911E.

TT

[Michael Dolphin]

Curt, two years ago Pierre also took TTOD at a PCA event at Streets of Willow -- and a number of our fast guys were there too. There was only one difference -- that time, Pierre was driving a Honda S2000....

I intend to place a handcuff on his right wrist at the next event.

[gulf911]

At the risk of sounding SDR biased he didn't run against our fast guys... Thats excluding me of coarse...
Or our TTOD king Steve "don't call me oil slick" Grosekemper...

[ajackson]

ttweed usually places around 10-15 at Qualcomm but placed 3rd in Riverside, so it is probably fair to say the competition wasn't as stiff. Can't say that he didn't drive the M3 pretty quick though.

[Curt]

Mick Rosen and I recently did a TT event with the Alfa Romeo club, and it was eye opening to be on the track with other types of cars. We were out with 5.0 Mustangs, a Camaro, Mitsubishi Evo, a Wrx and an e36 M3.

It made me feel good about owning a Porsche when I was chasing the guy in the EVO and it was unbelievable how much the guy was struggling to get that pig to go around corners. In the straights it was a rocket, but the corner would come up and I would catch him and show the nose repeatedly until he finally spun off.

Unfortunately, the guy in the 1995 e36 M3 at 2800 lbs and 250 hp, kept doing the same, showing the nose to me. Mick and I are both in 2250 lb, 250 hp, RS clones and this guy in the M3 killed us so badly in the corners and under braking, it was maddening. I waved him by and Mick was determined to not let him past him and the guy in the M3 kept getting his car turned in and showing the nose to Mick while I chased, watching it from behind. Micks car looked exactly like that big lumbering Mitsu EVO trying to get his car turned compared to the M3 who would already be turned in, showing the nose and just waiting and waiting for the 911 to get moving again. It was eye-opening to say the least. It reminded me of a wildlife film with a leopard chasing some old, fat wildebeast that didn't even have a chance.

Somehow, I beat the M3 in timed runs, but after our several session battle on the track I felt like my car was absolutely his b'yatch everywhere except the straights.

You know how in racing history the Porsche owners always took great pride in the fact that the other big V8 and V12 engined monsters would kill them on the straights, but under braking and cornering the Porsche would get it all back and oftentimes eventually win? That was OUR thing we took pride in, Porsche's superior handling. Well, that weekend the M3 made me feel like I was driving a big, dumb, poor handling pig and he was driving the incredible handling car.

It sure makes me look at my street car M3 differently, but I don't think I could fit two child seats in the back of my 911 with the full cage in there.

[David J Marguglio]

Curt: do you think that could have been partly the difference in age of the cars? I mean how do you think a well-prepared 993 track car like say...well nobody comes to mind...would fair against that M3?

[MikeD]

Curt: do you think that could have been partly the difference in age of the cars? I mean how do you think a well-prepared 993 track car like say...well nobody comes to mind...would fair against that M3?

Speaking of well prepared track 993's. When are we going to see that silver thing on track?