AX courses, The good, the bad... Options

[J P Stein]

and that lash-up I ran today.

Having laid out a bad course myself, I recognize one when I see it. Folks miss gates or just get lost....and I'm talkin' guys with experience. If I had done my first AX on this mess (there were some of these unfortunate souls out there today), I prolly wouldn't ever come back. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

The fast guys were still fast, but many never got a time without a missed gate. I got one ....my last chance... 3rd run. It wuz good enuff to beat Chuck, but nuthin' to write home about.....top door slammer time was bout 45 flat (that freakin' Miata), I was at 47.7.

Oh well, some days you eat the bear & somedays the bear eats you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[J P Stein]

Other than todays .....er....questionable course, here's what I really like about the SCCA.....same day results:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1m FRUN 60 Jim Daniels 94 Mazda Miata 45.052
2m AM 143 Bruce Craig 82 Reynard 45.072
3m AS 21 Chuck Spittal 91 Corvette 45.797
4m FRUN 157 Bob Sagara 03 Corvette Z06 45.842
5m SS 157 Bob Sagara 03 Corvette Z06 46.348
6m EM 65 Denis Cornforth 65 Cobra 46.376
7m AS 154 Jeff Sander 01 Boxster S 46.560
8m XCSP 60 Jim Daniels 94 Mazda Miata 46.662
9m XBS 194 Pamela Eames 01 Boxster 46.728
10 BM 131 Jared Boone Wheeler 47.197
11m SM 40 Brian Doyle 04 Subaru STi 47.231
12m XASP 56 Doug Skinner 73 Porsche 911 47.288
13m CP 36 Jason Braunberger 85 Camaro Z28 47.348
14m FRUN 3 Sean Ross 99 Subaru Imprez 47.617
15m FP 4 JP Stein 74 Porsche 914 47.701
16 SM 113 Sean Logan 04 Subaru STi 47.754
17m CM 43 Chuck Jarvie 82 Reynard FF 47.879
18m EP 321 Mike Mullikin 85 Dodge Omni 47.957
19m SS 57 Joanne Sagara 03 Corvette Z06 47.958
20m XDS 85 Glenn Austin 02 Nissan SpecV 47.989
21m WCSP 60 Tami Daniels 94 Mazda Miata 48.254
22m FRUN 154 Jeff Sander 04 Corvette Z06 48.375
23m EP 132 Tim Mulliken 85 Omni GLH 48.376
24m DS 34 Morris Green 03 MS Protege 48.382
25m XDSP 3 Sean Ross 99 Subaru Imprez 48.796
26m AS 73 Corey Foster 01 Camaro SS 48.802
27m XGS 32 Paul Eklund 02 Subaru Imprez 48.807
28m XCS 77 Travis Gripp 97 Mazda Miata 48.819
29m SM 30 James Paulson 04 Subaru STi 48.892
30m FP 14 Chuck West 74 Porsche 914 48.934

& 103 others

[Brad Roberts]

You done good. At least you didnt get beat by the Omni LOL

Boxster spanked you.


B

[seanery]

he did beat Chuck, though. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[J P Stein]

I don't mind gettin' beaten by Boxsters.....too much, but them effin' WRXSTIthingys.....
poppin & chirpin' & the cheering section....nuff to drive me bugshit. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

I *like* to have a good run in the bank by the 2nd run.....that was not the case today. I wuz up against the wall for #3.

Here's all the rusults. The +5/+10 are missed gates:

http://www.oregonregionsolo2.com/Events/04e6.HTM

[Brad Roberts]

Can you upload a pic of the course (we do ours in Visio) ??

I would like to see this headache.


B

[J P Stein]

Sorry, no map, but a ferinstance.

2 cones with pointers.....set as if it was a slalom.....but with pointers that are pointing the same direction...to the left.....then 2 with pointers going the same direction to the right.....then a 2 cone slalom...no pointers......at speed, that WILL fuck you up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) The instinct is to bend around that first pointer, only to be confronted by another pointing the same direction.....oops!

4 cone boxes that guys were seeing as a slalom.......they didn't do anything but screw folks up....followed by a slalom section.

It was the proverbial sea of cones....not lined, of course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/w00t.gif)

[Brad Roberts]

yeah. the local PCA guy's line the courses. I dont get it. SCCA doesnt line the course..

I want to yell OUT.. STOP lining the courses...when I see them doing it.

Once you drive it.... you never see the lines anyway.. (waste of time lining it)


B

[GaroldShaffer]

If I had done my first AX on this mess (there were some of these unfortunate souls out there today), I prolly wouldn't ever come back.  

Ran one of these last month. Of the 10 Ax novices there, only two did NOT DNF on all their 6 runs. I had one good run and so did the other novice.

The funny part is the person that setup this course got lost twice (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) Usually his courses are great but... well... not that time.

[Randal]

I want to yell OUT.. STOP lining the courses...when I see them doing it.

I personally think that SCCA is substantially more serious about courses than any Porsche Club I've seen. As evidence check out the work here:

My Webpage

The point is that SCCA courses are very carefully laid out and can (usually) be followed by most drivers.

In Roger's AutoX design book he talks about a "Sea of Cones," which I learned about at Alameda when somene designed just such a course.

It was the last meet of the year and in most classes the final results would be determined by the runs at that days event.

I can't remember the number but it was something like 40% of the runs were DNF's.

WELL THAT DESIGNER SURE GOT US! GREAT WAY TO DECIDE THE CLASS WINS FOR THE YEAR, HEY!

BS I say.

So until GGR gets serious(*) about course design and setting them up correctly I say, "Keep lining the courses so everyone has a reasonable chance."

And if you going to pull a change up on the members then let them know what you're going to do in advance.


(*) At all the Reno events I've attended people show up a day in advance to set up the course and make sure it was right. We even took the course down each evening (two day event) and put back up the next morning because of site restrictions.

[J P Stein]

Fortunately, this doesn't happen often. SCCA says that a course isn't supposed to be an exercise in navigation.

When I got there, 2 guys that are very experienced (one of whom is CMFIC) were doing some heavy duty bitchin' about the course. Everyone I talked to had advice as to how to deal with the thing.......and I hadn't even seen it yet.

I missed a gate (different ones) on each of my first 2 runs & poor Chuck just got lost twice (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) By the time run #3 rolled around, we wuz pretty well rattled (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

[J P Stein]

One more thing.
I started out on 32/35psi, f/r.
The car got real slippery on my 2nd run.
Checked the pressures and they were 39/40.....I finally got some heat into the front tires (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) . Dropped them back to 31/34 and we were rewarded with grip.