Exocet Autocross Test Runs (finally!) + KC SCCA Event #4

"t0ast" (t0ast217)
05/07/2018 at 12:37 • Filed to: Exocet, Autocross, Miata

I was hoping to get it out to a Test & Tune last month, but Missouri weather was Missouri weather, and surprise snow + low temperatures got that event canceled. Thankfully, I had another opportunity during the KC SCCA novice school since I was instructing and one of the perks of that job is free runs during the lunch break. We didn’t have any dedicated course workers for these runs, so pardon the latent cone carnage and brief moments of confusion from downed, moved, and absent cones. It’s not exactly my finest driving either, but it sure was fun.

I think the biggest hurdle to overcome was the manual steering rack. It’s been pretty benign so far on the street, so I was caught off-guard a few times by how it weights up when pushed and the effort required to get the right inputs. Outside of that, it turned out to be pretty intuitive and mostly well-behaved, even with my shot-in-the-dark alignment and suspension settings. I didn’t run into any mechanical problems either, apart from some rear tire rub that will be fixed shortly with spacers.

Compared to the 11th PAX / 9th raw (out of 128 drivers) times I got with my STR NC on the next day with the course almost entirely unchanged (video below), the Exocet was just a scant few tenths faster on average. That isn’t particularly great if going off of PAX alone, which dictates that this Exocet’s class, D Modified, should be ~2.2 sec faster on this length of course. However, for a first outing in something that’s neither dialed in nor built to class (which would require slicks + a fully built 2L engine + somehow removing ~250 lbs), I’d say that’s a pretty satisfactory outcome.

I’m still planning on running the NC for the rest of the KC region season while I keep sorting out the Exocet and will attempt to switch into it by next year. I’m also hoping to get it out to a track day or two once I get a few more things sorted out.

DISCUSSION (4)

Ash78, voting early and often > t0ast
05/07/2018 at 13:18

I like that course...so much more natural than a random assortment of cones in a parking lot.

An old airfield?

t0ast > Ash78, voting early and often
05/07/2018 at 13:44

The facility is owned by one of the local community colleges and is primarily put to use for police training. It doesn’t support a whole lot of diversity in course design, but it certainly makes for some easier navigation and its repeated concrete/asphalt transitions help to keep things interesting.

Kyoia > t0ast
06/05/2018 at 07:10

Is there some way I could contact you to find out more about KC’s SCCA? I have looked over the website but I’m just not sure where to get started.

t0ast > Kyoia
06/05/2018 at 11:09

Sure, my email address is my name here with “217" appended to the end @ gmail. I’ll dump some info here but feel free to email me if you have any further questions:

In addition to the website, we also have a Facebook group which is pretty active. Info gets posted and questions get answered there regularly.

The event schedule can be found here , and registration is handled through MotorsportsReg.com . Alternatively, you can do a walk-up registration on the day of the event if you don’t mind an extra $5 fee. As for SCCA membership, you can get an annual membership for $70-100 depending on your “home” region (KC is $90) or a weekend membership for $10 when you register for an event.

Getting started is basically just showing up to one of those events. If you want a more gradual introduction with some dedicated coaching, we have another Novice School coming up on August 11th. You could even just stop by to spectate (which is free!) and get a feel for things. This is also worth a read if you haven’t found it already, since it spells out just about everything you should prepare and expect for a regular event.

Regardless of how/when you might want to start, we’ve got a ton of friendly and helpful people in the region that don’t mind help getting first-timers started, from answering questions to ride-along coaching. Loaner helmets (if you don’t already have one with an approved certification ) and paper numbers are available as well, so you don’t have to commit to that stuff right out of the gate.

The only potentially tricky part is figuring out what class you will run as, which is your responsibility and will require some reading of the rulebook . The easiest way to try and figure it out is to ballpark where you think you might fall based on your car’s modifications (Street = very close to stock, Street Touring = limited handling and power mods, CAM = muscle car with a wide range of mods allowed, Prepared = even wider range of mods allowed, Modified = almost anything goes), check out that class’s rules to find out if you fit in it (starting at page 59) then see which subclass your car falls under (starting at page 142).