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For me, 6 opportunities was not enough to get a good run from today’s autocross course. In fact, I’ll say I did lousy, with my first 3 runs resulting in succeedingly slower runs each time. To say I was frustrated (& humbled) is an understatement, especially after really enjoying my perceived success during last month’s SASCA autocross.
John (with guided expertise from SASCA VP Chris & Pres Ricky) put together a challenging course with his first foray into autocross course design. He included 2 very different chicanes connected by a frustrating (to me) long, right-hand sweeper that was open to a variety of racing line interpretations. That quick left-hand pin turn caught many of us out, as well. I will say it was a good track layout – fine job John, on your first course!
That was the effect that today’s 2nd 2012 SASCA (San Antonio Sports Car Association) Autocross had on me. It seems most of my fellow competitors were in less of a funk than I & many enjoyed the challenge. Oh well, it was a well-run event & we had great weather. The event started in the predawn darkness in the mid-40′s & got into the comfortable high, sunny 60′s plus.
The previous 2 days of rain did a nice job of clearing the dusty parking lot surface. But contrarily it pooled up trailings of fine gravel that caught out me (& others) if you went off the main, developing race line. Even with course workers brooming off the majority of said gravel, being in the first run group left to us the task of blowing out a relatively clear path. PANTS! caught my drama with this shot!
Here’s some general views of the Retama Park site & some of the cones, out there…
Today’s autocross course taught me that this sport continuously challenges you. It confirms that no matter what level of equipment you bring to the track (which is newly designed each time), working on that ‘nut behind the wheel’ is the ultimate experience in realizing you still have SO much more to learn.
Racing Ready looks forward to the SASCA 2012 AutoX #3 event, scheduled to take place next month at Retama Park, on Sunday, March 4, 2012. Till then, I’ll lick my (Karlino‘s) tortured daily driver tires’ wounds, eat humble pie & see what next month’s event brings…
Here are some actual impressions from current F1 drivers, anticipating the Austin USGP F1 race this coming November 18th, 2012. It’s going to happen – in our back yard!
Mark Webber: “The track looks awesome. It is a little bit old school, which is good because there are some sharp turns.”
Mexico’s Sergio Peres: “I’m really looking forward to racing in Austin…and to discover more about the new circuit. It will be the closest race to my home.”
Jenson Button: “I remember racing in the States before in Indianapolis which was a good circuit. But the steps that Austin have taken to make sure this is a proper F1™ circuit, I think we’re going to love it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
After 5 months of my autocross inactivity & a set of new street Falken (M+S) tires for Karlino, it was good to get back into SASCA autocross competition at Retama Park, last Sunday, January 29th!.
There were quite a number of new faces, which was good to see. In my CS class, I had 4 competitors, a father/son team sharing driving duties in James’ 2006 Nissan 350Z, a ’99 Miata that looked like mine (but with the factory Hard S suspension package, 15″ wheels & R-compound tires), & Tom’s 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5 (Miata). I had co-driven this car with Tom back in the summer of 2009.
The SCCA car classification rules do their best to equalize competition between dissimilar cars. Although I am in a stock class, there are a number of items that can be changed to optimize your competition capability. In my case, I can:
upgrade from 14″ to 15″ wheels with certain rim width restrictions
change tire width & go to R-compounds within a certain limit of the stock width
install a larger front (not rear) sway bar (up to 1.25″)
upgrade & replace the exhaust from the cat (catalytic converter) back, with a higher flow (& more aggressive sounding) muffler
All it takes is money! None of these are in consideration for Karlino except for a possible wheel/tire change – and only for autocross/track events, not daily driving.
For this autocross I went with a cheap & easy “upgrade”. I got a full tank of premium gas a couple days prior. Karlino normally runs fine on 87 octane, but I decided to try 93 premium for the first time. It took about 30 miles to notice the improvement in throttle response – nice! I expect to do this again before the next autocross, but my next tank will be back to 87.
In some ways, I equate autocrossing to playing golf. Say what? Well, I’m not a golfer, but I have some buddies that enjoy duffing the ball. They say golf is a very personal game – you are actually competing against yourself. So, in autocross, since my car is still factory stock & not as “equal” to others in my stock class, I take solace is getting a better time with each subsequent run.
The SASCA 2012 AutoX #1 was that kind of event for me. Being the course designer gave me a bit of an pre-emptive heads up of how the course would go. But as always, at speed the course is very different. This time round I was pretty satisfied with most of my 6 runs, clinching my best time on my last run. To me that was very satisfying. I placed 3rd out of the five of in the CS class. That’s okay with me. I did the best with the abilities & equipment I had…
Racing Ready is looking forward to see what February’s SASCA autocross course will be like. I hear rumors it will be filled with slaloms… The date of the next event is February 19, 2012. It will again be at Retama Park…
In Maxwell, Texas, about 2 miles ESE of the Mazda Raceway at Harris Hill (& near the San Marcos Municipal Airport), Brianne Corn has her own little slice of rally competition heaven. It’s her Brianne Corn Raceway (the BCR, as well as her shop). She’s been at/on this property (blazing trails with various rally style cars – mostly Subarus) for about 5 years & made it official about three years ago with the property owner.
As you can see, with that huge muffler out front, all things are bigger in Texas. I was surprised & pleased at the turnout of fans & competitors for this premiere RallyCross event.
I met James Wilson, the impetus behind TexasRallySport.com. He has dedicated all his occupational pursuits to this effort! Both he & Brianne have been actively involved in a variety of autocross & other grassroots racing pursuits. They both share the passion for the sport of Rally driving & racing. They are both working hard to restore & grow interest in the sport throughout Texas.
On Saturday, January 21, 2012, I arrived just prior to 9am, on this chilly crisp, but sunny morning. Technical inspection & registration were just about finishing up. As this was the first of these events, things were scheduled on a “lets see how this turns out & move forward” basis. This was a learning experience for all – the relaxed atmosphere was good.
Next was the drivers meeting, followed by a Novice course walk through & orientation for just about everybody, conducted by Brianne, of course.
In addition to the dirt/clay surface, you didn’t want to stray off the the course. You would be inviting a tire puncture from the indigenous Mesquite that is always growing in this region of Texas. Those thorns are a very stiff 3/4″ to 1″ plus long – OUCH!
After that, the morning run group (2WD) gathered on grid & started to feel out what it was like to “do it in the dirt”. I was up on the elevated timing & scoring trailer & got this panorama shot of Brianne’s course area. (Click image for full size…)
I made my way around the course to see the action. It was slow going through that Mesquite brush – I sure wish I had a machete… One competitor was autocross & Harris Hill Road regular Jon Etkins. Here’s a still shot of his “2 person bus” Miata slinging around the midway “pin” turn, followed by a bumper cam video he posted:
Here’s what Jon had to say:
I decided to take a break from the usual track work this weekend, for a track of a different sort. Enjoy.
My fastest run of the day, on the way to victory in 2WD and 6th place outright in the inaugural Texas Rally Sports RallyCross at Brianne Corn Raceway just outside San Marcos.
Here’s another competitor in a Ford Rental Racer – note the artful use of blue painters tape…
Jon’s driving style was a great example of smooth is fast. In contrast, Brianne offers no mercy, pushing her car to its limits & beyond. I’m guessing that is one of the many differences of piloting a 2WD vs. a 4WD in these conditions. Check out her favorite picture of the event, followed by her fastest run video:
Here are Brianne’s comments:
I was running in the AWD Rally class in my Rally America Open Light Impreza. I have a welded center diff in the car that prevents me from using the hand brake for the pin turn. It would just lock up all 4 wheels. Other than that it was a good run.
Of course, even with 2 cones, she got TTD (top time of day)!
James Wilson, and his Team of ever-willing volunteers, ran a good show. Both traditional & state of the art timing & scoring tools were used.
As you can infer, I did not compete in Karlino. I figured the 13 year old suspension would not be up to that possible punishment. Besides, this NB Miata is my daily driver.
I also did not avail myself to any ride-alongs, but in retrospect I should have. Observing from the sidelines, I noted the course was about 70 to 80 seconds in length (but some were faster). Watching the vehicles speed through the brush, the overall speed seemed a bit slower than on a paved autocross parking lot. Part of that was due to the fact that the brush & uneven clay surface absorbed much of the engine & other mechanical sounds. Also, obviously, there were no sounds of tire squeal. I’m sure Brianne’s speed was up there, & beyond some!
The event did not go off completely without some issues. A few cars’ tires popped off of their rims & a couple of vehicles performed atypical maneuvers which resulted in some cracked windshields & rippled sheet metal. Only the drivers’ prides were hurt – all were safe & had a good time!
Texas RallySport has spawned. It should be even better with their next event at Texas World Speedway (TWS) just outside of College Station, TX. This will take place next month on Saturday, February 18, 2012. Racing Ready knows more off road challenges will continue…
By Dave Doolittle | Thursday, January 26, 2012, 02:57 PM
A couple of longtime Elroy residents who have been closely following work out at Circuit of the Americas have set up a live 24-hour webcam so others can peek in on construction, too.
“We want to show that it’s happening, and that it’s going to happen. It’s a way to encourage people who want to see the track and who want to see the race.” said Vance Facundo, an administrator of the Friends of Formula One Austin, Texas Facebook page. He operates the camera with Wyman Gilliam, owner of Wild Bubba’s Wild Game Grill near the circuit.
The Speed City Cam is set atop a 40-foot tower on property just east of the circuit and pans to several fixed positions every few seconds. Facundo said he can point the camera anywhere work is going on.
Unfortunately, a house blocks the view of the paddock buildings and main grandstand, where the bulk of the work is currently taking place.
The Speed City Cam website has had about 5,000 views since it went live a few weeks ago, and two to three people are usually watching at any given time, Facundo said.
Work has been going on at the circuit six days a week, officials have said, and they expect to have it completed in time for the inaugural race Nov. 16 through 18. Crews have occasionally poured slabs for buildings at night, when the weather is cooler and trucks can avoid Austin traffic, an engineer told the American-Statesman.
Facundo said the camera will only show the circuit during construction and will be redirected once the track becomes operational.
2011 was a relatively lackluster year here at RacingReady.com… I will admit I lacked speed passion! It was also a tough year for motorsports…
I DO have some plans for 2012. I hadn’t participated in actual autocross running since this past summer when I co-drove my Contributing Blogger’s hot, yellow Corvette – that was FUN! Thanks again, Eric!!!
This past weekend, my good friend Brianne Corn has brought RallyCross competition to South/Central Texas. I was there, & will blog about it. For now, I will say it was VERY interesting!
Next, I’ve volunteered to be the SASCA January 2012 autocross course designer at Retama Park. I’ve done a few courses at the previous AT&T Center parking lot (3 years ago) & more recently at the NEISD parking lot. This is my first time creating a course at Retama Park. As usual, it will be an interesting challenge & I may have a surprise, or 2.
Although I will still keep my 1999 Mazda Miata, Karlino, in the stock CS class, I may be able to make some upgrades to Karlino that could make it more competitive, later in the year. We shall see…
There will be other new & exciting events I don’t know about yet, but we ALL know about the Austin Formula 1 USGP, scheduled for next November 18, 2012!!! WooHoo – WOOT!
Racing Ready is getting ready for a new & VERY interesting New Year. May it be a HAPPY one for you all!
Today on AutoWeek.com, I found this “feel good” video of a boy & his Dad BOTH enjoying the thrill of a Porsche 911′s acceleration. I’d say that if you want your children to enjoy the rewards of driving cars as they were meant to be used (not as appliances), this type of sharing would be great. In addition, this is a great bonding experience, for both you and your offspring.
Therefore, Racing Ready suggests you safely strap in your little ones to properly start their enjoyment of the joy of horsepower!
![Karlino getting unexpected tire(s) replaced! [December 2011]](http://racingready.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Karlino-getting-unexpected-tires-replaced-December-2011.jpg "Karlino getting unexpected tire(s) replaced! [December 2011]")
