mavisky
DSM Wiseman
- 5,390
- 62
- Sep 13, 2002
-
Atlanta,
Georgia
Sunday morning - 7am.
Awake and on the road, race tires already on and getting psyched for the new event. On the way to the event though I have to cross some seriously rough tracks and with the new camber plates on I didn't think too much of it. Guess I should have. Part of prototyping parts for you guys is taking the hard blows and sucking them up as testing. Unfortuntaely while crossing the tracks the upper half of the bearing failed, launching the shock shaft through the new carbon fiber hood and effectively putting me out for the day. Now I've already talked to Jason and we'll be trying out a new bearing for the next event that should get the job done no questions asked.
8am
With parts on their way to repair the car, but no chance at getting it repaired in time for the event I begin my search for a co-drive so I can at least get some more seat time, even if it's not in my car. Luckily my buddy Woody offers up a ride in his gorgeous WRX street car in our street mod street tire class. Woody's car is by no means a dedicated autox car. It's got a full stereo, working a/c, and is not lightened in any way. I've never even rode in his car, just helped him work on it. He's got a full exhaust, upgraded turbo, upgraded top mount intercooler, short throw shifter, a set of lowering springs and adjustable shocks paired with 245/40-17 Hankooks.
9am
The course is amazingly setup, and built by a guy who drives the wheels off of his sti. The course starts off with a mild right-left chicane that can be run straight in first gear in the wrx. It then goes into a 15-20mph right left chicane again and off into the first big corner. There's just enough room to bounce the limiter in first 2 times before lifting and turning into a right handed 180. This leads down another short chute just long enough to get on the gas and back on the brakes into a tight right 180 that causes the course to cross over itself. The following straight is just long enough to require the first 1-2 shift of the course. Hard onto the brakes and it's a 45 degree left into a 90 degree right and a 135 degree left hander opening up into a slightly offcamber left handed sweeper. This is where the course gets fun. If you make a slow 1-2 shift you can use the lift to turn in and race off into an 8 cone slalom. I loved this part as the WRX needs to be driven like you stole it through here and you can just throw it into the corner, start to slide, and it just catches itself just in time to make the next gate. After weaving through all the gates you come to a painfully slow 10mph or so slalom over a large hump in the parking lot. This is where 90% of the cones came from as it was so tragically slow that many people caught the inside cone with their passenger rear wheel. Once you cleared this painful section it was a fast 3 cone slalom into a final 10mph 180 left hander and across the finish line.
10:30 am
Of course the last thing I want to do is break his car out here so I decide to let him drive first, watch his lines, and see what I can learn about the way he drives it. Woody's first run is a 56.920 with 2 cones added and as the first car on course looks and sounds great. As my turn comes up noone's managed to better his time yet, in fact most are quite a ways off. Now keep in mind this is a car I've never even rode in, much less driven and I've got my friend Jenni riding shotgun while I try to figure the car and the course out. I try to slip the puck clutch and end up getting a near perfect launch out of it and even with a passenger turn in a 56.863 with one cone. So somehow I'm at the top of the class after my first attempt. So now I've gone from hang on to dominate mode seeing that little glimmer of the gold.
Second run Woody slips a bit and ends up with a 57.069 with another cone, apparently this kid's hungry as the Subaru's eaten 4 cones so far in only 3 runs. I make a run alone this time around and manage to turn in a scary fast 54.425 with 1 cone unfortunately. On raw time I was about 4 seconds faster than anyone else on course so I was having a good time at this point, but I knew it didn't mean a damn thing as I kept clipping that stupid inner cone in that stupid slow slalom. At this point my only competition is Woody and my friend Eric lawson in his KA powered 240sx who just turned a clean 54.871 and is currently in the lead thanks to my stupid cone.
Third run and Woody's once again struggling with cone munching. He somehow manages to devour 5 cones on this run, including one on the big slalom that goes right down the center of the car. After adding up each 2 second penalty, he ends up with a scary 66.306 (that'd be a raw 56.306). At this point I'm focusing on Eric's last time and keeping myself clean. I keep the car clean but turn a frustrating 55.037 keeping me in second place still. I'll have to find that time from the first run if I'm to get back on top.
Fourth run comes around and Woody is struggling again with a 60.091 with 3 cones. Do the math though and that's a 54.091 on raw time alone. Good enough for first place had the grille of the wrx not been so hungry. Focused on finding that last bit of speed while staying clean I finally decide to just use 1st gear only through the first part of the course and save a downshift and I end up with a 53.982. The first and only car so far to break into the 53 second range in the SMS group. At this point my friend Tyler Ryan lays down an eye opening 54.238 in his 370whp srt-4. That's saying alot for a car on 225 Falken RT-615's.
Last and final run. Time to make things count and I'm hoping that Woody can turn that raw 54.0 into a clean 54.anything. Unfortunately Woody's cone-monstering continues and he turns in a 54.596 + 3 cones leaving him with a best time of 57.043 for the day. Halfway through the last heat they send me back out and at this time I'm still the only car to break into the 53's and I just got done watching Tyler turn in a 54.652 with a cone so I know I'm safe from him. But there's still plenty of guys out there who are more than capable of knocking me off so I pull no punches and go for it. I bang the limiter 3 times in the first short chute where before I'd only got it twice, this tells me I got through the first part faster, carrying more speed into it. The car bites hard exiting the first tight hairpin and I nail the 1-2 shift and toss the car through the next few curves lining it up for the sweeper. hard in 2nd and straight at the first cone of the slalom at about 60mph. I chuck the car through the slalom, nearly missing each cone (I swear I must've clipped 3 of them). Slam the car into the slow zone making sure to clear that bastard inside cone and pop the clutch to launch it out of there and into the next slalom. Sling it through the last 180, heel and toe it down to first again. Launch it again and grab second through the traps and hard on the brakes. Staring at the display - waiting patiently to see my time - 53.400 clean. Almost a full second ahead of second place. This feels good.
I'd often told these guys that if my car had more traction in the lower two gears I could be more competitive and now elminating the variable of my car (fwd 1g's can road race well, but autox is not a great spot for them without alot of mods) I was able to show these guys that I am in fact a driver and not just some other douche out there having fun.
At the end of the day I was able to get the car repaired in time for some fun runs and with horrible alignment settings and cold tires I was able to get a 54.7 out of it but I was trying to drive it like the WRX and my car requires much smoother inputs to drive well. Can't wait to try out the new parts next event and hopefully the new tires as well as my old ass 225/50-16 Khumo's on some 6.5" wheels just don't cut it when compared to even a set of 245 street tires.
Pic 1 - Woody's car
Pic 2 - Me getting my drive on
Pic 3 - Look at that beefy stud with the sleeves rolled up tryign to eliminate his farmer's tan
Awake and on the road, race tires already on and getting psyched for the new event. On the way to the event though I have to cross some seriously rough tracks and with the new camber plates on I didn't think too much of it. Guess I should have. Part of prototyping parts for you guys is taking the hard blows and sucking them up as testing. Unfortuntaely while crossing the tracks the upper half of the bearing failed, launching the shock shaft through the new carbon fiber hood and effectively putting me out for the day. Now I've already talked to Jason and we'll be trying out a new bearing for the next event that should get the job done no questions asked.
8am
With parts on their way to repair the car, but no chance at getting it repaired in time for the event I begin my search for a co-drive so I can at least get some more seat time, even if it's not in my car. Luckily my buddy Woody offers up a ride in his gorgeous WRX street car in our street mod street tire class. Woody's car is by no means a dedicated autox car. It's got a full stereo, working a/c, and is not lightened in any way. I've never even rode in his car, just helped him work on it. He's got a full exhaust, upgraded turbo, upgraded top mount intercooler, short throw shifter, a set of lowering springs and adjustable shocks paired with 245/40-17 Hankooks.
9am
The course is amazingly setup, and built by a guy who drives the wheels off of his sti. The course starts off with a mild right-left chicane that can be run straight in first gear in the wrx. It then goes into a 15-20mph right left chicane again and off into the first big corner. There's just enough room to bounce the limiter in first 2 times before lifting and turning into a right handed 180. This leads down another short chute just long enough to get on the gas and back on the brakes into a tight right 180 that causes the course to cross over itself. The following straight is just long enough to require the first 1-2 shift of the course. Hard onto the brakes and it's a 45 degree left into a 90 degree right and a 135 degree left hander opening up into a slightly offcamber left handed sweeper. This is where the course gets fun. If you make a slow 1-2 shift you can use the lift to turn in and race off into an 8 cone slalom. I loved this part as the WRX needs to be driven like you stole it through here and you can just throw it into the corner, start to slide, and it just catches itself just in time to make the next gate. After weaving through all the gates you come to a painfully slow 10mph or so slalom over a large hump in the parking lot. This is where 90% of the cones came from as it was so tragically slow that many people caught the inside cone with their passenger rear wheel. Once you cleared this painful section it was a fast 3 cone slalom into a final 10mph 180 left hander and across the finish line.
10:30 am
Of course the last thing I want to do is break his car out here so I decide to let him drive first, watch his lines, and see what I can learn about the way he drives it. Woody's first run is a 56.920 with 2 cones added and as the first car on course looks and sounds great. As my turn comes up noone's managed to better his time yet, in fact most are quite a ways off. Now keep in mind this is a car I've never even rode in, much less driven and I've got my friend Jenni riding shotgun while I try to figure the car and the course out. I try to slip the puck clutch and end up getting a near perfect launch out of it and even with a passenger turn in a 56.863 with one cone. So somehow I'm at the top of the class after my first attempt. So now I've gone from hang on to dominate mode seeing that little glimmer of the gold.
Second run Woody slips a bit and ends up with a 57.069 with another cone, apparently this kid's hungry as the Subaru's eaten 4 cones so far in only 3 runs. I make a run alone this time around and manage to turn in a scary fast 54.425 with 1 cone unfortunately. On raw time I was about 4 seconds faster than anyone else on course so I was having a good time at this point, but I knew it didn't mean a damn thing as I kept clipping that stupid inner cone in that stupid slow slalom. At this point my only competition is Woody and my friend Eric lawson in his KA powered 240sx who just turned a clean 54.871 and is currently in the lead thanks to my stupid cone.
Third run and Woody's once again struggling with cone munching. He somehow manages to devour 5 cones on this run, including one on the big slalom that goes right down the center of the car. After adding up each 2 second penalty, he ends up with a scary 66.306 (that'd be a raw 56.306). At this point I'm focusing on Eric's last time and keeping myself clean. I keep the car clean but turn a frustrating 55.037 keeping me in second place still. I'll have to find that time from the first run if I'm to get back on top.
Fourth run comes around and Woody is struggling again with a 60.091 with 3 cones. Do the math though and that's a 54.091 on raw time alone. Good enough for first place had the grille of the wrx not been so hungry. Focused on finding that last bit of speed while staying clean I finally decide to just use 1st gear only through the first part of the course and save a downshift and I end up with a 53.982. The first and only car so far to break into the 53 second range in the SMS group. At this point my friend Tyler Ryan lays down an eye opening 54.238 in his 370whp srt-4. That's saying alot for a car on 225 Falken RT-615's.
Last and final run. Time to make things count and I'm hoping that Woody can turn that raw 54.0 into a clean 54.anything. Unfortunately Woody's cone-monstering continues and he turns in a 54.596 + 3 cones leaving him with a best time of 57.043 for the day. Halfway through the last heat they send me back out and at this time I'm still the only car to break into the 53's and I just got done watching Tyler turn in a 54.652 with a cone so I know I'm safe from him. But there's still plenty of guys out there who are more than capable of knocking me off so I pull no punches and go for it. I bang the limiter 3 times in the first short chute where before I'd only got it twice, this tells me I got through the first part faster, carrying more speed into it. The car bites hard exiting the first tight hairpin and I nail the 1-2 shift and toss the car through the next few curves lining it up for the sweeper. hard in 2nd and straight at the first cone of the slalom at about 60mph. I chuck the car through the slalom, nearly missing each cone (I swear I must've clipped 3 of them). Slam the car into the slow zone making sure to clear that bastard inside cone and pop the clutch to launch it out of there and into the next slalom. Sling it through the last 180, heel and toe it down to first again. Launch it again and grab second through the traps and hard on the brakes. Staring at the display - waiting patiently to see my time - 53.400 clean. Almost a full second ahead of second place. This feels good.
I'd often told these guys that if my car had more traction in the lower two gears I could be more competitive and now elminating the variable of my car (fwd 1g's can road race well, but autox is not a great spot for them without alot of mods) I was able to show these guys that I am in fact a driver and not just some other douche out there having fun.
At the end of the day I was able to get the car repaired in time for some fun runs and with horrible alignment settings and cold tires I was able to get a 54.7 out of it but I was trying to drive it like the WRX and my car requires much smoother inputs to drive well. Can't wait to try out the new parts next event and hopefully the new tires as well as my old ass 225/50-16 Khumo's on some 6.5" wheels just don't cut it when compared to even a set of 245 street tires.
Pic 1 - Woody's car
Pic 2 - Me getting my drive on
Pic 3 - Look at that beefy stud with the sleeves rolled up tryign to eliminate his farmer's tan
