race today

[EvoLady]

i really enjoyed the course too! i was really worried about the 2 lap deal having done that before but i think it was a great way to utilize the smaller but much better lot. thanks guys for a fun and sometimes tricky design.

i think all the novice did fine with it, i myself missed the turn once and apologize for going through two walls to get my second lap. the stop box was exciting for the Evo. i went through the last section full out most every time and had to use the steering wheel to help put enough pressure on the pedal to stop, but i did stop.

can't wait till next event!

[chuck schultz]

Back in the "old country," we ran two-lap events on small lots on a regular basis, and even experienced folks still lost count, either doing one or three laps, occasionally. It's just one of the factors that come into play on small lots. It can be a great source of subject matter for good-natured taunting.

I think the getting lost part may have partially been a product of having more cones than really necessary to describe the course. There is a tendency to try to make the intended path clear by having "just one more cone" here or there, but it's really easy to have the "sea of cones" effect take over, if you're not careful.

As many SSSes as we had wandering around, you might think that one of us would've said something about the way the finish was (not) working out. I have a really slow car with pretty good brakes and tires, and I didn't have enough room to stop easily. I won't be so shy about expressing reservations, in the future, especially since the national office has been pounding into our heads that start/finish areas are a subject of concern.

In all, it was a fun, faster-than-expected course with enough features, both man-made and natural, to keep us thinking and grinning.

[OverDrive418]

Loved the two-lapper course, wet mud, stop box and all! I was able to go flat out from the last cone in the slalom to the finish and still have plenty of room to stop. I pumped my brakes rather than slam them on and hold them, sort of like a human ABS I guess! At the Central Florida Region events we always had a U-shaped stop box we HAD to stop in so I guess I have a little more practice than the rest of you guys/gals/babies who are used to these wide open spaces and run-offs!


Yes, that was my small attempt at smack-talk

[TouringBubble]

What does that Honda weigh though ... like 1240 lb? You could have stopped it in there with 3 brakes lines missing and no fluid.

[dan68rs]

i was thinking the same thing, try it in a 3500lb car with stock brakes.

[TouringBubble]

Do you even have rear discs on the Formula?

[dan68rs]

yea its a rearend from a 95 z.

[Cholewa]

Although I love quick finishes, with our lack of space now, I think it might be a good idea to add a slow down feature before the lights, and allow there to be a straight finish section. So people can get the car down to maneuver some tight box, then have a 20 foot stretch of straight to the finish lights..

I might just be crazy though.

[jimkana]

Features will be tweaked, but I'll say again, that from a course design perspective, I think the finish worked as designed. This is the smallest section of all at that facility and it too is coming apart, due to some big heavy stuff parking there. That means we have a very limited number of routes that a car can safely pass through. The bigger we make the finish portion, the less space we have to actually drive.

Here is a thought if you think the finish is too fast: SLOW DOWN.

The only problems I saw at the finish was that some people waited too late to hit the brakes and took out a few cones. No one hit a curb, a light pole, another car or a person - nor did they even come close. The temptation and the assumption is that you can be full throttle all the way through the lights. Maybe now you can't. And if your brakes are not up to the task, perhaps you should invest in some good pads and rotors rather than that neon kit you've been thinking about - Rod Hardiman.

[rodhx]

Hey now...my ex-Todd-Green-now-Alan-Branch-on-loan-to-Rod brakes did just fine, thank you very much. I just need to tires to stop as well as the brakes

[TouringBubble]

Here is a thought if you think the finish is too fast: SLOW DOWN.

That's exactly what I tried to do Eric. The issue wasn't the box for me ... it was the kink right before the box. When I slowed early, the car was upset in the kink and stepped out. It was very difficult for me to keep the car planted through the kink because I had to bleed speed off way before the lights. Maybe the finish was fine, just biased for lighter cars?

My suggestion was to simply avoid upsetting the car with that kink, which was in the braking zone for the heavier/faster cars. I have no issue braking early and having a slow finish. My suggestion even included slowing before the lights.

I see where you're coming from, but please consider who you're talking to ... lol. Most people will push as hard as they can until they cross the lights. With how many people took out cones past the finish (which included a few veteran drivers), the finish on Sunday almost seemed rigged to add cones to runs. That's not really as much a safety issue as a notable annoyance that kills the fun of the day for some people.

[OverDrive418]

So now we're designing courses for people who can't seem to stop in time or get upset from a little kink in the finish?! Babies! You can't be a veteran and complain about such things.

The smacketh continues...


BTW, I too was pretty impressed with the Formula car being able to manuever and STOP as effectively as it did.

[TouringBubble]

Good thing I'm not a veteran, lol.

[OverDrive418]

I think with me in it and 3/4 tank my car weighs around 2550lbs. I only have the front discs. I just make the most of what I got...which ain't much! I saw plenty of Miatas having stopping issues and they can't weigh much more than that.

[TouringBubble]

The Miatas were just driving in really deep from what I saw. They stop great ... but there's that whole inertia thing too.

It looked to me like you and the Miatas could lift, take the kink, get back on the throttle through the lights and still stop, where I would lift about 20' before turning to the kink, balance the throttle to keep the rear in check, then get on the brakes hard as soon as I could straighten out.

Of course, when I'm carrying about 30 mph more than your girly car in that section, it's to be expected. =P