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Originally Posted by jrj512
With the job change, I was unable to attend. So I went and beat the other street-tire miatas at the BMW event.........I will be attending the local events, but just could not make this one.
Looking forward to hearing the stories....
Just got a chance to watch the videos. Looks like some good driving jrj512!
Looks like both courses were a lot of fun.
There is the one about Ken O dancing a man-thong just before trophies...Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad
Myself, POS Racing, and RPMChris each had one drink before dinner on Friday. It was a pretty wild night, let me tell ya.
I thought there was a tire class at the divs this year. Were there no tire entries in La?
No entrants since you and your little tire class buddies stayed home. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
You could have won! Well, assuming Mad Monkey was not there...Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
Did they have a novice class? Monkey boy should've gone!
Tire class? Novice class? AT A DIVISIONAL? LOL
Back when I started you know what us novices and tire folks did?
Showed up anyway, had fun, and had our as$es handed to us. :) Cmon....thats no excuse to not run.
I ran my first divisional in CS in my 3rd month autocrossing (4th month with my license for god's sake).
MAN UP boys :) Support your events regardless of whether or not there is a regional class being offered. LOL
::Fruity::
Sorry I had to laugh when I read that......N and T classes in a Div LOL
They were joking with MadMonkey about the novice thing. Nobody's expecting a novice classing at divisionals.Quote:
Originally Posted by miata_racer
... and we have already been through the Tire argument in another thread (or two), so no sense in digging that back up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Miatamoto
So anyone seen any pictures posted from the event??
Look here, Link
Quote:
Originally Posted by cone-cerned
Boo2Quote:
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I have signed up a few times and have yet to get approved.Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
Thanks Ken o!
I"m slow on more levels than i care to admit to ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrj512
MME Trip to the SCCA Divisional Championship in Baton Rouge
By Jerrett Jan
Round one of the 2008 SCCA Southwest Region Solo II Divisional Championship was a two-day event in Baton Rouge, LA on April 19th and 20th. Because of the distance, many Texas Region autocrossers stayed home, but myself (JRJ512), Mick ‘Sunshine’ Harrison (POS Racing), Chris Robbins (RPMChris), and Ken Orgeron (Ken O) manned-up to the challenge and made the trip. Doug Covington (Cone-cerned) also attempted to make the trip, but a last-minute issue forced him to return home during the drive there.
As with most autocrosses, the trip started with meeting at McDonalds in Lindale, TX on Friday morning so myself, Doug, and Mick could all drive together. Not only did I get an AAA membership for the drive, but also having two other Miatas with me helped ease any worries about mechanical issues during the trip.
After Doug broke off to return home, Mick and I continued well into Louisiana before almost running out of gas. Once you get through Shreveport, there are not a lot of gas stations on I-49. Mick and I both found solace in the gas can riding in Mick’s trailer, but we found out later that it was empty! As luck would have it, we found a gas station and a Shoney’s just in time. I really was more than a little worried, especially with it raining outside.
After an eight-hour trip (with stops), we finally arrived at the hotel and proceeded to the site. Initial impressions where not good, as the site really is out in the boonies (as Mick said, “This must be how people feel going to Mineral Wells for the first time”) and being on State Police property, we got to drive by some housing on the site for Louisiana’s finest criminals. However, once we returned the next day to race under sunny skies, it all seemed much better. The course was laid out on a large tarmac that is typically used for skidpad testing. It is asphalt, but unsealed, and it had a lot of grip. Think of a smaller version of the Texas Motor Speedway Bus Lot with grip like Pennington Field. Tire friendly, but with grip.
There was some concern about the courses after viewing the maps in the days leading up to the event, but we quickly determined on our morning walk that these courses were much faster than they originally appeared. In fact, they walked well and drove even better, especially day two. Outside of the site’s remoteness, I cannot complain about the surface or the course design. Offering hot dogs, chips, drinks, and snacks at the site for cheap prices helped alleviate any issues with the site’s remoteness.
One thing I noticed about the local region compared to ours is a more lackadaisical attitude to running an event. Whereas locally we might over-think an issue for a while, the region in Baton Rouge was more into winging it. This was nice in some respects, but at the same time, sometimes issues actually need more thinking. The event ran pretty smoothly, but you could definitely scrape yourself on a few of the rough edges or fall through one of the holes in the Divisional procedures. It was their first Divisional event, so they really did do a fine job.
They had a rather large CSP class, at least compared to Texas region events, so Chris had his hands full not only with the large class, but with Dan Pedroza driving his old CSP NC, along with its new owner. He ended up fifth of seven against tough competition. One note of interest, we saw a CSP NA with individual throttle bodies. I asked if they had purchased the IRTBs from Fuji Racing, and they did, but then I found out that the owner knew of Thomas Hiromoto (Miatamoto) driving another Fuji Racing car to a win in an SCCA National Tour event last year. I am not lying.
In ES, I had only one competitor, but I found out that he had been doing this for over 20 years, so I had my work cut out. He went on to prove it by beating my best time by .2 on the first day. However, I learned something important, which I carried over to the next day. After my first run, I saw his time and knew that I needed to go faster, so I was more aggressive on my second run, which yielded a faster time. I was still behind his second run time, so I was even more aggressive on my third run, only to go slower than my second run! That is when I realized that I was pushing so much that I was no longer on the right line. So, on my fourth run, I made a huge difference by going slower in order to keep my line and closed up the gap. Had I more runs, I could have continued to improve and perhaps come out ahead. I know, going slower to go faster is elementary, but sometimes you forget stuff like that. Anyhow, I carried that knowledge over to the second day and I was able to make up the .2 seconds over my competitor and leave with a .03 lead for the event.
Mick seems to have finally found himself at this event. He has not been very happy with his performance (in the car) lately, but like myself with my fourth run, he seemed to have finally found his aggression again on his fourth (and last) run on day one. He left the event in second place after battling co-drivers in an NC. We should see a big difference the next time.
Ken, who is very popular with the racers from Louisiana and seemed to be a local celebrity of sorts, was second place in GS. His Mini Cooper S is now for sale. The buyer will need to add gasoline.
Alas, after all of the arguing about including a Tire class in this year’s Divisional tour, there was none to be found at the event.
Overall, it was a fun trip and something that I will remember. As with our other trips, it is not so much the actual event that makes the trip worth it, but the time we spend with friends and the laughs we have. I will certainly make the trips to Houston, Pearsall, and Topeka this season, too.
Nice write up.
I am switching to Tire Class.
Don't know about selling the Mini. I did not fit well in the 135i or M3. But I think the 335i can tow 3800lbs. This could tow the DM car on a light trailer.
I am just a nice guy. What is this "a local celebrity of sorts"?
Sorry if anyone has had problems with my website (www.autoxforum.com). I get about 500 spam applicaitons a week and do my best to weed out those that seem legitimate. I may have incorrectly deleted your request thinking it was spam. Please come back and I will pay attention to the usernames.Quote:
Originally Posted by jrj512
Great write up on the event!
Oh, and Ken is not a celebrity to us, more of a carnival side show.