Da Groj

Loren wrote:Probably a little different from a 2-300 car California autocross, eh?

SFR or San Diego?

For depth of field, we're not matching the bigger events (unless you're in M2!), but having done events like that on both coasts, I don't think we take a back seat to anyone for event organization and ops. Maybe the SCCA nationals series, where they have yet another level of technology to help run the event, but most of that is just to deal with the throughput.

I've been really on a run this weekend. Being a Clown in Sarasota is a tough gig with all the layoffs. The advantage of running a very rare/for me/ Morning event was actually awesome seeing people I haven't seen for awhile AND in some cases haven't raced against at the same time in eons.

I don't know who has impressed me more this event? Being Double Dave'd by two S drivers. Lineberry really had the Juice in #5 OA and O'Neil must have had the
"RIGHT stuff" being the only two S drivers in the top 15 finishers of the day. Wow. Then Matt beat Les again? Wow.

Reality of this event is that the first run group were about 63F pavement and they were awesome clean up personnel for the rest of us. 2nd morning run group were significantly faster as the sun warmed things up into the 70's and the "groove" got found.

David L. was fast and dirty with a crowning clean 4th run. The only two places I couldn't find adequate traction under power were the turnaround and the dragon's tooth finish. Just not enough grip left on my thinning RE71's with a whopping 54 runs to keep the ass planted.... . This little plastic piggy won't be going to that tire trough again. Look, we knew the guys on this particular day would be faster in the PM making the standouts standout even more!! The "same" cold air that gave David boost also gave me max HP and torque. A: he is a better driver in a much newer car with the same specs HP/TQ. B: the Focus has a brilliant AWD system. C: See A. If it can excel all year FocusRS might get bumped to AS in 2018 just like all the Mini Turbo's got bumped this year from STX to nutted Hell.

I didn't get to see Dave O's runs but he must have been brilliant in a lowly heavy S2 car (soon to be merged with S1). See how this all works?

I was totally thankful for the chilly air in the morning as it woke me up. I was the first Starter and had to be really on my toes to not wait too long releasing the next car to keep everyone in the generous safe passing zone. The way out took a lot longer than the way home. This course favored no one car. If you couldn't deal with a very strong headwind like the Fastiva you struggled on the long long northward trip. If you had a wing you had insane downforce. Holding up the starting flag occasionally would push me back so I had to lean into it. Whoa.

Thanks guys for putting on such a fun event leaving EVERYONE wanting more of it. I have no idea what my times were the last time we ran this design but I did remember it. Doesn't matter as was running different tires then anyhow. Besides I'm much more experienced now

Pictures are still being edited, I'll have them up soon as I can. Only the morning groups unfortunately.

My best clean run:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r61lmiyDakc

Glad it was "just" enough for first. I left a lot of time on course, I did find that time but I also found some cones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr-f4NFLtFw


Another course I'm wishing for just 1 more run lol. Great seeing everyone and a few faces I haven't see in a bit.

Carracer wrote:Pictures are still being edited, I'll have them up soon as I can. Only the morning groups unfortunately.

My best clean run:

Ahhh... the elusive clean run, so few of those on this day.

Carracer wrote:...I did find that time but I also found some cones.

Only two! I'd have guessed more from inside the car. And what's the wheel chirp going into second...you have a cheater V8 under the hood. I think you'd have had a clean run in Jason's or my car -- this was one where the roll hurt a bit.

Great course Saturday. Really enjoyed it. I mustered up a 43.870 for my best. My last run was faster, it felt really good, but then I screwed up the last two turns and under steered both since I was carrying too much speed and had the wrong angle. After fighting that and scrubbing a lot of speed I ended up with a 44.18. Ugh...I think that would have been a 42.XX if I hadn't have screwed the pooch at the end.

Evil MS3 wrote:Great course Saturday. Really enjoyed it. I mustered up a 43.870 for my best. My last run was faster, it felt really good, but then I screwed up the last two turns and under steered both since I was carrying too much speed and had the wrong angle. After fighting that and scrubbing a lot of speed I ended up with a 44.18. Ugh...I think that would have been a 42.XX if I hadn't have screwed the pooch at the end.

I did the same thing on my last run. That was definitely a fun course and would have liked a fifth or sixth run. ;-)

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dan wrote:Ahhh... the elusive clean run, so few of those on this day.

No shortage of cone penalties, for sure. But, not fair to say that a clean run was elusive!

43 of 99 drivers were cone free. (some of the 43 did DNF, but they didn't hit cones)

Looking at it another way:
62 of 99 drivers got 3 or more clean and non-DNF runs.

I actually had 4 clean (slow) runs. After coning all runs last event I was driving timid and slow apparently. Really fun course though. Need to push harder and suck less I guess

In my last 12 runs of autocross I only have a single cone. I'm really proud of that. I know there's a saying about if you're not spinning/hitting cones you're not trying but I was averaging damn near 3 or so cones per event and that's pretty embarrassing. I do however only have two or three total spins so far, and as loose as my car is that's not too bad lol

Post-Mortem:

For those who might be new to this, or otherwise just didn't "get" this course...

As with most courses, the BIG secret is just to be looking far enough ahead. At least 2 elements ahead. More importantly, you had to be Thinking about the "slow" or "challenging" elements WAY earlier than that. There were a lot of "easy" elements that would lull you into taking the "easy" line through them, and doing so would put you in the wrong place for the difficult element. That whole situation began right at the start!

If you didn't line up the start at a nice angle to "late apex" the right cone of the start gate, you were challenging yourself to get far enough to the right to late apex the first left. The first left is NOT the problem, it's the right with the constraining wall on the outside of it that was trouble... and if you properly late-apexed the left apex before it, you could set up for the right, and STAY ON THE GAS through it!

The next "wall" apex was similar, but if you set up for it, it was even easier because it was a bit of an optical illusion. Instead of the end of the cone wall being your left apex, the left apex was actually 50 feet past there, which made it super-easy as long as you remembered that you could carry speed through there and were thinking far enough ahead to do it!

The entry to the crossover ended up being exactly the same trick! Slow down early (but, not more than you need to), set up early, and back on the gas all the way through the crossover.

The turn-around was easy, but you had to NOT let the first apex draw you in. Stay out on the wall past that apex, then turn-in smoothly for a nice smooth arc all the way around. Late-apexing the far apex, and tracking out to the last cone on the left. Should have had you on the gas at or before that apex for The Longest Straight On The Course. (momentum around the turn-around was a Big Deal on this course for that reason... sometimes "tight is right", but not this time, speed on that straight trumped all)

The return slalom was actually pretty easy in spite of it being 3' offset to the hard side. Most cars probably had to lift or tap the brake to enter it, but then you were back on the gas up to the "little kink". I'm not even going to bother explaining that little kink, except to say that it was another "don't take the easy line through" element. That element itself, you probably could have gotten through without slowing down much for, BUT, you had to be thinking about the "big kink" before the finish and setting up for that. Watch any of the "fast guy" videos. They're hooking to the right after that kink almost as if there was some phantom cone out there forcing them to! They're getting set up for a late apex on the entry cone of the big kink.

The big kink. Geez, if you set up for it right, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Big setup for the entry apex, smooth turn-in to the right, and be spotting your line through the finish WAY early. "The car follows the hands, the hands follow the eyes." BTW, the last kink wasn't nearly as severe as shown on the map. We had to dodge some asphalt patches, so it got eased quite a bit.

We'll have to use this course for a Classic event sometime.

Loren wrote:

dan wrote:Ahhh... the elusive clean run, so few of those on this day.

No shortage of cone penalties, for sure. But, not fair to say that a clean run was elusive!

43 of 99 drivers were cone free. (some of the 43 did DNF, but they didn't hit cones)

Looking at it another way:
62 of 99 drivers got 3 or more clean and non-DNF runs.

Can I get a cross section by quartile on best time?

That would require more than me skimming the list and counting, so... no.

Loren wrote:We'll have to use this course for a Classic event sometime.

Absolutely!!!

I need to stop dropping F-bombs during my runs. Once I edit over the language I'll post my videos.

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dan wrote:

Loren wrote:

dan wrote:Ahhh... the elusive clean run, so few of those on this day.

No shortage of cone penalties, for sure. But, not fair to say that a clean run was elusive!

43 of 99 drivers were cone free. (some of the 43 did DNF, but they didn't hit cones)

Looking at it another way:
62 of 99 drivers got 3 or more clean and non-DNF runs.

Can I get a cross section by quartile on best time?

Adding a little more data, 8 of the top 10 drivers got cones, Drew shows a DNF and no cones but after he hit several cones he aborted the run. So by the data, fast guys hit cones.

Native wrote:NOTICE to those who will know who they are when they read or hear about this:


http://drivefast.org/rules/safety-rules/

"Closed-toe shoes are required for all participants at all times."

ALL participants at ALL times. Please don't show up in flip flops, switch to shoes while driving, then switch back to flops. Too many ways to crunch a toe, or entire foot.
Just leave the flops and sandals etc at home. And "participants" means guests, too, so please inform your guest to wear full shoes, too.

Thanks.

Well, I guess this is directed at me (at least in part) as this is exactly what I have done going on 20 years now. Exactly what eventuality are you "protecting" us against with this rule? Exactly how much protection do you think the average mesh running shoe provides against a car running over your foot? If "crunched toes or feet" is what you're concerned about we all need to be wearing steel toe boots all day I guess as the typical closed toed shoes being worn by most everyone only provides the myth of some sort of "protection" beyond blocking UV maybe. The difference in the amount of damage my foot would sustain when being run over by a car be I wearing flip flops or be a wearing my New Balance running shoes would be indiscernible, this is a matter of fact.

jbrannon7 wrote:

dan wrote:

Loren wrote:

dan wrote:Ahhh... the elusive clean run, so few of those on this day.

No shortage of cone penalties, for sure. But, not fair to say that a clean run was elusive!

43 of 99 drivers were cone free. (some of the 43 did DNF, but they didn't hit cones)

Looking at it another way:
62 of 99 drivers got 3 or more clean and non-DNF runs.

Can I get a cross section by quartile on best time?

Adding a little more data, 8 of the top 10 drivers got cones, Drew shows a DNF and no cones but after he hit several cones he aborted the run. So by the data, fast guys hit cones.

I'm not sure how I feel about being one of the two in the top ten that didn't cone or DNF, time to go faster I guess!

Lava Speed 05 wrote:I need to stop dropping F-bombs during my runs. Once I edit over the language I'll post my videos.

You just need to dub over your voice..."Fabulous...Fabulous...."

Jamie wrote:

Lava Speed 05 wrote:I need to stop dropping F-bombs during my runs. Once I edit over the language I'll post my videos.

You just need to dub over your voice..."Fabulous...Fabulous...."

Hah, I was going to go with something like that... ;-)

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