Autocrossing in Bremerton
FFCobra Forum AutoX Post
My times (if you looked) weren't all that impressive on that first day, but I learned a lot, and had a total blast! It's almost impossible to stick to the "mission" (testing the car...learning it's limits) without getting caught up in trying to go faster than the next guy. And believe me, I'm already filling my head with crazy ideas to go faster.
The course was as long as I've seen at Bremerton, starting on the runway, crossing to the taxiway, back to the runway, before finishing near the start (you can look at my crude map here). This is just after the start:
And this is making the first crossover, from the runway, to the taxiway:
And, finally coming to the finish line:
And now...just for fun, a couple of interesting, non-racing shots:
In no particular order, here are some thoughts from my first experience autocrossing the FFR.
First, with Sumitomo tires, especially with air temps in the mid-50s, the limits of traction can be exceeded at-will, at any time. But it's what I've got for now...
The two hardest things for me, especially on the first day, were finding my braking points, and the higher-speed curves, especially under acceleration. The braking was made difficult by the having the front brakes locking well before the rears, billowing plumes of blue smoke...
Gonna try some new pads for next year.
It was a bit tricky sneaking up on the limits in the high speed curves. In hindsight, I know I could have gone faster, but I really got the sense that if/when things went wrong, they'd go wrong in a big way (like this Honda on the 10th).
Having Karl Coleman ride along on one run was a big help, as he really encouraged me ("ok....now go, Go, GOOOO!!"). Funny how trusting someone in the passenger seat helps you go beyond where you normal would go by yourself...
Overall, I had a blast and learned a lot. I figure there are at least 4 seconds of time to be found with the car setup as-is. Maybe as much as 6/8 seconds, which (if you look at the results) puts me in some pretty good company.
One thing that I keep wondering is, what's the best time that this car, with this setup, on these tires, on this track, driven by Michael Schumacher, on this day is capable of? Then I could have a meaningful comparison...
Enjoy!
-Joe
Earlier this month - before the weather turned to crap - I was able to get over to Bremerton and get #6385 on the autocross track. Results for the first event on October 4th, (SCCA #8) are posted here:
I ran novice in morning (NOVAM), and time-only in the afternoon (TOPM).
The second event on October 10th (BSCC #1) was a make-up race for one that was snowed out back in the spring, and the results are here:
For this event I ran just the novice PM class (NOVPM).
If those official links aren't proof enough, I've got some pics...
First, a couple of photos - taken by my buddy Rick - from the first event - here I'm getting ready to start:
And here I'm coming out of the last slalom, heading to the finish:
For the second event, there was a semi-professional photographer named Ken Todd who took quite a few shots of the car. Here's me in the grid, getting ready to run:
And, finally coming to the finish line:
First, with Sumitomo tires, especially with air temps in the mid-50s, the limits of traction can be exceeded at-will, at any time. But it's what I've got for now...
The two hardest things for me, especially on the first day, were finding my braking points, and the higher-speed curves, especially under acceleration. The braking was made difficult by the having the front brakes locking well before the rears, billowing plumes of blue smoke...
Gonna try some new pads for next year.It was a bit tricky sneaking up on the limits in the high speed curves. In hindsight, I know I could have gone faster, but I really got the sense that if/when things went wrong, they'd go wrong in a big way (like this Honda on the 10th).
Having Karl Coleman ride along on one run was a big help, as he really encouraged me ("ok....now go, Go, GOOOO!!"). Funny how trusting someone in the passenger seat helps you go beyond where you normal would go by yourself...
Overall, I had a blast and learned a lot. I figure there are at least 4 seconds of time to be found with the car setup as-is. Maybe as much as 6/8 seconds, which (if you look at the results) puts me in some pretty good company.
One thing that I keep wondering is, what's the best time that this car, with this setup, on these tires, on this track, driven by Michael Schumacher, on this day is capable of? Then I could have a meaningful comparison...
Enjoy!
-Joe
