Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 12:37:10 -0700
From: Kii Lockhorn wrote :
TeamZ3@aol.com (Mark Sipe) wrote:
> The claim that the Evansville courses were *power* courses is incorrect.
> Yes, there were some great places to go fast, but the reason a class like A
> Stock gets beat by B & C Stock is because the courses are speed
> maintenance oriented.
<< I sorta agree with Mark. However, the ability to not only go fast, but
also
<< *maintain* that speed in FS and "high power" classes was also definitely a
<< factor in who won (at least with FS, and but likely other classes as
well). I
<< didn't do either successfully. :( It was certainly more difficult to
maintain the << higher speeds the faster cars were capable of, but that's
what separated
<< people like Dan Popp from the rest of BSP, and Alex Tziortzis from the rest
<< of FS. Like Mark, I liked the Evansville courses, but I did wish that
they
<< hadn't been practically the same as last year's.
I am far from a newbie autocrosser with 12 years of experience, but this was
my first big time event. The atmosphere was very different, and the courses
were more challenging than I thought from walking them. Up here in Chicago,
we have smaller lots to deal with and make tighter busy courses to try and
make them challengining. Seeing the larger open courses with no real tight
turns I assumed more power would help. But I was seriously wrong. Being only
two cars in the new STU class I thought I was on my way to a National Tour
championship. I have at huge power margin over the other car, and am able to
use most of it most of the time. On courses where you need to slow and
accelerate alot, I can outrun many ESP and SS cars, several of which were at
Evansville. Yes, I mean the same cars and drivers I have beaten up here were
there. Trying to hold the high speeds through the sweeping turns was a big
awakening. When the course opened up I laid down power but then got into
trouble trying to get into slower sections. I got alot of applause on Saturdy
with my slide for life through the final offsets.
Some of it was poor grip but it was not all surface as others were not having
the same problems. I just ordered new tires since it seems I have more runs
on a set of G-Forces than almost anyone else. And of course some was driver
error. On Sunday I kept my head on straight and improved by well over a
second to the other drivers I know well, but I was still off the pace I
expected. this coming weekend we are back at MGA in Wisconsin and I will be
on the new tires, I sure hope I can run with the SS guys again.
Gary M.
24 STU pid (my driving not the class) at Evansville.
Yeah, the old red Celica beast. Normally 642 around here.
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