PCA GPX Ax at SOW

[Tawfik]

Anyone doing the PCA GPX AX at SOW next Monday?
I am thinking about it but it feels like a lot of work (get the car ready, tow in Monday night traffic) to only run 2 20 min sessions + a few timed laps.

[Mike]

I signed up, worked out for me since I was gong to be at SOW Tuesday anyways with the R Gruppe.
Last I heard the Monday GPX event had 70 entries. It will be CCW with the bowl.
They plan to maximise track time so they hope to get in more than 2 run sessions.
The early bird price of $115 was too good to pass up.

[hmeeder]

Myself, Sean Molloy and George Copelin will be representing SDR 914s.

I did the event a couple of years ago and it is a good time.

Depending on the turnout, they may stretch the practice sessions a bit. They used to have everyone pitch in to cornerwork and that would slow things down as the track went cold to swap. Now they have paid cornerworkers, so that may make things work better.

The track map that was posted with the sign up sheets showed only the short version of the tack, sans bowl. I hope the bowl does get used, but I'd prefer CW to CCW. It should be fun regardless.

[Curt Yaws]

I'll be going up to Streets. I'm going to put on some Hoosiers and try my first drive on sticky tires. I hope I don't like it as the sticky tires look expensive. I'm sure it will be fun. See ya'll there.

[ronaldtrotter]

What a great day. The GPX crew just make each event better and better. Three 20 minutes run sessions and an afternoon of timed runs.

[Curt Yaws]

It was a great Monday off work. There were many SDR drivers there. Mike Gagen took TTOD with an 82.??. Herb Meeder broke his motor. Ian Trotter beat Ron sharing their SC. Dave Gardner taught Sheila Steverson how to spin the 997 GT3 not once but twice in the bowl. George Copelin and Sean Molloy kept their 914's flying around the track. Neil Heimburge had the turbo running well. Yours truly had a wonderful first day on sticky tires, and is trying to find out if Hoosier makes some sort of oral or injectable synthetic product.
The GPX Region is really working hard to grow their driving program, and will have two events at SOW this year. Look for another in the fall on October 8th. They have new wireless timing gear and worked out a few bugs, but did very well. Mike Mulligan gave an informative driver's clinic the night before, and the whole thing was just very nicely done. If you are looking for more seat time, with friendly fellow Porsche drivers, this event should be on your short list, right after a SDR AX, TT or DE.

[Mike]

Yes another very fun group of PCA people.
The GPX crew was very helpful.
It was kinda cool the after event meeting, good tight group.

Here's my 2 cents from my Monday away from work.

The long story was I got to the track Monday morning winched it off the trailer, fired it up let it idle for 10 minutes, got in to drive it up and down the pits. Pushed the clutch in and it went and stayed on the floor! Under the 915 trans where you adjust the cluch a little 20 cent C clip had fallen off (never found) and the linkage for the clutch came loose and dropped onto the parking lot. A quick call to Jae and a trip to the Auto Zone for clips and I was back in time for the last run session.

Timed runs went well for me.
Timing was AX style from a standing start, then one lap and get back in line.
Curt Yaws was quick and won his class by nice margin.
Hey Curt how about Guido in PS/S was that a fast time or what?

Hope I can join them again soon.

Here's my Rock star sighting story for the event.

I was racing down the straight towards the bowl with a newer Ferrari 2 car lengths ahead of me.
I was having fun seeing how my car could stay with and in the brake zone
pass the Ferrari. It was a late pass and the Ferrari driver pointed me by at the last second before we entered the banked turn.

Kinda exciting so later I went looking for the black Ferrari driver.

I found the car and met the driver.
So I ask if it is his car and he says "yes". Then he looks familier and I
say "do I know you?". He looks at me and I ask "Do you play the drums?". He says "Only when I'm working." I ask again "so you play the drums?" Then I ask him if he is Alex Van Halen he says yes. I told him I am a big Van Halen fan of the 70s/80s music like Running with the devil. He say he likes that music too but Sammy would not play it.
We talked about Eddie and David and the Van Halen reunion. He said
they have been practicing 4 hours a day. Eddie wanted to tour with David but David said Eddie needs to clean up first. He went on to say when they all turned 30 they slowed up on the drugs but "god bless Eddie he has a strong constitution and he kept parting till he was 50. Now Eddie has to go through what we all did, trying to learn to do everything while not on drugs".
We bs'ed about the band and cars and when I asked for a photo of us together he puts his arm on my shoulder like we were buds. Totally cool dude.
He is getting a black GT3 RS and plans to join a Porsche club soon.

Anyways fun to meet a cool dude and a decent driver too.
Hope you liked the story.

The following day the R Gruppe rented the track and we ran all day both directions.
I gave 10+ people rides and ran through 20 gallons of gas, never went out alone.
I think I got my track fix out of my system for a couple weeks.
Mike

[Pete Millikin]

Mikey - Sounds like a fun time - partying like a rock star!

What is up with autox timing at a track?

[Curt Yaws]

Guido was in PSS running stock tires on his new 997 GT3 , which should put him in PS class since they are either 60 or 80 rated. BUT, I told the timing team not to tell him he cheated on his class, as I was winning PS and he would then take my first place. Either way, he's a much better driver and whooped me by a pretty good margin. There's always next year.

[Greg Phillips]

Mikey - Sounds like a fun time - partying like a rock star!

What is up with autox timing at a track?

Or you might ask how there is passing and a point-by at an autocross

Greg

[Mike]

Greg, Curt could maybe tell you better I asked the same question at dinner Sunday.
It was said to be a DE in the morning and an AX in the afternoon.
The reason for that I'm not clear.

Of all the formats my prefered timing method with respect to maximum track time is POC, where it is your best lap counts from any of the last 3 afternoon sessions.

Although the way Jack runs our TT weekends you still get more track time even with our single spaced system.

[Rsylvestri]

Mike,

Any pics of Alex's Ferrari? Thumbs up for TTOD

[Mike]

Mike,
Any pics of Alex's Ferrari? Thumbs up for TTOD

Thanks, I borrowed an old 35mm film camera for our photo so no jpgs to share.
I'm not expert but this is what it looked like to me.
Black Ferrari 550 Maranello. Year? newer?

[ronaldtrotter]

Here are some photos of the 16th. We took a lot of ourselves but got a number of others.

http://www.chulavistaphoto.com/streets/

[Curt Yaws]

Pete:
I talked with Skip Carter at our PDS over the weekend and asked him how the DE/AX format came to be. He said it was an idea that Michael Dolphin came up with while Zone 8 AX Chair. My take is they don't do alot of events and wanted to go to a nice track for a good event, thus Streets. Michael was AX Chair and wanted to have an event that could allow points in the Zone 8 AX competition. It is also a club building, popular training event with a lot of students and new drivers, so that rules out DE or Time Trials. Thus, lots of instruction, continuous lapping in short run sessions, and AX style timing. It's a uniquely styled event and very successfully serves their purpose.