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.
