I autocrossed my car Saturday at NASA's first winter series autox at VMP. I entered the ProKhana class and finished 9th overall, which wasn't too bad, IMO, 'cause that meant I had the 9th-fastest PAX time, too.
I ran STR 'cause that has a softer PAX, but I still would have finished 9th with the DSP PAX. We had 5 runs, so everybody was able to get heat in their tires on the cold day.
The course was pretty wide open with one 3rd-gear section (see map at http://www.nasaracing.net/autox/dec09_00/dec9_course.pdf). I was having problems with the little slalom after the Chicago box -- I was trying to take it flat or pretty close to it, but I never could quite make it. Hit the last cone in the slalom in runs 2-4.
Finally tip-toed through there on my last run just so I could have a clean run and got a 51.3. My best raw time was 50.4, which would have given me 3rd if it was clean. Even the 51.3 would have easily given me the win in DSP.
But the car felt really good. With the heavier springs and more camber, the car feels so much better on the autocross course now.
We even had time for fun runs and I got 5 more runs in! Hit cones on 4 of 5 runs there and had a little off-road excursion in the gravel. Sam Strano drove my car on a couple runs, too, and he was really impressed. As far as car setup (Shocktek struts, 325/275 springs, rear STB and Nu Tech sway bar on stiffest setting), he didn't think there was anything that needed to be changed. Maybe fiddling with rear toe settings, but that was it. It's set at 1/16" out now, and I think I'm gonna try just zero next time I get my car aligned to kinda control some of it's tail-happiness. It still isn't even maxed out camber wise -- only -1.7 in front when I'm sure I can get -2.5 or so with the camber plates.
Oh, and Sam's best time in my car was 50.7 with a cone and with me riding along. I had a 50.7 with a cone with him riding along.
Sam was so impressed with my car, that he thinks I can give a run to Steve Hoelscher's 3-time national champion DSP Fiat. He sez I should run DSP at the Mississippi National Tour in Feb 'cause the course should favor SE-Rs. I personally don't think my car could do it though. Maybe terrorize the rest of the DSP field,
but I don't think I could get within a second of that little Fiat.
[This message has been edited by slowSER (edited 12-12-2000).]
I ran STR 'cause that has a softer PAX, but I still would have finished 9th with the DSP PAX. We had 5 runs, so everybody was able to get heat in their tires on the cold day.
The course was pretty wide open with one 3rd-gear section (see map at http://www.nasaracing.net/autox/dec09_00/dec9_course.pdf). I was having problems with the little slalom after the Chicago box -- I was trying to take it flat or pretty close to it, but I never could quite make it. Hit the last cone in the slalom in runs 2-4.
But the car felt really good. With the heavier springs and more camber, the car feels so much better on the autocross course now.
We even had time for fun runs and I got 5 more runs in! Hit cones on 4 of 5 runs there and had a little off-road excursion in the gravel. Sam Strano drove my car on a couple runs, too, and he was really impressed. As far as car setup (Shocktek struts, 325/275 springs, rear STB and Nu Tech sway bar on stiffest setting), he didn't think there was anything that needed to be changed. Maybe fiddling with rear toe settings, but that was it. It's set at 1/16" out now, and I think I'm gonna try just zero next time I get my car aligned to kinda control some of it's tail-happiness. It still isn't even maxed out camber wise -- only -1.7 in front when I'm sure I can get -2.5 or so with the camber plates.
Oh, and Sam's best time in my car was 50.7 with a cone and with me riding along. I had a 50.7 with a cone with him riding along.
Sam was so impressed with my car, that he thinks I can give a run to Steve Hoelscher's 3-time national champion DSP Fiat. He sez I should run DSP at the Mississippi National Tour in Feb 'cause the course should favor SE-Rs. I personally don't think my car could do it though. Maybe terrorize the rest of the DSP field,
[This message has been edited by slowSER (edited 12-12-2000).]