The News Team is Going Racing!
The S2KI News Team is proud to announce that ScandinavianFlick will be participating in the 2012 Speedventures S2K Challenge. Come along for the ride as he details the intense preparation and fierce competition of nine events in this Time Trial series against the fastest S2000s in the Southwest!
Over to our contender:
I will freely admit that I’m terrified. The opportunity to join the series arose after the opening round at Buttonwillow; my first introduction to my competitors will now be on February 25th at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. In full-on Roval configuration.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Roval, it offers all the minimal runoff of an infield road course in combination with the added thrill of a flat-out charge through half of a steeply banked stock-car oval. The sum total of my experience with the track is one single autocross event. In the parking lot.
I’m also very, very excited. Over the last two years I’ve been building up experience in autocross and karts, with the occasional non-competitive trackday event thrown in. This is the next step- the chance to pit myself against the best amateur drivers in Southern California; to learn from them, to challenge myself, and to come one step closer to wheel-to-wheel racing. When the moment comes, I know the fear will fade away, and all that’s left will be the thrill of the chase and the desire to WIN.
As for my car, it’s slightly less eager. In STR-class autocross trim, it packs KW coilovers, Eibach sway bars, and a racing seat with the OEM belts. It’s shod with RE-11s in 235F/255R R17 stagger; these will be staying on, but the suspension will undergo serious revision to tame the chassis. Instant response and eagerness to rotate are helpful when you’re slaloming at 45mph; less so when you’re blitzing the banking at 120. I’ll be reinstalling the OEM rear sway bar, softening the damping, and realigning the car; zero rear toe is a catastrophically bad idea for big tracks. After the Roval, I’ll have a month to tweak the car further, based on the results from that event.
Unfortunately, I was unable add an SCCA-spec rollbar to my car without violating class rules for STR in 2011, which I plan to continue to campaign. This limited my choice of restraints, as fixed harnesses and/or a HANS device present a safety liability in the absence of increased rollover protection. I will be utilizing OEM belts with a CG-Lock belt locking device to secure the lap belt. This set-up is NOT recommended for wheel-to-wheel type events, as it provides insufficient protection for racing incidents. Since STR rules were revised for 2012, increased rollover protection and harnesses will be added before the March event.
The last topic to touch on before any motorsports event is also the most important: personal safety equipment. An SA2005 helmet is required for participation in the series; fireproof outerwear is optional, but rarely utilized. Long sleeves and cotton pants are generally sufficient for Time Trials. I plan to invest in boots, gloves, and nomex underwear, just in case.
Actually, I may end up investing in more than one set of nomex underwear. I’ll let you know after the event.
Author’s Note: A big thank you to my sponsors: Infinite Motion, C2racers.com and Speed Ventures- this would not be possible without your support.
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S2KI – Racing and Competition