So GRM-think you can pull it off? Accurate comparisons and all.
So GRM-think you can pull it off? Accurate comparisons and all.
Not really possible. You'd need two suitably large, flat surfaces unmolested by curbs and light poles (the likelihood of finding venues with these things placed in similar positions is nil). You'd need GPS to set cones in identical relation. Then you'd need to arrange for identical air temp and humidity on your scheduled race dates.
Once these things are done (and they are extremely unlikely), you will still be completely off because of differences in the age, composition, quality, and finishing technique of the race surface.
If you were just doing it for fun, it would be interesting, but still pretty hard to even find two similar venues that would take the same cone setup.
Hmmm... The Jaguar Club uses (or at least used to use) the same autocross course all over the country. It featured an oval that was driven three times, first as the oval, then as a "squeezed oval" (kidney beans?) and then as a figure-8 on the third lap. They told me that allowed them to compare times across the country. I agree with David_Chong about the comparability, though.
David
I think road surface would be an issue. Even setting up the same course, the surface could cause the times to differ. I have done the Jag events, sorry I dont consider them that challenging. Running at an Airport would work, RE room to set We have a BMW vs PCA challenge every year. We run one weekend at their location and one at ours. However we run different courses, PCA runs a higher HP course BMW more technical. We get a huge turn out, there is a trophy that the winning side gets to keep for the year.
I run the BMW CCA events in Tampa FL, We run on a cement runway in Brooksville, I would be up to assist in a East VS West event. Running the same couse on Cement and comparing the times.
let me know.
What if at least one car & driver combo could attend both to set a reference time for comparison (to help offset the pavement / temp / humidity factors)?
I'm surprised nobody above mentioned driver differences. No, not just the person who drove the car to event...keep in mind that at the real (east coast) $2009 there are pro drivers, while the west coast will be a true DIY (drive it yourself) event. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever being a nationally competitive driver even with the best prepared car in the world.
As mentioned above, it would be practically impossible to create duplicate courses. Having done a lot of performance testing, I can tell you that it's extremely difficult to get repeatable traction from one day to the next even when using the same surface. Weather conditions alone will cause enough variability to make repeatable testing from one day to the next difficult.
Bryce
Isn't that the whole point, to find the differences in the drivers?
Nashco wrote: I'm surprised nobody above mentioned driver differences. No, not just the person who drove the car to event...keep in mind that at the real (east coast) $2009 there are pro drivers, while the west coast will be a true DIY (drive it yourself) event. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever being a nationally competitive driver even with the best prepared car in the world. Bryce
They don't have to be. 
(just trying to relive a past glory, now going on 5 years, but I know that previous challenge winners had been self driven, too- just that 2003 really started the pro driver system)
Eric
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