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Well clearly my wise friends that set the competition schedule for the SCCA New England Region autocross missed it.
I say so, because it is Sunday and early April, and snowing hard. Normally and traditionally we'd have a race under such conditions (or at least have scheduled one).
While I bemoan departures from tradition, I am in this case inclined to celebrate the undue excellence of this year's calendar, which starts our regional season on the 17th.
This creates the additional benefit of permitting me to enjoy the Bahrain GP race (all though I'd rather drive given possible weather).
Well clearly my wise friends that set the competition schedule for the SCCA New England Region autocross missed it.
I say so, because it is Sunday and early April, and snowing hard. Normally and traditionally we'd have a race under such conditions (or at least have scheduled one).
While I bemoan departures from tradition, I am in this case inclined to celebrate the undue excellence of this year's calendar, which starts our regional season on the 17th.
This creates the additional benefit of permitting me to enjoy the Bahrain GP race (all though I'd rather drive given possible weather).
Fingers crossed,
Charlie
Charlie - have you run with this club?
The registration for first Track Club autocross at Devens Airfield in Ayer, MA on May 7 is open. As always, lots of seat time and lots of new swag. These events always sell out so do not procrastinate - register today!
The registration for first Track Club autocross at Devens Airfield in Ayer, MA on May 7 is open. As always, lots of seat time and lots of new swag. These events always sell out so do not procrastinate - register today!
I've been at the first event of the season for fourteen consecutive years now - all at Fort Devens in the town of Ayer in New England...
There the weather is capricious, and the availability of competition dates vary. Last year we started in March (or tried to).
But this year we began on the 17th of April (and mind you I've seen a foot of snow on the 13th one year, I remember 'cause it was my birthday).
And we were blessed!
Blue Sky and Fresh Course
We were also challenged, as last minute registrations swelled our ranks to an astonishing 187 drivers, with no less than 41 novices among them.
This is an embarrassment of riches, as NER is pleased to welcome new participants to the sport, and supports them with expert instructors and a guided tour of the course before the first runs.
The timing can be tough though, as 6 runs for 187 drivers is 1,122 in total and with our experienced and hard working volunteers we can get within a few runs of 1,000 on a good day. 10% more is a stretch even for a veteran crew - add in a 20% mix of rookies and it isn't worth trying.
So we all got 5 runs, and at least as far as I know we had a good time. I had the pleasure of doing the novice course walk, which I do hope was helpful to some, but not to me.
I seem to be developing the habit of trying to express good fundamentals and highlight only a few key features of the course during that course walk, only to turn around and extensively and thoroughly ignore my own advice on first runs.
I recall specifically noting a quick element in the center of the main runway that was a bit tighter than the sweepers before and after, and pointing out to a pretty good sized audience that it is important to drive slow in the slow parts and fast in the fast parts.
I distinctly recall blowing that element completely in my 3rd run - yanking the wheel with too much brake, bad timing, and right on the edge of the anti-lock over-ride. Tut tut Charlie!
The 2nd run was bad enough - I need to work on my medium sweepers as this video shows. I am too far from the cones and my lines are not well.
This was a 57.8, which was good enough for DFL in Pro. You might argue, but bear in mind that Tamra Hunt and Paul Kozlak must have had special challenges, as either can whip me one handed!
The day had the usual selection of special moments - notably Jason Fair raw-timing me in his HS For Fiesta ST. Nice driving sir, I'll try harder!
My personal favorite was Kimsoo Gopnik raw-timing her distinguished father Chang Ho Kim when both were driving karts! Tragically she nipped a cone on her fastest run so she couldn't crow too loudly... I personally stopped trying to keep up with her a couple of years ago.
We had cars from the Fiat 500 to the mighty high-end Porsche and all in between, including this eclectic collection of Minis...
Blacked out and mean, and running in D Street.
Dual driven in H Street - combined driver experience cannot be overstated!
A welcome new addition to our attendees!
Banished to SMF for a pulley - but enjoying the race rubber!
I don't think that stylish roof rack is the reason this beauty is in STF...
And of course - Gollum.
Sometimes life interferes with art, and I had to depart the event a bit early (after my work assignments) to attend to personal matters, and thus I missed two runs and a couple of hours of more fun.
But it didn't matter really - and our next event is close by, and I cannot wait.
But I may duck out of the novice course walk for the next event, either because:
1. It prevents me from getting my own plan properly put together, or
2. I am tired of saying and then not doing!
I've been at the first event of the season for fourteen consecutive years now - all at Fort Devens in the town of Ayer in New England...
There the weather is capricious, and the availability of competition dates vary. Last year we started in March (or tried to).
But this year we began on the 17th of April (and mind you I've seen a foot of snow on the 13th one year, I remember 'cause it was my birthday).
And we were blessed!
Blue Sky and Fresh Course
We were also challenged, as last minute registrations swelled our ranks to an astonishing 187 drivers, with no less than 41 novices among them.
This is an embarrassment of riches, as NER is pleased to welcome new participants to the sport, and supports them with expert instructors and a guided tour of the course before the first runs.
The timing can be tough though, as 6 runs for 187 drivers is 1,122 in total and with our experienced and hard working volunteers we can get within a few runs of 1,000 on a good day. 10% more is a stretch even for a veteran crew - add in a 20% mix of rookies and it isn't worth trying.
So we all got 5 runs, and at least as far as I know we had a good time. I had the pleasure of doing the novice course walk, which I do hope was helpful to some, but not to me.
I seem to be developing the habit of trying to express good fundamentals and highlight only a few key features of the course during that course walk, only to turn around and extensively and thoroughly ignore my own advice on first runs.
I recall specifically noting a quick element in the center of the main runway that was a bit tighter than the sweepers before and after, and pointing out to a pretty good sized audience that it is important to drive slow in the slow parts and fast in the fast parts.
I distinctly recall blowing that element completely in my 3rd run - yanking the wheel with too much brake, bad timing, and right on the edge of the anti-lock over-ride. Tut tut Charlie!
The 2nd run was bad enough - I need to work on my medium sweepers as this video shows. I am too far from the cones and my lines are not well.
This was a 57.8, which was good enough for DFL in Pro. You might argue, but bear in mind that Tamra Hunt and Paul Kozlak must have had special challenges, as either can whip me one handed!
The day had the usual selection of special moments - notably Jason Fair raw-timing me in his HS For Fiesta ST. Nice driving sir, I'll try harder!
My personal favorite was Kimsoo Gopnik raw-timing her distinguished father Chang Ho Kim when both were driving karts! Tragically she nipped a cone on her fastest run so she couldn't crow too loudly... I personally stopped trying to keep up with her a couple of years ago.
We had cars from the Fiat 500 to the mighty high-end Porsche and all in between, including this eclectic collection of Minis...
Blacked out and mean, and running in D Street.
Dual driven in H Street - combined driver experience cannot be overstated!
A welcome new addition to our attendees!
Banished to SMF for a pulley - but enjoying the race rubber!
I don't think that stylish roof rack is the reason this beauty is in STF...
And of course - Gollum.
Sometimes life interferes with art, and I had to depart the event a bit early (after my work assignments) to attend to personal matters, and thus I missed two runs and a couple of hours of more fun.
But it didn't matter really - and our next event is close by, and I cannot wait.
But I may duck out of the novice course walk for the next event, either because:
1. It prevents me from getting my own plan properly put together, or
2. I am tired of saying and then not doing!
The mahogany roof racks on "Louise" certainly are an advantage but the nut behind the wheel routinely negates the bits that put us into STF. I clearly need more seat time - running with BMW Saturday - looking ahead and trying to be smooth in transition. We'll see tomorrow!
Hope to see you (and maybe get a ride-along) at the next SCCA.
Keith
Gollum has over 50k miles now - no evidence of age that I can detect, except that my left heel has worn a small hole in the carpet from innumerable double clutches.
This coming Sunday looks promising for the 2nd Regional event, although the final headcount is not in. The weather forecast has improved a bit. We shall see. Not that I am picky mind you...
I've now reviewed the videos from our inaugural and am hoping to apply lessons learned, although they are not new lessons.
1. see ahead - don't just look, and see way ahead in the fast sections because perceiving the line correctly may involve elements that are a hundred yards out in front of the car
2. slow in, fast out - which reminds me not to be so damned late on the brakes!
Perhaps I should write these on a blackboard a few thousand times??
I am waiting on your write up for this event. I ran 3rd heat in Sam's yellow CRX. I am grateful we were able to drive during drive conditions. OMG so funnnn!!!!
A day which, despite cool temperatures and gray skies and unpredictable showers, just felt right.
Not that any day spent with the New England Region extended family ever feels wrong, but on this day I was untroubled by all the myriad of changes that now beset me personally, and able to immerse myself in the experience and challenge of autocross.
Perhaps it was the little things - bringing enough quarters to fill the air bottle in Ayer, receiving the new magnetic "P" in the same yellow and font as last year's livery.
Perhaps it was the calm of arriving at 7:10 and getting a good spot and having the car ready to go by 7:30.
Perhaps it was receiving permission to walk the course alone, and thereby to prepare not only my own plan but also the briefing I wanted to share with the many Novice drivers during their guided course walk an hour later.
Sometimes it's like that - calm, and focused, and content.
Unlike our inaugural event two weeks ago we had about 140 competitors including 27 novices, which permitted us to achieve 6 runs using three run groups. That was a welcome contrast from the 187 drivers that appeared in April (although all were welcome).
By the time I marshalled our new drivers and set off on the guided tour I had already walked the course three times, and thus was not faced with the combined challenges of learning and teaching all at the same time.
My approach to the guided course walk is varied but always adheres to the same theme. Sometimes I use the Wizard of OZ to try and get the group to visualize the path of the car rather than the layout of the cones. Sometimes I make the distinction between the uvula and the fovea, and explain the latter's connection to pattern recognition and visual cognition.
But I always try and share my own strategies for simplifying the task of driving the course - changing it from hundreds of decisions into only a few, and calling out what seems most important for my own mind when I visualize a competition run.
I am sometimes profane, always self-deprecating, and try and help my fellow competitors put aside such trivial matters as braking, acceleration and turning in order to put their energies into memorization, visualization, and the tricky act of seeing the course at speed.
I've never met a novice that was not a skilled driver with a capable car. But I have also never been introduced to a novice, who could walk a course a few times then drive it in their head and then finally keep their wits about them at speed. That's what is hard about autocross - knowing where to look and why to look there.
So we went through the various sections and I demanded that all attendees drive each section in turn - eyes shut, feet wandering, hands twitching. I pointed out that after each of the four slaloms in our course designer Rob MacAlpine's excellent adventure he had placed a fairly sharp turn which could easily be missed in the heat and excitement of weaving through the previous set of cones.
We all held up our hands and swore we would remember this when our turn at the wheel arrived, and near as dammit we all did. Indeed the rate of DNF for the event was quite low (although we collectively performed cone carnage - no doubt due to the slippery runways).
We also elected a handful of cones that we would love - those marking entry or exit from a section and which required the car to be in a certain position. We finally vowed not to be distracted from our loving attraction to these critical cones by any of the plethora of walls, pointers, and other ephemera that comprise the bulk of almost all courses.
And finally we joined in the catechism of solo - "be safe, look ahead, and have fun".
I never get enough time during the day to learn whether my efforts at the Course Walk bear fruit, and if so for whom and why. Suffice it to say that if one of my victims has fun then it is all worthwhile, and this is why I do it.
Blame it on Eddy.
Ed Savage was the Novice Chief when I first wandered down to Devens many years ago, and he was my first teacher. I had a mighty twin-cam Neon at that time, and Eddy only had a single cam, so once I had sized up his grin and unprepossessing presence I figured I could beat him.
Without breaking a sweat he would drive his little one cam car through a course 5-6 seconds faster than my shiny twin-cam would go, and then test my ability to accept that humiliation and learn how to go faster.
My favorite “Eddy-ism” is the solemn pronouncement that “every inch off the cone is a tenth of a second lost”. Thanks Eddy – I am still trying to apply that one! Not a beginner’s tip that one…
Anyway, Eddy got me hooked so I try and pay it forward – whether that is karma or just sadism is a matter for debate.
I was Starter for the 1st run group, and at that time of morning the runway was cool but dry and I expected that running in the 2nd group I would have similar conditions.
Not so! Instead we got just enough light rain to float the dirt and oil from the Moore Airfield’s venerable runways to make a surface with all the traction of whale vomit.
Which made my first runs an exercise in delicacy and caution..
With the benefit of a re-run, and still with very little traction, I did manage to complete the course with a clean pair of runs, although they were pretty slow.
However coming to the line for the final morning run I noticed the charcoal grey of the airfield had lightened somewhat from the heat of other runs and possibly the beginning of a racing line that was only partially damp.
So I went for it, and snipped a couple of seconds off my final run.
That was good enough to keep me respectable among the other Pro drivers, and left me with some hope that my perennial desire to overdrive the car might be curable.
Now I need to take that lesson with me to the next warm dry day, and remember that even under the best of conditions the laws of physics will override the inputs of a greedy driver.
Pity I forgot the camera on that final run, but oh well.
Charlie,
I've kept up with most of this thread, and from the beginning, you were intriqued by the new 3 cyl engine. Why didn't you go with an S car? If you already explained, I missed it.
Going to Nationals for me and Gollum was far less burdensome than for most competitors - I simply threw the usual bits in the boot, added a week's supply of essentials in a small suitcase, and jumped.
There's that moment of commitment akin to leaping off a medium low bridge into an active canal at mid tide. It's an acceptance of consequences. It's letting out the clutch against the certainty that something is overlooked. It's lifting the eyes to the horizon.
And thus the world's smallest and most efficient grand touring machine ever devised slithered onto 128, zipped down to the Mass Pike, stretched its legs west to 84, and down eventually to I-80.
Fair weather, no traffic problems, and two and one-half tanks of fuel delivered us to the proximity of western Ohio.
At this time I was feeling a wee bit like a beer and a burger, and despaired of finding such familiar and robust fare in the wild and strange hinterland surrounding us - but took a chance on an off ramp expecting to fall short.
And by some darned miracle wound up in the best neighborhood bar I've seen outside of Gloucester - an old school classic as you may note.
But never mind, we were thus refreshed to the extent that day One we made almost 800 miles, finally finding a roof just west of Toledo.
Thus passed Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Only the "I"s to go - Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and they are bounteous and broad and boring.
Illinois, and the nearness of our route to Chicago always offers some challenge, and I did sadly wait in a traffic jam for a half hour or so only to see a woman in a SUV pointing the wrong way in the center lane, and quite a bit shortened on the left rear corner.
She had a rather stunned expression as she contemplated the events which had befallen her, and the traffic jam, and waited for the emergency vehicles to finally weave through to assist her.
Fortunately she seemed uninjured, and unfortunately I have just dangled a participle... We continued gratefully leaving the Windy City in our wake, and the risks of congestion.
Finally after hand cramp or two, a million acres of corn and a thousand wind turbines, Nebraska.
Consider dear reader how boring this account really is - how uneventful and relatively effortless! The F56, even the base model, has amenities not dreamed of when mule teams were in vogue - this same progress would require months and sometimes cost lives. Nor could the hardy souls that took flight on oxcart tracks with flivvers have imagined this. Even with the creators of the Federal highway system after Washington had studied the autobahn at leisure did not set such lofty goals for average speed and distance between stops.
It takes about four hours to burn a tank of fuel, and it is not even necessary to push the pedals at all for long stretches in this flat terrain - Gollum ran on autopilot frequently, which is something I never do. I will not specify our cruising speed - it is not germane to this tale. Our mileage however never fell below 35 mpg.
Of course there are the truck races to break up the monotony of great distances and ripened crops.
This is what you get when you have 16 wheels weighing 50 tons traveling 95 feet per second from East to West, and another 16 wheels weighing 40 tons traveling at 100 feet per second. Remember your rate time and distance equations? The faster one is on the left usually, and one must clear the other by several hundred feet before both lanes are no longer blocked.
Now toss in a Mini coasting along happily at 132 feet per second, and it behooves the driver of said vehicle to be awake, wary, and quick footed on occasion.
We did eventually survive the "I"s on day Two, and crossed into Nebraska with a growing pulse of anticipation.
Where of course we had to stop short - as this is Saturday night in Cornhusker country, and the opening game against deliberately weak opponent, and there is no available hotel room for at least a 100 mile radius!
Gollum and I anticipate this, and start our search just south of Omaha, and are thus poised to pounce on Lincoln Air Park early Sunday, with the Pro Solo still in progress and the Shoot Out not for some time.
That night felt a bit like Christmas Eve despite the fatigue of long travel...
Sunday morning came quickly, and Gollum and I found the 27th Street exit, and with a delightful sense of deja vu we were greeted at the West entrance and entered the vast expanse of concrete squares which hosts the National Finals.
I spent a few years working for the Strategic Air Command back in the 70's, guarding Curtis Le May's nukes from the indigenous peoples of Portsmouth New Hampshire. The mile long runways and endless ramps and the jealously defended Alert pads are not news to me. In Lincoln however the scale is even greater than it was a Pease AFB, and without impinging on flight operations we occupied a paddock area which stretched north to south almost a mile, and east to west almost a quarter of a mile.
Such a space would seem unfathomable if not adorned by hundreds of trailers, dualies, motor homes, tents of all size and description, golf carts, tractor trailers from BF Goodrich and Koni and Hoosier and Bridgestone, and an endless parade of race cars in their bright hues and diverse brands.
Even before the majority of the 1,300 drivers had arrived and set up, the early flock of Pro soloists laid authoritative claim to the landscape and left Gollum and I freshly aghast at the world's largest motorsport event.
The New England Region had almost an entire row across the width of the paddock, and as it was row number 6 I did not beat myself too badly for not bringing a pit bike or renting a golf cart. We found a nook just past the merry and extraordinarily talented sub-tribe within the Region who are G-Fab, and after parking in only one-half of a generous square I headed south on foot to the area where the courses were laid out - following the howls and shrieks of the cars as they caught up with the interrupted schedule from Saturday afternoon.
Interrupted by weather, as is often the case in this land where dark walls of cloud and towering thunderstorms approach with impunity across the level ground to bring their torrential and violent effects to the exposed racers. Saturday afternoon was only the first of several fierce storms that overtook the week - challenging drivers and crew members alike and raising holy hell with some of the heats to the endless consternation of the organizers.
Arriving at the course area I was surprised to find not two courses, but three. In addition to the butterfly symmetry of the pair of Pro Solo courses, off to the eastern edge the mighty beasts called Classic American Muscle were stretching their legs and showing remarkably agility in their own private battles.
CAM-S, CAM-T, and CAM-C are a new and well subscribed innovation within the ranks of SCCA Autocross, and I was not prepared for the stunning speed and build quality of many participants. Having watched the Optima Ultimate Street Car challenges on television I quickly made the connection and was drawn to this spectacle even before returning westward to cheer my fellow New Englanders in their efforts to master the hectic and demanding pair of Pro Solo courses.
Robby Unser drove this CAM Entry - holy cats!!
I do not run Pro Solo. I am chicken. The use of the starting lights and the pace of the runs and the bafflement of switching between mirrored courses just intimidates the hell out of me. It is however great fun to watch - a breathless spectacle which tends to put my eyes at odds with each other as one tried to watch the left course and the other one points right.
It is not too much however for a 12 certain year old young lady. I know this because the little girl I met years ago - Chang's daughter Kimsoo - was running her FJA cart as I arrived and started watching. Her focus, polished driving, and competitive spirit were never more evident. After her initial run on the left course her cart stalled after the finish line, when it should have proceeded immediately to the staging area for the other course, and there are strict time constraints which threaten any driver with a mechanical issue.
Chang ran to the stopped cart, and after some tweaking and pulling of the starter, and a quick consultation Kimsoo got it fired up and continued into her second run. This interruption would have destroyed my concentration, but not hers - she just kept gaining speed and running faster, as if nothing untoward had occurred.
And so with little to do on Sunday except wait for the registration and tech tents to open in the afternoon, I stayed and reveled in the speed and excitement of both the CAM and Pro Solo battles - happy to be spectating.
When 1 pm arrived I was near the beginning of the registration line, and also enjoyed a quick and cheerful tech inspection, and thus Gollum and I reached complete preparedness more than a day ahead of our initial runs on Tuesday morning.
So we waited, played, and acclimated to the saturated humidity, the 90+ degree temperatures, and the incessant south wind blowing 20 mph and gusting to 30. A curious form of paradise for the addicted Solo aficionado.
03-23-2016, 05:20 PM
