They said it couldn't be done....but we did it. Just want to thank everyone
who helped make the BFGoodrich Team T/A SEDiv Solo2 event in Ozark, AL a
successful happening. In particular the following folks deserve recogniton
for a job well done:
BFGoodrich Team T/A
Evolution Performance Driving School
Edwards & Edwards Consulting
The Wiregrass Region
The Middle Georgia Region
The Event Chiefs and Officials
The turnout of 97 competitors was a little disappointing considering we had
145 pre-registered entrants, but about typical with past SEDiv events. The
SEDiv competitors that did make the trip to south Alabama were treated to a
bone-dry weekend of foot-stomping, wheel-yanking action. For those of you
who think that winning on BFG g-Force R1 tires is ancient history, several
big class wins proved that you can't cross off BFG from the autocross picture
just yet.
The same basic course was used on both days running in opposite directions.
The course consisted of a variety of slaloms, sweepers, and offsets run
mostly on the 360 ft x 1200 ft brushed concrete helicopter landing pad, with
two big sweepers added on the adjacent slippery asphalt runways to keep
things interesting. FTTD for both days was in the low-mid 50 second range,
and no surprise for them both to be set by the Atlanta Region's Clint McMahan
driving on an outrageously ragged edge in several different F Mod vehicles.
Those competitors that didn't get their fill of grub at the local Holiday
Inn's inclusive hot breakfast buffet certainly didn't go hungry. The
Evolution Performance Driving School's sponsored daily lunch social ensured
that nobody at the event went hungry. There was plenty for all with Subway
party subs on Saturday and Domino's pizza on Sunday. A battalions worth of
free cold soda's and chilled water were also consumed to wash down the daily
feast, as well as keep the intense Alabama summer afternoon heat at bay.
Many of the competitors scheduled to run in the afternoon took advantage of
the hour long lunch social to refresh their knowledge of the course layout
and inspect the surface conditions. Word has it that an unofficial hotel
pool party pounded on until the wee hours Saturday night with lots of high
jinks and consumption of adult beverages. Where the aqua-farious
participants found the energy to stay awake is one of the best kept secrets
of the weekend.
The event went smoothly except for two snags of varying degree. On Saturday
morning during Heat 2 an H Stock Ford Focus got crossed up and managed to
damage both sides and the roof in the resulting low speed rollover. I don't
care to comment much further except to say that driver was unhurt and no
other competitors experienced any similar problem at this, or any other, area
of course for either day. Hopefully it will help reinforce the simple fact
that we are only running for time and that it's much more prudent to give up
the run rather than risk destroying a vehicle. On Sunday a problem with the
starting timer was traced to a corroded connector and delayed the start of
competition for a short period of time. Despite the minor annoyance we still
managed to finish up trophy presentations and have everyone on their way back
home by 4 pm.
We hope to have the results posted soon at the SEDiv Solo2 website at
www.eec.com/sediv. Out of the 97 competitors there were 50 trophy winners!
Of special note, the winner of the Edwards & Edwards Consulting-sponsored
Rookie PAX Challenge competition was Brian Ricci of Panama City, FL , who
also managed to win a 2nd place trophy in the open class competition in his D
Stock Neon. We'd also like to pay homage to Spencer Elliot from Columbus,
GA; the young Formula Jr. kart driver who managed to make big improvements in
time with each run, while mom, dad, and a family friend made a quality-time
weekend of it by sharing rides in a new Toyota MR Spyder with their daughter
serving as pit crew support, proving that Solo2 is indeed a family-oriented
sport. This event provided plenty of fun and good times for everyone, all
you had to do was attend! Look for a more detailed report of the event
coverage in an upcoming issue of the premier autocrossing periodical, North
American Pylon.
Again, many thanks to everyone that did more than their share of the work to
make the event go smoothly. Give yourself a pat on the back; you earned it
and it showed.
Mark Sipe
Event Chair & SEDiv Solo2 Steward
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