ajackson wrote: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