Yesterday was the State Championship and this year it was held in Fort Myers on a concrete airport runway. The course was +5300 feet long without any real straight sections. It seems like I was always in a turn. The fastest times were turned by the kart guys with the fastest around 72 seconds. My best was 82.3XX and I won my class. We only had three runs and I think I could off taken another .5 second off with another run. I only had one other guy in my class and he was running a Mini-stock car. He told me it weighs 1200 pounds and runs a motorcycle engine with 125 hp. His times were about 8 seconds off mine.

Here is some shots of my car ready for battle...

There were other P-cars...

Here is one that didn't get dropped. There were three total. Very fast.

Excellent job, Paul

Check this one out. 350 small block.

Thanks T.C. I was the only 914 there

Here is a good example of how to spend your money. The guy with the GT3 shown above towed his car on a dinky open trailer behind a Toyota pickup and he won his class. The guy in this picture saved money on his car by buying a Mustang but decided to buy 300-400k on a motorhome and trailer. BTW, he didn't win his class.

All right Paul!

You car looks great.

Nice job Paul!

congrats paul, that is awesome!

brant

Congrats!!

That V8 car is just sick! How did it do?

Never doubted for a minute. Good work!

Whatinthehell is that red thing? Says EM but SCCA requires the car be recognizable as something series produced if it's DM or EM. Doesn't look like anything except maybe a very loose Lotus 7 clone.

Got a link to results?

Mike T

Excellent work!

I don't know what it started out as. It really wasn't too fast this car won the EM group...

Results aren't posted yet.

Good driving


Our season is over now.
Do you have any more events or was this it?


KT

We have the final BMW vs Porsche Club Challange in a few weeks. Than nothing in December.

Yeah, That's the Stalker V6. Even though it's not a real Lotus 7 it was lobbied into the class. Powered by a GM 3800 Supercharged V6. 1400lbs and 275hp.

How were the Emod times compared to yours?

Mike T

The Lotus 7 copy had a 80.758 my best time was a 83.209.

That wacky front engined v-8 had a 89.5

The results are here...

http://www.gulfcoastautocrossers.com/2006%...vent_fin.htm#BM

SCCA is tough, eh?
It seems that every region has a few nationally competitive
drivers with cars prepped to the limits. Couple that with "the first 3 runs"
bit and it can make it hard on a guy.

Gud job on the class win.

You did well when compared to SS class. If you look at results from big SCCA events the last couple years SS times are right there with DMod and Emod times for some reason.

There were some good drivers there too. Danny Shields is real good, as you know. Also the A stock winner G Warren Hahn I used to autocross with in the late 1980's. Good consistant driver. Elliot Harvey to. He used to drive an old Datsun 2000 roadster. Is it still white with a red meatball on the nose?

I only mention these folks because driving a car like ours it's hard sometimes to tell how you're doing. I don't know how it is in Florida or California or Washington but if I'm not TToD i'm 2nd or 3rd at local events. Hard to tell how fast I SHOULD be if everyone else is 5 seconds back on a 60 second course.

Mike T

You're right Mike. I beat the guy in my class my over 9 seconds. But 17!! guys beat me. There were 3 former Nat'l Champs there and I know of 4 others that run at the national level.

Elliot Harvey's car looks like it hasn't been washed in 10 years. It's a real beater. It looks great staged to the new cars all decked out in the graphics and shiny paint. He has his number and class in the sides but than on top of the door it says in little letters "National Champion". 'Nuff said. He beat me by .9 of a second.

Danny Shields has been National Champ 4 times I think. He won once in a Neon. And PCA champ more times than he can remember. He is somewhat of a pro because Grassroots Motorsport hires him when they do the a/x tires comparison test. He lives here in Tampa and I see him at all the local events. This year it has been him and I for TTOD locally. He is tough to beat in his Boxtser. Very nice guy and is always willing to help anyone out.

J.P. - Three runs is a bitch when ya screw up the second one. I went slow on the first to learn the course. Actually kept it in second gear the whole run. Than on the second I went off course. I had about a three hour wait to figure out how to go fast and stay on course. One of the problems is I ran first w/o working. I always like to work so I can watch others run and I learn from them.

Doesn't everybody?
We usually have 100-150 drivers at a local SCCA event. If I can get into the top 10, it's a day well spent. The 3 runs bit is something that has to really be worked at.

Nope, I had one guy yesterday said he likes to run first.
Don't think he was too fast

Let me ask....

Do you make your runs one at a time. Run, park, run, park, run?

Or do you make three runs without stopping. Run, stage, run, stage, run?

Know what I mean, Vern?

Ayup, stage-run-stage-run-stage-run.
This has been the sequence at every AX I've ever done.
Your 3hrs between runs had me scratching my head.

Based on times it looks like it was a HP course. A Stock cars were ripping fast compared to other cars.

I can't agree with that.

A/S Honda S2000..........240 hp
S/S Z06........................405 hp
ASP Miata??......less than 200 hp

The Honda S2000's are just too fast. You look at them and they sit kinda high and thier norrow and long. So how can they be so damn quick?

But they sure get around the cones....

I normally base my performance off the Fancy Schmancy Honda S2000.
We have 1 really good driver that I have finally gotten good enough to catch. from 10 seconds two years ago to beating him by a 10th or very close to it.

Yea them S2000's are fast. course allow them to be in Vtec and not have to shift reving to 9000 RPM. Suspension geometry is VERY good add 5000 bucks of Moton shocks, new A6 Hoosiers 245 /255-16 and oh baby.

It was a PITA. Tires cool off and you get out of the zone. I didn't like it.

Joe how do you guys run?

Depends on attendance. 3 runs work 3 runs work 40-50 drivers.

more drivers get all 4 runs in (sometimes 6 runs) work go home


Co drivers help to get the Hoosiers heated up. and I just bagged up my hammered slicks for the winter. Probably won't runthem again til it warms up. pretty useless cold and 100 runs old.

Paul,

you are the only 914 owner I know who has a trailer that weighs more than his 914..LOL

Congrats!! good job



B

And my trailer is made of ALUMINUM!!!

Thanks Brad, Paul

CONGRATS!!!!!