In G Stock this Sunday for the first time and want to wish him the best of luck.

 

 

Thanks for the encouragment from both of you, sndwave and MINIclo !

The MINI is all ready for the race, and I have spent the day testing and making sure that all the new mods are ready for race day!

Anyone in Birmingham should make it out to the Birmingham Race Track for some excellent free motorsports entertainment.

I'll post race results tomorrow night!

 

Hey, that's great news....best of luck out there!!! Tear 'em up!!!!!

 

Hope you leave 'em pickin cactus toothpicks outta their teeth (or is it yucca as in yuk yuk?)...or at least have a ball trying!

Congratulations for getting into a race!

Looking forward to your adventures (results? jeeezzzeee....go easy on yourself...first race and all...ok, WOW us!)

 

You never know, I could be up against pro-solo types or other complete amateurs such as myself. I know I am inexperienced, but I have received good training and have prepared myself mentally and am definitely going into it expecting to win if I can drive to my full potential.

I won't be disappointed if I do not take 1st in my class, but always best to set your goals high.

 

Well, I took 3rd in my class, and less than 0.2 seconds separated 1st from 3rd on a long 90 second course.

On my last run, I finally figured out how sticky the R-compounds were and I had a great run, but came in too fast on the slalom and lost some time as I fishtailed around the cones. Had I not done that, I would have beaten my best time by a second or so.

So all in all, I had a great day, got a 3rd place trophy, and know what to expect for my second race later this month.

First place went to a MINI, and second went to a Ford Focus SVT which was running an illegal intake, but I did not want to make a stink about it for my first competitive event. If he shows up next time, I will protest :evil:



_________________

SE Regional, BAMA Club Moderator: PM me

 

A big congrats Andrew on your first auto-x and taking 3 in your class.

I can understand where you’re coming from Andrew about being the new kid there and not making waves, but if his car was not to regulation to the class it should have been pointed out. I think you also told me he didn’t drive with the rest of the class, but arriving late got to run later. Could that have also been an advantage to him?

None of it matters now other than you did great your first time out and I wish you all the best for next race.

 

I will miss the next local auto-x as I will be accompanying a friend on a cross-country trip but I will be certain to point out a car that does not meet the rules for the class.

He should have been smart enough not to advertise his illegal mods with stickers, and I did see the cold air intake under the hood of that Focus. I just wanted to come home and research both the SCCA rules, the specs on a Focus SVT, and lurk on some Focus message boards before taking the risk of making an *** of myself right off the bat if I was wrong.

I doubt that his CAI made the difference, and I know that I can do better next time. I only lost 2 points for the season, so it really does not matter very much if I lost to a car that was not playing by the rules.

The most important thing is that I had a lot of fun and know what to expect from the local racing scene as well as myself and my MINI. Also, knowing that I was within 0.2 seconds of the fastest car in my class (another MCS) encourages me and suggests that I do not have far to go before getting my own 1st place finish.

Next time, I am not going to be afraid to see what those Hoosiers can do

_________________

SE Regional, BAMA Club Moderator: PM me