October 23, 2010

Last Event!

Today was the last event for Renegade Miata. When doing the initial course walk it seemed awkward, but after driving it, the course it was actually really fun and a nice change from the usual elements. I couldn't find anyone to co-drive with that had a car I was interested in trying out, so I spent my last event co-driving Bruce's NC Miata again. With his front A arm fixed, it was a much better experience than my last time in it. Thanks Bruce!My fastest time was a 1'19 , so that wasn't too bad, but there is still plenty of time left within that car. Bruce's best time of the day was 1'20, which is a huge improvement for him this year. The final results are located here on the club website.
Check out my fastest time in the video below, along with a fun run video in Wayne's new Mazdaspeed RX-8. His car had 19's from Volk Racing, and a staggered setup! It was interesting to feel how much a staggered setup can change the handling characteristics of the car. Check out here for some great pictures that were taken at the event as well!



October 16, 2010

Sal's Ride

Since the accident, I have been thinking over long and hard what my next project will be. For now, I decided to take a co-drive with my friend Sal in his 1.6 Litre NA Miata and give it a shot. I wanted to compare it to the Miata I drove at National Tour in New York and see if a Miata would be a fun project car.

The course had some great features to it, especially with the slalom and then straight into the chicago box section. There were various things I could have done to drive faster, as I am definitely not used to a car that uses momentum to get around and not have to brake as hard. It was a fun learning experience to say the least, but after the event I felt as though a NA Miata would not be for me. Perhaps as a side project for fun, but not as my main project build.
Below is my fastest run of the day with a 1'20, with the rest of the videos on my youtube channel. The final results of the event are located here. Next weekend is the last Renegade Miata event, maybe I'll see if I can co-drive a different car. Perhaps a S2000..?

October 10, 2010

Stirling Moss Runoff

That's it folks, the last points event of the SCCA New England Region, as well as the Stirling Moss Runoff. Some of you may be wondering why I didn't attend the previous SCCA event and co-drive with someone else? Being overwhelmed and upset with everything that had happened, I was originally thinking of calling the rest of the year off… but what fun is that? Giving up on something I am so passionate about is not exactly who I am. That being said, I kept my chin up and co-drove with Dave in his STX RX-8 for a final dance with SCCA.The course was pretty short I noticed, but it had a few tricky parts that required you to slow down quite a bit. I think my favorite part was all of the beginning section after the first turn around. You'll notice in the videos that we enter what looks like a chicago box almost, and then quickly hop out, just to hop back to the left. I noticed that I'm getting better with transitioning the weight around in the car when flying into a clam shell or hard turn, though I need to work at my braking; ESPECIALLY trail braking. Dave made a good observation about that, though I can't exactly practice that when it's the end of the season.
At the end of the day, I placed 3rd in Street Mod, with a fastest raw time of '55.0 +3 cones(ouch!) and a fastest clean time of '55.4. Dave took second in STX with a '54.4, though his fastest dirty time was '54.1 +2 Cones. Congratulations to Nate Whipple for scoring 1st in pax for the Stirling Moss Runoff, that trophy is gorgeous! Final results are here, with pax located here and then raw times located here. The event was overall a great time, and it was great to see all the familiar faces for the last time until the end of the year banquet where they give off awards.I'll be giving a review sometime in November about my season with the two clubs, going over some things I liked and disliked and my overall experience. Until then, check out the videos below, starting with my fastest dirty time and fastest clean time, followed by Dave's fastest dirty time. His fastest time was unfortunately not recorded. The rest of the videos are located on my youtube page. Thanks to Ed Savage for the awesome on course pictures, check out the rest of his photos here.







October 9, 2010

Mid Night's Strip Party

I suppose something that is always necessary is to look at the positive side of all things, regardless of how negative it may seem. The positive side here? Simple; stripping the car completely dry! Granted three is a lot to pull out, but it's kind of neat to approach this with a different mentality than installing parts. Instead of focusing on installing it right and taking your time with it all, you simply grab a wrench and start taking things off.Big thanks to Mike, Dave and Kevin for coming out and helping me work on the car as I would have not gotten as much work done just by myself. We managed to get a lot done this Saturday, and now it's time to rest up before race day tomorrow. There is still plenty left to pull, so be sure to stay tuned.