GGR AX #5 today, very challenging course Options

[DanT]

Today was our 5th AX this season and this was a challenging course.
914 drivers were in the hunt all day.
Andrew B looks to have TTOD sewn up yet again.
BillP and Randal driving Fritz (the tail dragger) were in the top 5 as well as Steve Nieslony in his 914 AX light weight car.
I am pretty sure I was in the top 15 with my 2.0L (160K mile) motor. Thank goodness for a well set up suspension. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The motor certainly isn't helping my cause any (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Only other 914s in attendance were Billd in his stockish 2.0L on street tires and a black 914-6 that I know nothing about other than the driver is on a learning curve (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

So more than likely we had 4 914 drivers (two sharing a tail dragger) in the top 5 or 6. Official results should be out in a day or two along with some pics.

Times ranged from a low :42 by AndrewB to high 47s for the really fast crowd and then the rest.
The interesting part of todays course was that the majority of fast times were recorded by the older Porsches be they 914s or 911s. Probably only 2 or possibly 3 newer cars in the top 10.
But again we will see what the official times look like.

[nebreitling]

thanks for the report, dan. i'm waiting for Fritz to challenge the Smurf for TTOD. given some time for Bill and Randal to get used to the car in a tight course, i think think they've got a good chance.

[Randal]

thanks for the report, dan. i'm waiting for Fritz to challenge the Smurf for TTOD. given some time for Bill and Randal to get used to the car in a tight course, i think think they've got a good chance.

As Dan mentioned it was a tough course (by the way Dan's car is really beautiful).

I didn't talk with anyone that really learned it within the normal two runs. I personally never got close to a well driven clean run, so we left a lot of time out there..

Interesting that you mention the "tight course.” There is another new dimension, i.e., the course yesterday was 20 feet wide in most places.

I was talking to one of the Autocross chairs and he said this is now STANDARD.

Guess they have never read the official autox guide by Roger, i.e., the SCCA guide, which of course I’m going to be sending them..

Also the thing that I realized yesterday watching and timing all the fast guys was that a light weight 914 will always turn faster than a heaver car. You just have to watch them through the slalom course to see it. Also ask Grant who was driving a tank (but fast I might mention) about the slalom course. He was really having to work.

And if you didn't count a few cones that jumped in front of the car when Bill and I were driving, I think we've made considerable progress on at least Steve. Bill’s car was definitely a mid 42 second car, which Bill finally got close to (42.9) on his last run before he had a 2 cone bobble (last turn).

Funny, but I had my fastest time, abet with a few cones before the timing box (ugly! / Bill’s car is definitely wider than my 914) with a tire that had deflated. The car must have jumped sideways on the sweeper (very fast) about 3 feet.

And MAN, was it hot up there, but all in all a great day.