2011 Autox Log
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:55 pm
Well I've been wanting to do this for years, and I'm finally motivated enough to do it. First, the basics:
The black autox GTZ (which many of you saw at Bfest in Indy) currently runs D-Street Prepared (DSP) in a local WI club that runs all official SCCA rules and classes. It is mostly prepared with suspension modifications, with Sprint springs, Koni yellows all around, double sway bars in the rear (internal and Z51), and a camber kit in the front for about 2 degrees negative camber. Driveline is all stock, save for the homemade CAI and the fact that it is a reman engine bored .030 over. Wisconsin Autocrossers Inc., has somewhere near 15-20 former or defending national champions for SCCA. Very good drivers all across the board, even those who don't win championships, so the field is always tough. After PAX adjustments (look it up if you need to know what that is) I am usually a top 35 driver in a club of 100 or 150... This is year #5 in DSP, and the last time I was competitive locally with the car was when I won the points championship for the 2006 season in Street Touring (STS). It has taken awhile to adjust to race tires, there are a few partial seasons due to $ limitations, and so on. I have a gentlemen's agreement with the other people in the class to run the old Toyo Proxes RA-1's as our race rubber.
Disclaimer: The GTZ is not a good car (competitively) anymore in autox. Even at DSP levels it is seriously outclassed on the national stage. A BMW 325i will wipe me by over 2 seconds. Those who know how I drive at Bfest events will attest that I get the most out of my car. I have been known to slightly embarrass other people who let me take their car for a run...
Last year running a seriously limited schedule (only made 3 events of I started to hit stride. I finished within .2 of a second in the first event, and then swept my rival driver in a '99 Civic Si (both cars equally prepped). I won by the slimmest of margins both times, less than .1 of a second each.
Which brings us to 2011. I dominated the first event in May, winning by about .2 of a second but it was convincing as I was frustrating my rival driver all day. This makes 3 of the last 4 events in my favor going back to 2010, and if you want to dip back to '09 I am 4 of the last 5 because I won the season finale that year as my second win in DSP ever. I landed a new job while AT BerettaFest 2011 and now should have the funds to finish running the schedule for the year. We both took off the second event, so the playing field is level (we are both way ahead of other locals that show up for the class). I just got my Hoosiers mounted, and we both agreed to run a mixed-tire schedule for the remainder of the season. The question is: am I still faster than him on Hoosiers? I know I can beat him on the Toyo's, that is proven. The Hoosier is about a 2 second faster tire on a 60 second course vs. the Toyo. This weekend I am running a 2 day event (counts as two points events) on the Hoosiers. They like heat, and there in no shortage of that with highs in the mid/upper 80's all weekend.
The GTZ is running fast for itself with wins in DSP lately, and a new best time of 15.76 in the 1/4 at Bfest. I am dialed in as a driver, especially with the GTZ, but I was really practicing some things while high-speed karting at Bfest that directly translates to autox and I feel like I am at the top of my game after 10 seasons in autox. The stage is set for me to have my third class championship, and second in the black car (I won a stock class championship in the garnet GTZ in '02).
Let's go racin' ladies and gentlemen...
The black autox GTZ (which many of you saw at Bfest in Indy) currently runs D-Street Prepared (DSP) in a local WI club that runs all official SCCA rules and classes. It is mostly prepared with suspension modifications, with Sprint springs, Koni yellows all around, double sway bars in the rear (internal and Z51), and a camber kit in the front for about 2 degrees negative camber. Driveline is all stock, save for the homemade CAI and the fact that it is a reman engine bored .030 over. Wisconsin Autocrossers Inc., has somewhere near 15-20 former or defending national champions for SCCA. Very good drivers all across the board, even those who don't win championships, so the field is always tough. After PAX adjustments (look it up if you need to know what that is) I am usually a top 35 driver in a club of 100 or 150... This is year #5 in DSP, and the last time I was competitive locally with the car was when I won the points championship for the 2006 season in Street Touring (STS). It has taken awhile to adjust to race tires, there are a few partial seasons due to $ limitations, and so on. I have a gentlemen's agreement with the other people in the class to run the old Toyo Proxes RA-1's as our race rubber.
Disclaimer: The GTZ is not a good car (competitively) anymore in autox. Even at DSP levels it is seriously outclassed on the national stage. A BMW 325i will wipe me by over 2 seconds. Those who know how I drive at Bfest events will attest that I get the most out of my car. I have been known to slightly embarrass other people who let me take their car for a run...
Last year running a seriously limited schedule (only made 3 events of I started to hit stride. I finished within .2 of a second in the first event, and then swept my rival driver in a '99 Civic Si (both cars equally prepped). I won by the slimmest of margins both times, less than .1 of a second each.
Which brings us to 2011. I dominated the first event in May, winning by about .2 of a second but it was convincing as I was frustrating my rival driver all day. This makes 3 of the last 4 events in my favor going back to 2010, and if you want to dip back to '09 I am 4 of the last 5 because I won the season finale that year as my second win in DSP ever. I landed a new job while AT BerettaFest 2011 and now should have the funds to finish running the schedule for the year. We both took off the second event, so the playing field is level (we are both way ahead of other locals that show up for the class). I just got my Hoosiers mounted, and we both agreed to run a mixed-tire schedule for the remainder of the season. The question is: am I still faster than him on Hoosiers? I know I can beat him on the Toyo's, that is proven. The Hoosier is about a 2 second faster tire on a 60 second course vs. the Toyo. This weekend I am running a 2 day event (counts as two points events) on the Hoosiers. They like heat, and there in no shortage of that with highs in the mid/upper 80's all weekend.
The GTZ is running fast for itself with wins in DSP lately, and a new best time of 15.76 in the 1/4 at Bfest. I am dialed in as a driver, especially with the GTZ, but I was really practicing some things while high-speed karting at Bfest that directly translates to autox and I feel like I am at the top of my game after 10 seasons in autox. The stage is set for me to have my third class championship, and second in the black car (I won a stock class championship in the garnet GTZ in '02).
Let's go racin' ladies and gentlemen...