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Thanks, Jeff. But you are still 3 seconds faster than me. I have some excuses ready, but it seems to be mostly the driver. Both Jeff and Jared helped me go faster (my runs mostly got faster each time), but can I get Dunwoodie as a coach next time?
As my first time coaching, Joe the Mustang driver was probably a good student for me. My mission as an instructor was pretty clear! When I coached Katherine in the blue Mini, I had very little to offer her.
I was wondering who was GoesLikeSchnell, now I know. Nice driving… both you and Dunwoodie are much smoother in the slaloms than I am. You’re also pushing the tires to squealing in all the tight turns and I was not (except when I was overdriving and plowing them). If I went smoother in the slaloms and closer to the traction limit in the turns, I could see getting down to 52 seconds. Still not sure how anyone gets down to 47 and change like DD.
Yes, but there are at least 3 PCA chapters in the Bay Area vs. one GGC CCA chapter for the whole Bay Area. Still I really wish I could have gone today. And so does my friend who did his first AutoX yesterday. He read the part about needing to own a Porsche to join PCA and thought that meant he wasn’t allowed to sign up.
Here’s my 6th/last and best run, about 53.5 or 53.55 seconds, class AA. From what I hear, 3 whole seconds behind Jeff R, so lots of room for driver improvement, maybe some room for tire improvement too (driving Conti ExtremeDW summer tires).
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiWYO_M_rt8[/video]My friend had a great time on his first AutoX (he came to ride in April), so thank you to all who coached him or gave him ridealongs, including Chu, Rodger, and others.
Hmmm my April times weren’t t very fast (unless I pretend it was my first AutoX). Must… Go…. Faster…. (without hitting cones)
Mister Dunwoodie… I’ve never run with any of the PCA chapters. How does their AutoX compare to GGC? Do they have better lunches for $8 than we have for $5? Are they snooty to non-Pcar owners? Do they have a trailer as awesome as the GGC?
I probably can’t go due to family commitments, but just in case my wife tells me in advance to get lost all day Sunday, am curious about those PCA events.
Looks challenging, especially for drivers like me to subscribe to the “fast in, slow out” school of driving. I predict major understeer around station 1, then station 2, then maybe at the right-hand hairpin and maybe the last right-hander by station 5, depending how fast I can get from 4 to 5. If that serpent section at the top is fast, I predict some tank slappers and spinouts there, and not just from me!
I think I’m up to 60 or 61 points now, just breaking into AA. I should drop a point, or add swaybars and other goodies worth 8 points. Must easier than fixing my driving.
Jeff, thanks. I did try R-S3 tires before and they were very grippy once hot, which usually worked well in Fontana or at Qualcomm as long as it didn’t rain. Never tried the Star Specs. My current Conti ExtremeDW don’t need a lot of heat but max grip is far less than warm Hankooks. What class am I in anyway?
[ul]
[li]Base Points 42[/li]
[li]Wider front wheels +1[/li]
[li]Springs & shocks +12[/li]
[li]Camber plates +5[/li]
[li]Engine Lvl 7 mode, no LSD = +1 (dyno) or +2 (paper)[/li]
[/ul]
61-62 points puts me in AA with 7-8 points room. Did I do the math right there? Maybe front swaybar and even wider wheels when the time is right. Or get rid of some seats! But who am I kidding, it’s mostly about improving my driving. I wasn’t able to execute all the suggestions Tony gave me.The more I read here, the slower my lap time feels!
School me on this–how much difference would a LSD make on this course? How many seconds off with stickier tires like Star Specs, Hankook R-S3, or Advan Neova AD08? I was running an E46 330i similar to Jeff’s with 200 RWHP (dyno tested at Thunderhill), stock 4.07 open diff and 340 treadwear summer tires (245mm front, 255mm rear).
Second that. Great event. Had a blast. Thought I was going pretty fast with my best lap at 53.002 after some good coaching from Tony, but then I saw others running 50’s and 51’s. (I’ll ignore the 47’s and 48’s from the race prepped silver E36, the blue E36 driven by an alien, and the gray E46 M3 with the 265mm Star Specs.) I still have lots and lots of room for improvement! Took a new autocrosser for 3 runs as a passenger and got one passenger ride from my AutoX buddy.
Ride in the Saab Viggen turbo:
My fastest lap of the day, with Dave (new autocrosser from Marin) as a passenger:
Aren’t you 6’7″? He’s 6’4″ and worried my extra helmet won’t fit him. He has a large head, but then again so do I!
I’ve invited a friend to come watch and get some rides. He drives a Subie but I did loan him my BMW for a month once and he enjoyed driving it. Hopefully he will make it tomorrow. He’s almost as tall at Matt!
Is the passenger rule that any experienced autocrosser can take passengers until you prove you are not a responsible driver, or nobody can take a passenger until an instructor agrees that you are responsible? Down in LA and San Diego, they have formal instructor assignments and only instructors could take passengers (or be passengers for non-instructors). But the last time I ran GGC AutoX, I thought it was more flexible on passengers.
Also do you need me to buddy with a new driver or do you already have enough buddies?
