Cone Mania (MoHud 5-31-09)

So last Sunday was the second local autocross of the season, and I predictably took 3rd in Street Mod out of a field of seven:

1. 49.362+DNF — 47.474+DNF — 48.057 — 47.394+1 — 47.482 — 46.956
2. 49.636 — 49.303 — 48.870 — 53.135+DNF — 48.589 — 49.310
3. 50.242+2 — 49.461+3 — 47.768+1 — 48.475+2 — 52.069+5 — 47.256+2

Last season I placed 3rd at every event, besides one 1st place and a 4th place (the NE Divisionals where competition was hot and heavy). I can take both good and bad away from this past week’s results. Firstly, I was more cone happy than ever, not getting a clean run during the event. That’s always disappointing, but as a consolation, I took two fun runs and ran clean 47s both times, so I believe my times are accurately reflected in the results – ie., those cones I were hitting weren’t giving me optimistic times. So really, I was quicker than number two.

But full disclosure? Number two was running the car that wasn’t competitive last season (his Subie wagon as opposed to his monster STi), and he’s still on street tires. And not just street tires, but Azenis, which are by now obsolete and a good second off of today’s top street tire contenders.

So I still have two competitors who are clearly faster drivers. The Evo is better prepared, while the Subie driver gets closer and closer to better prepared. I can’t wait till he finally breaks down and gets the r-compounds.

My 47 second times (w/o cone-age) were good for 2nd in raw times; there were only four of us getting sub-48 times out of a field of 51. So considering the ways in which the deck is stacked against me*, I am OK with the results.

June 13-14 is the National Tour stop at Seneca Army Depot, which I’ll be attending. Next local autocross is end of June.

* – I’m still on my V710s that I used all of last season (still plenty of life!!).
- I still have less experience than the people I’m nipping at the heels of.
- The MINI was insanely loose, partly because of the wet conditions in the AM, but mostly because I’ve played with the ride height and I believe I’m probably running random toe out at all four corners. I need to get an alignment soon.
- I’m still down two drive wheels and a few hundred horsies from the people I’m competing against.

I’m wondering about actually keeping some slight toe out up front, if indeed that was part of the looseness, because DAMN the car was turning in. A lot of the cones I hit were because the car turned in better than expected. But I still want the thing to behave safely on-track, so I’ll probably stick with zero toe up front and slight toe in in the rear. We’ll see.