Auto-x event report

[glen.powell@smc.com]

  Sunday, July 30, SCCA NEDIV, NH Voc Tech, Concord NH, USA
  Sunny, hot, 85-90 F, dry.

    An average-size course was setup with no real slaloms
  and fairly nice sweeping turns. I thought, from walking the
  coures, that I would be between 3500-5500 RPM in second
  gear through most of the course, so I reduced backpressure
  by going from 8 to 10 plates on the Trapp. I planned to remove
  all the baffles if the track turned out to be as fast as I hoped.
  I started with 48 F 32 R tire pressures.

  On my first run I found that I was way overdriving the car
  and coming into the corners much too hot for the traction
  that my 2 year-old tires could muster. I way overcooked
  the finish and plowed staright over a cone, I had to back
  the car up to avoid an off-course, and when I did the
  front airdamn flipped the cone back up and left it standing
  in the box! No cone penaly and BIG CHEERS from the
  spectators! (I had no idea why they were cheering,
  I cound not see the cone flip back up)

  The stop-backup-and-go killed my time though,
  I came in at 50.x sec, others were running mid 40s.

  On my second run I setup with higher front tire pressures
  to try to dial-out some of the understeer and removed the
  two extra plates from the Trapp becuase I really misjudged
  the speed of the track, it was mid-range in second gear
  at best.  I needed more mid-range torque coming out of the
  corners. The car still really understeered but I managed
  a disappointing 46.x.

  I went higher still on runs 3 and 4 and got down to a
  respectable 44.x and controlled the understeer much
  better by controlling my speed in the corners and the
  attitude of the car with the throttle. Much better.
  I stuck with the 50 F 30 R pressures.

  My 5th and last run was a smokin' 43.x, that put me
  right in the hunt for first in GS, and almost two seconds
  out in front in my class, HS, and was good for my
  first win in my first SCCA event of the year. Felt good
  to be back.

  Two of the yoko RS IIs are now TOAST so I
  picked up a used set of 4x R1s in 205-55-14 for
  the event this Saturday with COMSCC at NHIS
  (New Hampshire International Speedway) for
  $120 US the set of four.

  -glen