Elistan

Ramblings:

• 24 cars seemed like an ideal number in terms of getting everybody enough track time. We started late, but everybody got their eight laps, plus fun funs if they wanted, and we still finished at a good time.
  
• We could use more workers, though. Two for each of five corners, two at start/finish, two at timing/scoring, one at grid would be 15 total.
  
• I felt the format for the second half of the day (three cars on track, two laps each, then get back in line for two more laps) worked very well. (It requires a lot of communication between timing and grid, though.) In fact, a few times we had four cars on track at one, since we were able to send out a car just before another finished its second lap.
  
• We definitely need more people who can run the timing software.
  
• In fact, since our next autocross is June 1st, I plan on heading over to Starbucks some Saturday a week or two beforehand with my laptop and some doodling paper. Anybody who would like to have input on the next autocross (track layout, run format, registration form design, learn the timing software, etc.) is welcome to show up and help out.
  
• With our entry fees, we plan on buying a small gas-powered generator (a small EU1000i by Honda would be nice) so we don't have to worry about laptops running out of juice. (I brought four batteries, and I was worried we might not make it.
  
• Since we still finished at a good time, maybe we can move the official start time up to 11 or 11:30. Of course, people setting up would still have to be there around 7:30 or so. Or alternatively, we could spend Friday night at a hotel in Mineral Wells.
  
• Did I mention we need more people to run timing? Most of my memories are of sitting in front of a laptop, and I'd really rather be more social next time.
  
• I thought the way the course ended up was a blast. Good combo of autocross and road-course features.
  
• Many of our participants are novices at the sport, so I was thinking it'd be good to help out in that area somehow. I've never attended an autocross school, so I don't know what goes into them, but I'm thinking of something more along the lines of getting people comfortable with the whole autocross philosophy. I'm thinking something relatively short and technical, so it's easy to walk and get the hang of. Instructors would be good too, but I don't think we could swing that. (We'd need instructors, workers and drivers all at the same time.) Well, hold one - six instructors and six novices in Group 1, and twelve people on their own in Group 2 could work. In the Group 1 sessions, the students could ride along with the instructors first, then the instructors would ride with the students. Then during lunch there could be a general question-answer session for all participants... Hmm, I dunno.
  
• Many, many thanks to everybody who helped out. This wouldn't have been possible without you.
  
• Am I missing anything?

kumar75150

I'm guessing that Prelude wasn't stock.

azrael

mwahahah! I've not autocrossed before, but now I'm quite inspired. It looks like me and my little Lude might not be totally embarassed out there..

now it's just time to locate good deals on Koni Yellows, Ground Control coil-over springs, some Neuspeed rear anti-sway bars, lightweight wheels, etc, etc.

Damn, this hobby is sooo expensive..

Matt

Schatten

Matt - plenty of seat time and some R compound tires will do you a lot better than everything else. Seat time is EVERYTHING and you'll learn the limits of the car better than you know now. =)

TypeSH

No my Prelude is not stock. It has Ground Control (650f/750r), custom valved Konis, and Suspension Technique front and rear swaybars. It also has I/H/E/V-AFC and puts down 184hp/143tq to the wheels and weighs ~2850# with the roll cage. I have been autocrossing it for the last three years so I am very comfortable in it at the limits. Even with all that a well driven stock S2000 is only a few seconds behind me. If you are getting a S2000 in a year don't waste your money on a bunch of mods on your Prelude now. Just do as many autocrosses that you can since that experience you can take with you to your new S2000.

AATees

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Elistan
[*]With our entry fees, we plan on buying a small gas-powered generator (a small EU1000i by Honda would be nice) so we don't have to worry about laptops running out of juice.

vtecing

I have a canopy that I can start bringing out to events, but this only serves as a sun shade. Maybe we can get some big trucks lined up in a strategic position to help block the wind, but yet still provide visibility for the timing and scoring people.

The summers in Mineral Wells get really hot though, so some wind might actually be nice then. The critical part for events in the summer will be to provide cold drinks and lots of shade for people. So a large ice chest would be nice to have.

marcucci

David's biggest modification is the nut behind the wheel. He's got a lot of experience in that car.

Per everyone's generator suggestions, unless the club has money to burn, a better investment might be a large deep cycle battery (~$70) and a 600W inverter (<$100). It should me more than enough to run a laptop and the timing gear and eventually a printer. It would require charging the battery before an event, but no one has to worry about bringing gas. It would also allow us to run off of a car's battery should all else fail (w/o a last minute run for gas).

I've got an inverter I can bring next time, also.

azrael

ah, I was never discounting seat-time as the most important factor. As money and time allows, experience and education on the track will definitely be top priorities..

Matt

altiain

Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun out there last weekend... wish I could have joined you. Oh well - the 200' of fence I put up instead this weekend looks good, but I didn't have nearly as much fun as you guys...

Matt, I'll second (third?) David and Schatten's suggestion: dollar for dollar, money spent on track time will make a much greater improvement in lap times than any parts you can buy for your car. Until the car becomes the limiting factor (i.e., you're driving it at 100% all the time every time) don't waste your money on fancy adjustable this and tuneable that. More likely than not, you'll just be buying more rope to hang yourself with. Remember, autocross is 90%-95% driver skill. The car and its setup only account for the other 5%-10%.

The upside is that racing becomes more affordable, you spend more time racing and less time wrenching... AND you can take all of those newly learned skills with you to whatever car you drive.

David - congrats on FTD, and I'm looking forward to running against you and Todd at the BMWCCA event coming up...