I am excite!

Registered for my first autocross!
Took advantage of the day off to change my transmission fluid and new shifter boots
(shout out to Flyin Miata, sourced MTL from there since nobody local carries it)

Also put the stock wheels back on, significant because that's where my Star Specs live, I finally get to use them in (competitive) anger!

Been wanting to do this for a long time, became contractually obligated to do so a few months ago (when I bought a miata)
As far as I can tell, my steering wheel classes me at a huge disadvantage, thankfully the group that runs this event (Chuckanut Sports Car club) has a novice class for n00bs like me.
(Four or less autocrosses makes you eligible, regardless of what you're driving)

As of today, my competition consists of an 01 S2000, 91 Integra RS, and a 67 Mustang, hoping to further widen the field in the next week.

good luck .... the absolutely one thing you CAN NOT forget ... have fun ..that is all

That and a hat.

Cool. Have fun.

Woody wrote: That and a hat.

he's in Washington State ... might not need a hat

Hi Excite. Have fun.

use less steering input! get on your brakes sooner!

at least that's the two most common things i end up saying to novices when i'm instructing

Aaaaand she's as ready as she's gonna be.

Fresh BRE-esque stripe to cover up some damage on the front right
(turns out that bondo on weird angles isn't as easy as I'd like)
'Racing' seat and aftermarket rails firmly attached, just barely enough forward motion to run the hardtop latch on the drivers side... very glad that worked out.
Trunk is full of tools and supplies, more than I'll ever need...

Now all that's left is getting up at 6:30, driving up a mountain, and murdering some cones.
(here's when it's good to normally wake up at 4:15, my ass gets to sleep in)

wbjones wrote:

Woody wrote: That and a hat.

he's in Washington State ... might not need a hat

Hey it is sunny in Seattle today!!! Which is very strange as it is June 15th......not kidding

Yeah, surprisingly given the timing, my only real concern weather wise is that the event is at altitude, so might be a little chilly.

Just have to wake up with not too bad of a hangover, throw the mini cooler in the car, slam a rockstar and go.
Almost too excited to try and find some ladies tonight.
Almost.

So how did it go?

SnowMongoose wrote: Yeah, surprisingly given the timing, my only real concern weather wise is that the event is at altitude, so might be a little chilly. Just have to wake up with not too bad of a hangover, throw the mini cooler in the car, slam a rockstar and go. Almost too excited to try and find some ladies tonight. Almost.

If there is still time, go to youtube and look up "autocrossing with dick turner". The whole series, (about an hour) is fantastic instruction.
If too late, watch it when you get back to see "where it went wrong."

Have a great time!

paranoid_android74 wrote: So how did it go?

Getting my obligatory internet fix right now, driving up the mountain in a second.
Unless you're asking about the lady part, in which case my answer is, it didn't.

Re: Dick Turner, I've seen some, but not all, will rectify that when I get home tonight.

Ah, I thought it was yesterday.

There's always tonight to get your mack daddy on. Besides, you'll be a real race car driver then!

SnowMongoose wrote:

paranoid_android74 wrote: So how did it go?

Getting my obligatory internet fix right now, driving up the mountain in a second. Unless you're asking about the lady part, in which case my answer is, it didn't. Re: Dick Turner, I've seen some, but not all, will rectify that when I get home tonight.

That link is you tube time well spent! Thanks for sharing.

It seems like the lesson on heel toe shifting got cut out though...

JohnRW1621 wrote: If there is still time, go to youtube and look up "autocrossing with dick turner". The whole series, (about an hour) is fantastic instruction. If too late, watch it when you get back to see "where it went wrong." Have a great time!

This link should get you to it.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/video-training-autocrossing-with-dick-turner/33988/page1/

Just re-watched it. I misunderstood where he was going with the lesson.

Carry on...

JohnRW1621 wrote: This link should get you to it. http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/video-training-autocrossing-with-dick-turner/33988/page1/

Survived!
Unsurprisingly, had a hell of a good time!

Almost won the 'novice division,' got aced out by an Sk2 whose driver may not have been eligible, as this was his 5th time out.
(unclear partially because I don't care, partially because that's based on the 2012 rules, and they haven't published 2013 rules...)
Unimportant, see previous note about having a blast

My time breakdown:
115.896 (0,1)
91.659 (0,0)
83.363 (0,0)
77.326 (0,0)
77.151 (0,0)
75.510 (0,0)
74.562 (0,0)

I like the consistant improvement, got lost on the course for that first run, was nipping at the S2k's heels, since he was much less consistent than I
Here are the full results if you're curious
Can't say I understand all the PAX stuff and the paired different times for most of the runs, but that's alright.
Torn, on the one hand I think it's good that I didn't kill any cones, on the other hand I feel like if I wasn't killing cones I'm not pushing it enough...

Regardless, had a blast, plan on doing it again soon!

Finally, pictures!
Ready for tech

Numbers!

My Nemesis!
Scooby, Autocross Chairman's Scooby, Miata that is like mine if I were working with more money

Green Miata again

NASTCAT (made cool noises)

Cobra Replica (Roush 427 though, different cool noises)

Non Car scenery (not bad, right?)

And now I get to finish my weekend by watching Tokyo Drift on the teevee.
Hell yes.

In reply to SnowMongoose:

Nice job!

And wow, nice setting. Autocrossing in the mountains, pretty cool.

while I don't have any use for PAX (often don't even check where I finished in PAX) it's not all that hard to understand ... it's a multiplier used for each base class that "tries" to make all cars equal

think of bowling or golf handicap and PAX is the a-x equivalent ... it's multipliers are arrived at by compiling lots and lots of data from dozens and dozens of events each yr. using results from fully prepped cars (from each class) usually (might even be always) from national type courses and after the season is over all these numbers are crunched and you come up with the multipliers that SUPPOSEDLY make all the cars "equal" ...

keep in mind that all this is predicated on national level drivers, fully prepped cars for the class, and national type courses and sites ..... + at least where I run (2 SCCA regions) PAX is really nothing more than yapping/bragging rights ... where a H stock Civic can claim he/she outran a A-Mod monster... meh...

PAX is used for some of the SCCA comp. .... Evo shootouts/Pro Solo or what have ya .... other than that .. like I said it's mostly just yapping

Thanks for the PAX primer!

Classing question.
Currently my aftermarket steering wheel (sans airbag) would put me in SP.
Airbag light was on even before I pulled the stock wheel + airbag, so presumably the airbag does not work.
Would re installing the wheel, with non-working airbag, drop me back down to ST?

Was daydreaming about the event all through my shift today.
Productivity, demolished!

I don't know ... my guess would be ok ... the air bag doesn't have to work (as in you can pull the fuse) so as long as the air bag is in the steering wheel ... logic says you should be ok (though where logic and the SCCA come together I don't know )

Jones: Gotcha, I'm not even sure how strict these guys are, I'll figure it out.

Unrelated note, I can't imagine it's possible that I'm the only one who makes engine noises while walking the course...
Or could I be?

The letters to the editor section of this month's GRM learned me good.
Too bad I went lightweight when I replaced my clutch, had I realized that that would 'totally bone me' for AX classing...

So, now, go balls out and turbo the damn thing, or drop the trans and put the OEM flywheel back in?
Hell, if I'm going to do that, may as well swap out the LSD and steering wheel and get down to STS, right?
I feel like option one is cooler, but option two is much more of a good idea given how new I am to all this 'competitive' driving

one thing to keep in mind .... (and this is just typical, not written in concrete)

the more you mod something, the more expensive it gets, and the less reliable it gets.... ( I'll catch hell for that from lots of folk that have built 500hp turbo monsters that have never let them down )

but really, going back to ST will USUALLY be less expensive in the long run, tires if nothing else ...

I still have a light weight flywheel and hp clutch ('01 Integra fitment...in the box ... never even opened, much less taken out) that I had gotten right when I made the decision to get out of SP and go back to ST ....