Aglet Racing, Formula 500 Team
The Off Season
I really haven't done a lot so far this off season. I've drained all the fluids, inspected most of the chassis, and prepared a list of things I need to buy for next season. I'll buy as much a possible locally, but some will have to be mail/internet order. I did discover the (probable) root cause of my problems with right front brake rotor screws loosening - the mounting area of the rotor wasn't flat, so even witht he rotor running nearly true and the screws all tight, it would loosen the screws. I filed it flat and we'll see if that fixes it finally.
Right now, I know I have to get mirrors, brake pads, replace the rear brake hose with an AN3 hose instead of the nylon line there now, and of course tires. I also need to complete the repairs of the crash damage - the fiberglass work is finished, but I need to repace a part of the belly pan and bend the frame back to place. I'd like to replace the upper chassis bar with what the newer Quadrini cars have, but I may run out of time; that would give my arms more room to move.
Season Champion
What I didn't mention in the last post is that by finishing the last two races, I won the Northwest Region Championship for F500. We went to the awards party at Buffalo Creek Pizza in Burien on Nov 18 and I got my trophy. Then picked up Mom at the airport (perfect timing on her part.)
Trying to catch up
OK, continuing from the Bremerton Double Regional post, I replaced the hub with a new one from Jerry Lundstrom in Portland (he was my instructor at the School in Portland in April). I wasn't able to attend Rose Cup due to a shoulder injury that was being rehabbed, so I didn't get a race in there.
I worked as a flagger at the Double National held at Pacific Raceways June 2-4 and got a look at the other side of the weekend as well as looking at the lines peole were taking through Turns 8 and 9. I was teamed with Mark Gnagy, an experienced racer who wasn't doing the weekend of racing. It really is interesting what you can see and learn from the outside after having driven the track. I'm considering getting an F&C License so I can work events when I'm not running for one reason or another.
I did attend the Double Regional at Bremerton July 19 and 30. It was the same plan as the previous Double Regional, run the races, get some miles under my butt, and qualify for a Regional License. This weekend went better, though the first lap made me wonder. I went out on cold tires in which I'd forgotten to lower the pressure from trailer numbers of ~25 PSI to racing pressure of ~10.5 PSI and spun into another stinkin' barrel in Turn 4 and hit sideways just in front of the right rear tire this time. I came off the track and my crew and I spent the rest of the practice session doing repairs. Nothing serious, just a fiberglass seam on the side body split (racers' tape) and a bent sidepod support and belly pan. We bent things back to where I could run and I qualified just fine. Even got some thumbs up from the flagging folks for completing a session with no spins. :)
On the start I discovered that I could pull the SRF on the start, but eased off and let him take the first corner, he was cornering faster than I. I'm still getting comfortable with the cornering limits of this little car, it's capable of a lot more than I'm comfortable asking of it right now. The race was mostly uneventful, I think I spun once in Turn 1. I won my class (7 cars in the race group in 7 classes, so everyone got a win.)
The next morning dawned nice, a bit cloudier that the day before. Practice and qualifying went without drama. There was one omen while driving to Pregrid, a rock from the left rear tire smacked my rear view mirror and broke it. I hope that isn't seven years bad racing luck! While in Pregrid it started sprinkling and turned into actual rain by about lap 2. I was on slicks this time and discovered just how icelike the dragster tracks were when wet. I managed to loop it in the braking zone for Turn 1 (the bumpiest part of the track) and picked up two cones - one stuffed open-end first onto the nose which I could have dragged back to grid and had removed, and one intimately embracing my left front suspension, I was done and got out to go to the flagger station, but they signalled me that the race had been checker flagged and I got another first (once I pulled the cones off)! Oh yeah, fould loose screws on the right front brake disc again. :(
So, Mission Accomplished; I finished two races and got signed off for my Regional. My plan is to get in 4 more races before renewal time and go straight to a National License, no sense in sending SCCA $85 for the Regional and then doing it again in a few months to get the National. I guess I can survive leaving the Orange Square of Noobness on the car for 4 more races. The plan was to go to at least one more race down in Portland this season.
That
was the plan. On the way home I stopped at a rest area to use the restroom. While walking across a perfectly flat asphalt parking lot I managed to sprain my right ankle without even rolling it. I just took a step, something went "Pop" and I nearly passed out from the pain. The Doc said rehab time would be at least 6-8 weeks, so I put the car up on stands in the garage and drained all the fluids.
Next post, "The Off Season".
Out of touch for a while
Now that Grassroots Motorsports has published my photo (Thanks Guys!) and the address of this blog, I guess I better bring it up to date. Can't do it right now, but I will get to it in the next few days, I promise.
So, please come back soon.
Bremerton Double Regional
Well, the plan was to get there Friday afternoon and help set up the course, then run on Saturday and Sunday and go home with a Regional License. I got the first part done just fine, but the rest not so much... Friday was beautiful, sunny and in the 70s and course set up went just fine. I got the car unloaded and put to bed for the night and went to the hotel.
Saturday morning practice was interesting, having only taken a couple of slow laps in the Impala the evening before. Dang is that place bumpy... Spun a few times, but really not much to hit on most of the course. Qualifying went fairly well - even though I was pretty much a moving chicane for the SRFs, FMs, FF and one brand new DSR. I did qualify better than the FV though, so I wasn't last on grid. Woo Hoo! Lunch time there were spits of rain which soon turned into a downpour. So put the new wets on and got out there to race. Massive amounts of standing water (the car surfed on the bottom in one place I think.) After four laps I decided that was enough and went back in - so no completed event.
Sunday morning dawned cool and cloudy, but dry. In the practice session there were still some wet spots, but they were no problem. I spun in turn two and hit one of the big traffic barrels with the nose while going sideways. Drove it back to grid to have them take a look at it and it looked fine, but when I started to move I got about 10 feet and the right front wheel locked up (opposite side of the hit and the hit was on the nose cone only.)
I got it back to the paddock space (see photo) and found a broken disc mounting screw locking it in place; another was loose and almost broken. So I was done for the day with no spare screws and I'm not sure what it's going to take to get the remains of the two broken screws out of the hub. Put it back together, loaded it up, bought lunch for the crew guys and headed home. I have to replace all the screws and blend out the gouge in the upright before Rose Cup weekend. I'll get a penetrant test kit and check the upright to make sure it didn't get damaged. Nothing really expensive or time consuming.
The battle continues.
The tilting ramp
I said I'd post some photos of the ramp when I got the chance. I just took some today while putting the car on the trailer for the Double Regional next weekend at Bremerton Raceway Park.
Here's the default position. As you can see, that ramp is a great big drag producer.
This is what it looks like with the ramp folded up. The info on the drag reduction is farther down the page.
If I really wanted to, I could put the nose on when towing to save room in the car. But I really don't want the moron in the car behind me having that as the first thing to hit.
just a couple of photos
All of these were taken at an autocross at Bremerton Raceway Park last year.
The next to last one is one of my favorites. It shows how small the car is as well as how loud it is.
The last photo was taken at the WWSCC Enduro event last year. And no, I didn't knock all those cones down. :)
SCCA Novice School at Portland International Raceway
This last Saturday (April 1) I attended the Oregon Region's SCCA Novice School. There was one other F500 stucent there, Sean from Port Angeles with his Red Devil and our instructor was Jerry from Portland, one of the people I met early on in investigating the class. And Sheldon, who Solos a KBS just 7 chassis newer than mine, come down from BC to crew for me (considering what he went through crossing the border, I owe him special thanks.) All in all we got about 3 hours on the track with a couple of starts. It was a very nice day until the last session when it started raining about two laps in, followed by a downpour a few laps later.
This was my first time on a track in my F500 and I did a little agricultural racing, but only spun 4 times int he whole day, only once after we got my brake bias dialed in (and that was in the rain.) Speaking of the rain, the Festival Turns are paved with concrete; and when rained on heavily they are like ice when the car is on slicks...
A good time was had my all. I was planning on running the Regional on the 2nd, but wasn't feeling up to par and since my rain tires had rotted on the wheels from disuse, I had no rain tires and it was raining. So my first race is scheduled for April 29 at Bremerton.
Could Douglas Adams have been right?
About the number 42 being the answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything?
Seed: Prime Numbers Get Hitched
Proformance Race School
On Monday and Tuesday I attended the
Proformance Race Licensing Program at
Pacific Raceways. While I could have just gone to two SCCA Novice Schools, the only one close to me is the April 1 school at
Portland International Raceway (which I plan on attending anyway.) To get in the second required school I'd be either trailering to somewhere or flying and renting a race car for the second school. So I popped for the $2000 and went to Proformance and probably saved some money.
The
folks at Proformance, from the owner Don Kitch right down to his 4-year old daughter Siena (who helped with flagging the finale race) are all first class. The cars are new Chevy Cavaliers with roll bars, harnesses, race seats and rear anti-sway bars installed (my assigned car had ~3000 miles on the clock.) Every class starts with new tires and brakes - they aren't so new at the end of two days...
Day 1 started right on time at 0800 with introductions and a basic "Here's what we are going to do and what we want to accomplish in this school," talk followed by about an hour and a half lecture on driving in competition from Don. It was a beautiful day for the first day of Spring; sunny and warm with a light breeze. Then we went out and got fitted into our cars - a couple of notes on the car choice for the school; when I was researching schools to attend, I got some negative feedback on their choice of Cavaliers from a couple of people (who, by the way, had never driven one - I asked.) No, they aren't snortin' Steeda Mustangs or 'Vettes, but those wouldn't be good training vehicles, the Cavs
require smoothness and technique to get the most out of them, you can't make up for bad technique with a shot of power- miss a shift in 5A and you'll get passed in 8 (don't ask how I know). The yellow number 11 Cavalier was a great teacher for me, my smoothness improved from one driving session to the next (at least *I* think so.) Then we did some slalom and threshold braking exercises followed by some "Ducks in a Row" lapping. Then time for lunch - not a lunch break, we had lectures on flags and safety equipment while we ate. I had to step out for a moment to meet the AAA guy because I had locked my keys in the trunk of my car; he arrived just before lunch ended.
The afternoon started with 20-minute lapping sessions with instructors - half of us out lapping and the other half watching a certain section of track with Don. After that we went out alone while the instructors collected data on lap time, segment time and speed into Turn 9 followed by a couple of mock pace car starts. Then a question and answer session and review and critique of the data gathered. By the time we got out of there, it was almost 1800 and I was zonked. I found the
Comfort Inn, Auburn, who offers cut rates for Proformance attendees, ate my dinner and collapsed into bed. By 2100 I was out until
Lisa called me to say Good Night at about 2215. I turned the lights out and slept like a log until the alarm went off at 0645.
Day 2 started out much like day 1 with some lecture time from Don; but the gorgeous weather of the day before was gone, it was raining lightly. About halfway through the scheduled lecture time, it had started to rain harder and the track was wet to where Don got us out to play with understeer and oversteer on the wet track. Then we all loaded into the back of the truck to do a track tour and see where we would go to do important things like registration and tech on a race weekend. This was followed by more 20-minute lapping sessions with and without instructors; then another working lunch.
After lunch we did passing exercises with two cars running nose to tail at moderate speed and at turns 2, 3A and 8 the rear car would do a proper pass if the passing flag was shown or not pass if the yellow was shown. We then went out and did single-car qualifying with the instructors once again gathering the same data on us. During the Drivers' Meeting after this we again got some data analysis and critique from the instructors before we went to pregrid as well as a question and answer period for anything about racing. When I came out after this, I had a new right rear tire - lots of high-speed left sweeper turn time on this track. I qualified 5 out of 8, but the grid was reversed with the idea of keeping us traffic so I was outside of row 2. We went out on track with one of the Lotuses as pace car (Proformance will be offering the Lotus Driving Experience soon) and got my first green flag! By Turn 1 I was in the lead and by Turn 3 I was back in third after not taking a defensive line through 2. From then on it was passing and getting passed, they threw pretty much every flag at us, black flagged the entire field to bunch us up again, did a single-file restart and went to the checkered. It was during this session the I learned if you shift to 5th instead of 3rd at the entry to 5A and don't figure it out until the exit of 6 you'll get passed in 8. The race was followed by comaraderie and some debrief time then graduation certificates were handed out. I stayed and talked with Michael Law, who is not only an instructor with Proformance, but also the
Northwest Region Club Racing Competition Director, and got some additional pointers on what I need to do to be successful and got my Novice Log signed off. So now I have proof I'm a Novice Driver. :)
What did I learn for my money and time? I learned a lot about car control at the limits, how to find those limits and (usually) reel it back in without much drama. I learned that my years of autocross driving helped me in some ways and hurt me in others for road racing. I learned that lapping a road course with a bunch of other cars driven by drivers you (mostly) trust around you can be a real rush and I think I'm going to really enjoy Club Racing.
If you have any thought that you might want to drive on a track, I can't recommend Proformance Race School enough. They have lots of programs other than the SCCA Licensing School, check them out and have some fun!
It's Alive!
On Sunday I finally started the engine for the first time since September. Lots of spinning the engine over with the plugs out to get fuel to the carbs first of course. Sometimes the lack of an electrical system is a bit of a problem; either an electric fuel pump or a starter would have come in handy. But what isn't on the car can't fail! :)
So anyway, got it started and almost immediately found a coolant leak at the thermostat housing. One of the bolts felt a little soft when I installed it and the top half of the threads in the head were stripped. Not only that, but I managed to pinch the rubber gasket on the thermostat when I installed it. Tossed the gasket, got longer bolts to reach unbuggered threads and got out the "Form-A-Gasket". It's sealed now and I'll put helicoiling the holes on the list for next off-season.
It's running, the EGTs and plugs look good for just running on the jack. If the weather cooperates, I'll take it out this weekend and scrub the new tires so they have time to heat cycle for a couple of weeks.
Poop For Peace 2006
Poop For Peace 2006Poop For Peace 2006 is coming up in less than a month. You know you are going to do it that day, why not do it for a good cause?
Just an update
In the quiet time when the car is about done and before the race season starts. I take a racing class from
Proformance on the 20th and 21st, then an SCCA school at Portland International on April 1 followed by my first Regional race the next day, both put on by the
Oregon Region. All I need to do with the car is get the newly mounted slicks balanced, get some fuel and get the car started for the first time this year. I get my fuel from Andy at
Armadillo Racing.
Poop For Peace 2006
Poop For Peace 2006Celebrate the unity of all mankind on April 14 and join the Poop For Peace movement.
Annual Tech
Annual Tech on Saturday was relatively painless.
Speedware Motorsports hosted the event in their parking lot. I pulled up, took the bodywork off the car and got out my safety gear and logbook. I pointed out the chassis stamp and then we chatted about racecars, life and the universe while the paperwork was taken care of. So now when I go to a Northwest Region race I need to show my helmet and logbook at registration and I get my tech sticker. Time and hassle savings! The "traveling tech show" is supported by donations, so I threw in my cash and headed home.
On Sunday I put a linkage I designed on the trailer that allows me to pivot the tailgate/ramp up so it's parallel to the air flow instead of nearly perpedicular. Then I tested it with the scan tool on the highway. With the ramp level the engine load was reduced from 15% to 13-14% at 60 mph and from 22% to 17-18% at 70. That's 6.5-13% reduction at 60 and 18-23% saving at 70. Better yet, on level ground the PCM doesn't put the engine into enrichening mode with the ramp flat, so the mixture stays at 14.7:1 instead of 12.2:1. I should save some gas on the long tows. I'll post photos when I take some.
The Morning News - Would You Like Havarti With Those Freedom Fries?, by Choire Sicha
The Morning News - Would You Like Havarti With Those Freedom Fries?, by Choire SichaAny analysis of the Muhammad cartoon flap that includes the phrase, "screw you, New Pope!" amuses me. It boggles the mind that this whole hoo-haw started because a childrens' book writer was having trouble finding an illustrator. See, the book was about Muhammad, and according to
some sects of Islam, any representation of the Prophet is Idolatry. Of couse, there is a long history of pictures of Muhammad in Islam texts for at least the last thousand years, but we won't talk about that.
Tires
On Saturday I met up with Sheldon Lemoine up in BC and got some used tires from him. He took third place in class at the Solo 2 Nationals last year and these were used up for his purposes, but I can get at least one or two events out of them. All four are for the rear, so I had ordered four new fronts. So yesterday I spent a few hours taking wheels apart, cleaning up things and mounting tires. When getting ready to put together some new wheel halves, I noticed that there was no hole for the stem, so I have to drill holes in some wheel halves today. It'll be nice to get off the hockey pucks the old Goodyears have turned into and get some real traction.
Sheldon also agreed to come drew for me at the April 1 school at PIR and the Regional the day after. One less thing to worry about.
The Infamous Rakavon Transfer Case
If you follow this class, you know about the hoo-haw currently going on about engine orientation. One builder (Jay Novak), in an attempt to put a 6'6" Titan in an F500, put in a direction-reversing transfer case to allow the engine to be turned around. That resulted in the car being protested at the Runoffs where it was held to be legal under the Rules. The Club Racing Board responded by crafting a (IMHO) poorly worded new regulation to outlaw this configuration which they quickly reworded to something better written, but (IMHO again) still not necessary.
It's now up to the BOD, I hope they come down on the side of reasonable innovation and not on the side of those crying that the sky will fall from the heavens if the engine is allowed to be installed "backwards" - just like it is in many snowmobiles...
Latest update
Last weekend I got the fire system installed, made and installed an aluminum heel rest to replace the wedged in hunk of 2X4 and cleaned up some of the chassis. Tomorrow I will install new hoses for the cooling system, the fuel sample valve and start dismounting the old, hockey-puck tires to replace all the wheel bolts. I have two more weekends after this to get the car ready for annual tech and I still have to get tires, but I think everything else is either here or on order.
Here's an action shot of the little car at the BEAC Enduro event. I'm even doing a halfway decent job of looking ahead.
Champion - originally posted 12/14/05
I ran the final event on Sept 28, on a rain wet course. I had the rain tires on, but as I just needed to get points for the championship, I only made one run and put the car back on the trailer. So I'll get my championship award at the Coneheads banquet.
Right now the car is in the garage, up on blocks and partially disassembled for between-season maintenance. All I have left to buy are some bolts and o-rings and I'll get it finished up in time for Annual Tech for road racing in Feb. Allt eh stickers except for number and class are coming off, some touch-ups to the paint and a good wax job then new stickers. I have enough wheel halves for 3 7/8 sets (missing one wheel half) so i'll have two sets of slicks and one set of rains mounted. The fire system is ready to install and I haven't found any cracks in the chassis.
I ordered a driving suit, helmet and harness from
Security Race. I've been a customer of theirs for several years; they make the
Impala harnesses that I sell. When I go down for final fitting, I'll order underwear, balaclava, socks and gloves. Then I'll be set for required safety equipment.
I'm scheduled for my SCCA driver school with
Proformance on March 13-14. I'll post my predicted race schedule here when I decide; but the basic plan is to run the NW Region series and Rose Cup in Portland.
Untitled - originally posted 9/14/05
On August 28 I ran in the BEAC Enduro event. The course was a hoot to drive and I finally have a decent photo of me and the car in action. Once again I was first in class, last in class and only car in class... One more event left and I have to go, rain or not, to get my season championship. :-)
The photo is the one on the home page of this blog.
Car show - originally posted 8/22/05
On Saturday, since I wasn't racing, I decided to put the car in the Marysville Sunrise Rotary's 3rd Annual Tulalip Casino Rod & Custom Show at the Tulalip Casino. It was a fairly good-size show with somewhere around 500 vehicles on display. I sent a lot of kids (and a few adults) away smiling after letting them sit in the car and may have sold one or two on the idea of inexpensive formula car racing. One guy offered me $100 to let him drive it, then said something like, "Christ this thing is filthy!" He won't get a drive... Yeah, it's not show car sanitary, but it's not a show car; and two-strokes coat everything with a fine film of oil that's hard to get completely clean.
All in all a fun day. Lisa came up and we wandered the show for a while. I plan on doing the show next year too, I'll work on a display beyond just the car.
Life again - originally posted 8/17/05
Life has interfered with me keeping this up to date. So it goes...
On July 31 I ran the Sports Car Spectacular, the next event in the WWSCC Championship. Since Lisa wasn't allowed to drive, and she had to go to something that afternoon, I ran in the morning. I did fairly well, improving by two seconds in each of the 5 runs except for the last. Unfortunately, I coned in 3 of the 5 runs; but my quickest run was clean! Unfortunately for my points, two Formula SAE cars ran in the afternoon and beat me handily. But that wasn't unexpected, the UW FSAE group has a heck of a quick car and some great drivers.
I had to miss Miatacross on August 7 as I was in South Dakota visiting family and looking at the half million bikers from across the world going to Sturgis Bike Week. Registration for the next event hasn't opened yet and the location still says TBD, so we'll see what happens. It's the Enduro, which is always a fun event; the course is set up so you can make continuous laps and you get one run, the first lap isn't timed but the next four are and that's all you get. If you mess up on understanding the course, you are screwed...
Understeer/Oversteer - originally posted 7/11/05
Every year, the
Torque Steerers club sponsors a two-day autocross event as part of the
WWSCC championship series, this year sponsored by
Jim's Detail Shop. The two days are seperate events, but there is a trophy for the best combined time for the two days in each class. This year I got all three trophies in the Mod A class. I was the only entry in class, but hey, it's 200 more points toward the season champion jacket...
The course, designed by Alan Dahl, flowed really well both days, but the off-camber sections really punished overdriving. Saturday's course went something like this: Start with a 90-degree left, uphill through a 3-cone slalom, two 90 degree right corner boxes with a gate in between, decreasing radius right followed by a hard left, then a 5-cone slalom (all downhill from the corner boxes), a gate that was easy to think of as another cone in the slalom, sweep right then left to a 3-cone slalom then sweep right and through the finish lights. Sunday's course was run in reverse with a two-cone slalom after the start before the sweeping left turn started and the finish gate replaced the 3-cone slalom that was at the start on Saturday. A simple course, but car placement was critical. I managed to complete five runs each day without spinning - the brake bias adjustment really helped.
In between events I put on a new clutch belt and had the tension a bit tight. When fully backshifted the car wouldn't pull away from a start on an uphill section unless I reved into the powerband with the brakes on and left in a cloud of tire smoke. That's something I need to take care of before the NT in two weeks. The clutches are a bit of a mystery to me but I'm learning.
The new Digatron was useful, I could track peak EGTs and revs - though I never have time to look at it while on course. The right cylinder is running about 20 degrees cooler on EGT peak than the left and my peak RPM has been in the 7600 range. I know that the EGT is a problem if I want max power; but I don't need any more power right now. And I think the RPM with the
Aaen pipe should be up about a thousand RPM - back to the clutches again.
A great event! My wife came out the first afternoon and got some video of me running. On Sunday morning, someone I know through work came out and he also took some video. Maybe I'll get some on here soon. :-)
It's a Concept Thing - originally posted 6/29/05
I finally sussed out how the brake bias bar functions and now I can actually lock the front wheels. Maybe I'll spin less on course now. :-)
I also installed a Digatron DT-34 instrument that I got used from another F500 driver. It took some work to get it working, the electronics inside were set up for a different type of tach input so I had to send it back to Digatron for some work. Since they are in Spokane, when it was done I towed the car over there to do the install. Good thing I did as it needed to have a resistor changed and we had an o-scope on the tach output for a while to ensure that everything was working right. I had up to three techs out there at any time, including the owner, and the service cost for the instrument repairs (it also needed a new display and faceplate) and help ont he install was ~$70. With the sensors I got from them, the total bill was only ~$130; add the instrument and some almost new EGT sensors I got from another F500 driver and I have about $200 into an instrument that would cost me at least $500 to get new. I can highly recommend
Digatron, tell them I sent you!
Catching up - originally posted 6/23/05
I've been busy, so I haven't been able to get to this blog.
Memorial Day Weekend
There were two events I attended on the weekend, the SCCA event on Sunday and the BSCC event on Monday, both at Bremerton Motorsports Park, an unused runway and taxiway at Bremerton National Airport. I was in the afternoon run group on Sunday, so I got to sleep in a little before making the drive from Everett. I actually did pretty well, improved my times with each run and only coned on the first run. After the festivities were over, I helped set up the course for the next day. Since it had been run in the opposite direction by the PCA group the day before, we couldn't just turn it around again. I got out of there about 1930 and went ot the hotel - I wasn't going to drive back and forth both days...
I got up early and checked out on Monday. I was in the morning run group, so I needed to get out there and walk the course again. I had left the car and trailer at the track, so setup was unchaining the car, warming the engine and putting the nose on. I ran, improved on times for each run, but coned on the first and third runs. The fourth run was my best and I ended up 0.13 seconds out of the trophies. :( I did spin twice, both times after the finish and didn't take out any cones in the finish box - a real advantage to a car this short. Loaded the car and went home.
I was planning on running the WWSCC event at Everett on June 5 and even worked setup on Thursday evening (don't ask), but it was raining when I got up, so I went back to bed. The rain tires aren't mounted and since I can barely control the car in the dry, I don't even want to see what would happen on slicks in the wet...
Off to Bremerton on the 12th. I was in the PM group, so once again I didn't have to make the early morning drive. When I got there I discovered that things were delayed. Someone in a Lotus Elise had spun off course, clipped the timing trailer, and ended up sitting in grid, seriously trashed. It was a good thing he hit the trailer, otherwise other cars would have been damaged. It took a while to get the course modified and things back underway. The course was an absolute hoot - really fast with lots of full throttle time for me. Unfortunately, I spun in the same place on my last two runs and think I coned the other two; I haven't seen the results yet. I gotta do something about this brake bias, the rears lock up and I'm off in the spin cycle.
Boundary Bay Driving Centre - originally posted 5/9/05
On May Day I went to an event in BC put on by
VCMC (watch the video). The drive was great, just a few miles farther than going to Bremerton, but with scenery rather than cityscapes. The border crossing had no lines, so into the Great White North I went. I found the site after a minor excursion and as I pulled in, Sheldon and his co-driver Ernest waved me in to park next to them. I got unloaded then went to register, $40 CDN for a membership which includes one free event - what a deal. This was the first event for their Novice Championship, so it was referred to as "the biggest turn out we've seen in a while", 94 entries with many novices (DUH!).
The course was interesting (I need to start keeping course maps and scanning them), out through a set of offset gates, through a V lane, cross over to the other side runway, a pinch cone then a big sweeper to the right - increasing radius. A short two-cone slalom, cross back to other side of the runway, hard left and back through the two-cone slalom and sweeper (now decreasing radius), the pinch cone and into an open ended box, then a five-cone slalom and through the finish lights. One gotcha in Canada, you actually have to STOP in the stop box or it's a DNF.
The runs went OK, except I missed the pinch cone on the second run, resulting in a DNF. I also DNFed the last run after spinning when entering the sweeper the first time. It was great to run against someone in my class, though I got beaten by 10 seconds on a 47 second course. I don't feel too bad about it though, Sheldon and Ernest have been driving this car for over a year; and though it's the same year and model as mine, it's been updated to a full four-link rear suspension, is geared for autocross and they are using real autocross tires.
I'll go back to BC for more events, the people are great and the event ran nearly flawlessly. Even the drive home wasn't too bad, only 25 minutes at the border at 1700 on a Sunday evening.
What a difference a week makes! - originally posted 4/26/05
Sunday it was sunny and mid 60s. The course had been swept clean by the morning run groups. After a car spun and bumped the curb, one set of slalom cones had been modified since Saturday evening which put the last cone in the slalom, just before a C-box, on top of a small rise.
Tech went OK, just something unusual for the tech guys; so I gridded and went off to walk the course a few times. I got some strange looks for crouching and sitting during my course walks. :-) When I got back from one walk, Josh Kerwin was standing next tot he car. Josh is my boss's son and I've been involved with him since he was about 11. When he turned 18 he got to autocross my Impala and loved it, but later he went to the crotch rocket side, not that there's anything wrong with that. While getting stuff on for the first run Lisa, my wife, shows up. First time she's watched me autocross - the new car is VERY different than the Impala and it makes her a bit apprehensive.
Time for the first run, I get strapped in and Josh yanks the cord. up to the start line. The first gate is a 90 to the left, then two 90 rights that can be taken as a smooth arc, a series of weave gates, short slalom, C-box to the right, wide 180 to the left, 270 sweeper to the right, 3-cone optional slalom then the finish lights. On the first run I'm a bit tentative on the throttle, only gassing it while the car is well settled either straight or has taken a set in a sweeper. I finish with a time of 45.367, clean. Back to grid, adjust tire pressure and drink some water; damn it gets hot in that cockpit sitting in the sun when moving slowly through the pits.
The grid is moving quickly, fairly short course and good overlap. So I'm back into helmet and gloves and strapped in. Get the start signal; starter was a newbie and says "Go" quietly. But I can't hear him so he nods. I'm more aggressive this time and finish with a time of 40.474, clean, almost a 5 second improvement. Back to grid, short break, kiss Lisa goodbye since she's headed out, and back into gear for the third run.
Even more aggressive on this run, more throttle in the corners, and quicker inputs on the steering and brakes. I knock another 1.3 seconds off for a 39.136, clean. Back to grid, Tire pressures are stable and all the old clag is gone so I'm running on my own rubber now instead of old dead borrowed rubber.
Fourth runs have started and the cone carnage is terrible. The little orange fellows are flying everywhere. Lots of red flags and reruns ensue. I get to the start gate and am nodded off. The run is cooking, feels real good and fast - then the red flag waves!!! The car in front of me has destroyed a lane of about a dozen cones ahead of me. Back to grid...
I get the start nod and off again. Feels good, but not as good as last time; still, I'm moving fast. Remember that cone that got moved to the top of a small rise? I was deeper in that slalom making the adjustment for the C-box while the car was light. Now I remember why you don't put in steering inputs when the car is light. Around I went and entered the C-box rolling backwards at a pretty good clip. So, knowing the run is done, I hammer the throttle and execute a perfect Indy Car stop. Since I'm the last car on course and no need to slow things down further, I head straight for the finish lights and back to the trailer.
Results are online at http://www.wwscc.org/event_results/2005/wwscc05-1.html .
No mechanical problems, the driver is coming along and the roll bar padding is in the right places. Some time off before my next event; Lisa and I are going on a short trip for our birthdays in mid-May (I haven't told here where), so I'll miss the next scheduled event.
My next events will be the NWR/SCCA event at Bremerton on May 29 and the Bremerton Sports Car Club event the following day. I was just told about an event at Boundary Bay in BC this Sunday. There is a possibility for 8 runs and I need the seat time, so I'm headed up there on Sunday at 0-dark-thirty.
The Course - originally posted 4/23/05
I just got home from helping set up the course for tomorrow. It avoids the worst bumps so, barring rain, I'll be in the first afternoon run group. If things are on time, the first car in that group will be on course at 1300. The course looks like a lot of fun; walking it, it seems like it flows well with lots of opportunities to make it harder than it probably is.
My first F500 Autocross - originally posted 4/21/05
When I got up it was misty and threatening more rain. But the site is 40 miles as the seagull flies (about 85 by road or 55 via ferry (but they have this "thing" about fuel jugs...) so I hitch up and head out. Anyone who has lived around Seattle knows that the weather outside your window has nothing to do with the weather even five miles away, so I decided to drive over and see what was what. On the way I went through several frog stranglers and areas that were dry. About 15 miles from the site the rain stopped and the roads were looking drier and drier. At the site the guys in the morning run groups reported that it had stopped raining about an hour before and the course was drying, so I unloaded and warmed the engine up. Temp about 52, dry course except for a couple of pavement seams holding water. Since I was working tech, I just signed my own card off; running first so off to grid. The grid guy staged me and the A-Mod Formula Vee in our own line so we wouldn't have to creep up the line, then I instructed him on how to start me and gave him earplugs. :-) Course walk -fairly standard layout for this site; I haven't autocrossed for a couple of years, but it should flow well. OK, reality time, I strap myself in and the grid guy fires me up. Up to the line, get the signal and EASE onto the throttle. Through the start lights, make the first two gates and onto the throttle hard. Now I'ma bout 270 degrees into the spin, so I keep it going and get pointed in about the right direction. Make the big loop and head on out through the first slalom. Then some sashay gate pairs and into what would be a weave in a wider car so I go to the throttle again -OK, I'm pointed the wrong direction again. Now I'm lost, but figure out about where the course is and continue on. Onto the old taxiway in a sweeper and here we go again, only this time I'm doing some "agricultural racing!" Slicks have no traction in wetgrass... Get it headed in the right direction and through the finish lights for a DNF - missed some high number of gates and left the course (but no cones!) Luckily I didn't hold up the A-Mod guy, he was busy spinning too. Get out and look at the car. Pull some grass out of a radiator intake, tires OK and everything still attached. Time to strap in for the second run. Second run much tamer, but still missed a gate and hit one cone; third run about the same - missed a different gate. Both runs still Mr. Toad's Wild Ride,but marginally under control. At least I was able to save it before spinning completely. When the grid guy yanks the cord for the fourth run, it just freewheels; so I get pushed off to the side and get out. The bolt for the pull start band clamp has disappeared so my day is done. I probably could have done a temp fix with a ty-wrap, but they are in the garage 40 miles away. Lessons learned:I really do need to get some elbow pads; and pad the forward brace for the roll bar in the cockpit (the bruises will fade in a week or so.) Take ty-wraps in various sizes. Work on developing throttle control and figuring out how to accelerate hard while keeping the nose pointed in the right direction. When walking the course, sit down and look at it from KBS level, it looks a lot different when the cones are at or above eye level. Damn this thing is a hoot to drive! The cheek pain from grinning like the Cheshire Cat will go away with the bruises.
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