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May 2005Tage Evanson reports from the Director's seat. Mark Johnson covers the May event and the completion of the spring series. Jason Smith speaks up for the next generation of autocrossers. Mike Driscoll announces a summer publishing hiatus. Check the online forum for upcoming events. Mark Johnson, Lead Reporter Copyright 2005. Duplication allowed in whole or in part, provided full acknowledgment is given. |
ARIZONA REGION – Steve Steele lived in southern California until moving to Arizona in 1991. He has his wife, Cherie, to thank for that move: she works for Fender Guitar, who moved their corporate headquarters to Scottsdale at that time. He also thanks Cherie "for putting up with me and my toys for the last 39 years." Lots of toys, and all Mustangs.
Steve raced NHRA-legal stock eliminator cars for 15 years during the 1970's and 1980's, at tracks all over the United States. The cars were a series of Mustangs utilizing several different engines, such as the 428 ci, the 351 Cleveland, and the 429 Super Cobra Jet. He twice finished in the top ten nationally, was a division champion twice, and set numerous national records in his class. He won the Ford National Cup for Stock and Super Stock in 1986.
Having always had the desire to own a Shelby GT350 but never the money to purchase one, Steve decided to clone his own. He installed a late model EFI 302, a five-speed tranny, and a Ford 9-inch rear end into a 1965 Mustang fastback chassis. He was out enjoying the result one pleasant Sunday, shortly after the body work had been completed and the paint rubbed out. He happened to drive by Exponent Failure Analysis, where a Solo 2 event was in progress. He watched for a while, and then gave it a try. He recalls that, as for a lot of other people, "one time was all it took to set the hook."
He soon started modifying the Mustang. First the suspension, a complete kit from Global West Products. Then Total Control rack-and-pinion steering and sub-frame connectors. A set of ROH wheels and Kumho Victoracers: 9.5”x17” with 255/40-17's at the rear and 8”x16” with 245/45-16” on the front. Done, right? Wrong. Steve decided he "needed" more power, so: a blueprinted 331 ci stroker motor with AFR aluminum heads, a bigger roller cam, Trick Flow intake, and Crane roller rockers,
Steve doesn't say much about learning to drive what he had built, but grants that there was a learning process. He says "the car is always a kick to drive, but can be very challenging at times." Especially on tight autocross courses, since it lacks power steering. He topped the learning curve quickly, however, taking first in SM Open in Summer 2002, Fall 2002, Spring 2003, and Spring 2004.
Having placed second in that class for the Summer and Fall 2004 series, Steve decided that "as for all good things, there comes a time when you have to move on to something better." Feeling he had gone as far as reasonable with the 1965, he bought a 1996 Mustang Cobra, and switched from SM to ESP. But not to worry, the '65 is still around as his daily driver.
Steve works at Medtronic Microelectonics in Tempe. He's the equipment maintenance supervisor for their hybrid assembly lines, whose main product is cardiac pacemakers.
ARIZONA REGION – The club has come a long way and I can't even start to compile a list of all the changes that have been make over the past couple of years. I like to believe that the changes we've made were made out of necessity, for the new site or to improve the overall club, and not just change for the sake of it. I am hopeful that you all see it the same as I do.
The new site at PIR has certainly presented the club with many challenges, but I feel it has also returned an equal amount of rewards. We've had to adjust some of our procedures. I thank each of you for being flexible and having an open mind to adapt and go with the flow as we smoothed things out.
I am happy to announce that we will once again be able to host a summer series in beautiful Coolidge, which is just a short drive from the south Phoenix area. We would not have enough participants to generate the revenue to support a summer series at PIR during the day and, while the night events certainly were popular and a lot of fun, they present too many logistic and safety concerns to make them happen at this time.
After nearly a year of discussion, we finally have a replacement equipment trailer being custom built, so we can retire our worn equipment truck. It has served us well (and will still serve us through the summer). The new trailer will offer over twice the storage capacity, allowing for easier setup and teardown, and will also allow a more organized environment for Timing & Scoring activities.
The additional space will allow for enhanced equipment, such as more and
more powerful blowers, a larger PA system, and some "community club"
equipment (such as an air compressor for entrants needing to air up
their tires).
Look for the new trailer to make it's debute at PIR during the fall series.
Speaking of PA systems, we all owe Steve Eymann a big thank you. He drove all over town organizing our new PA system, arranging for a trial period (whose rental costs applied to the purchase price), and carting components here and there.
Despite the record number of entrants at our PIR events, the additional costs associated with that site have caught up with us. Our fees have not changed substantially in over 10 years and, considering the upward creep of prices generally, I think it's very reasonable to expect our entry fees to go up a little to compensate. We always have the casual autocrosser in mind, and will do our best to adjust our fees to the minimum amount needed to keep our events possible.
In closing, my mind draws a blank when I try to find the words to describe the incredible group of people we have in our club. From the die hard enthuasists to the more casual competitors, each and every one of you have made our club into what it is today. I've said it in the past and will say it again now: autocrosers are good people.
See you at the track!
1 May 2005, PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY –
The Arizona Region wrapped up its Spring 2005 Series on May 1. The flying circus featured 168 drivers looking for the meaning life on this pleasant Arizona day at Phoenix International Raceway. The weather was mild with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s.
Event
results
record that competition was the order of the day.
Event chair Jeremy Galo, fulfilling the promise of his persona as the 10-percent-more-ladies man, dreamed up the 10 Percent Mo Challenge as this event's special feature. In his own words, “One lucky participant from each run group gets a glimpse of what being the sexiest autoxer alive is all about. The idea is to get closest to a 10% improvement from their slowest time.” That’s right, a 10 percent reduction in your scored time (penalties and all) could earn you a free entry to another event.
Course designer Dawn Maxwell and her troupe tried out a new configuration for the site. The gravelly west lot was set aside for use as paddock and grid, and the more stable pavement of the other lots was used for the course. While fully optimizing the huge tracts of asphalt available at PIR, the course drove much like a narrow runway-type course with at least 10 percent more slaloms. It was all about transitions – between lots, left, right, up, down – and some were rather abrupt. In many ways, it was reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch with sudden transitions between bits. And drivers who talk aloud while on course sounded somewhat like the old Spam skit as they recited the features: slalom, slalom, offset, slalom, left, right, slalom, left, right, slalom, slalom, big turn and slalom.
All that was missing were some Vikings in helmets in the background singing “…slaloms, slaloms, slaloms, slaloms, lovely slaloms, wonderful slaloms”.
In fact, the course was somewhat technical, because no two of the slaloms were alike and the pacing of the elements was relentless. Staying ahead of the car and the course was critical, because there were very few pauses to catch up. In many cases, if a driver was late, he paid for it for in the next two or three sections. On most of the slaloms, there was no clear-cut approach; the extra speed one could carry was offset by extra distance. What worked for some drivers and cars was a disaster for others so the debate about the quick way will continue for some time.
No matter which line was taken, being close to the cones paid big dividends. The transition to the final lot, a.k.a. the Bridge of Death, crossed an especially brutal dip and drivers tried various lines to avoid it. In general, drivers with big and/or high power cars required extreme patience and throttle modulation while small, nimble low-powered vehicles excelled.
Brian Peters answered all the questions correctly, claiming the Holy Grail for the day. He captured both Fast Time of Day and Top PAX score in his CSP Miata. The life of Brian is a good one; he was 1.8 seconds in front of the next closest competitor. His 68.912 run made him the only driver not in the 70 plus second range. His 1000 PAX score also trumped everyone by over 15 points.
Peters' impressive drive in May topped a magical series in which he claimed the mythical Top PAX Sum prize with a total of 2987. Tage Evanson had his own magic going because he came into the May event only two points behind Peters for the series – this event would likely decide the championship in the über-competitive Sportsman class. The Peters/Evanson match-up was something to see! Sportsman allows run group choice, and they both chose to run in the last heat. Evanson showed good speed early on and pylon-plagued Peters kept it interesting; but Evanson’s 70.731 run with an A Stock factor was only good for a 986 PAX score, not enough to dethrone Peters. Joshua Sortor nabbed the third spot in Sportsman with a 984 PAX score in his WRX. Mark Johnson edged ahead of Steve Eymann, 974 to 962, largely because Eymann was conservative over the car-pounding Bridge of Death. Dave Rock borrowed an S2000, generating a 957 PAX score. Ron Huber put in a solid 950 PAX performance in his Subaru Impreza.
The PAX Ladies class had 10 competitors in May and, judging by the NVL group, it may continue to get more competitive next season. Perennial leader Dawn Maxwell claimed the event win with a 961 PAX score in her ES Miata. Mindi Cross, back in the relative comfort of the ASP Elan, turned in a 928 score to claim second, ahead of Deb Eymann in third. The PRO class ran early in the day, somewhat limiting their PAX potential. Steve Ryan continues to build momentum as the class leader, perhaps because he had not driven his own car in a while. His 957 PAX score topped Ted Lewis and David Webb, tied at 941.
The local indexed Street Tire classes also draw big crowds. In Street Tire 1, Jay Balducci led 17 drivers by running a 933 PAX score to claim the ST1 crown in his ESP Subaru. Runner-up James Frink, also in an ESP STi, put down a 907 PAX recording second place. Greg Rubenstein, also in an ESP STi, was just two points behind Frink with a 905 PAX score. Patrick Fisher, new to the STi club but already in ESP, pulled a 896 on his first time out in the car. Heretic Bryan Wofford, bringing an hot rod BSP 350Z to run in ST1, did just fine with his 879 score to claim fifth place.
Over in Street Tire 2, the competition was intense. Leader Aytinc Akad squeaked by Jim Rohn in his HS Focus with a 925 PAX score to Rohn’s 923 in his GS Mustang. Only one point down was Brad Owen, at 922, in his GS Sentra. Christopher Lachlan wheeled his WRX to a 920 score to round out the leaders in ST2.
With 66 drivers classifying themselves as a novice, nearly 2 out every 5 drivers at the event were relatively new to the autocross scene. At 22 competitors, the Novice 1 class was one of the largest of the event. NV1 features bigger and higher horsepower stock and street prepared type cars, Richard Duran captured top NV1 honors with an even 900 PAX score in his Subaru WRX STi. Only five points behind was Justin Markiewicz at 895 PAX, also in an STi. Elliot Speidell grabbed third with his yellow RX-8 and an 873 PAX score. Eric Boyko piloted his S2000 to an 859 PAX and fourth place. The battle for fifth was fantastic between Jayme Black, Kelly Olohan and David Moy. Black came out on top with an 854 score in his WRX, while Olohan and Moy tied at 853. Novice 2 includes smaller, lighter and lower horsepower cars, like Mark Mares' BMW 318Ti. Mares dominated the NV2 competition in May with a 905 PAX score. Jonathan Rosenfeld, in an RSX Type-S, grabbed second for the day at 835 and Rick Paradis fought hard for 824 PAX score in third.
Novice 3 was the largest class of the event with 29 drivers. It includes classes like STS, STX, STS2 and STU along with the smaller, lighter Street Prepared cars in CSP, DSP and FSP and some small bore Prepared classes. Since nearly all novices are competing on real street tires, the savvy drivers in NV3 find a way to fit their cars into an SCCA Street Tire class rather than the sticky-tired Street Prepared or slick-shod Prepared classes. Since the PAX factors were designed to reflect the potential of a fully prepared car for the class, the Street Tire classes are generally a more accurate reflection of the potential for most vehicles in NV3. A quick review of the class leader shows all of them in either STX or STS. For instance, Kevin Eastman was recording good raw times, but because of his CSP factor, he finished a distant 26th spot in NV3.
If his Mazda RX-7 were somehow eligible for STS2, his PAX times would have dropped over three seconds, putting him in the mix with an 829 PAX score versus the 794 he scored with the harsh CSP factor. With that said, there were impressive performances in NV3, although some, like Eastman’s, were well hidden. Unfortunately, this does not always work as some cars are specifically excluded, like Russell Nealis’ Toyota MR2 Spyder which does not have a friendly street tire class to play in. That said, the competition for the top spots was fierce; the top four drivers were separated by only four PAX points. Eventual winner, Derek Brodie drove his 240SX to an 881 PAX score, followed by another 240SX driver, Wade Orsini at 878. Richard Mazur and Chad Sherman tied at 877, Mazur in a BMW and Sherman in a 240SX. Another tight grouping saw Ryan Hayles in a Prelude at 865, just ahead of Gil Harari and Daniel Gurka, tied at 862. Harari was in an Impreza and Gurka in an RSX Type-S.
Like the Spanish Inquisition, NOBODY expects the Wagovan. Its chief weapons are surprise and fear – fear and surprise – and ruthless efficiency. And like the Python skit, the Wagovan beat up on Street Touring S over and over again throughout the series, coming out on top again in May. Clint Child’s 75.662 crusade in the Wagovan earned him a 955 PAX score, well in front of Thomas Winchester's 77.773 time in his Infiniti G20T. Likewise, Winchester distanced himself from third place Richard Vela and his 240SX. Vela’s time of 79.541 was good enough for a 909 PAX score. Kevin Cote turned his best performance of the year to win Sreet Touring X over Jeremy Galo. Cote drove his Infiniti G35 Coupe to a 75.119-second time, compared to Galo’s 75.804 run in his Prelude SH. The Wagovan also worked some magic for Olin Tweed in STX guise, who claimed third place in May with a 76.151 run, good for a 946 PAX score.
In other Open classes, Kim Kemper held on to his series lead as drove to a 76.204 time, ahead of Darrell Covert in Super Stock. Kemper’s 905 PAX score held off Covert’s 885 PAX. Rob Rockefeller brought his S2000 up from Tucson to whomp on a big A Stock class. His 73.468 time put him ahead of series champion Kevin Gleaton.
Gleaton’s 75.337 and 926 PAX score kept him ahead of series runner-up Mike Selland. Of note was Brady Dohrmann’s 72.837 run in his B Stock 350Z, good for a 966 PAX score. There was a big D Stock contingent turn out. Doug Rowse lead the pack in 330i with a 76.175 second time. Frank Miller has been wrenching on the Crossfire and it rewarded him with a second place time of 78.894. Mike Rogers drove his 325i to a 79.090 run.
Continuing the good turnout in Open Stock classes was E Stock, topped by Tom Tkacik in his Miata. Tkacik’s 75.519 time earned him a 949 PAX score and first place for the day. In second place for the day was Greg Hodgdon in another Miata. His 76.518 run held off Lee Imler. In E Street Prepared action, it was Geren Smith with a remarkable 952 PAX performance in his STi. His time of 73.400 held off Steve Steele. It was high traction day, so David Lahey prevailed over Don Sattler co-driving the A Prepared Miata Beastie. True to the rest of the series, when the grip is good, Lahey puts down the smack. His 73.022 time bested Sattler’s 75.008. Street Mod winner Jeffrey Goggin drove his A4 to a time of 76.718, about a second ahead of Anthony Ohmer’s 77.785.
Oh, yeah, something different!
The winners of Galo’s 10 Percent Mo Challenge were, by run group
(A to F): Brian Jackson, Eric Bradley, Meghan Dorsey, Gordon Krogh, Kevin
Gleaton, and Brian Weikert.
Gleaton was the closest to the target, at 10.1 percent improvement and could claim to be the sexiest autocrosser of the day. (No word on wether Galo conceded the title temporarily.) While the target was a 10 percent improvement, some over achievers went above and beyond. For instance, Audi TT driver Vickie Goodchild had to be close to a 20 percent improvement in her times.
The last event of the season reminded everyone to look on the bright side of life and lived up to the 10 percent title. There were 10 percent more drivers, a 10 percent longer course with 10 percent more slaloms and evidently 10 percent more fun. Fortunately, no one from the Ministry of Silly Driving made an appearance, we got to cut down our pylons, eat our lunch, and go to the lava-tree. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY –
The Arizona Region Solo 2 organizers and drivers overcame some big hurdles throughout the Spring 2005 series. For the last several years, the Spring Series typically started in February, ran for four events and concluded in May. This year, the Region tried something special, starting in January instead. There were still only four points events: January, February, April and May. March was devoted to a fun series-in-a-day event. On top of all this action, the Region added a Practice Day, complete with skid pad, in January and a Driver’s School in April. If it seems like it was a busy spring, it was!
The courses were memorable! Perhaps requiring a little too much memory, early on, as we transitioned from multiple 20-second loops to extra-long, single pass 90-second courses. The course-design crew adapted and improved with each event, all the while offering up an epic mix of features. Who knew high-speed slaloms could be so fun!
So, how did it all turn out? Who will be picking up a trophy at the summer banquet? Which classes stood on their own and which were combined?
As the series
results
demonstrate, some drivers managed to wrap up their classes in only three events, but most required four.
There were several Open-Combined Stock category single-car classes, including BS, CS, DS, FS and STS2. It was not clear who would be included in the Open-Combined Stock class until the final event. Brady Dorhmann turned in a series of excellent drives, resulting in an impressive PAX total of 2889 points. Although Mike Rogers ran in a full class all series, it was not always against the same folks, so he ended up in the Open-Combined Stock class. His performance, with a 2804 PAX total, put him in second place ahead of Chris Noyes. With only two drivers in Super Stock, it was Kim Kemper edging ahead of Darrell Covert, 2758 to 2713. Kevin Gleaton spun his way to a series win in A Stock with 2797 points, chased by Mike Selland at 2685 points, just ahead of John Sawyer. Tom Tkacik paced a class of Miatas in E Stock on his way to 2846 points. Greg Hogdgon showed good speed at 2795 points.
The Street Prepared and Street Modified categories were combined for the Open-Combined Street Prepared single classes. DSP driver Ben Clement led the way over Victor Malchesky, 2840 to 2737 points. A Street Prepared reemerged as Ryan Sotak and Paul Hamersly joined Joe Moritz. Sotak accumulated the most points at 2671, while Hamersly collected 2624 points. Larry Petrucci mixed it up with the other E Street Prepared drivers all season long, but turned in the most consist performances. Of the four drivers who qualified, Petrucci’s 2817 points earned him the win. Brian Weikert jumped into various cars to claim second place with 2806, just ahead of Richard Rippy. Street Mod saw a pair of Subarus competing for the win. Geren Smith’s 2781 points was good enough for the win over Travis Barnes.
Only three drivers in the Prepared category qualified for the series, two of them in one class and one car. David Lahey and Don Sattler share the Beastie in A Prepared and something has clicked for Lahey. He has been on fire all series and earns the AP title with 2781 points. Brian Jackson will make the trip to the front of the banquet to pick up his F Prepared trophy.
The drivers in the Street Tire categories racked up some impressive points totals. Clint Child topped Street Tire S with 2844 points over Richard Vela. Vela’s 2757 points put him just ahead of Thomas Winchester. In Street Tire X, Jeremy Galo held on for the series win with 2883 points over Kevin Cote’s 2861 points. Dan Martin just missed the trophies at 2852 points.
There was good subscription to the AZ Region local classes. The PAX Ladies class seems to get bigger at each event. With five drivers qualified for the series, Dawn Maxwell’s impressive 2879 points total took the win. Mindi Cross drove several different cars on her way to second place with 2712, just ahead of Deb Eymann. David Webb has emerged as a contender, leading the PRO class with an awesome 2931 points. Steve Ryan drove many different cars on his way to second place and 2916 points, just ahead of Dave McCombs.
Ted Lewis deserves an honorable mention because he coned all his best runs throughout the series. The Sportsman class saw some tight points races this series. Imagine earning 2975 points and still finishing in second! Tage Evanson does not need to imagine, it happened to him. Brian Peters accumulated 2987 points on his way to the Sportsman title and top PAX points in the season. With 12 drivers qualified for the series, the Sportsman trophies go six deep. Chasing Peters and Evanson were Mark Johnson, Steve Eymann, David Rock and Ron Huber – all with 2900+ points.
The Subaru STi's have found a home in Street Tire 1, as the top three trophy spots go to STi drivers. Jay Balducci earned the most points at 2824, followed by James Frink at 2792 and Greg Rubenstein at 2766. It's another big class, so ST1 trophies go six deep; Bryan Wofford, Todd Houser and Roger Brendecke pick up the remaining awards. Street Tire 2 was not quite as big, but the competition was no less intense. Brad Owen drove to 2797 points to claim ST2, just ahead of Christopher Lachlan at 2751 points. The final trophy goes to Jim Rohn, who earned 2726 points. Street Tire 3 went to John Fleming and Street Tire Ladies to Roeann Tavarozzi.
Several new drivers try out Solo 2 during the course of a season, but the truly committed stick with it. Justin Markiewicz started in February and did not miss an event after that, racking up big points every time on his way to a 2636 total in Novice 1. He was chased by Elliot Spiedell, only five points back at 2631. Kelly Olohan jumped to an early lead in the series, and then dropped to third with 2603 points. David Moy seems to be hooked and will be picking up the fourth place NV1 trophy for his efforts, just ahead of Jayme Black. Like Markiewicz, Mark Mares missed January, but never looked back once he got involved.
He picked up 2736 points on his way to the Novice 2 win. Rick Paradis will be picking up a well-deserved trophy too. He battled to get his 2514 points, staying ahead of Eric Ware. It is not true that one needs a 240SX in Novice 3, but it does not hurt either. Dave Green drove his to a 2714 points total. Chad Sherman accumulated 2666 points in his 240SX for second place. Ryan Hayles will be picking up a trophy at the banquet, earning 2631 points on his way to third place. The last NV3 trophy goes to Eli Concepcion, whose 2538 points put him just ahead of Gil Harari. Theresa Dorsey could not always make it out to the events, but when she did, she went fast. Her 2513 points was enough for the win in Novice Ladies. Elizabeth Young did make every event and showed good improvements over the season to claim second spot in NVL, just ahead of Chanda Child.
Throughout all this, event chairs continued to come up with unique creative themes each month. In January, co-chairs Mike Driscoll and Mark Johnson coordinated a scoreboard poker contest and gave away rulebooks. In February, Tage Evanson and Clint Child arranged for a bracket racing challenge and gave way several restaurant gift certificates. In March, Brian Peters and Brad Owen generated their own March Madness. Brad Owen continued as event chair in April where he gave away free entries to drivers with the fastest backward time (57.320 became 02.375 and a fast time). Jeremy Galo capped off the season by challenging everyone to go ten percent faster. Each of these event chairs deserves a big ‘Thanks’ from everyone for keeping the events on track and on time.
ARIZONA REGION –
Even though I have only had my driver's license for about 8 months,
autocrossing has been a part of my life for about the past four years.
My stepdad, Ron Huber, bought his Subaru Impreza in 2000 and rallied and
autocrossed with it even before the temporary plates were off.
Riding in a car while the driver is pushing it to the limit hooked me
instantly.
I knew that as soon as I got my license and a car, I would be giving it a try.
As a passenger, I tried to soak up as much knowledge as possible about how cars
handle and how to get certain results from them.
During my four years as a passenger, I would bring different friends with me to the track. They would be hooked instantly too, for the same reasons I was. Where else can teenagers go and drive their cars in all the ways their Driver's Education teacher told them not to? It was like a dream come true!
Once I got my car and driver's license, I was ready to go, and so were a few of my friends. Unfortunately, their parents weren't as ready as mine were, but Ron took care of that and explained the ins and outs of an event. There are four of us that have become regulars: Ben Agee, Robert Kelton, Steven Roberts, and myself. I really feel that autocross driving has made me a better overall driver on the road. I know how to handle my car and what it can and can't do.
Hopefully, by the next series the group of "next generation autocrossers" will be even bigger. It's not too hard to get someone my age to give it a try, considering how competitive we all are about our cars and driving skills. I just ask them, "Do you want to drive around looking like you know how to drive, or do you really want to know?"
ARIZONA REGION – We will not publish over the summer. The reason is, frankly, that the staff want a break. The Pylon Press will return in September, with coverage of the first event of the Fall 2005 series and a report on local entrants to the Nationals at Topeka. Watch the Forum to keep track of summer autocrossing activity around the state. And seek shade and moisture: summer is upon us!
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(Posted 23 May 2005.) |