Well this is OT, but it's my thread so what the heck...

Today the New England Region of the SCCA held an autocross novice school at Ft. Devens in MA. We had over 40 folks sign up, and they divided by experience into three groups.

We had three practice elements, and rotated the three groups through each (slalom, offsets, modified kidney) with 1:15 on each group.

My third gig as instructor, and I'm still loving it. The excuse I have to share with folks what is to them and exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience is a real pleasure. I meet a variety of folks, from cautious to exuberant - but they are all having fun.

Mid afternoon, the course wizards joined two of the elements (by using the third) to create a 50 second course that was at once familiar (in it's parts) and challenging (in the whole).

I saw a lot of confident driving. I was impressed. I think the folks that signed up sort of self_selected as competent drivers.

I know the SCCA isn't the only group that welcomes newcomers, but this crew apparently had a very good time. Many of them will be back tomorrow running on the long course (for points) as novices.

If we keep a few, it's a blessing. I've hopes for one man (Works Cooper) that joined us this year, but that's his business.

But I reckon a lot of people had a very good time.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

Well back to back 93 degree days on an airfield seems to take the sap out of me fairly thoroughly. Too much fun though, so I am a willing victim.

Today's course was entertaining, and long. Yesterday's novices (those who returned who were several) did well and got faster. I had the pleasure of putting one gent with whom I worked yesterday into the right hand seat for a 64.4 second run in the afternoon. He liked that, and said it helped - of which I am glad.

I ran 66, 65, 64.35 then in the afternoon 64.4, 64.397. Just hit the wall in the low 64s and could not go faster.

Of course my dear competitors did go faster, and broke into the 63 second range - three of them!

Ah well - it is what it is and I was out driven. I'm particularly glad Dave Thomas pulled the RX8 ahead of me on his last run - he owes me from last season and I know it felt good for him.

All in all a fine day, and one heck of a strange suntan. It leaves me with glowing white ankles, and a sort of "negative tee shirt" effect where arms and neck are dark brown, but the torso is shockingly white.

I do adore autocrossing with that crowd - it is a blast, and 'twas a hugely entertaining weekend when all is said and done.

163,000 miles now...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Just read through this whole thread....Awesome read and updates. Good luck with the rest of your season!

 

thankee kindly!

cheers,

Charlie

 

Well folks, another long weekend and another delight.

This time up at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where we ran the Racing Against Leukemia weekend - involving all branches of the New England Region including Rallycross, Road Racing, Road Rally, and Autocross.

Us autocrossers took over the VIP lot on Saturday for charity runs (and raised a ton - thanks to those of you who helped me with that) and then the Jeff Gordon Challenge.

I made it into the JGC with an 8th PAX on the day, and then crumpled mentally during the runoff. C'est la vie n'est-ce pas?

On Sunday I had a most talented co-driver coaching me, and I in turn was serving as novice instructor. Hopefully some goodness flowed all the way from one end to the other.

My co-driver only beat me in my car by three tenths, which is a moral victory considering that this gent is really good. The sting was that my friend Derek in the 330ci earned first place on his last run of the day - bumping me out of the STX lead by .006.

No doubt his normal co-driver would have beaten me too, but on this occasion David was a thousand miles west on a family odyssey.

Did I mention we snuck in a half dozen laps on the road course? Did I mention the lavish reception in the garages?

All in all a great weekend, and now I have one week to lick my wounds, to replay Brian's excellent advice on my driving until it takes effect, and to prepare for Devens next weekend.

I'd kind of like to win one, once in a while, but frankly the stiff competition is making me a better driver so no whining I reckon...

Peace,

Charlie

 

So after one week of wound licking - at Devens the story was very similar...

1Tm STX Derek Sivret -----2001 BMW 330ci -- 61.420
2Tm STX Charlie Thompson 2004 Mini Cooper S 61.546 [+0.126]
3 m STX David Gott ------- 2001 BMW 330ci --61.662 [+0.116]

My revered competitors in the Bimmer are the Scylla and Charybdis of STX, and my best efforts moved me betwixt the two of them.

I love the intensity of this season, perhaps even more so than last year. Six runs, and when the dust settles we are all within a few tenths.

Just bloody marvelous.

Best wishes to all the drivers at Nationals in Lincoln - and particularly to those driving Minis, and to my friends from NER who will definitely represent our Region with pride!



Kind regards,

Charlie

 

Just read the entire thread. What an excellent read. I love a good build thread, and even better when it turns to Autocross. Definitely going to keep checking back here for more fun.

Just curious, how did you get started in Autocross? And how has it treated your car thus far? My Mini is still fairly new (in a sense; 2005 w/ 20k miles) so I'm trying to make it last a good long life, but it's so hard not to let that supercharger spin up!

 

I started in autocross in 1977, running a Triumph Spitfire at events conducted in the Air National Guard parking area at Portsmouth Air Base (a SAC base back in those days, now a commercial freight hub). I was roundly thrashed by a 2.0 liter 914 - consistently!

In the eight years that I have owned Gollum, he has competed in seven complete seasons. Each season winds up being approximately twelve events, and each event usually contains six runs. That means I have driven in anger for about eight hours, and probably covered a distance of about 350 miles in 2nd gear at fairly high revs, and most usually with significant lateral loads on the chassis.

In the same time period I have driven 166,500 miles on public roads. If my arithmetic is correct, Gollum has spent two tenths of one percent of his life in competition.

I have replaced the wheel bearings once, and the brakes a few times, but I don't think that the autocrossing is a significant factor in the lifespan of these components - I'd have done them anyway I reckon.

For those that run DOT slicks (Hoosier A6) the bearing life might be a little shorter, but even with sticky tires the lateral loads are only about 10-15% greater than what occurs with good street tires.

It's like having a great bottle of wine isn't it. Shall I sip it? Shall I preserve it?

I say drink!

Cheers,

Charlie

 

"It's like having a great bottle of wine isn't it. Shall I sip it? Shall I preserve it?

I say drink!"


Relish the present and enjoy it's benefits for time is running away!

 

Well Folks,

Lemme cough up the uncomfortable truth first, I came third! Both my friends in the 330ci had their evil way with me on one of the faster courses I have ever seen at Devens.

Derek: 51.6
David: 51.7
Charlie: 51.9

This time I tried talking smack on Facebook for a week before the event just to see if I could psyche everyone else out. Nope. Their nerves are steadier than that. Ah well - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

But beside being outdriven again in another close race, the highlight of the day was the largest Chicago Box I have ever seen.

This element came up after a half dozen quick walloms, and a short straight which permitted me to shift into third gear (about 66 mph) or else left me on the rev limiter as I entered the braking area.

The Chicago Box was a swoop to the left, and then back to the right (avoiding the rightmost cone of the exit wall), and then another straight to the finish. I was crossing the finish at 70 mph - and I do believe some of the higher horsepower cars were quit a bit faster than that!

I decided during the coursewalk that I'd do that section in 3rd, and for the first three runs I did just that. I'd exit the last wallom, short shift slightly to calm the car a bit before the braking area, and then hold on! A slight dab of brakes, commit left, catch it as it arrowed towards the outer wall of the Chicago Box, pitch back to the right, and try not to spin on the exit!

The first run in the afternoon I tried holding 2nd just to make sure I was using the right plan... Yep. Holding 2nd (and mind you I have the tall gears in the '04 MCS AND the JCW readline) I was on the limiter going into the braking area, and on the limiter again before the finish!

Six tries on that (we won't mention the tank slapper and spin in the walloms on run 2) and all six were exhilarating. It's essentially the same thing you would do if you were running up the highway in the middle lane and discovered a sleeping moose in your lane about 150' ahead at 70 mph.

Another great part of the day was that my work assignment was Corner Captain for that same section of the course. Too much fun, as folks would get it right sometimes and get it wrong sometimes. Some folks were doing a racing downshift in the braking area and screaming through the feature at the top of 2nd gear, some stayed in 3rd, and all manner of tactics could be seen.

A diesel powered Rabbit (Mod car) zipped through in 3rd and upshifted to 4th before the finish. An ST Civic clipped the outside wall on the braking area, and never recovered - sliding through the whole Chicago Box with locked brakes, sturm und drang, and taking out about eight cones!

My compliments to the course designers, all my competitors, and particularly the other STX Musketeers - David Thomas (fast and spinning in the RX8), Derek Sivret (precise and too damned fast), and David Ogden (exuberant and too damned fast).

Another fine day of racing up here in Yankee land!

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

So what to do differently tomorrow?

Dave Thomas has finally disconnected the rear sway bar on the RX-8, so I expect no spins. He also has a co-driver, so expect more tire temperature...

Derek and David will be up to their usual tricks - propelling each other to progressively greater speeds and lower times...

Ah-hah! How about this? How about I get the Chief Instructor as a co-driver for Gollum? That would be fun, and afford me a chance to receive a bit of good coaching, and also keep the tire temps nice and warm.

And so that's the plan. We shall see what we shall see I reckon...

Oh! Did I mention that Turners is putting on the Borla next Friday? My bad - they are. Just in time for the Corvette's Club on the 2nd of October, but not soon enough for tomorrow. Ah well.

The original JCW exhaust is still hanging in there - literally, but the resonator rattle has now been joined with a bit of a growl, so I have NO idea how sad the internals might be. Gotta love stainless though, 'cause the externals are fine! Longest lived exhaust system I have ever seen...

 

Well dear reader, I almost didn't have the courage to write this account...

A week ago Sunday I met my Waterloo with a course that had clamshells galore.

Now I am from Ipswich, where clams are a living, so how could that bother me you say? Ah there's the rub.

Six runs, and only ONE of them clean. I actually became bad tempered after two of them (not vituperative mind you, but grumpy). A most humbling day.

I seem to have reached the point where other's times get into my head and spoil my thought process -- a predictable problem, but one that I have avoided thus far. Charlie! It is you against the course dear lad -- pay no attention to those RX8s and BMW 330is!

A fourth, if you must know. Beaten like a mule, and left with my ears pinned back.

So desperate times call for desperate measures. I now have the Borla Race exhaust in place. The driver is of course no faster, but the car sounds like unabashed sex. Yep - it's loud. Yep - it howls like a ravenous wolf at high RPMs and grumbles like a bear around town. My wife is going to just HATE it!

So for the final event I may go down swinging in the final inning, but I will sound marvelous while doing it.

Cold comfort.

Cheers,

Charlie

Ps: This is my distinguished co-driver at the wheel. I did beat him, but I suspect him of sandbagging out of politeness...

 

Well dear reader, the 2011 season is concluded.

David and Derek were both faster at the last event, which also featured the awarding of the Stirling Moss Trophy (a beautiful piece of silver, donated to the region by the family, and VERY hard to win!). Grant Reeve took that home for a year, which just goes to show that some top notch drivers never go to Nationals.

I was pushed hard and beaten like a rug this year, and have grown because of it. After eight years I think it's time to change the setup again.

It is a poor workman that blames his tool mind you, but those that stepped into the car this year ran at about the same speed I did (and both of them were darned good mind you - getting to my times in six runs, whereas I wear the car like an old shoe).

I think it is time to run an asymmetrical setup - and get more grip on the end that matters. So here's the winter's plan:

1. re-do the suspension, same recipe but fresher (and a tip of the hat to H&R for a coil-over suspension that ran 160k miles without issue), and

2. go to 15x8 rims in front, leaving the 15x7 alone out back. The idea is to run two sets of wheels next year - a set of matched 15x7 with Toyo R1R 195s for the rain, and the staggered set of Hankooks running at least 225 out front.

That ought to work a bit better. If nothing else it will make me feel a little better about running 205mm tires against 245s!

Now - how to further tighten the loose nut behind the wheel?

The saga continues...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I just couldn't stay away.

The true last event this year was a non-points event called the Team Challenge.

To get the flavor of the event, please imagine three drivers conferring in the paddock between runs:
> one is dressed as Mario (from the Mario Bros. game) - a really good costume too!
> on is wearing a three piece suit, with tie (and driving shoes)
> one is dressed as a schoolgirl - with knee high white socks and an appropriately demure skirt

And that leaves out the Groucho Marx moustaches, and innumerable other foibles that combined to put a grin on my face almost everywhere I turned.

I had the great pleasure of doing a wee bit of coaching for two novices - Marco and Isabella - that ran a Volvo 240 station wagon for their first event. Don't laugh! It had a very nice suspension under it and was by no means slow. They had fun, and got a LOT faster on the day, and I also was tickled to give each of them a ride in my car, which they both found mighty entertaining too.

So why is it that I can drive pretty well when there is no pressure? Now that is something to contemplate over the winter's break, and perhaps the key to how the loose nut behind the wheel can be tightened. With folks in the right hand seat I pax'd 13th out of over seventy drivers, which is a bit better than my season average of 24th out of one hundred and ten.

Perhaps for me the first secret of speed is to remember to have fun, and just go out and dance with the car!

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

Then, when you win, it looks like you weren't even trying! That should destroy the competition.

 

Well I'll try next year. Them's some quick fellas, so it might take more than a grin to settle them... But a grin is a good start!

 

Ah the short dark days are here, but

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

"

it is time for bench racing, and deciding what to improve before next year...

Apart from the aforementioned chassis work, and the likelihood of wider rims up front, I seem to have found an ally in Worcester!

We shall see!

I wonder if my dear employer will provide a bonus? They really shouldn't, as I've only been with them for half of the year.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

And indeed they didn't, as they shouldn't have.

Reading my previous post amused me, as it's 4:32 am, and the morning of the day.

I washed the car, and replaced the intake pipe (the old one had duct tape closing a crack that had developed), and put a new K&N filter in the box (yes it's a million mile filter but come on...).

The last tank of gas I measured was 30.4 mpg, and I was feather-footing it. I've done much better in the past, but winter is a factor that I cannot easily weigh. More time on a rich mixture at every start-up, and denser air due to temperature. I've about 45k on the crate motor and it feels good, but I haven't done a leak down test on it recently. It will be most interesting to see the baseline run.

Of course the other dyno (Turner Motorsport's Dynojet) is just that, and no comparison is valid from the numbers I got back in April of 2006. Back then the first drive train also had 45k on it. We got 158 tq @ 4,000, and 164 hp @ 6,800 on that day.

It's a big deal for me to let someone alter the ECU software. Like Pandora's Box many ills can come from this. My first question to Bren will be "how do I go back to where I am now?". I'm jumpy, but perhaps not unwise.

I will emphasize that my first goal is reliability - not to be greedy! I wonder what magic can be conjured within these parameters...

The work starts at 10 am.

As I said, we'll see.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Just the results - commentary when I feel like it...

Torque:

Rpm(k) 2.8 3.2 3.6 4.0 4.4 4.8 5.2 5.6 6.0 6.4
Old tq 132 135 145 152 153 156 156 154 152 149
New tq 170 180 184 186 185 185 182 176 175 172

Chg 29% 33% 27% 22% 21% 19% 17% 14% 15% 15%

So in the working range of 3-6,000 rpm I have an average increase of over twenty percent - thrust to the pavement.

The A/F numbers are far richer than stock - around 12 for most of the powerband as opposed to 14 for the OEM tune. Bren's number dips to 11.5 from 5,800 to redline, where OEM is above 12. Nice and safe - not leaned out at all.

I couldn't be more pleased.

211 hp at redline, although that matters hardly at all, which is a gain from 186 on the baseline run (a 13% gain, or 25 new hp).

The bottom line is that I've a quarter more power than before, and a torque curve that hits 180 lb/ft at 3,200 rpm and stays over 185 from 3,600 to 4,800 rpm. That's real world useable power that will make a heck of a difference on an autocross course.

So there ya go folks - a damned good Works Cooper tuner up here in New England. Kinda makes me proud!

Cheers,

Charlie

 

 

In for a penny, in for a pound.

The newly found power has caused me to lose my mind, and commit the funding needed for the rest of my originally envisioned improvements.

The car goes to Turner's on April 2nd, and I shall have a pair of Enkei PF01 at 15x8 with 225/45-15 R1R Toyos wrapped around. I'm tempted to shave the Toyos, but it can be wet for the first event or two and I decided I had better try them at full depth before getting too crazy.

As you may recall, my last adventure with the R1R had them mounted on the 15x7 rim which did not end well at all. In theory they'll be a different tire on the 15x8. The PF01 weighs 12.5 pounds by the way - nice and light!

Marco and the crew will be replacing the H&R coil-overs with a fresh set, re-doing any bushings that are knackered, and providing the critical finishing touches which are corner weighting and alignment.

So for the season opener we shall have more power and better handling - indeed the car will be improved beyond any previous high-water mark, and substantially so!

I reckon I'm taking no prisoners in 2012...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Charlie, Is this a typo?? "Enkei PF01 at 15x8 with 225/45-15 R1R Toyos"

 

I hope not but who knows? Why?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Why? Because I had another "senior moment". After carefully reading your post I saw 18" wheels. That may have occurred because there are so many posts, "can I put 18" wheels on my MINI?"

I have read many of your posts, so I should have realized you would never attempt to stretch 15" tires onto an 18" wheel. That would be a job for King Kong.

Anyway, my apologies.

 

Lol...

I figured you thought me daft to run wide rims on only one end of the car - which may turn out to be so. We shall see.

Kind regards,

Charlie