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Bring drinking water, lunch (they do not usually stop for lunch, so you have to eat on the fly), closed-toed shoes, tires at 40 PSI, sun screen, and a folding chair. If you have a helmet, then bring it or use a loaner.
Don't worry about a tire sprayer or jacking with air pressures.
If you don't want to drive out on 40psi tires (rolling stones!), you will have no problem borrowing a compressor from someone if you ask around a bit. I'd be happy to help you out, and most folks are the same way.
Started having some heating issues, so my car is done for the weekend. I think it's just the fan motor. I will check it next week.
Anyway, it looks like I will be at ER after all... in a borrowed car.
See you all at 7 AM.
Well, I was re-thinking this and I decided that I will just go back to MW today and find a co-drive. I want to spend some more time with that course.
Nice to meet those of you I met today. Had a blast figuring out how to drive a stock 160k mile 20 year old miata.
Yeah me too. Sorry I took out the timing gear my first time out. Nevertheless I really had a good time and will be back for more.
http://www.4Lo.com/90miata/corner.jpg
I did have another question on PAX. How can I find out what my theoretical course time goal should be? Is that posted somewhere? I'm wondering where I placed vs what I could have done, I'm still a little confused how that scoring system works.
This page will give you some information. RTP/PAX is not based on THE course you are running today, but ALL courses that you run.
Look at the results. general default posted a link.
Check the Rapide Pax class. That show how you finished in the theoretical times.
Not all the clubs post a Raw Times finishing list. That would compare your best time with the best time of everyone else.
PAX sort-of shows what your car should thoretically be capable of doing when compared to a full-on open-wheel mod car that is purpose built for autocross, if it was driven to its maximum potential. There is no "ideal" time for a given course, but there are very good drivers in fully-prepped cars who can act as a benchmark (Mark Madarash, David Whitener, John Wagner, etc), but you are still not going to be as fast as they are in your car. Look at the fastest times in your class (E-stock) and similar classes (G-stock, STS) to have an idea of what you're eventual goal should be.
I found after a few events that there are some drivers who attend the same events who tend to have times similar or slightly faster than mine, and I use them as my benchmark. If I can get close ar better, I'm driving well. Some of that is also course-dependent: I am ususally slower than David Whitener on a tight, technical course, but I can sometimes beat him on a course that rewards HP.
AS others have told you, go have fun, run with the novices and work on your basic technique (looking ahead, smoothness, course-walking), and you'll get faster. After you've got a few events under your belt, things will become clearer.
Okay, I get it! For 2010 ES class gets a .829 handicap, this also explains the scores under Tires and Novice classes (since different cars can be lumped together, they use the PAX handicap as well).
Thanks cone-cerned and ozmdd.
It seems that almost everyone is racing with good tires instead of street tires. Is that why there is a separate tires class? I mean, if I moved out of Novice, but kept running stock street tires, I would run TES instead of ES?
Cars running in 'regular' ES (or any other Stock class) are typically running real race rubber (R-compounds). As long as the treadwear rating is at least 140, you can run Tire class or Novice as the case may be. You could run ES, but you'd start with a tire handicap.Quote:
Originally Posted by marmed
I ran my first two seasons in TES on street tires. You should not move up to R-comps until you have a few seasons under your belt. Otherwise, you would be wasting money on a level of tire that you would not reach with your abilities. I see people make that mistake a lot. Learn to drive, first.
You should consider, in order, better street tires (such as Dunlop Star Specs), a larger front sway bar, and then new Koni Sport shocks.
Good advice. I wasn't planning on changing much of anything this year for sure. I may replace my rear shocks since one is blown out. Besides that I just plan on driving and hopefully getting the most I can from what I have now.Quote:
Originally Posted by jrj512