by "t0ast" (t0ast217)
Published 05/16/2017 at 13:25
by "t0ast" (t0ast217)
Published 05/16/2017 at 13:25
Tags: Autocross
; Miata
; Mazda
; MX-5
; STR
; Kansas City
; SCCA
STARS: 3
A bit late on these, but here we go:
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Again, apologies for the shaky camera. I got a new and “improved” mount from Waylens but it obviously still has some issues. I think I’ll stick with the GoPro for now going forward.
And yes, I’m still calling it Sandstone, because they lost the privilege of being recognized by their sponsor names until they stop changing it every 3-5 years . Naming complaints aside, this is still my least favorite venue that we run on account of the surface. It’s worn out, cracked all over, and there are small pebbles EVERYWHERE. Further complicating matters was the rain, which wrecked our timing hardware and reduced our available runs from the usual 4-5 down to 3 due to manual timing and data entry.
In spite of having to deal with some street sweeping in Heat 1 and active precipitation during 2 of my 3 runs, I somehow managed 6th of 93 in overall PAX and 1st of 2 in STR. I’m still a bit baffled by the result considering how slow and awful everything felt (like understeering my way around half the course), not to mention the other heat having objectively better conditions to run in. Perhaps playing it a bit safe was just the way to go in this obnoxiously slippery venue.
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This one had me excited going in, largely because the weather was finally clear and warm, allowing me to fill in the last few blanks of mental data points on the RE71R tires’s performance. Additionally, I was about to have some very difficult in-class competition in the form of a freshly-rebuilt-for-STR E36 M3 (because it was just reclassified this year) piloted by a pair of very experienced drivers.
The course was a pretty fast layout as well, which was a bit of a surprise considering how restrictive the MCC venue is. Unfortunately I didn’t figure out that the car had a lot more to give in the slalom and that 1st was better through hairpin near the end (20 mph pulls in my 5-speed’s taller 2nd gear = no bueno) until my final run, which I then ruined with cone hits and sloppy over-driving elsewhere. Oh well. At least the other parts in the video above felt like they were all nearly perfect.
Ultimately, I got crushed by that M3's drivers by about 0.6s to 0.9s ... and that was with their first runs being the fastest. No doubt they’re going to be a difficult pair to chase from here on out. Optimistically, with the course’s layout and my current level of skill, I probably would have only been capable of halving that distance to their fastest time. That said, I at least was able to walk away having learned quite a lot about what I can and can’t get away with in the dry now. The overall end result wasn’t bad either, with a 3rd of 8 in STR and 20th of 135 in overall PAX.
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Next up
: The fiance does SCCA Starting Line and gets in on the fun.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
05/16/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 3
Ehh who cares about PAX overall? It’s all about raw time! At least that’s how I look at it since being in Street Prepared eliminates my chances of being anywhere useful in PAX. But I would much rather run that than put on “street” tires and run STR. Since I would get destroyed by the S2ks and now M3 as well. In CSP, I have a solid 4 or 5 cars in my region as direct competitors running similar setups.
You seem to be doing pretty well with an NC though, making the Miata world continue to look good =)
I am also surprised you didnt have to use third gear there on a couple of those long fast sections. I get so used to the 6 speed in my NB that tops out below 50 in 2nd gear.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
05/16/2017 at 13:57, STARS: 4
PAX is, and will always be bullshit.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
05/16/2017 at 14:06, STARS: 0
I find it interesting how people in street/stock class can often end up winning PAX. I also find it more hilarious the people who trailer street class cars to the event. I feel like it should be a requirement to drive the car to the event if its in street/stock class lol.
But yeah it made me really sad last season when I got beat by a Prius in my Miata! Yeah the guy was a really good driver with RE71Rs but I beat him by like 3 whole seconds in raw.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
05/16/2017 at 14:20, STARS: 2
Don’t whine to me, I’m in CAM-T. No rules, Pax is like .834.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
05/16/2017 at 14:36, STARS: 0
Haha the CAM classes are my favorite! The no rules portion means people come up with some creative things.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
05/16/2017 at 14:36, STARS: 1
Not that creative, mostly just expensive! lol
"t0ast" (t0ast217)
05/16/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 0
Thanks! Oddly enough, my raw times tend to land within +/- 3 spots of PAX more often than not and we’re very heavily weighted towards the basic Street class here, so I just roll with PAX as my barometer. I could definitely see the disparity growing quite a bit under certain circumstances as one pushes the performance envelope. CAMC is getting particularly goofy in our region.
For better or worse, the S2Ks here have entirely landed above or below Street Touring, so in terms of favorable STR picks, it was pretty much just me until the M3 showed up. I’m not sweating beating them too much since I know I don’t have anywhere near the level of car prep or experience, but it should at least make for something challenging to chase as I continue to refine my skills. I’ll probably give my car another year or so before I jump into something else or do something silly with it (like a 2.5 swap w/ forced induction) and get reclassified.
Remarkably, the NC’s 5 speed is good to go up until about 62 and doesn’t have enough power to do much worse than a short few bumps against the rev limiter at the very end of some stretches. It’s been great to learn on so far since it’s very “set it and forget it”, but I’m starting to feel some want for the shorter gears of the 6 speed box.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
05/16/2017 at 14:48, STARS: 0
Don’t make excuses. I’m CAM-C and I took 5th in PAX out of 55 at our last event
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
05/16/2017 at 14:52, STARS: 0
Your car is neither a Classic nor does a 4 cyl count as “Muscle”.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
05/16/2017 at 15:40, STARS: 0
My car is a “domestic automobile or “pick-up” truck of frontengine/rear-wheel-drive (FE/RWD) configuration” built after 1990 and is a “Sedans/coupes with seating originally for 4 or more adults” that weighs at least 3200 lbs. It qualifies for CAM-C so that’s the class I run complete with its pretty terrible .823 PAX. I’m not making any excuses, I’m just here winning.
"Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig" (AndySheehan-StreetsideStig)
05/16/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 1
I can’t wait to get back out there. I ran two events last year, but now I’m in hardcore debt kill mode, so I probably won’t run another autocross until Halloweenie. And probably a rallycross sometime this summer.
Huzzah for KC Oppos!