BMW AX at MW 7/12/08

[Maniac Mitch]

Ok, I don't usually do AX. I changed the rear springs (increased the rate from 275 lb/in to 325 lb/in). So, even with a hurt engine, I need some seat time BEFORE the next PCA TT in Sept to find out how the car is handling now.

Tell me about the BMW AXs at Miserable Wells. How many runs do you generally get? Fast or slow courses? Who is going?

It appears that it's on Saturday...which I like.

Thanks for your input,

Maniac Mitch
95 red Miata.

[creek]

I'm not the expert, CosmosPower seems to be the guy here. I went to the last one at the bus lot and it was a good event. Course times around 90 seconds and hit the rev limiter once. 8 runs total. 4am and 4pm runs. I liked the setup and there were a lot fewer cars than ER or SCCA. Non BMW classes are pretty non specific, i.e. all year model Miatas and everything else under 2 liters in the same class except Elise and S2000. I might see you there.

[jrj512]

You get eight runs divided into two groups of four. Each group of four is in quick order, so things happen fast. Four in the AM and four in the PM.

Courses are not their strong point, but they are still intertaining, none the less. They tend to be very fast, back to first, fast again...

They're a nice group of guys, especially for BMW drivers.

[POS Racing]

Hey Maniac Mitch did you see this Time Trial Event scheduled for the 20th??

Link - http://forums.dfwmiata.com/showthread.php?t=12394

[CosmosMpower]

I'm not the expert, CosmosPower seems to be the guy here. I went to the last one at the bus lot and it was a good event. Course times around 90 seconds and hit the rev limiter once. 8 runs total. 4am and 4pm runs. I liked the setup and there were a lot fewer cars than ER or SCCA. Non BMW classes are pretty non specific, i.e. all year model Miatas and everything else under 2 liters in the same class except Elise and S2000. I might see you there.

You pretty much hit it on the head. Sometimes the courses are weird and confusing and sometimes they're great but you always get a lot of seat time. I'm skipping this one as I don't have enough street tires left and it's not worth trashing the A6's at MW so you guys have fun.

[Maniac Mitch]

Hey Maniac Mitch did you see this Time Trial Event scheduled for the 20th??

Link - http://forums.dfwmiata.com/showthread.php?t=12394

It's on a Sunday...and I need to have Sunday to rest. I made a deal with the wife long ago to only do Sat events unless it is a DE..and even then I only run 1/2 a day Sunday.

But it looks like a really screaming deal. $50 for a chance to totally destroy your tires!!!

Thanks for the info about BMW events. I hope they have a fast long course for this Saturday.

Maniac Mitch

[f_399]

we will be there

watch for the silver miata getting lost

mineral wells is huge and cones are usually set far apart... i always get lost lol, by the time i figure out, the day is over

its a competition of who memorizes the track first but its fun!

[jrj512]

we will be there

watch for the silver miata getting lost

mineral wells is huge and cones are usually set far apart... i always get lost lol, by the time i figure out, the day is over

its a competition of who memorizes the track first but its fun!

Don't memorize. Look ahead.

[f_399]

yeah i am gonna need a co-driver for the first few runs, still pretty new to this autocross

i do have problems locating the next gate to go through

any tips? so i am guessing instead of just looking at the current gate look ahead for the next one as well?

[CosmosMpower]

Don't memorize. Look ahead.

Memorize the shape of the course to know where you're going, look ahead to make small tweaks/adjustments to go through the gate how you want.

My advice is that since you have 8 runs, take the first 1-2 SLOW. Make sure you know where you're going first before you try and blow through the course. When I was a beginner I used to try and go full speed and DNF'd my first 4 runs then figure it out and only have 3-4 runs to try and go fast.

[jrj512]

It is very hard to memorize an entire course, but as Cosmos stated, get to know the general lay-out, focus on memorizing a handful of areas that require a specific setup during the course walk, and look at both the corner you are approaching and the corner after it. Once you learn to look ahead, you will know when you aren't because will be driving reactively, at which point you tell yourself to look ahead.

When you walk the course, practice looking ahead.

[f_399]

ok cool thanks, ill walk the course and take note

and will most likely be taking the first few runs slow

[Maniac Mitch]

The BMW site says "First car will start around 9:30am after a low speed drive through".

Have you guys been to a BMW event at MW?? Do they not have the parade laps?? If we have to walk it, I'm not sure my old bones will make more than one lap. It used to take me three laps walking to learn it good enough to do ok.

To be able to do so well to go to SoloII Nationals with SCCA, you have to be able to pickup (memorize) as course very quickly...and of course, have really good reflexes!! Well, since I've never been to Nationals...you can guess my skill at quick memorization. ;-(

But I'm hoping the BMW guys allow parade laps.

Another good learning tool is to ride with someone else before doing your runs. You get to see the course from the level of the car. I'm doing this event to see how the car handles with rear suspension changes...so f_399 is welcome to ride with me if he/she wants to. I'm in a red 95 with a white hard-top. He/she will get to see what NOT to do!! But get another look at the course.

See you guys tomorrow.

Maniac Mitch

[Maniac Mitch]

WHOA!!

I really screwed the pooche on that one.

Sorry, I rarely run outside the PCA events. As an instructor for PCA, I can get away with offering rides. I can't at a BMW event. f_399 can still ask for a chance to run with someone they allow to take passengers...or at the very least have someone they deem an instructor ride with him.

Sorry I popped-off something I probably cannot deliver.

Maniac Mitch

[creek]

There were lots of offers to ride with me and for me to ride with them when I went. And yes they did have a parade lap. It's awful easy to play follow the leader and not concentrate on the course though. Don't ask me how I know that!

[jrj512]

WHOA!!

I really screwed the pooche on that one.

Sorry, I rarely run outside the PCA events. As an instructor for PCA, I can get away with offering rides. I can't at a BMW event. f_399 can still ask for a chance to run with someone they allow to take passengers...or at the very least have someone they deem an instructor ride with him.

Sorry I popped-off something I probably cannot deliver.

Maniac Mitch

BMW is not strict on rides, so give and be given as many as you want.

[altiain]

Mitch,

BMW events are almost identical in format to a Maverick PCA autocross. Parade lap, 4 runs morning, 4 runs afternoon back-to-back (different than SCCA/ER run formats). The only real difference you will notice are roundels instead of crests.

[Maniac Mitch]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Boy it was a frying-pan Saturday at Mineral Wells. I hope Sunday at the SCCA event was better. If we didn't have a breeze Saturday, I think there would have been medical problems. A LOT of people packed up and left at lunch. I should have taken the hint.

The course was really cool...although it favored horsepower with some long straights. But there were two 270 degree turns and 2 180 degree turns. The corner I worked was a 90 degree after the fastest straight and had a LOT of cones being hit, and taken away. We started out with two extra, lost two, had to start using pointer cones. Then they brought us 6 more and we used up two more of them....for the morning session.

I didn't do that well, but it wasn't the car's fault...just a lousy driver. The mods to the rear suspension seemed to make the car a little more predictable...and no understeer was detected.

I didn't finish all my afternoon runs because I was getting dizzy. So I packed up the car and drank two 20oz Gatorades on the way home.

This was my 1st non-Porsche AX in quite a few years. It was nice...but would have been great if it was about 30 degrees cooler!! The BMW club put on a nice high-speed AX...made good use of the site at MW.

Hope you all did well at the Sunday AX. I'm staying inside today...figured I got way too much sun yesterday.

Maniac Mitch

[f_399]

wow, that was so much better!

i took it easy the first 2 laps so i can understand the course and i had a blast the last 6

thanks for the advice

p.s. still need to learn the car more, i noticed that its really hard to rev-match as my knees hit the steering wheel

[Maniac Mitch]

Hey f-399,
So you were in the Yellow or Red M1?? I talked to the yellow M1 driver, but don't think I ever managed to talk to the red M1 driver.

If in the yellow car, I hope your times kept dropping! Hope you got a 1:10!!!

Since you learned the course so easy, how did you like it? I would say that was a pretty "open" course as far as AXs go.

Everyone...I forgot to mention...at the driver's meeting they said the course was 1.499 miles long. That's pretty good for an AX. Also when I asked about passengers to my corner worker partner about passengers he said "you can have as many passengers as doors". Wonder who does their insurance???

Maniac Mitch