Equipe Rapide Challenge #1, March 8, 2009 - Mineral Wells

[general default]

I won what else is there to know.

The yellow boat surpisingly did not win the pax even with
their good times. They are claiming the missing tire sensors caused the
computer issues. I have not even heard the F1 guys use that excuses yet.

The Rapide pax was close for the top 5. Madarash was like 5th. Old tires. Even a rare spin at the finish for him!

The new Harris hot rod is getting faster with every run.

goofygrin's car looks sharp with it's new shoes.

The only thing missing from all the flying BS was you.

Are the results up yet?

[Robert]

It was a fun day and very nice weather. A bad weekend for my tires, cut a tire beyond repair Sat. at the BMW event after 2 runs. At the ER event I got a puncture on my 1st. run. I had to be an a$$ and do 2 hot laps and line jumping trying to get my runs in before my tire went flat. But it was a fun weekend, I sure am tired.

[cone-cerned]

It will be about 2 years before I cycle cars. I don't think you'll want it in two years

Your car said NST 1, but the computer said ST. It was my first time running timing so I didn't know what the heck I was supposed to do when the computer was messed up. They do an audit before they post things officially, so I'm sure they'll fix it up.

You weren't the only one wrong in the computer. There was a Miata in N that wasn't in right as well as another miata that didn't have his Rapide Pax entry in correctly.

I think between it being the butt crack of dawn, the STS->ST & STS2-STS fiasco and the first event of the season things didn't run as smoothly as they have in the past. We also needed someone more experienced on the radio on turn 1 and 2. Getting cone calls of "Control, corner 1, that black miata that was before the white miata that just finished had a cone" or "Control, corner 2, 1 cone on #7" (no class designation). Not a huge deal, but it make keeping track of the cone calls a bit harder.

The email addresses of the board members is in the InformER: http://autocross.com/er/InformER2_09.pdf

This is why I think everyone should work in the trailer. Now, goofygrin has a better understanding of why good numbers and good radio procedures are important.

[goofygrin]

I think the Mod drivers should be forced to call in the cones. Their numbers are all too small/hard to read. Actually the SAE cars are the hardest, especially when they have 100 drivers each and the numbers have 15 pieces of tape trying to designate who the heck is driving. I say we make them pull a sign behind the car.

[SpinOutF500]

I think the Mod drivers should be forced to call in the cones. Their numbers are all too small/hard to read. Actually the SAE cars are the hardest, especially when they have 100 drivers each and the numbers have 15 pieces of tape trying to designate who the heck is driving. I say we make them pull a sign behind the car.

We do, but we all work the same heat so that we can see read the numbers.

A sign I can handle, but I don't think the corner workers would appreciate all the cones it would hit.

Did we stop the event when car classes didn't match what was in the computer and fix it right then, or did you create a new entry and go on? The proper method is to stop the event, fix either the computer or the class on the car and then it becomes a non-issue as the day goes on and in the final audit. The more messed up the computer is compared to the audit sheets the longer it takes to get the results posted. Plus, the audit person has to have a few hours to do the audit right and get it sent off to General Default.

[goofygrin]

We fixed it right then. That's why there were so many pauses and reruns in the second heat. We only had one good snafu where we had to wipe out a bad time (CS33?).

And I didn't think about the tail wiping out a lot of cones. Dang that would stink. Maybe you need a flag

[general default]

Results

[SpinOutF500]

We fixed it right then. That's why there were so many pauses and reruns in the second heat. We only had one good snafu where we had to wipe out a bad time (CS33?).

And I didn't think about the tail wiping out a lot of cones. Dang that would stink. Maybe you need a flag

That's good to hear.

I will take a nice blue flag, as long as no one claims it as an aerodynamic aid.

[goofygrin]

Looks like Ben had reason to be antsy

[goofygrin]

Oh hey... the "launch" type start was interesting... some MaxQData musings from my 5th an 6th runs:

My 5th run: 75.072+1 (cone was the last cone on the course, I slid through the timing lights)
My 6th run: 74.540

Where did I gain that .5 seconds?

Well I can tell you where I was .7 seconds faster in run 6. The start!

The time difference from run 5 to run 6 from the time I started moving until the first turn? 0.7s (5.9s vs 6.6s, 37.1mph vs. 38.3mph -- I lost that 1 mph 2 seconds later and was at almost the same speed).

I kind of bogged the start on my 5th run... and it made a big difference! The rest of the run went back and forth, but I never made up the full 0.7s.

So if this was my 1st vs. 2nd run, I would have been able to tell this immediately on review of the data.

[BenCronin04]

If you don't know where you placed then you probably don't want to see the results anyway

I did place

Looks like Ben had reason to be antsy

Yup. Even though it was just Novice, I'm still glad I did well. Probably will see you guys this Sunday if yall are going.

[autocrosspicturesnet]

No patience

It takes me some time to do a full audit. I was kinda tired and I had plans Sunday night, so the results had to wait until yesterday.

Anyway, I figured out Ben's classing issue and fixed it during the audit. Ben, make sure to ask for your trophy at the next event. Just let them know you finished 2nd after the audit was done.

I'm still working on the pics, they'll be up latter this week. Didn't take a lot, was busy.

As for the course, fun, but didn't quite flow. Plus the right handers were all pretty tight on a left turn course.

[BenCronin04]

No patience

It takes me some time to do a full audit. I was kinda tired and I had plans Sunday night, so the results had to wait until yesterday.

Anyway, I figured out Ben's classing issue and fixed it during the audit. Ben, make sure to ask for your trophy at the next event. Just let them know you finished 2nd after the audit was done.

I'm still working on the pics, they'll be up latter this week. Didn't take a lot, was busy.

As for the course, fun, but didn't quite flow. Plus the right handers were all pretty tight on a left turn course.

Will do, thanks for hosting the event. The only thing I didn't like was the first long striaght by corner 2. My car would come out of there at 30 and was in second gear. Since I have an auto i couldn't make it go to 1st so I was really slow through that part. Oh and if you are going to be at the other event this Sunday, you could just bring it there so you don't have to hang on to it so long. :)

[autoxmax]

Man!

That General guy is fast!!

[autocrosspicturesnet]

Man!

That General guy is fast!!

Well you know, once you've driven a BMod, everything else is like sloooowww motion. But, yeah the General was fast I think that's why a certain brightly colored BS is gone...

Ben, I was not the "host," just a pion helping to keep the show going. Also, not my course, you can blame Gerry for that one, I did. I'll be doing the next course at Pennington. That one, you can blame me for. Oh yeah, I know what its like in an auto that doesn't quite have the right gearing for a course. I won't be running this weekend, plus, your trophy is in the ER trailer anyway, I don't carry them around. So, you'll just have to come to another event to get it, heh. And since you're there, you might as well run

[autocrosspicturesnet]

Pics are posted.

http://www.autocrosspictures.net/ERAutocross030809/

[goofygrin]

Thanks Dennis!

I love it when you get a sequence so I can animate them :)

http://mpghead.com/evo/autox/er03090...09_026_all.gif

(865k so be patient)

[POS Racing]

Thanks Dennis!

Really appreciate you giving us all photographic proof we actually went to an Autocross!

[OZMDD]

Congrats Ben, though you did bump me from 2nd to 3rd in Novice...

[ratt_finkel]

Thanks Dennis!