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April 2003inaugural event at AMP and a reminder about the benefits of SCCA membership. Our next event is on Sunday, May 4, at Arizona Motorsports Park. Duplication allowed in whole or in part, provided full acknowledgment is given. Mike Driscoll & Scott Meyers , Co-Editors |
For a while he "struggled against a crippling street-prepared index" in ST2,
a consequence of having installed non-stock aftermarket rims and tires.
But soon he found the resources to purchase racing rubber and join the fray
in HS Open.
He hasn't looked back since.
He found that HS Open offered excellent opportunities to work on finding the line, being smooth, and maintaining momentum. Lots of incentive, when your 2800 pound car puts only 93 hp on the ground. He was nonetheless able, during the year that he autocrossed that VW, to take first place in HS Open during the Fall 2000 Series and to place first in HS Open at the February 2001 Cactus Patch Divisional.
Brian was soon on the lookout for a faster ride and even stiffer competition. A time-only run in Brian Dolan's tenth anniversary edition Miata was "hands down, the most fun autocross run ever experienced." So Brian was out test driving used Miata's the next day. He hasn't looked back since then, either.
He soon reached the upper slopes on the learning curve of adjusting to rear-wheel drive. He credits his competitors in CS Open with having supplied a lot of welcome advice. Advice that he must have taken to heart, because he placed first in CS Open for Summer 2002 and again for Fall 2002. That fall series was highlighted by a 1000 PAX at the September event, "while the usual top guns were prepping for or traveling to Nationals."
Brian says that his short career in autocrossing has been about much more than intense competition and fast cars: the welcoming community, the experienced drivers always available with help and advice, and the many volunteers whose hours of work guarantee a smooth event every month. Brian is looking ahead there also, well on the way (with Kevin Venisnik) to taking over equipment management duties from Tom Dukerich.
Brian recently graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He works for Thomas Engineering, a consulting firm that performs accident reconstructions. He and his wife Sarah stay busy with work and hobbies, including two enthusiastic Labrador Retrievers.
In the past we always had to have an “early loop” in our course designs to achieve a course over 35-40 seconds, but no longer. Chuck Voboril transferred the 1999 South “Babb” Nationals course onto our lot and
-- as the
results
show --
the average time was around 65 seconds, with no loops. Further, we suddenly had to remember how to corner and brake at higher speeds, since the longer course allowed elevated average speeds. Some of us did better than others in that department. We also found that it took more effort to recall the entire course: much more to remember. Others found rev limiters that had not been used in some time. The only grumble that I overheard was how much longer course walks were taking. Even that was more an appreciation than an objection.
We accommodated 177 timed runs with 50+ Time Only's, so over 227 entries were handled smoothly and efficiently in the same amount of time despite the longer run times. Wow! Those of you who missed this missed a very good event.
So, exactly what was it that happened at this inaugural event at AMP? What exactly did you miss if you weren't there? Funny you should ask. Jeff Bandes (58.300 Raw Time/ 971 PAX) won AS by two tenths of a second over Jason Isley. Brian Peters regained his winning CS form (61.460/937) and ended seventeen thousandths of a second better than Tom Tkacik. ASP has turned into “Spec Vette,” with Pat Soukup (62.074/893) seven tenths better than Dan Sniezek. Ben Clement’s DSP Integra GSR (62.579/916) handled the hot Fiat X-1/9 of Mike Du’Lyea by five tenths. Mike is experienced but a little rusty, so their next efforts should be very entertaining. The ESP crew finally has a place to “stretch their legs” a little, and Richard Rippy’s must have been a little longer than the others (61.446/924), as his Camaro finished ten points ahead of Larry Petrucci’s Firebird. Jim and Audrey Harnish recently transplanted from out of state to Prescott Valley and brought with them one fast FSP 95 Honda Civic (59.041/975).
CP formed a class of … Corvairs! I liked the one with the wing.
Keith Keeton bested the field by over a second (66.394/828). The black DP Miata with Don Sattler driving scored a win (57.623/963). He and Dave Lahey continue to develop this quick little car. EP is in fact “Team 510” with Adolfo Malagon winning with a 63.682/853. The flying Formula Ford boys in CM finally found a place they could display what their cars do best and Ken Edney ran a 60.535/846 to grab first. Tom Hill’s “Cadero” (a Fiero with a Cadillac engine) in EM drifted to a 60.390/864 time.
The SM group seemed to discover that while they still had the horsepower, they would need to make some handling adjustments as Steve Steele and his 65 Mustang maintained first with a 63.100/891. Welcome to the club, guys. Many of us found the faster corners will require some driving style or suspension adjustments to cope with the faster speeds. SM2 experienced the same feeling, but Paul Hamersly also found the faster and wider lanes much to his Corvette’s liking, to the tune of a win and 61.381/887. The Bauman/Berzes blown Miatas will need some serious suspension adjustment to keep up with Paul now. Mark Eddy’s Impreza handled the STS field easily, scoring 62.848/952. No brotherly love lost here. In STX, Mark Goerner’s Type R really likes AMP as he hammered the rest of the field with a 61.910/949 score. PAXL again finds a Corvette at the top, but now it’s Mariette Aberegg and her 99 C5, three tenths of a PAX second (61.385/896) over Deb Eymann’s 02 Z06. Mindi Cross was a very close third only eight-thousandths behind Deb.
The PRO Class experienced a little “shuffle” in positions at AMP. Dave Rock went very fast to take second spot right behind “Rocket Man” Huffman (55.428/1000). Ted Lewis was a close third. Course designer Chuck Voboril
sunk to fourth as his car found the new surface and speeds inhospitable.
Sportsman was a hotbed of talent with Dave Schotz returning to local events now that we have a “suitable” site. He did so in style by taking first, with a 57.211/992. Now get this: second through fourth places were separated by only one tenth of a PAX second! Dave Young, Steve Eymann, Tage Evanson, and Joel Schotz scored from 48.772 to 48.883. PAX scores were 962, 961, 960, and 959. Better bring your best to run with this crowd.
In ST1 the action was also close and competitive. The top four cars were all within one second of each other. Lou Young again drove well, with 62.388/911 to best Phil Hunter and Jim Rohn. S2000, Corvette, and BMW: Street Tire provides a playground where many different marques can compete on “equal footing” as it were. Remember how I always would share that ST2 kicked ST1 butt each event (and Novice too)? Well, it seems AMP just changed all that. The longer, faster courses seemed to allow the big muscle cars to stretch it out some and now the tables have turned. ST1 beat ST2, and NV1 beat NV2 -- for the first time in a long time. I expect this will continue. ST2 was equally fast and furious as Bill Kersbergen’s 99 VW GTI ran a 66.357/904, but Dwight Smith, Chad Mizner, Dave Webb, and Pat Fisher were only tenths behind. PAX numbers were 904, 902, 897, 889, and 886. The new ST3 gaggle was led this day by Robert Rose’s Miata with 64.288/869. Jessica Jackson seems friendly enough, pleasant personality and all that, so it must be her driving skills driving other STL competitors away? She’s wondering. Help out a lonely lady, enter STL next event!!!
The Novice guys are driving like anything but novices. In NV1 Derrick Disharoom’s Corvette scored 62.404/908 and the win, but Todd Holzwarth’s Camaro is right behind. NV2 saw a Mini Cooper, Pontiac Sunfire, and Miata battle for the lead, and that Mini with Chris Bunch driving scored 66.760/898 for top spot. Chris’s Sunfire was only two tenths behind and still leads the Series, so this is a very tight battle, down to the last wire. NV3 is a healthy sized class and equally good driving as Joshua Sortor’s
black WRX
found AMP to its liking, with a win and 64.631/909 times. Daniel Dimond’s RS was second, and needs to find some extra speed to overtake Josh in the series. I’d like to comment on the NVL results, but they all decided to stay away for a second event, which removes all series potential, unfortunately.
Series Observations
Speaking of the series, it's now three events down and one to go. The changes in location, lot size, and speeds have added extra excitement and introduced a few more variables into the standings. The next and last event of the series will be very interesting, for lots of reasons. Questions that come to mind include the following.
(SS) Will Jason Isley get his Vette back on track to hold off the fast charging Jeff? (CS) The top Miata boys and gals are all just a few points apart, who will rise to the top at this last event? Tkacik leads, but he and Peters are tied for best individual score. (ESP) Will the Rippy Camaro find six extra points and bump off Larry Petrucci? Show time!!! (EP) Dick Lowell scored 50 points above his previous best this event; will he find fifty more in May to pull the upset? (CM) Which Formula Ford will learn most from the first AMP event? (SM2) Will Paul Hamersly hold off the “puffed” Miatas and overtake Brant? (PAXL) Which Corvette lady, Deb or Mariette, will take the trophy? Only two points separate them. Will Mindy finally solve the mystique of the green Lotus “position” and finally nudge her way to the top?
(PRO) Which “PRO” driver will breathe deep and “hold the pucker” longer on the fast sweepers and take the flag? If Rock and Lewis can beat Chuck next event, the King will be dethroned! Only five points separate the top three positions. Might this finally be Ted’s breakthrough year? (SPM) Long considered Dave Young’s personal playground, Steve Eymann has it in his mind that Dave’s tenure is over. Well, Dave has ten points to find before May, and yes, he’s done it before (don’t ask me how I know this). Last event surges are his specialty. Mark Shaw has yet to experience the AMP surface and speeds, and is well within striking distance. Tage Evanson gained 26 points over his previous best in April, so he too could pull the upset if he continues to improve. Looking for that extra edge, rumor has it he’s out looking for some two-stroke oil for his “crude” Integra. (ST1) Lou Young evidently liked AMP, but Jim Rohn has a lot of high-speed experience to draw on here. I don’t know much about Jeff Williams, other than he is consistently fast. Maybe that’s enough to know? (ST2) Chad Mizner and his Del Sol have bonded, and even though he was a little slower at his first AMP event I suspect he learned about suspension needs and will come back in May prepared. Jay and Dwight also slowed at AMP compared to previous scores, and likely also will prepare differently. This will be one of the best contests to watch in May; it’s a “pick-em”. (ST3) Three of the four drivers here improved over earlier scores, and leader Robert Rose improved the most – a bad sign for the others. (STL) Jessica Jackson is showing consistent fast times, enough so all her competition went back to knitting, long walks on the beach, or something … anything but run against her. She’s hoping that some of them return for the next series.
(NV1) Derrick Disharoom has the only “900” score of the series, and he did that at this AMP event. But, Todd is steadily improving too, and the last event will tell the tale. (NV2) Looks like the early lead Chris Vasilakos built up will be enough to hold off Chris Bunch, even though Mr. Bunch triumphed at the last event. The next four drivers are all within 19 points of each other, so look for a lot of position swapping after the final event. (NV3) Here the top four drivers are all within 34 points of each other, the type of situation Las Vegas hates to see. Joshua Sortor leads and had the top score at AMP, so the smart money would probably be on him. Not that I ever bet, or anything. ((NVL) looks like the entire class decided to stay home and not one lady will have the required three events for this series. Maybe in the fall.
In short, we had a great first event at a swell new place!
Confused? Okay, we'll start over, even though we've done this before, in November 2002.
As the Arizona Region fee schedule shows, someone entering a Solo 2 event in our region who is a member of the SCCA always pays $5.00 less than an entrant who isn't an SCCA member. There are 4 spring events and 4 fall events. If you do 6 of those, that's $30.00 in savings over the year. So, for an avid autocrosser, the regular SCCA annual dues of $75.00 (that's $55.00 national and $20.00 regional) suddenly become just $45.00. If you persistently autocross in other regions that offer SCCA discounts, you can actually make money having fun! Trust us: life does not get any better than that.
But wait, there's more! If you're married, and so happily so that your spouse also autocrosses 6 times a year, you can both join the SCCA as regular members for $100.00 total ($55.00 plus $15.00 national and $20.00 plus $10.00 regional). Net cost of membership: $40.00. There's also an SCCA family rate.
But wait, WAIT -- there's STILL more! While you're between 16 and 21 years old, you can join the SCCA as a member of FIRST GEAR (formerly Speed Freakz), for which dues are reduced to $45.00 a year.
And, if you check it all out at the national SCCA web site within the NEXT TEN MINUTES, you'll get these additional benefits: subscription to SportsCar magazine (to keep you informed about SCCA events across the country), participant accident medical insurance (up to $1 million, just in case), some discounts on airfares, car rentals, etc., a cloth insignia for your jacket or cap, and a decal for your car window.
Browze now! Computer circuits are standing by!!
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(Posted 21 April 2003.) |