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Re: Marina AutoX Report (lonish)



My first autoX!
I drove my 87.5 coupe GT which was classed as H stock. I was in run
group 3 so I got to watch a lot of other cars run first during the
morning. Watching other cars and walkthroughs, while helpful, don't
really prepare you for the intensity of driving required. 
   My first run went pretty well, I thought. Felt like I was going
pretty darn fast and I didn't hit any cones. The time: a pitiful 91.031.
I had put paint on my tires to check for rollover and I had Dennis Hale
look at my tires. Hey, why not ask an expert right? He suggested I lower
them anout 4 psi. So I lowered 'em. Meanwhile I think Sharon posted a 79
or 80 in her A4 her first time out. Rats, I must really suck. 
   My second run I posted an 86.755 no cones despite an annoying engine
miss problem happening through the whole run. Very disconcerting to have
your engine turning on and off randomly. At least I improved my time. 
   For my third run I let another few psi of air out and prayed that the
motor wouldn't just stall right in the middle of the course. I really
went for broke on this one. Went into the hairpin left really hot, but
gathered it up just before the cones. Went through the 10 cone slalom
with epic body roll, plowed around the turnaround, back through the
slalom, around the other left hairpin, plowing, with full throttle up
the back (one lift spot, glad I don't have trailing throttle oversteer)
and around the fast sweeper, hard on the brakes for the 90 and back
through the timing gate. 80.746 seconds no cones.
    My final run I tightened up my line through the slalom, but blew my
downshift at the left hand 90 near the end of the run. Still managed a
79 something with no cones.
    A fun experience. The coupe understeers badly and leans badly.
Michelin MXV-4 tires suck for autoX. (At least since they are so hard,
they didn't wear much.) The coupe had good gearing for this event. I was
able to stay in second the whole way, although for the 90 I should have
gone to first.
Wolff

snip
> > 14 Audis showed up (9 competed) - 11 A4s (the
>    others were qlisters; Mike Veglia, Gross, and Wolff)
> > Corey Smith kicked butt.....his 97 1.8TQM Wett 1.0 bar
> with Antera 121 17" wheels and Bridgestone S0-2 Pole
> Positions were in fine form. Corey managed to clock
> two runs in the 69 second range (His last run...a fun
> run....he got a 69.08 with no penalty seconds).  Just
> as a comparison...low et on the track was done
> by Dennis Hale (Datsun 510) at 63.8 seconds.
> 
snip