Autocross Results June 5th, 2010

[martinreinhardt]

The result have been posted.

http://results.pcasdr.org/event_standings.php?time_format=0&database=&event_date=2010-06-05

BRI:

http://results.pcasdr.org/event_bri_standings.php?time_format=0&database=&event_date=2010-06-05

[Greg Phillips]

Interesting BRI results, Mark Rondeau breaks into the top ten with a GP car and is only good enough for 5th in BRI. A lot of good drives out there.

Had planned to come over in the afternoon to check out the track but there was an accident on the bridge that got in the way.

Greg

[ttweed]

Interesting BRI results, Mark Rondeau breaks into the top ten with a GP car and is only good enough for 5th in BRI. A lot of good drives out there.

Had planned to come over in the afternoon to check out the track but there was an accident on the bridge that got in the way.

Mark was "stupid fast" again, no doubt, in a car that just shouldn't be that quick! But when Eric schools his dad by 3 seconds in the same car, and the rest of the field by almost 5 seconds, the top BRI spot is going to be out of reach for mere mortals. Once again, he demonstrates that old age, cunning and treachery are no match for youth and talent in this sport.

You should have made it down in the morning, though, Greg--then you could have been the right-seat ballast for Steve in your car instead of me while he was trying to get around a slippery course with toasted 225 tires on the rear! I swear, the nickname "Sideways" Steve was insufficient to describe his technique. It was more of a drifting exhibition than an autox run. It reminded me of the Tanner Foust video that Tom Brown posted earlier. Totally ridiculous! You've heard of drivers with "quick hands" I'm sure, but Steve was literally "no hands" for many parts of the course. He never could have saved some of those lurid slides if he kept even one hand on the wheel--he wouldn't have been able to turn it fast enough. It's a good thing he didn't have an unsuspecting student in the car, who had been drilled in our "9 and 3" hand position and shuffle steering techniques, instead of me--it would have been a "do as I say and not as I do" experience for them! I am surprised that more corner workers weren't bolting for the safety of a light stanchion or diving behind some K-rail.

I have to give big props to Angela for making the top-ten for the first time, too! She is finally getting comfortable in that new GT3 and is creeping up on Mike's times now.

And how about Terry Barnum's runs? He's no stranger to the top-ten, but I think this is the first time this season that he has beaten that wily veteran of JP Carl Scragg. I was talking to him after his timed runs and he wasn't happy with the last-minute tire pressure adjustment he made, but things turned out OK it seems, even if he did leave a little time out on the course compared to his practice runs.

Lastly, I'm a little curious about what caused some of the DNRs? Herb and Sean's 914 didn't make timed runs, nor did Sean Dynes, and Dan Andrews dropped out after one run? What happened, guys?

TT

[gocart]

Did you notice that Terry was on new 710s?
Was it just me or was the course a lot more slippery towards 5:00 when the orange group ran? Sure seemed like it.
Would have been fun to see your 928 drifting, Greg. Too bad you missed it.
Maybe, Dan, those used slicks had more than one heat cycle?

[ttweed]

Did you notice that Terry was on new 710s?

I saw he was on 710s, but I didn't know they were new. There's nothing like fresh tires! The 6-year old Hoosiers I'm running are just little bricks wrapped in a glamorous-looking package now, but I'm too cheap to throw them out before I use them up. Having Ms. Corwin beating up on me consistently may make me break open my shriveled little wallet, though. One one-hundredth of a second this time, Jackie? Where did I blink and lose that time? Arrrgghhh!!!

TT

[Dan Chambers]

......Maybe, Dan, those used slicks had more than one heat cycle?

Me thinks I might have been duped! I probably would have done better to stay on the new "street" RA-1's I ran in practice. As for slippery .... uh, yea, you could say that! I was also frustrated by expectations I heaped on myself ... leading to only greater disappointment. I should know better.

Maybe by year's end I'll figure out how to drive this "new" car.

[Kim Crosser]

Ok - so who is this "Novice" in a Boxster doing 1:25.74s? (Steven Shaffer)
Just think what he will be running when he isn't a "Novice" any more...

[kleggo]

Lastly, I'm a little curious about what caused some of the DNRs? Herb and Sean's 914 didn't make timed runs, nor did Sean Dynes, and Dan Andrews dropped out after one run? What happened, guys?

TT

i heard, unfortunately, that the tangerine had catastrophic engine failure

here wishing a speedy rebuild.

Craig

[Steve Grosekemper]

You should have made it down in the morning, though, Greg--then you could have been the right-seat ballast for Steve in your car instead of me while he was trying to get around a slippery course with toasted 225 tires on the rear! I swear, the nickname "Sideways" Steve was insufficient to describe his technique. It was more of a drifting exhibition than an autox run. It reminded me of the Tanner Foust video that Tom Brown posted earlier. Totally ridiculous! You've heard of drivers with "quick hands" I'm sure, but Steve was literally "no hands" for many parts of the course. He never could have saved some of those lurid slides if he kept even one hand on the wheel--he wouldn't have been able to turn it fast enough. It's a good thing he didn't have an unsuspecting student in the car, who had been drilled in our "9 and 3" hand position and shuffle steering techniques, instead of me--it would have been a "do as I say and not as I do" experience for them! I am surprised that more corner workers weren't bolting for the safety of a light stanchion or diving behind some K-rail.

TT

Tom, I think you are taking creative licence in describing the experience. I know you can't help it being a writer; but really???
I couldn't get enough traction to actually get any speed so I was in total "Control" of the situation.
I put you in the car because I didn't want to waste all that giggling on myself...
It was pretty ridiculous thinking about how little traction was out there.
Hope you enjoyed yourself.

[Dan Chambers]

I couldn't get enough traction to actually get any speed .....
It was pretty ridiculous thinking about how little traction was out there....

I know what you mean.

[Don Middleton]

Maybe by year's end I'll figure out how to drive this "new" car.

Feeling your pain, Dan. It took me 6-9 months to learn my new car. It'll come. Just keep plugging away.

[LUCKY DAVE]

Maybe by year's end I'll figure out how to drive this "new" car.

Feeling your pain, Dan. It took me 6-9 months to learn my new car. It'll come. Just keep plugging away.

Yeah, you just have to keep at it. It took me roughly a year drive my car well enough for self respect.
Early turbo designs (long, -laggy- runners to a huge turbo) are a "little" quirky in their power delivery. Even an early 911 is "normal" compared to one.

[mrondeau]

Interesting BRI results, Mark Rondeau breaks into the top ten with a GP car and is only good enough for 5th in BRI. A lot of good drives out there.

Had planned to come over in the afternoon to check out the track but there was an accident on the bridge that got in the way.

Mark was "stupid fast" again, no doubt, in a car that just shouldn't be that quick!
TT

Stupid is as stupid does. I'm just taking advantage of a well set up car that seems to really like the tight courses we've had lately. I don't think the RA1's are going to last the rest of the year with tracks like this last one. I had wheel spin on almost every corner and the only way to go fast was to consistently keep the car in a 4 wheel drift. I think the only time the car was straight was the .0001 second between drifts. I tried a smooth controlled lap and was 1.5 seconds slower. How's that go again...."loose is fast and on the edge of out of control".

[Cajundaddy]

Looks like fun out there. Lots of good times posted by skilled drivers . Lotta grousing about lack of grip though . Whoever posted a 1:17 seemed to find a little grip eh, or did Erik K just bring a 50 Cal. to a knife fight? And look at Angela Avitt go! Only 1.2sec off the GT3 master. After 3 years I finally nearly reeled in Jackie C. on the big tracks and here comes Angela... I am gonna get "chicked" again for sure.

[Kim Crosser]

You won't catch me whining about grip - I never saw any to complain about.

Some of us were discussing that this was NOT a good teaching track - at least not for beginning students. While a heck of a lot of fun, going sideways through every corner and being totally out of shape on the entire first third of the course would be hard to explain to a newbie.
And, as Greg noted, in some turns letting go of the wheel was about the only way to get it back to center quick enough to (try to) stop the rotation before you found yourself facing the following car. "Shuffle-steer?" - yeah, right!