TX Region SCCA Autocross #1 - Sunday, March 16, 2014 - Pennington Field

[OZMDD]

I agree. It went well, and you cannot have eight runs if you have 200 people.

BTW, the DB in the Ferrari was DSQ'd -- he left without working.

Figures, since he was also slow. Probably a rental, but certainly reinforces the general perception of guys like that. Even a DB like KenO works his assignment!

[breckenedge]

Really? That's odd I thought I was chatting with Ferrari guy while he worked traffic control at the north entrance, but he may have been the Atom guy. He was certainly a passenger in the Atom a few times (white Ducati helmet).

Here's my low res gallery from today's events. Let me know if you want any hi-res versions (not comfortable putting the biggest pics on my tiny server). Got most of the CS cars before my batteries died at the start of heat 4.

http://www.breckenedge.com/images/2014-SCCA-SOLO-01/

[OZMDD]

I think that was an Atom guy. The Ferrari guy had a Ferrari shirt too. Thanks for the pics!

[Jctattoos]

@breckenedge-- nice pics (Especially STR17)! Fun time today .. Yes it was cold ,but I'll be missing it come July .

[altiain]

I think the event went about as well as could be expected with that many people. The weather made for a long day, and working a two hour heat (1st heat) in those conditions is never fun.

I think part of Greg's frustration (which I shared as well) was that we stood out in the cold for hours, but never really stood a chance competitively. The Hankooks were so much worse in those temps than the Rivals or the Toyos. Jon and John ran their first two runs on Rivals, swapped to Kooks and immediately went 1.5+ seconds backwards. SCCA run format compounded it, because there was no way to get any heat in the tires.

That's not Texas Region's fault. But to stand out in those conditions for so long and realize after first runs that you didn't really stand a chance was very frustrating.

[ratt_finkel]

I think the event went about as well as could be expected with that many people. The weather made for a long day, and working a two hour heat (1st heat) in those conditions is never fun.

I think part of Greg's frustration (which I shared as well) was that we stood out in the cold for hours, but never really stood a chance competitively. The Hankooks were so much worse in those temps than the Rivals or the Toyos. Jon and John ran their first two runs on Rivals, swapped to Kooks and immediately went 1.5+ seconds backwards. SCCA run format compounded it, because there was no way to get any heat in the tires.

That's not Texas Region's fault. But to stand out in those conditions for so long and realize after first runs that you didn't really stand a chance was very frustrating.

Part of the game my friend. Be glad it was a local event and not a national event. P.S. I thought it was well known that hankooks need heat? Don't the STU/STR guys carry like 3 sets of wheels and tires to maximize for weather conditions?

Sorry I missed the 1st event of the year either way

[Gernby]

Pennington field draws a crowd when it is connected to the Solo School. The other events that are not at Pennington are fun and you get more seat time. I hope you make some more of the SCCA events because you add a lot to the competition level. All the Miata guys need a marker to catch and you are it.

High praise! Thanks.

I actually thought the event went very smoothly, considering the number of people. I also agree with everything Iain said. Working that first heat really sucked big monkey balls. Beezing my fralls off wouldn't be all that bad if there would have at least been cars to watch the hole time. :LOL:

Honestly though, it all would have been worth it if I hadn't spent each of those 4 runs fighting the car. I couldn't get it to do anything. The front of the car skipped and vibrated into the tight corners, and I couldn't put any power down on any of the other corners. I never even got to think about a fast line, since it was all I could do just to stay on course. I don't know how much of it was due to the cold, or how much was due to mixed tires from 2012 and 2013. If the new RS3's were available, I would have already bought a set.

[revs]

I never hit VTEC yo! That's gotta be worth at least half a second, lol. Tires made a big difference. I never experienced what Greg and Iain had and I'm usually a few ticks behind them. Looking forward to this year though. The competition in STR is awesome and continues to grow. Greg and Iain, hope you guys can make it out to more events. We need more VTEC yo!

[OZMDD]

I'd say having a set of worn Hankooks was absolutely a hindrance at this event. They really need some heat to get grip, and a 30 second course in overcast/windy conditions means that isn't going to happen. Toyos and Rivals were the big winners yesterday. Even then, they never reached operating temps, but were grippier than Kooks. Another big factor for nearly everyone was being unfamiliar with PMS concrete. It is unlike any other surface we run, and most folks haven't made a run there in 2 years. A tight PMS course is nothing like what most of us are accustomed to in the last couple seasons.

Once the warm weather is here to stay, it will be a different story.

[autoxmax]

Official results are posted for TX Region SCCA Solo Event #1 -Sunday, March 16th 2014:

Final Results

http://texasscca.org/2014_solo_results/tr14_1_final.htm

PAX Results

http://texasscca.org/2014_solo_results/tr14_1_pax.htm

Thanks to everyone that attended!! Hopefully that’s thelast of our cold, nasty weather. HUGE turnout for event #1... 194 entered, 158 with times. It was great to see all the new faces out there!!

I would like to make one note. We had far too many folks with incorrect class letters & or numbers on their car as they came to the start line. That resulted in several delays both during the event & in the post event audit. I'm sure some of this was due to the harsh, nasty weather. But, it is something folks need to work on/be aware of at future events. It's easy to happen and I've done it myself before.

Thanks again for attending!

Next Event: Sunday, April 13th event at Texas MotorSpeedway (Time to stretch out and have some real fun on a bit larger course!)

[bgeorge]

Really? That's odd I thought I was chatting with Ferrari guy while he worked traffic control at the north entrance, but he may have been the Atom guy. He was certainly a passenger in the Atom a few times (white Ducati helmet).

Here's my low res gallery from today's events. Let me know if you want any hi-res versions (not comfortable putting the biggest pics on my tiny server). Got most of the CS cars before my batteries died at the start of heat 4.

http://www.breckenedge.com/images/2014-SCCA-SOLO-01/

Thanks for the pics!

[Sharpie]

What are those crazy little tires and wheels on that Grand National? It looks like it's about to roll over the sidewall.

[Clovis]

Pennington field draws a crowd when it is connected to the Solo School. The other events that are not at Pennington are fun and you get more seat time. I hope you make some more of the SCCA events because you add a lot to the competition level. All the Miata guys need a marker to catch and you are it.

Agreed. Nice to have Armstrong, Iain, and Greg out in the S2000's. STR is a fun class. I have no doubt that when it warms up my I will lose my advantage with the Toyos....but then I may have to change tires.

Looking forward to some nice battles!

Nice event Texas Region...

[Robert]

It’s Nice to know that I was not the only one fighting no grip on the RS-3’s. Just trying to ease off the starting line and they would spin like mad.

[BMcCann]

It’s Nice to know that I was not the only one fighting no grip on the RS-3’s. Just trying to ease off the starting line and they would spin like mad.

Oh yeah. We had fresh RS-3s out there scrubbing in for College Station. I think it would have been smarter to just do a bunch of runs at practice the day before that event. Ugh.

[CosmosMpower]

It’s Nice to know that I was not the only one fighting no grip on the RS-3’s. Just trying to ease off the starting line and they would spin like mad.

Weird having torque, huh?

[OZMDD]

Weird having torque, huh?

I can only wonder. :)

[altiain]

Weird having torque, huh?

It wasn't limited to the Z06. I had the same problem in the S2000. Any throttle off the line and they just spun.

[POS Racing]

It wasn't limited to the Z06. I had the same problem in the S2000. Any throttle off the line and they just spun.

You kids aren't that cool even my lowly Miata the was traction challenged...

[Robert]

Weird having torque, huh?

Yep, just trying to ease off the line and they would light up.