-------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
Message text written by "Mike Eynon"
>>Thanks to all those who have offered up good advice and options. I have
a
>>couple more questions...
>>First, this event on Sunday... All I see listed is "Fire and safety
school"
>>on the website. Is this the event that everyone is heading up to? Would
>>this be a good event to show up un-registered and meet people? In other
>>words, can I *crash* the event...? Bad form. I know.
The Fire and Safety School, which is probably over as I type this, is being
done by our road racing folks to train corner workers. It is only on
Saturday morning. The region is especially in need of corner people at the
races because the management has committed themselves to work two (2) races
on the same weekend, i.e. CSRG at Sears Point and Winston West at Laguna
Seca over the May 20-21 weekend.
On Sunday, March 4--rain or shine--is SFR's Round 3 autocross at 3
Com Park at Candlestick Point in San Francisco.
>>Next... equipment questions:
>>SHOES - I have been heel-and-toe'ing for years, but I have never
owned a car
>>where the pedals were really setup to do this, so I always have done is
>>backwards (heel to gas, toe to brake). The M3 seems to have pedals
placed
>>specifically with heel-and-toe in mind, which means that its very
difficult
>>to do it backwards... hence I am now forcing myself to do it the right
way.
>>The problem is that doing it the right way requires a lot more
>>sensitivity... and tennis shoes no longer cut it.
There is no "right way!!!" to heel and toeing. As you note, it depends upon
pedal location. While you can probably blip a throttle easier with the
toes, your method works quite well.
>>I have gone out to the web and or course found Simpson shoes, but no
other
>>brand. I am guessing these are fine, but thought I would ask before
>>ordering. What do people recommend for a size 11 foot and an M3? Are
there
>>bennies to a high-top over a low-top?
For Solo II/Autocross, a standard pair of comfy athletic shoes seems to be
the most popular choice. ONLY if you are road racing do you need "Leather"
shoes. That's a GCR requirement. Simpson isn't the only marketer. For that
purpose, high tops seems to be the best idea.
>>NUMBERS - I was gonna head out to get a set of magnetic numbers for
my
>>doors, but then thought about the obvious question... Will I be assigned
a
>>number, or can I just pick one?
You can pick one. Check the number book at registration and find out what's
available for your class. And don't forget to include your class when you
stick numbers on your car.
>>HELMETS - It seems that you can spend anywhere from ~$100 all the way
up to
>>~$800 for a helmet. What makes one helmet better than another? Is the
>>nomax lining worth getting? Open face, or shielded?
Required is a Snell '90 sticker (or a '95 or a '00) on the helmet. Road
Runner on old Monterey Rd in San Jose seems to offer the best prices. It
can be either the M or SA standard. M stands for Motorcycle, SA stands for
Special Applications, i.e. racing.
>>FUEL - How important is this? When I used to drag race midyear
Corvettes,
>>this was a big deal... There is a huge difference between 87 pump octane,
>>and 111 airplane fuel in an old Chevy small-block. But... I am guessing
>>that the M3 has some knock sensor in it that will get screwed up if I
pump
>>too high an octane through it. My guess is that I should be sticking
with
>>92 pump octane, but thought I would ask to see what y'all know.
Don't think avgas is the way to go on a standard production car. Suggest
you use 92 octane, at least for now. What your car has, and most others of
recent vintage, is a knock sensor which RETARDS the timing if it senses a
knock. When you get really serious you will seek out 100 octane unleaded
which will prevent your timing from retarding when you least want it. (ERC
sells what it calls 100 RUL. This is the stuff they used to supply to
IMSA.)
>>SHOP MANUAL - I thought this was taken care of, but it seems that the
person
>>I talked with at the Steven's Creek BMW service department really didn't
>>know what the heck I was talking about, so it didn't get ordered. I
would
>>have thought that he had seen this request before. Where should I be
>>getting one of these? The verbage on the SFSCCA website is a little
>>ambiguous... do I really need one of these on hand before I can race?
No you don't need it at this very instant. Not right away. If you find
you're really going fast and decide to compete at a Divisional, Tour, or
Pro Solo, you'll need to have it then to make it available to Protest
Committees, etc. That's what happens when you beat somebody who doesn't
know you. <G>
// Mike Eynon
// Chief Technology Officer
// OnTh Wireless
// "The Wireless Database Company"
// 1366 Bulb Ave
// Santa Cruz, CA 95062
// stingray@onth.com
// 831.588.2388 (cell)
// 831.621.9402 (voice mail & fax)
"
-------------------- End Original Message --------------------
--John Kelly
|