In all honesty . . . . (archive)

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In Reply to: I'll step in here... posted by Mike S on February 21, 2000 at 10:51:48:

1) my car is right off the showroom stock, no mods as of yet except for a K&N air filter (but as per Mark, shocks and swaybar soon)

2) I have been doing AutoX (Solo I and Solo II) since 1974, but I got burned out and quit from 1987 till early 1998, and am I rusty! It is amazing how when I was racing years ago my skills were pretty good, and so was my every day normal street driving. But only a few months after I quit, I started loosing my touch, and even became a sloppy street driver (like those I despised when I was racing). And now I have to constantly battle against lazy driving habbits and relearn the skills I used to have. But I am also a LOT older than I was back then, and my reactions (and eyesight as well as course memory) are not as sharp as they used to be. Back then, I could jump into any car and do well, but today, I HAVE to have a GREAT car to help me do well. The Audi that got me back into AutoX was a VERY GOOD car and I really loved it too, but it was a sedan and not as quick to compensate for my slower reactions of today. The Z3C is a sports car, and helps me out a lot in that respect, as well as put me back into my roots - a 2 seater than a 4dr sedan. So yes, it is skill up to a point, . . . but the Z3C is the larger part of it helping to cover up my weaknesses.

3) I also have to admit that a majority of the C and M class drivers might not have as much seat time in AutoX, but Mike and the others ARE catching up! Hell, when Mike gets a set of better tires (as one instructer told him, instead of the DunFlops, ha ha), he WILL make up the differences between our times.

4) as for the M Modified cars that I also beat - a lot of them had chips and all sorts of other goodies, but don't know their cars. As I have said many times before, you need to LEARN your car BEFORE you mod it, so as to understand its limits when they are lower. Some of these guys thought chipping and SPEED means everything, and drove as such. Even I think of the gas pedal as an ON/OFF switch, and that is WRONG! They drive like a bat outta hell, then slam on the brakes, and wipe out in the turns. Need to put a large block of rubber under the pedal to help learn to gently get on the gas (ME included!!! ).

In my local SCCA Solo II events, I am doing pretty good, I took 1st in year end points in both STU with my Audi, and AS in my Z3C. But it turns out that some of the tougher AS guys didn't show up at those events that I won, and I got enough points to win it. This year, the first 2 events I got my ass handed to me on a tray! But the MR2's and Vette's that beat me also have all the allowed stock class mods and "R" tires, so I am at a disadvantage there anyway for now. So I now enter a regional class we have called SK1. It combines SS, AS, and FS cars in one class. All stock class mods are allowed BUT you have to have tires with a treadwear rating of 140 or higher - NO "R" tires. And the winner is determined by an index (SS - 8.30, AS - 8.15, FS - .807). So far, I am doing quite well in this class! I came within .7 seconds of the ZR1 Vette driven by a pro, and with the index I got 1st place. But the last event was held when it started to rain - he and another Vette got all their runs in the dry, but I got out there when it strted to sprinkle, then rain. I still got 3rd place.

I hope this does not come out sounding bad, it is not meant to be. Instead, I hope it is honest enough, and might help others as well.

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