Oct 13 AX - No slalom section

[LUCKY DAVE]

How cool not to have the hated slalom section! I heard several comments like "I hate those anyway" (me too) and wonder why we have them at all? Is it tradition? Is it to put the 914/go kart drivers on a more equal footing with the GT3/rocket blaster pilots? In any case, since these events are staged by the members (us) for the members (us)I have to ask.
Kudos to the designer of the track. It's getting harder and harder to lay out a good track with most of the pavement looking like a motorcross facility these days, and that track design was great, very flowing with good rythm.
I had lots of fun.

[Tawfik]

Got to agree, although the day started a little wet
It was so fun to run the track in the rain and then in the dry.
I got to beat some of the guys that usually beat me but of course this ended up as "Non timed" event.
So no bragging rights since there is no record of official times

Was really fun especially the combined run groups at the end of the day.

[MTrotter]

How cool not to have the hated slalom section! I heard several comments like "I hate those anyway" (me too) and wonder why we have them at all? Is it tradition? Is it to put the 914/go kart drivers on a more equal footing with the GT3/rocket blaster pilots? In any case, since these events are staged by the members (us) for the members (us)I have to ask.
Kudos to the designer of the track. It's getting harder and harder to lay out a good track with most of the pavement looking like a motorcross facility these days, and that track design was great, very flowing with good rythm.
I had lots of fun.

I thought we were all here for the challenge? slalom is a challenge

[ttweed]

How cool not to have the hated slalom section! I heard several comments like "I hate those anyway" (me too) and wonder why we have them at all? Is it tradition?

I think the answer to this is "yes". Slaloms are a traditional element of autox course design, and personally, I like them to be included. Autocrosses are intended to be relatively low speed events that place more emphasis on car handling and driver skill in transitions than on sheer horsepower, and one of the ways to challenge an entrant's car control skills is to include a large variety of different elements in very quick succession, in my view. It is not supposed to be an easily read, mini-road course design, IMHO, even though that seems to be what many people prefer. We have DE and TT events for that.

TT

[LUCKY DAVE]

"I thought we were all here for the challenge? slalom is a challenge"

Challenge? You bet, that's the fun in it.
However, I bet a poll of drivers would reveal a preference to being challenged by faster corners instead fo slalom wrestling.

[LUCKY DAVE]

I guess I posted too quickly.......

[ttweed]

I guess I posted too quickly.......

Have you noticed when reading your own posts in a thread that there is an "edit" button up in the right corner that is missing from the posts by other people, which only contain the "quote" button? If you click on that "edit" button, you can change what you wrote previously instead of having to make a new, separate post to correct it. There is also a little "x" button to delete the post if you want.

I agree with you that many people would probably prefer to see lots of fast sweepers in an autox course, but these are also the most risky elements in a confined space with hard obstacles all around. They can usually only be incorporated in a few spots where there is the most runoff space, and are more appropriate in DE events, perhaps.

No matter what you tried to do with a course at the stadium, you are never going to be able to equal the thrill of Turns 8 and 9 at Willow Springs, for instance, so if that is what you seek, you need to just go there to find it.

TT

[lrayner]

Two of the most memorable AX track designs in the two years I've been doing this are these: Yesterdays flowing, fast corners, wet to dry conditions, lots of laps- what a blast!! And the double slalom design with one slalom being a drivers choice-go left or go right, that few had mastered by the end of the day- challenging, controversial and lots of fun. Completely different, both challenging.
So I'd like to see both of these designs reused in the future for another go at them. And I'd like to see David Kochanek stay involved in track design Congrats on a great day of AXing.

[mrondeau]

And I'd like to see David Kochanek stay involved in track design Congrats on a great day of AXing.

Great track!!! Lots of laps on what turned out to be a fast, fun track. Too bad it wasn't for points. Oh well

[Kim Crosser]

It did turn out to be a great track as it dried out. As much as I would have liked it to be for points, calling it a rain event was correct - in the third run sessions (which would have been the timed runs), those in the last run groups definitely found a drier, faster track than those in the earlier groups - maybe a second or more advantage.

Regarding slaloms - I find them more enjoyable if they are large enough (enough spacing between cones) to be able to carry some speed through the slalom. As Leigh noted, David's track with the split 2-3 slalom was enjoyed by all (I think) - the slalom was fun because the gap and spacings let you take it at full acceleration (if you approached it right!).

If the slalom cone spacing is so tight that you have to just dive, brake, turn, accelerate, then it can still be a challenge, but it just doesn't feel as much fun.

[LUCKY DAVE]

"No matter what you tried to do with a course at the stadium, you are never going to be able to equal the thrill of Turns 8 and 9 at Willow Springs, for instance, so if that is what you seek, you need to just go there to find it."
Very true. Ax events sure are more convienent though.

btw: I've raced thousands of laps at Willow on motorcycles......

[ttweed]

Ax events sure are more convienent though.

Ya, it would be soooo nice if we had a real motorsports facility here in San Diego, as many have lamented. Something like the CA Speedway out on Miramar mesa would make my life complete...

btw: I've raced thousands of laps at Willow on motorcycles......

You have more guts than I do, then--I've watched those guys run the big track on two wheels and just shudder at the thought of going off or laying it down at 125+ mph...

[LUCKY DAVE]

"I've watched those guys run the big track on two wheels and just shudder at the thought of going off or laying it down at 125+ mph..."

Fall at 125, wouldn't that be nice. The fastest classes like Superbike and F1 get around the middle section of 8 at 150+, and touch 180 into turn 1.
I've run off 8 at speed twice .........both times I rode it to a stop, crashing about 100 times in a row without actually hitting the ground. No harm done.... (except to my underwear )

Incidents like that are where the old "Lucky Dave" nickname came from.

[ttweed]

Incidents like that are where the old "Lucky Dave" nickname came from.

Here's my proposition next time the Lotto goes over a couple hundred million, you pick the numbers, I'll buy the tickets, and we'll take the winnings and build a really nice track here in SD county, somewhere!

TT

[LUCKY DAVE]

HAHAHAHAHA..........the luck only applied to (not) crashing. Too bad......