4G63FLA
15+ Year Contributor
- 156
- 0
- Jan 4, 2007
-
................,
Alaska
Friday 03/10/2007 – Well I had ordered some new gauges to go in the car but I ordered mechanical ones when I needed electronic ones. Extreme PSI worked with me to get them my mechanical ones back and get my new electronic ones over-nighted to me. Thanks again guys. So I dropped the car off at the garage while I was at work to get the new gauges installed. Apparently they got backed up and they didn't even start working on my car until after 6 pm here in the central time zone. Justin (my mechanic) and Kristene at V&T Performance were VERY great and stayed there until they got the install done and all the gauges were working properly. THANKS again guys. If any of you are ever near Pensacola, swing by and check them out. Once we got the car back to the house I went over it with a fine tooth comb. Checking all the connections, making sure all the clamps were tight. No leaking lines, nothing out of the ordinary. I did notice that the lower coolant hose going to the radiator was a little loose and a small amount of coolant was leaking out of it. New clamp and problem solved. Time to get some sleep and get ready for the weekend's event.
Sunday 03/11/2007 (8:00 am) – Well we woke up at the fabulous Motel 6 of Dothan Alabama to sunny skies and a temperature of about 50 degrees, another great day for racing. I get to the track location about 9:15 after the routine stop at Burger King for a sausage, egg and cheese crosainwich (spelling??). Get the EZ Up setup and wait for the day's events to unfold.
(10:30 am) Track Walk-through – Jay Scott (SCCA Safety Steward) and I begin to walk the track for the first time. This event, the track is roughly almost a mile long, nine tenths to be exact. As we get to the middle portion of the track, it becomes a little confusing. There are gates just out in the open with no pointer cones telling you how to get to them. We had to call over the SCCA guy that was laying out the track to figure out what was going on. He laid out some more cones and we continued to walk the course knowing we needed to walk it again to see the new cone positions. The beginning portion of the course was fairly simple. It wasn't till the middle portions of the track where it got more technical. There were a few cross-over boxes to go through as well as a tricky chicane to get through in the middle of the track. This chicane proved to be where many made or lost their run. You carried quite a bit of speed coming up to it so if you were to early on the brakes you felt like you were creeping through it. But if you were too late on the brakes you shot into it too hot and most people doing this mowed over a few cones when they went in too hot.
(11:15 am) First Runs – After the drivers meeting it was said that we would get 4 runs the first round and 2 runs the next round to complete our 6 runs. Also this month, the prepared classes would make their runs first unlike last month where we were last to run. I actually kind of liked this setup because working the cones in the south in the hotter months will do me allot better in the morning than out on the track with no shade in the middle of the day. And man did it get hot out there this weekend. Ok, so back to my first runs. Sitting on the grid ready to go, getting my mind prepared, going back over the track layout one more time before the starter gives me the thumbs up to go. Give all the gauges a quick look to make sure everything is within limits and I'M OFF !! I rev the TSi to about 3 grand launched off the line. Straight off the grid into a slight right hander and into second gear heading into a long medium speed left handed sweeper---Through the first gate and into the slalom portion of the course. I dove outside of the first cone and entered the slalom to the right so I can come out setup for the next part of the course. Out of the slalom and into a high speed right hander heading back to the left and then back to the right, down a short shoot through a crossover box and I stab the brakes and shift into second gear to get ready for the turn-around at the far end of the course. Trying not to push the car through the turn I end up sliding a little off of my line so I had to lift slightly to keep from pushing out into the cone wall defining the turn. Exit the turn and hard on the throttle back through the crossover box and through a right hand gate and then back to the left, pushing the car through the gate and into a medium sized straight away. I am pushing second gear to the max here all the way to 7000 RPMs. Lift slightly to carry some speed through a left-handed turn through a crossover box heading back towards the middle of the course. HARD on the brakes for an almost 360 degree hairpin turn; heading back down towards the tricky chicane in the track. There is a good size straight shoot heading towards the chicane which made it that much harder to judge when to get on the brakes. On my first run here I didn't want go in too hot so I lifted and just tapped the brake before entering. Shifted all the way down to first gear I just punched it through and shifted it into second and back to the left through a crossover and headed into a short left-handed sweeper. A quick right handed gate (clipped a cone) and down a short shoot through another crossover and back to the left heading towards another tight hairpin left-handed turn. Hard on the brakes to keep from blowing through it too hot; around the cone flooring it in second, through one more slight left hand turn gate and across the finish line. Well with the one cone hit I came across with a 76.614 second lap. As I looked over the time keepers shoulder to see my time, I notice everyone is running in the high 70s near 80 seconds so far if they are not DNF'ing. (Did Not Finnish for some reason). So with my +2 seconds added to my time, I actually ran a 74 second lap, it ended up being a 76 second first lap. Not too shabby I was thinking to myself. Everyone seemed to be getting lost on the track; so no DNFs were a good thing on the day. On my second and third runs it was much of the same type of runs. I kept going into two sections of the track; namely the turn-around at the far end of the track and the tight hair pin turn towards the end way too hot and sliding off of my line. On my fourth run and last run before I had to work the cones, I was thinking to myself on the grid to just take it easy going into the turn and accelerate out of the turn to keep from sliding off line. So as I approach the first section where I am doing this; the turn-around section I stabbed the brakes before entering the turn and keep a steady pressure in second gear all the way through it. As I cross the apex of the turn and clear the last of the marker cones I punch it in second gear and roll out of the turn with no tire screeching what so ever. It felt MUCH faster although I was actually going slower through the turn. As I come up to that tricky hairpin towards the end of the track; I think back to what I did earlier in the turn-around and apply the same theory here. As I approach it well into second gear and close to 6500 RPMs, I stab the brakes and through it first gear. Steady on the gas and clear the cone and back to WOT in second gear across the finish line. At first it felt as if maybe I DNF'ed because it seemed like a much quicker lap than the first lap. I pull the car back into the tech area and head over to the timing table. I look at my time and it is a 75.128 second lap. Even though it was slightly slower than my first lap (minus the cone) it just felt like a better and much cleaner run. My third run went much of the same and ended with another 75.030 second run. My fourth and final run of the first session came and I wanted to make sure I kept doing the same things I was doing in my trouble sections and maybe try to make up some time in other portions of the course. As I launched the car off the line, I tried to get it into second as quickly as I could to hold some good speed through the left-handed sweeper heading in to the slalom to carry more speed going into it. Up to my first "problem" area and did just fine on the throttle and no pushing off line or tire squealing. I went through the course very efficiently and it showed after the run. Shaved another second and a half off and ran a 73.867 second lap. As I was walking out to my cone marshalling station I was thinking to myself, there are still a few more spots where I could easily try and make up some more time.
(4:00 pm) Second Session of runs – After I did my duty as cone boy and the lunch break, I pull the car over to the tech area and get ready for our second session of runs. On the first run, the official photographer / fiance' jumped in so she could have some fun as well. I can't be the only one having any fun out here you know? She is my BIGGEST supporter in this venture and stays tough throughout the day taking photos of me on the track between her trips to the mall. So I have her strapped in the car for the fourth run; and it goes much as the same as the last of the first session of runs. We come across the line with a 73.952 second lap. She is all smiles as she takes her post back with the Nikon D70 on the sidelines for some more pictures. My final run of the day is approaching and I am really wanted to make this my best run. I am focusing on the line waiting for the ok to go from the starter. I'm off and into second gear. As I get into the turn-around at the far end of the course, I feel the car is a little faster through this section than before. I tried a slightly wider line heading into it so I could carry more speed entering and exiting the turn. It seemed to pay off as I actually shifted into third gear on the short shoot straightaway. As I am noticing a better line thought the course, I can feel this is going to be a fast lap. Coming to the final hairpin and almost home I must have been a little too excited and shot through the hairpin too fast and went off course. Man I couldn't believe it. Licking my wounds I crept across the line in first gear fearing an awful run on the clock having come to a complete stop, turning around and cruising through the timing lights. I wander over to the scoring table and glance over the time keeper's shoulder. A 76-second lap? I couldn't believe it. If I had not spun out off the course that could have easily been a 71 second or faster lap. I mean, I literally creped across the line in first gear after spinning off the track. Man, I thought to myself. That could have been a GREAT run if that had not happened. At first I was a little mad at myself for screwing the run up on one of the final turns. But then I thought to myself, this is why I am doing this. To keep pushing the car and myself to keep getting better every event and every run.
(5:30 pm) Wrapping it up – After all six of my runs, the #32 TSi took first place for the second consecutive event in the FP class. Also, the 73.867 second lap was fastest lap of the day for my class. As I head back home to Pensacola, I go over all my runs again in my head to see where and why I messed up on certain sections of the track. I also thought to myself how great it will be to finish the coilovers and get them on the car along with the new VIP Garage brake kit that is steadily coming in the mail. They should be completely installed by the April events. Thanks for that Marti. After the two and a half hour drive home, a little redder from all the sun and a little happier with my performance as well as the cars performance from last month. Each event and run I keep getting a little better and improving some part of the courses as well as my driving. That is all I can hope for and that is what keeps driving me to do this. I pull the TSi into the garage and get ready to head back to grind stone Monday morning in the office. A GREAT weekend of fun and racing. Along with the some Sushi and Sake with some good friends, it was a great weekend all the way around. The weather has really been great for us so far this season and I hope it continues to help us out. I have to rub it in to some of our friends in the Midwest and out west who are still getting some snow and not able to drive their cars. Sorry about your luck !!! Move to Florida, all we have to deal with is hurricanes---Happy Boosting !!!
~ Eddie Garrison
Sunday 03/11/2007 (8:00 am) – Well we woke up at the fabulous Motel 6 of Dothan Alabama to sunny skies and a temperature of about 50 degrees, another great day for racing. I get to the track location about 9:15 after the routine stop at Burger King for a sausage, egg and cheese crosainwich (spelling??). Get the EZ Up setup and wait for the day's events to unfold.
(10:30 am) Track Walk-through – Jay Scott (SCCA Safety Steward) and I begin to walk the track for the first time. This event, the track is roughly almost a mile long, nine tenths to be exact. As we get to the middle portion of the track, it becomes a little confusing. There are gates just out in the open with no pointer cones telling you how to get to them. We had to call over the SCCA guy that was laying out the track to figure out what was going on. He laid out some more cones and we continued to walk the course knowing we needed to walk it again to see the new cone positions. The beginning portion of the course was fairly simple. It wasn't till the middle portions of the track where it got more technical. There were a few cross-over boxes to go through as well as a tricky chicane to get through in the middle of the track. This chicane proved to be where many made or lost their run. You carried quite a bit of speed coming up to it so if you were to early on the brakes you felt like you were creeping through it. But if you were too late on the brakes you shot into it too hot and most people doing this mowed over a few cones when they went in too hot.
(11:15 am) First Runs – After the drivers meeting it was said that we would get 4 runs the first round and 2 runs the next round to complete our 6 runs. Also this month, the prepared classes would make their runs first unlike last month where we were last to run. I actually kind of liked this setup because working the cones in the south in the hotter months will do me allot better in the morning than out on the track with no shade in the middle of the day. And man did it get hot out there this weekend. Ok, so back to my first runs. Sitting on the grid ready to go, getting my mind prepared, going back over the track layout one more time before the starter gives me the thumbs up to go. Give all the gauges a quick look to make sure everything is within limits and I'M OFF !! I rev the TSi to about 3 grand launched off the line. Straight off the grid into a slight right hander and into second gear heading into a long medium speed left handed sweeper---Through the first gate and into the slalom portion of the course. I dove outside of the first cone and entered the slalom to the right so I can come out setup for the next part of the course. Out of the slalom and into a high speed right hander heading back to the left and then back to the right, down a short shoot through a crossover box and I stab the brakes and shift into second gear to get ready for the turn-around at the far end of the course. Trying not to push the car through the turn I end up sliding a little off of my line so I had to lift slightly to keep from pushing out into the cone wall defining the turn. Exit the turn and hard on the throttle back through the crossover box and through a right hand gate and then back to the left, pushing the car through the gate and into a medium sized straight away. I am pushing second gear to the max here all the way to 7000 RPMs. Lift slightly to carry some speed through a left-handed turn through a crossover box heading back towards the middle of the course. HARD on the brakes for an almost 360 degree hairpin turn; heading back down towards the tricky chicane in the track. There is a good size straight shoot heading towards the chicane which made it that much harder to judge when to get on the brakes. On my first run here I didn't want go in too hot so I lifted and just tapped the brake before entering. Shifted all the way down to first gear I just punched it through and shifted it into second and back to the left through a crossover and headed into a short left-handed sweeper. A quick right handed gate (clipped a cone) and down a short shoot through another crossover and back to the left heading towards another tight hairpin left-handed turn. Hard on the brakes to keep from blowing through it too hot; around the cone flooring it in second, through one more slight left hand turn gate and across the finish line. Well with the one cone hit I came across with a 76.614 second lap. As I looked over the time keepers shoulder to see my time, I notice everyone is running in the high 70s near 80 seconds so far if they are not DNF'ing. (Did Not Finnish for some reason). So with my +2 seconds added to my time, I actually ran a 74 second lap, it ended up being a 76 second first lap. Not too shabby I was thinking to myself. Everyone seemed to be getting lost on the track; so no DNFs were a good thing on the day. On my second and third runs it was much of the same type of runs. I kept going into two sections of the track; namely the turn-around at the far end of the track and the tight hair pin turn towards the end way too hot and sliding off of my line. On my fourth run and last run before I had to work the cones, I was thinking to myself on the grid to just take it easy going into the turn and accelerate out of the turn to keep from sliding off line. So as I approach the first section where I am doing this; the turn-around section I stabbed the brakes before entering the turn and keep a steady pressure in second gear all the way through it. As I cross the apex of the turn and clear the last of the marker cones I punch it in second gear and roll out of the turn with no tire screeching what so ever. It felt MUCH faster although I was actually going slower through the turn. As I come up to that tricky hairpin towards the end of the track; I think back to what I did earlier in the turn-around and apply the same theory here. As I approach it well into second gear and close to 6500 RPMs, I stab the brakes and through it first gear. Steady on the gas and clear the cone and back to WOT in second gear across the finish line. At first it felt as if maybe I DNF'ed because it seemed like a much quicker lap than the first lap. I pull the car back into the tech area and head over to the timing table. I look at my time and it is a 75.128 second lap. Even though it was slightly slower than my first lap (minus the cone) it just felt like a better and much cleaner run. My third run went much of the same and ended with another 75.030 second run. My fourth and final run of the first session came and I wanted to make sure I kept doing the same things I was doing in my trouble sections and maybe try to make up some time in other portions of the course. As I launched the car off the line, I tried to get it into second as quickly as I could to hold some good speed through the left-handed sweeper heading in to the slalom to carry more speed going into it. Up to my first "problem" area and did just fine on the throttle and no pushing off line or tire squealing. I went through the course very efficiently and it showed after the run. Shaved another second and a half off and ran a 73.867 second lap. As I was walking out to my cone marshalling station I was thinking to myself, there are still a few more spots where I could easily try and make up some more time.
(4:00 pm) Second Session of runs – After I did my duty as cone boy and the lunch break, I pull the car over to the tech area and get ready for our second session of runs. On the first run, the official photographer / fiance' jumped in so she could have some fun as well. I can't be the only one having any fun out here you know? She is my BIGGEST supporter in this venture and stays tough throughout the day taking photos of me on the track between her trips to the mall. So I have her strapped in the car for the fourth run; and it goes much as the same as the last of the first session of runs. We come across the line with a 73.952 second lap. She is all smiles as she takes her post back with the Nikon D70 on the sidelines for some more pictures. My final run of the day is approaching and I am really wanted to make this my best run. I am focusing on the line waiting for the ok to go from the starter. I'm off and into second gear. As I get into the turn-around at the far end of the course, I feel the car is a little faster through this section than before. I tried a slightly wider line heading into it so I could carry more speed entering and exiting the turn. It seemed to pay off as I actually shifted into third gear on the short shoot straightaway. As I am noticing a better line thought the course, I can feel this is going to be a fast lap. Coming to the final hairpin and almost home I must have been a little too excited and shot through the hairpin too fast and went off course. Man I couldn't believe it. Licking my wounds I crept across the line in first gear fearing an awful run on the clock having come to a complete stop, turning around and cruising through the timing lights. I wander over to the scoring table and glance over the time keeper's shoulder. A 76-second lap? I couldn't believe it. If I had not spun out off the course that could have easily been a 71 second or faster lap. I mean, I literally creped across the line in first gear after spinning off the track. Man, I thought to myself. That could have been a GREAT run if that had not happened. At first I was a little mad at myself for screwing the run up on one of the final turns. But then I thought to myself, this is why I am doing this. To keep pushing the car and myself to keep getting better every event and every run.
(5:30 pm) Wrapping it up – After all six of my runs, the #32 TSi took first place for the second consecutive event in the FP class. Also, the 73.867 second lap was fastest lap of the day for my class. As I head back home to Pensacola, I go over all my runs again in my head to see where and why I messed up on certain sections of the track. I also thought to myself how great it will be to finish the coilovers and get them on the car along with the new VIP Garage brake kit that is steadily coming in the mail. They should be completely installed by the April events. Thanks for that Marti. After the two and a half hour drive home, a little redder from all the sun and a little happier with my performance as well as the cars performance from last month. Each event and run I keep getting a little better and improving some part of the courses as well as my driving. That is all I can hope for and that is what keeps driving me to do this. I pull the TSi into the garage and get ready to head back to grind stone Monday morning in the office. A GREAT weekend of fun and racing. Along with the some Sushi and Sake with some good friends, it was a great weekend all the way around. The weather has really been great for us so far this season and I hope it continues to help us out. I have to rub it in to some of our friends in the Midwest and out west who are still getting some snow and not able to drive their cars. Sorry about your luck !!! Move to Florida, all we have to deal with is hurricanes---Happy Boosting !!!
~ Eddie Garrison
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