Both of our cars are lighter than yours, and we weren't carrying passengers. Makes a big difference. Even so, I need to be braking at 2.5 to 3 to make the equipment last.

Oh, and we took off the heat holders, I mean dust sheilds.
Chalk that one up as a lesson learned huh Chris?

 

My stopwatch is buried in some box somewhere. But I did get some good in-car of the morning session, and the session where we were side-by-side, passing in corners, and so on. It's pretty sweet - I'll pick a favorite and try to get it digitized for honda-challenge.com.

 

I was braking for turn 11 before the kink As far as the stress cracks in the rotors, that's an every day occurance for us Cobra dudes. Just watch'em until they move to the outer edges... at least that's the rule for my genre. So are melted dustseals on the pistons, melted seals on the tierod ends, etc. It's the Big Car Syndrome.

Something that hasn't been touched on here too much. Adam's spin. He commented about how glad he was that no one collected him. Well, yeah, that was some fancy footed driving that helped that scenario out (Scott's truffel hunting/farming technique on the inside of T1). But major props to Adam (Phat-S). When he knew he was past 90, he let the car spin. He didn't try to save it. The car came to a gentle rest in the middle of "the line". And he kept it there, not trying to complete the course in reverse. You'd think that was a mistake, however, it's easier to avoid a stopped object than it is a moving one. I didn't hang around to see what happened afterwards (like, I'm outta here dude), but credit to Adam...

Honda Challenge and the token Cobra plus one Porsche.

 

Maybe Adam was trying to keep that one quiet. Watching that pile up from the paddock was insane! If Scott had stoppoed any closer to Adam's door, he would have had to put it into reverse to get around.

 

Should have seen it from the passenger seat. Great heads up by Adam, and by everyone else in that session.



[Modified by madhatter, 11:00 AM 8/7/2001]

 

I wasn't avoiding or approaching that one. I give all the credit to Scott, Chris Shimmel (sp?) and Shugg for not adding black paint to their color schemes. The only thing I did was put "both feet in" and hoped for good luck. I simply thought there wasn't enough room and I dumped the clutch as soon as I saw Scott - that was my bonehead move and what got us rotating. In retrospect, everything we are taught about driving your line and not worrying about others would have been the more wise course of action cause I rationally know that Scott ain't gonna collect me and he does know what he's doing. I on the other hand, need much more practice on being off-line and using the track. I am neither ashamed nor proud of the episode. I learned something Saturday that I didn't know before and I feel pretty damned fortunate that I didn't create any more chaos than was there. Ironically, I had the exact same situation occur Sunday morning with a mee-otter and the result was entirely different - drove it straight further - butchered T1 but came out with no chaos. I certainly learned something.

 

Karl taught me that while I was trying to keep up with Zsolt. I kept being early/late and going wide. He was saying to just drive my line. Best advice I could have recieved right then. Probably kept the car on the pavement....
It's something you learn with seat time, I guess, and it shows how much more I need to know.

 

I'm still confused about what happened. phat S, or anyone else in the tangle, would you explain it? The details, please, who did what and how did the cars react. I haven't been in many incidents, and I always feel I can learn from others.

Please share!


[Modified by whitney, 3:41 PM 8/7/2001]

 

As promised, here is my off in 12. This is from the last run on Sunday while I was trying to chase Chris, madhatter. We were running lap times that were very close. I was a bit faster on the front section, but he was killing in the tight back section. Chris was chasing me for about 4 laps and then I let him by to see if I can pick up his line in the back section. Welp .. didn't last long and never got to see much of his line.


http://reality.sgi.com/zsolt_atlanta..._off_in_12.mpg
FORMAT: MPEG-1 SIZE: 18mb



[Modified by SPiFF, 4:36 PM 8/7/2001]

 

Well, I got redmisted as I saw my only chance to get my Porsche Icon. I wanted to pass Giles so bad that I took the cross-over instead of the kink. Scott, seeing this and having to deny me my birthright locks up all 4 in the air over the kink and does this sweet hook slide into the grass. He must have gotten a good head of steam going through the infield or the cones under my spoiler were slowing me more than I thought but either way when he popped out on the front straight (with a integra's mouth full of grass) he was right in my line and I pulled the e-brake to avoid hitting him.


All seriousness aside This of-course is my take on it and I am sure it is somewhat jaded.

Under our first green lap, it was in order Shultz, Shimmel (sp?), me, Giles, Shugg. Karl pulls up gimpy and we all go around (I bring this up for a reason - read: tortoise and hare). We come out of 14 and Chris gives me a point. I proceed to track left and floor it the whole way down (I really need a NON-TURBO graphic on my hood). I am not watching my mirrors as I am coming up on my braking zone. I get on the brakes and I don't feel that I am much past Chris (the perception of Phat-S is his own and not necessarily the view of this board or its readers). I catch Scott in my rearview mirror (behind me and I'd guess he's pretty much next to Chris) as I am grabbing 2nd gear and just letting out the clutch. Seeing this and thinking he's going to jump into my hatch, I dump the clutch and we start an S-around (the P-car's new name). I put both in and I come to rest in the middle of T1 (like mid-track facing traffic). All I see is Scott in front of me almost at a complete stop (btw, damn good brakes there) hedging towards track left. I saw Chris and Bryan I think go around the back side of me (track right) and Scott goes around the front. Chris (madhatter and I wait as a few more cars go outside me) and then (told you I brought this up for a reason) Karl goes putting by tipping his tophat with a "top of the mornin' to ya'" feel on 3 cylinders.

I think that covers it. Scott or Bryan can explain what was going on better than me as I thought we were way more bunched than we probably were. As I said, I can show someone how to bork T1, Scott, Chris and Bryan could show you how to avoid an incident.

At this point I'd prefer the NON-TURBO hood graphic over the Porsche Icon.

 

It was at about this time that I said to Zsolt (I think - the weekend kind of runs together), "there's definitely something wrong here." Up we go towards turn 4, making the "buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh" sound of a car running on less than all its cylinders. Of course the plug wire had to pop off RIGHT AFTER pit in, so I got to take an entire lap off-line, pointing the entire pack by...

Two of my favorite things that I learned this weekend:
1. My rotors were glowing Saturday morning
2. Flames from the tailpipe downshifting into turn 11

Heaven help whatever sucker ends up with this car when I'm done with it.

--Karl, who still hasn't taken the Toyos off his car

 

I hear ya bro. I just and I mean JUST walked in from swapping wheels and brakes.

 

Shultz,
Did you see "Chicken Wire Man" on your way out Sunday?

 

Unfortunately not. I did see some fairly terrible automotive products...

- The blue, white and green Cavalier, up on three wheels but not cornering
- The Honda Accord with an "H" on the back window as large as my house
- Lots of other terrible cars (Escorts with wide, short wheels...pickup trucks that defy description...) on display

But alas, no "chicken wire man." Try not to lose any sleep I guess if I'd have stopped for fuel (I didn't have to) he'd have shown up. Maybe next time.

 

I was bewildered by that. What was the deal there? Was it on a jack or stand? That was before the light right? I sat there (at the light) listening to the peanut gallery as there was obviously an elected comentator saying "Dayamn! He's on those HKS' and he RACES on the dial tones." I got a real big kick out of that. For starters, what the hell are HKSes? Second, your boy's showing his age - or is that stupidity . . . they call them phone dials caus'n they looks like the old rotary phone dialer. dial tones? WTF?

 

The whole situation was probably my fault. Adam passed Chris in a less than overpowering manner (see the multiple non-turbo references above) and just completed the pass as he entered the braking zone. Chris had waved me by as well, and knowing that Chris would be comfortable with me "dive bombing" him into turn one, I went ahead and took the pass. I honestly didn't consider what effect this would have on Adam since from where I sat, there was plenty of room between us (and there was, or I would have become part of his door a couple of seconds later).

In retrospect, I put something (me) in Adam's mirrors that he didn't expect to be there. It either distracted him or caused him to take an unneccesary evasive manuever (or both) and crossed him up. My fault.

I identified pretty quickly that Adam was doing an end-around and stayed on the brakes fairly hard. I had Adam getting sideways in front of me and Chris trying to stay out of my hatch. I just focused on avoiding Adam and hoped Chris could avoid me (and I'm sure he was having the same process in relation to the big-assed SVT behind him). I aimed left assuming Adam would come around and go off backwards to drivers right. I was half correct as he stopped dead in the middle of the track, but since I was already headed left, I was able to easily drop off into the grass and miss him.

All in all, everyone did a great job.
Incident avoided, lessons learned.

 

Ok... so what's "No Gum Racing"??? I've been trying to figure it out and it's ...

 

It started out as Matt Nicholson (MaddMatt) coming away from an autocross run and telling someone (me as I recall) that he was all out of gum. I was like, WTF? So he explained.

It comes from a movie called "They Live," a fine quality film if ever there was one. Rowdy Roddy Piper (the wrestler) is the star. He walks into a bank with a shotgun, getting ready to shoot the place up. Before he starts blasting, he announces that he has come "to kick a$$ or chew gum, and I'm all out of gum."

So it kind of stuck. We go to alot of events together, and three of us are club officers with Tarheel Sports Car Club. There's me, Shawn (Snapspinnr), Mike (Whitney), Matt (MaddMatt), Diane (r2x), and Kendra (who isn't on the board). We're basically a big bunch of geeks.

 

I was way off.

 

What was your guess? I'm curious...

 

See... I saw the Jackass (donkey). I figured it was something along the lines of "no jackass racing"... but a play on words. Something along the lines of "one time there was this jackass on the track..." (there's at least 3-4 at every event) Then I thought it was in regards to tires. Then I thought I was freakin clueless. The latter prevailed.

See, I was hoping it really had to do with . I . One time, at band camp, I ordered a and the bartender brought me a . So I to the bartender, I want a and you brought me a . This drink !! He told me where to put the . So now I'm . So I was gonna lay some smack down with my .

Sorry... I just destroyed this post. I wanted to have fun with icons.

 

Whoa bro, you shouldn't be taking blame on that at all. If I was more experienced being in relative close quarters, there would have been no event to speak of. I appreciate what you are saying but as I came to realize since (and clearly not Saturday), that I got to own my actions out there. If I was really thinking sensible and still thought that there was going to be an impact then STRAIGHT off the track was the fastest way out of that situation. Reality says it wasn't that close to justify any action. Combo of pride and lack of experience would make that MY fault not anyone elses. In lieu of that, thank G-d no one traded paint cause I sure as **** would be feeling horrible now.

I'd be real content dropping it there.

 

Anyone have any pics from the weekend? I'm antsy for some...

 

is always involved in No Gum endevors.

 

Actually it does have something to do with

Karl and Mike always have these jackassed ideas. They get these jackassed ideas usually when they've had a few too many brown ales. Example: Let's paint some Ronal Teddy Bear wheels brown!!! Whatever it is, Mike wants to paint it brown. You see, he's a jackass. So when it was decided that the team name (we're not a gang, dammit!) was no gum racing, we needed a logo. At which point Mike suggested a brown jackass chewing gum.

See, it all fits.


[Modified by MaddMatt, 1:38 PM 8/8/2001]