I am sitting here eyeballing the electronic invoice for the new racing tires, and the helpful notice regarding my installation appointment on Monday.

I am trying not to look out the window, because it is (of course) snowing again.

Oi vey,

Charlie

 

However, putting the racing wheels back on the car and washing it yet again is a pretty good indicator.

Now I don't want to drive it 'cause it's cuter than a pail full of kittens.

Tomorrow the Bridgestones...

But first - the Malaysian Grand Prix!

Cheers to all - especially those with Spring Fever!

Charlie

 

Great race today, should be a fantastic season.
Thanks for posting about your F56, i really enjoy your passion and thoughts about creating a better sports car. I thought I wanted an "S" but your comments and car are changing my mind. Sometimes less is more. Hope you have a successful autocross season.
chuck

 

Right there with you, Charlie. This morning I mounted new rubber on my summer wheels, but I don't dare put them on yet. It is sunny and near 30 today, so I'm sorting out the garage a bit. I would love to run the new tires, but then I shovel snow from the shadows (the north side still has about 6" of snow, but the rest of the driveway is clear).

Mother Nature is more cruel than normal this year, my cabin fever is awful.

I just look forward to the daily drive, no autocross. Thanks for the stories.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Thanks to both of you gents!

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Well it is 45 degrees and Gollum is sporting a set of RE-71 stickies.

But I dasn't try them out at this temperature!

RESTRAINT LAD - RESTRAINT!

Do NOT put the belts on...

 

So, how did they feel on that little test drive?

 

Better than Hoosiers, given the temperature. But seriously, I'll be lucky if I can give them a proper go on the 19th of April at the first event. No tire of this type will offer its full potential until it has sufficient heat.

In the mean time, it's pointless for me to be sliding them around and putting a bunch of wear (or worse grain) on them just because I have spring fever.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Well folks, It got warmer.

So at 63 degrees I took Gollum III to the test area.

For those that haven't slogged through the threads for Gollum I, and Gollum II, the test area is a perfect circle with the magic radius that puts 60 mph at 1G lateral. Don't know that radius? Get your trig books out from high school.

Gollum I - the full on STX build based on the R53 - could drive around that circle all damned day at 62 mph without drama. (205 R1R, 225 R1R [not good on 7" rim], 205 RS3)

Gollum II - the H Street build based on the R56 - could follow, but barely - and with some significant slip angles. (205 R1R [I learned])

Gollum III - with the out of the box F56 Sport Suspension and a fresh set of 2015 RE-71 Bridgestones just went around in style and comfort at 64 mph. (205 RE-71R)

40 psi front, 46 psi rear. Nice controllable lift-throttle oversteer means I could point the car with the throttle at any time. No mushy steering, no noise from the tires. That's 1.06 g lateral with plenty to spare.

DAMN!

Should be an interesting season in G Street.

Thanks Bridgestone.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

For those who are insatiable, here is the table of speed and lateral G at the magic radius:

G Mph
0.5 30

0.75 45

1 60
1.01 60.6
1.02 61.2
1.03 61.8
1.04 62.4
1.05 63
1.06 63.6
1.07 64.2
1.08 64.8
1.09 65.4
1.1 66
1.11 66.6
1.12 67.2
1.13 67.8
1.14 68.4
1.15 69
1.16 69.6
1.17 70.2
1.18 70.8
1.19 71.4
1.2 72
1.21 72.6
1.22 73.2
1.23 73.8
1.24 74.4
1.25 75

1.5 90



Cheers,

Charlie

And yes, Gollum I pulled 1.13 with Hoosiers on, and I never got the number for Gollum II - but no doubt in the 1.09 range due to less camber. The STX build was low and -2.5 in front. The H Street build was of course stock, and struggling to reach -.7 camber, although I was sporting a very nice set of Koni Yellows to help dampen excessive roll. Gollum III has a full degree of camber and all y'all that talked me into the Sport Suspension - I owe ya.

So at a cool 61 degrees I am showing 1.06 with the Bridgestones, which puts them hands down in the "stickiest ever" street tire category, and at 72 degrees they might climb near to Hoosier territory.

That's why I am licking my chops.

Of course, my G Street competitors are no fools, so I may be bringing a gun to a gun fight...

 

Nice, very nice...

But, ya know, a wash, polish and wax job on the finish is probably good for another 0.01g

Glad you had a good day.

 

Not to mention Armour All for the tires - particularly the tread.

By the way, the radius is 240' in the test area.

Does my math work?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Well folks, Gollum had a pretty good day.

Results here. PAX here.

More to come on my return from the UK - I had only time for three runs before needing to leave for a flight.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Charlie, do you get to the less used parts of the forum?
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...it-s-huge.html

 

Thanks for the pointer - I have been browsing mostly in the F56 section and had missed the other 3rd Gen content.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Ah it is good to be home. Spring is further along in the UK - at least a couple of weeks further. Leaves and flowers and 60 degrees and sun. I seem to have the best luck on my sojourns to the upper Thames.

And indeed we had great luck on our first points event! No sleet, no drizzle, no bone-aching 30 something degree punishment but instead a cool morning warming up to a fabulous sunny and dry day with pavement temperatures rising to the level where the mighty Hoosiers actually worked.

And what a crowd!


We had well over a dozen folks join us who all had been participants in the Saturday "Starting Line" event and were uniformly eager to run on a full course against the whole legion of New England regulars. We had a generous helping of serious muscle, including a new Corvette whose driver elected to use the electronic launch control while I was standing a few feet off the driver's side front fender waiting to wave this screaming apparition out onto the course. Not sure that helped him but damned fine drama nonetheless.

We had Vipers and Camaros and Mustangs and Miatai by their dozens. We had the ultra-quick Nissan SM car wrought by the talented hands of PJ Corrales and driven by several of the G-Fab drivers - all of whom are eminently watchable tearing up the course.

We had one car which appeared to have been assaulted by thieves who had stolen the entire body leaving only the wheels and drive train and a fine looking windshield and a cockpit graced by a mysteriously stock steering wheel - a lonely remnant of what might once have been a fully clothed sports car of some ilk. The mystery around this E Modified entry cleared when it was conveyed that this was indeed an early stage in the build of the Factory Five 818 that Tamra Hunt was tuning and refining. That car was quick even at this early stage and should prove a runner over time.



We had the usual suspects of course, ranging from Billy Davis (who again beat his father - oh shameless one) who took top PAX in the CSP Miata, to the grinning cherub who is Kimsoo Gopnik driving her Junior Kart to the usual embarrassing pace and thereby raw timing about half the field. I should point out that she did NOT raw time me - I escaped that fate by six hundredths!

With such a massive crowd (over 170 drivers) we had no hope of getting out usual six runs and set out for five with all participants changing worker roles "on the fly" and hoping the weather would permit us to complete the event before 5 pm. This goal was indeed reached, with almost 900 runs completed on the day - a testament to hard work and good spirit among all the participants.



The course was long but not tricky, with good sight lines and an excellent mix of fast and slow which left room for the larger cars and did not confound the 16 novices. Gollum liked the course very well - slipping through the tighter elements with ease and slithering around the sweepers while demonstrating the extraordinary grip of the RE-71 rubber on a cool day.

My first two runs were dirty, but not too slow. On each run, and despite my hasty attempts to remedy the situation, I was surprised by the radio as I entered the main runway about a quarter of the way into the course. It seems I had left the stereo on and not known because it was tuned to a frequency which could not be received in grid. However at that fateful right-hander leading to the mains all of a sudden the radio found its source and its voice and thus I was treated to an animated and LOUD discussion of cheating using iPhones during championship chess matches as I negotiated the first slalom and the following three clamshells. This diatribe was not conducive to focus and while I am not blaming the cone during that run on the distraction I must say it didn't help!

Embarrassingly enough, I did not fix the problem properly after that run - despite pushing a few buttons and thinking I had done so. Accordingly the second run also featured an unexpected voice within the car at approximately the same moment on course. This time I took my hand off the wheel and hastily turned the volume to zero. And then three elements later I entered a quick three-cone slalom with far too much speed and center punched the exit cone! Oi vey.

Now I knew I had to get this done in three runs, as the day was progressing slowly and the specter of that departing international flight was hanging over me as I contemplated my mistakes. I therefore girded my loins (so to speak) and ensured the stereo was truly OFF, and proceeded to the last run of the morning (actually around noon) heat.

Mercifully Gollum proceeded with good grace and considerable alacrity around the entire course - using my last chance well and securing a time which withstood the entire day. That 61.5 kept me just out of the clutches of the talented Kimsoo, and more importantly ahead of the G Street field by almost 1.5 seconds.

Do I take any pleasure at spanking a well driven Ford Focus ST with far more horsepower and rubber? Do I have an internal grin at distancing myself from the quick driving of Mister Barck in the proven Subaru? Do I chuckle that Gollum and I were able to escape the efforts of Mister Kangas who has cut a broad swath competing in Rally Cross and was co-driving the Impreza?

Oh HECK yes! I'm no angel, and after fun it is about competition. I was well pleased to have such a strong start to the season and delighted that the relatively stock Gollum tolerated my slightly rusty driving to beat the field.

Lest I sound too smug, I should observe that when Warren gets the rust off, and when Barbara completes her transition from a RWD B Stock Corvette (which she has campaigned for years) to the FWD Focus my tookus will be in the cooking pot I am certain.

And so around two PM, with the event entering the second heats so that all drivers could add two more runs to their morning's work, I made my apologies and left the event. Thanks to Barbara who took over the starter's job in my stead, and to Bob Davis for forgiving my premature departure to travel overseas.

I glanced at the http://sololive.ner.org site as I hastily parked Gollum and waited briefly for the cab to the airport, and was not surprised to see that the hot-shoes had driven my PAX result from the early peak of 7th all the way down to 25th by the time the dust had settled. Such is life up in NER where so many truly talented drivers hone their skills.

In G Street however, I have set the bar and earned the bulls-eye which will now remain affixed to me and to Gollum going into the next event.

So be it.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

You left without attending the after-event party?!?

FOR SHAME, Charlie!

 

Guilty.

And of course I could not sleep on the damned Delta flight to Heathrow (Virgin should be ashamed of that partnership) and wound up with about a 38 hour day before collapsing at the Beaumont House Monday night.


That's a soft landing I guess, and my dear boss did not comment too much on my heavy lids during our Monday afternoon session...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Well dear readers, Gollum once again has distinguished himself as a rather capable G Street car. We're two for two so far this year, and that is an unarguably promising start to the 2015 season.

Just to put this in perspective for you, with reference to my diminutive nemesis, I made the very poor decision to go talk smack to Kimsoo (remember Kimsoo?) after the morning runs. I said - cheerfully and politely - Kimsoo I've got you by three tenths!

So Kimsoo went TWO SECONDS faster in the afternoon. Silly Charlie! When the dust had settled she and her cart had me by just under a second.

However, I had the G Street field by a bit more than that, so I just need to stick with my class and not provoke talented FJB drivers...

Barbara is rapidly figuring out how to drive her new Focus - having two back to back days of practice as an aid. She ran with the Renegade Miata club on Saturday and the SCCA on Sunday, and continues to get faster.

Not sure where Warren was this past weekend, but we missed him. We also missed a visit to G Street by Eric Chiang, who registered for the event and would have run a MazdaSpeed 3 except for a last minute scheduling conflict that intervened. Gollum and I might have dodged a bullet there as Eric is a very talented driver - we shall never know.

The weather was just brilliant, with the slight threat of rain in the latter part of the afternoon amounting to no more than a few sprinkles that worried those of us in the 4th heat but actually did not matter against the warm pavement.

My opening runs in the morning were 57.091 followed by 57.083, and then I got temperamental and attacked the course for a dirty 56.5 which at least moved my mental block aside.

In the afternoon I spoke sternly to myself and focused on looking ahead, which made all the difference as Barbara dropped into the 56 second range and I ultimately ran a 55.1. Sometimes the fundamentals make all the difference.

So despite over 150 participants, and despite our welcoming over 30 novices, we got our six runs and left sore and mostly happy.

I swear there is little that tickles me more than dancing through offset walloms with the car sliding and catching at just the right moments - it is just intoxicating, exhilarating, and addictive.

Our Axware web services were unhappy this event, so I shall have to post the times of the day once they have been healed.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Charlie,
Awesome start to the year, we are all behind you. It is great to see the new platform working so well, Mini should use you in ads. Clearly you have a great feel for how your car is reacting to surface and weather changes and are able to adapt. Let's just say you are a racer. Keep having fun and enjoy the year, we are all waiting to hear the results after each race weekend.
chuck

 

Thanks for those kind words from a fellow Mini-ac.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Bless our Timing & Scoring volunteers, and our Webmaster.

Results! PAX, RAW, Final.

Not bad for an old duffer in a 3 cylinder econobox.

:-)

If you're silly enough to be reading this, and you haven't tried autocrossing a Mini - may I respectfully suggest you have a go?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Lol all the way

Any further plans to sharpen your knife for a gun fight

Seems it's working out well so far

Next time your over here make sure you take me and my car to Milton Keynes, this I have to see 1st hand

 

Koni won't make a shock for the F56 it seems - silly folks. So I am reduced to tightening the loose nut (you know which one) with another Phase II / Challenge weekend with Mike Johnson's Evo School.

Of course I shall have made an *** of myself at our Devens National in June before those fine instructors get their hands on me in July...

Cheers,

Charlie

PS: Bloody hell! You hail from Oxford! That's a pretty place without a doubt.

 

nice work! i see fedja post a lot in the evo forums, seems like a good driver as well. plans for nats this year?