Look, y'all - Jason is right. This approach is the one we have all been
looking for! No more classing difficulties, no more car bigots, no more
endless fights on the 'net about misclassed cars!
Every driver - every car - we can all run in the same class!
May the best mental attitude win.
Roger
Norman Vincent Peale lives.
RJ>SP>My friend and fellow VW driver, Iain Mannix, touched on something that
RJ>SP>I don't think anyone is taking into account with this whole M3 debate,
RJ>SP>and that is the mental factor. How you perform at an autocross is
RJ>SP>directly related to your attitude in most cases. You have to believe
RJ>SP>that your car can win, otherwise it never will.
RJ>SP>I'll go out on a limb and say that the reason that the current ESP
RJ>SP>crowd is raising so much stink about the M3 is that they never had to
RJ>SP>account for the mental factor with respect to car types. It's the pony
RJ>SP>car class after all, right? It's been that way for so long that the
RJ>SP>competitors aren't used to 'trusting' their car. The problem is that
RJ>SP>everyone in ESP seems to be pretty stuck in a rut... Now, with the
RJ>SP>introduction of the Bob and Patty show, everyone with a Pony car has
RJ>SP>lost all faith in their ability to win.
RJ>SP>Iain talked about it with DSP... most VW drivers had given up hope that
RJ>SP>they could catch the Fiats. So they stopped developing their cars and
RJ>SP>drove with a chip on their shoulder about being misclassed. I say
RJ>SP>kudos to Iain and Kevin Wenzel for making the goal of catching the
RJ>SP>Fiats, and dedicating all available resources to attaining that goal.
RJ>SP>And that's my advice to ESP... go back to the drawing board and *make*
RJ>SP>your cars compete with the M3. The longer I autocross the more I
RJ>SP>believe that the driver is 75% of the equation and car prep the other
RJ>SP>25%... no-where in there is misclassing. Most cars can compete if
RJ>SP>prepared to the extent of the rules, and driven by a tru hotshoe.
RJ>SP>I'm going through the same thing in GS right now... I drive a Corrado.
RJ>SP> Most VW people had given up on VR6 cars ever competing in GS. But
RJ>SP>none of them had prepped to the limit of the rules. I built my Corrado
RJ>SP>to the limit with revalved shocks, which was the step that no-one was
RJ>SP>taking. And I think it's paying off... I was within .5 seconds per
RJ>SP>side from the fast Type-R times at Peru. Here's the lesson... for me
RJ>SP>to make up those .5 seconds, I have to *believe* that I can do it. If
RJ>SP>I don't believe, I don't have a chance. I believe and I am dedicated
RJ>SP>to getting there.
RJ>SP>So ESP... stop talking about how hopeless it is, have faith in your
RJ>SP>cars, and prep them to the limit of the rules. Go testing, try
RJ>SP>different shock valving, different spring rates. I firmly believe that
RJ>SP>a well prepped and well driven ESP pony-car should be right with the
RJ>SP>Tunnell-mobile. Just my .2c on an often underestimated factor... the
RJ>SP>mental one.
RJ>SP>-Jason Saini . Chicago, IL
RJ>SP>-'93 Corrado . GS Sleeper
RJ>SP>__________________________________________________
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