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I'm doing OK regionally in STU, but would not expect much at the National level. A better driver could still scare some top STU cars I do believe.
I agree that after more than a decade of favorable classing, the STAC did bury the JCW a bit.
But I do still reckon that Gollum is a darned good autocross car. Agile, quick, relatively small, pretty light, and just a ton of fun.
Works for me.
Pun intended.
Cheers,
Charlie
I really love my JCW and will be keeping it FOREVER most likely...I do have to say that the new GP's, if also put in DS, might give the TYPE R's a real run for their money IMO. The XS-A class will probably be a good class for JCWs at 2500# and being able to add wider fender flairs...aka...wheels and tires (More Traction and grip),
I have held off doing anything to my Audi RS3 but I finally bought some lightweight RSe10 18x8.5/18x8 staggered wheel set up with YOKO A052 255/35/18/235/40/18s. They should be here is two weeks I hope. I think the Audi RS3 in BS will do well and will be a literal blast on the AutoX Course too...comes with the magnetic suspension setup so I really don't think I need to do any serious changes...
I'm doing OK regionally in STU, but would not expect much at the National level. A better driver could still scare some top STU cars I do believe.
imho not without 10s and 265s up front, ideally 11's and 285s that stu allows.
You're not wrong about it being a fun package with the 225s on 7.5s or 8s when it's set up happy. It does fit into STH with that restriction I think. With 9s and 265s it might be an overdog given how good the chassis is and power to weight compared to the rest of the class.
imho not without 10s and 265s up front, ideally 11's and 285s that stu allows.
You're not wrong about it being a fun package with the 225s on 7.5s or 8s when it's set up happy. It does fit into STH with that restriction I think. With 9s and 265s it might be an overdog given how good the chassis is and power to weight compared to the rest of the class.
I might be setting up The Mini in the XS-A SCCA Regional/Divisional Class...able to add fender flairs and larger wheels and tires ... reduce weight to 2500#s ... basically do almost anything to the engine
I can hear Mario’s phone ringing now...
Oh, so 350 is doable? How about 400...
Do a thread on your build, if you go that route, and let us know where it is. I would be interested to see how you tackle the wide tire and rubbing issue.
I can hear Mario’s phone ringing now...
Oh, so 350 is doable? How about 400...
Do a thread on your build, if you go that route, and let us know where it is. I would be interested to see how you tackle the wide tire and rubbing issue.
The fourth event of the NER abbreviated calendar began with good news and bad news.
The good news was a still, sunny autumn day to welcome us to the airfield at Devens.
The bad news was that as I entered Route 2A at 7:15 am headed to the event, Gollum politely informed me that it was 37 degrees. So of course we ran in the morning heat! Just stopping for fuel and coffee dropped the front tire pressures by a couple of pounds, as they cooled rapidly from the highway run down I-495.
So I decided not to overdrive the car for a change.
The course was in my view the best of all I've seen this year, some of everything and two slaloms to favor the narrower cars. Quite different from the unusually fast course that had us in 3rd at the last event.
With only 50 drivers, the morning shift had 7 runs between 9 and about 10:45 - the afternoon shift was done with 8 runs by 1:30 in the afternoon. Tidy, no issues worth mentioning, and a credit to the volunteers that make it all happen.
I only ran three times - once to look at the course and see if the tires would gain some heat and pressure, once to see if I could go fast, and once more to try and pull it together. Nationals style.
Gollum was damned good. As I was managing speed better than I have been lately, and skeptical of the amount of traction, the results were very pleasing indeed. A full season would make last winter's improvements more evident, but still things are quite promising. I've got the balance I want without putting stupid pressures out back, so I reckon your suggestions about camber caster proved out Eddie - thank you.
That'll do it for this tough year - temps are now too low for the Yokohamas and it's time to go back to the winter setup before first frost. Perhaps a Kankamagus run first, we shall see.
Results will show up here in a couple of days - the Live Timing is available but formatted for a smartphone (and pretty useless on a PC).
Cheers,
Charlie
Last edited by cmt52663; Sep 20, 2020 at 03:07 PM.
So DD sent me a text indicating that she was getting a bit of cabin fever, having attended to her daughter's surgical recuperation for the last month or two, and generally tending to everyone - that's what she does.
So I said Kankamagus road trip of course, and today we did just that.
We are not beginners - DD has traversed a hundred thousand miles on a pillion seat in at least two continents that I know of, and both of us have prowled the White Mountains since we were youngers.... So we did the triangle.
That's 93 to Lincoln, take a break, and then begin. East across the Kankamagus Pass, then Northeast up and down on on Bear Notch Road to cut down to 302. 302 then goes northwest through Crawford Notch to the northern edge of the White Mountain National Forest, and then a hard left leads back south on 3 through the Pinkham Notch and ultimately back down to Woodstock for a lovely lunch.
The Triangle...
We could not resist a gravity run down the east side of Bear Notch, which is a summer only road albeit being well paved, and from the crest at 35 mph we touched the brakes twice en route to 302 at over 60 mph, through the sweepers that lead off the flank of the mountain. It was silent, beautiful, and fun as all hell - reminded me of the gravity races I used to have on a BMW K75S down Mount Tamalpais when I lived in Mill Valley.
Bear Notch
We listened to Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the way up, and the Last Waltz on the way back (I always shed a tear for the Four Seasons).
Just one hell of a nice day, with bright sunshine, temperatures in the 70s, good company, and God's paintbrush everywhere around us.
I am blessed.
Cheers,
Charlie
Last edited by cmt52663; Sep 24, 2020 at 03:38 PM.
Today was the last dance, I do believe. Somehow the stalwart volunteers of the New England SCCA Region managed to create a season despite the pandemic. Much better than nothing, and I am impressed and very grateful.
We were blessed with a relatively warm day for October, and the timing of Governor Baker's relaxation of Massachusetts Phase III Part 2, which allowed us to raise the entry cap. Consequently I had competition in STU!
Joe ran the 350z, recently improved, in SSP - having trailered it up from Connecticut. That put Becca and me head to head in STU, and I was pretty sure she had me.
Joe was starter, and after two brain-farts that DNF'd two of my fastest runs, he asked me if I was saving the best for last. Note: as a starter I do not speak to drivers at the line. Perhaps Joe should not have done so, as I finally performed a cerebral rectectomy and pulled a decent run out of the trick bag on my last try. It was enough - sorry Becca, and thanks for scaring the sh*t out of me!
Two of my favoring Minis were there also - one from Texas running in DSP. Absolutely Cherry, but cold Hoosiers are no bargain... The other was the Coupe driven by Joe Austin, an absolute legent having put more than half a million miles on his HS hardtop over the last half decade, attending damned near ALL Nationals in the process.
Not a pretty photo, but to my right is Reed's M3 Wagon - which is an absolute unicorn of a car, none having ever been built. It's f*cking fast! Dead ahead is the resurrected Lotus owned by Patrick Head, now equipped with a 12k motor containing preframmulated ammulite lower end, and valve gear formed of unobtanium. Nice to see that hot rod back at work!
All in all a great day, and Gollum is - as usual - better than the driver.
A big Good to hear it was a really day
It was a nice day around here too. Bit no fun like that...
Back to cold though today... 50 deg at LRP today. I got to beat on a set of Falken 660 200 TW tires for about 80 minutes of wet and dry conditions. Wet, not so good. Dry - absolutely amazing. Not sure how good they would be at autoX, but they are forgiving and have grip beyond what I was willing to go. I just wish I had taken data, so maybe none of this counts. But the seat of pants meter and the guy in the guy in the Lotus Exige, with R888Rs on it, that I was matching speeds with would say the Falkens were doing really well. And these may be better than the Bridgestones... “May” because it would be a comparison of different sizes.
Added a Forge Intercooler and ordered an Eventuri Carbon Intake Sysytem...will put the Mini in XS-A SCCA AutoX class when I run it...It will be what I needed and wanted to do to basically complete my build...for the most part...a turbo upgrade could be in the future...and there is always more
Well I have STU in the books for this year...Quote from SPOKES from AxWare "Street Touring U is led by Wally D with a commanding lead, Francisco H is 9 points ahead of Brenton G and Zack B and Kevin C are tied at just 2 points behind, so we may see an exciting race for 3rd. "
This is why I am giving my MINI a break...Street Tires back on and getting 30-35mpg running around!!! I am trying out the 2019 Audi RS3 in B Street...I have only added some Neuspeed RSe10 Staggered Wheels 19x8.5 Front and 19 x 8,0 rear w/ Michelin 265/30/19 Front and 255/30/19 Rear. It should be fun...
Well folks it has been a while. Most of a winter in fact. A season to lay low and be patient, and the first winter where I've been content with Gollum and had no further development plans.
We've been putting around Cape Anne, and generally minding our own business, but in whatever mode I find myself this car is a peerless partner.
Having endured the salt and a few snow storms, I've just rewarded Gollum with a proper bath at the Spa and some fresh oil, and yet another turn around the paradise that is this peninsula.
Somebody
Somebody done taken all the doggoned water out of Rockport Harbor this morning.... Hope they send it back!
The summer wheels and tires are lurking, and the subtle urge for Tennessee is growing somewhere dark and quiet and unseen...
...but in whatever mode I find myself this car is a peerless partner.
And what a picturesque quintessential New England coastal village to take in the coming of spring. Lovely!
The rumblings of spring pilgrimage to that MINI mecca in the southern mountains have started to pop up here and there. People are restless and looking for that proverbial renewal of life that comes with the change of seasons, this year maybe more that some. Should that allure of travel and adventure take a firm grasp of you, let it be as enjoyable as ever...
My Albert is awaiting the latest application of salt to be washed from the roads before coming out of hibernation. We are probably several weeks behind you, as is the norm. But seeing the wraps come off and the polish come out is high motivation for me to be thinking and preparing to do the same.
Well folks on account of me being an old person, I've been shot. They'll finish me off in a few weeks. It is amazing to me that an effective vaccine has appeared in only a year.
But more importantly, the crocus is sprouting, and the magnolia is generating buds, and Gollum has the summerwear on!
I love changing from the 10 spoke OEM wheels with Blizzaks to the RSE05 with the 225/45 Yokohamas. Just carrying the damned wheels and tires to and from makes the point. Heavy to light.
And now, with fresh brakes front and rear, clean filters, new plugs, and summer sneakers Gollum is ready for Sunday.
This season with NER SCCA looks very promising indeed, we'll have the same protocols to start with, but novices are now welcome again, and guess what?
Good to hear it was a really day
