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.

[grantsfo]

SCCA courses have been much more fun for me to drive. More open and easier to navigate. More time spent on getting every last ounce of momentum out of the car rather than going into a sea of cones on an unneccesarily tight course. Nice flow as well.

Trekkors designs at Marina were good - especially the one with the loop. Redwood region is a blast too! hard to get lost at that venue. I enjoyed SVR AX a couple years ago as well.

Many of the GGR courses are confusing etc. However I just appreciate that people volunteer to run these things and design the course regardless of how it turns out. I have a real appreciation for the hard work people put into these events.

But having said that seems to me when you have a big field of cars with huge variation in driving skills that simplifying a course leads to safer enviroment and ulimately more runs due to fewer reruns. Lots of reruns this past Saturday due to course workers not being able to get back in time after cones were knocked down. We had a couple close calls at my station as well. Also reduces the amount of people needed to work a course. Seems like some real simple guidelines could be developed for those with little course design expereince.