The road to Optima Challenge 2021

[Captain]

Cone Course.......
1st year Geometry Class......
Shortest Distance Between Two Points....
Is a STRAIGHT Line.........

[SuperBuickGuy]

Sweet ! Looks like a blast . And a simple enough course that I don't get lost in .

and yet, I missed an optional section on one of my runs.... can't wait to get out again.... Didn't realize this weekend I could have done an open track day - ah well....

[Dan Barlow]

Sweet ! Looks like a blast . And a simple enough course that I don't get lost in .

[SuperBuickGuy]

lots of 'news' I've signed up on SCCA and signed up for my first autocross with them in Portland, Oregon on April 16. I had to 'class' my car, and I classed at Xtreme Street, XA... that is, barely disguised race car that looks like a street car (in short, I suspect USCA is cutting into their turf). XA class (more then 2750 lbs, rwd)

my result last weekend
2 NOVCAMS 976 , Aaron Chevrolet Corvette 41.339 +2.235 +2.235

I see they classed me as CAMS... hmmm.... I'll have to fix that.
The ride back was quite a ride. 65 mph headwinds (sustained), then torrential rain, then class 3 hurricane winds, then heavy, heavy snow - but the moment I went across the pass, it was still wet (though 10 minutes later, I bet it wasn't).....

I met a lot of really neat people. Funny thing, since I drive a Corvette, everyone told me about all the Corvette people and who I should know and talk to (who had Corvettes)...

I got to ride along in two, different cars - which was beyond cool. They have a great novice enabler (not sure that was her actual title), who went out of her way to explain all the overlooked things about how to do this successfully.

In other news, my tire went flat - but the good news is I have a 12v air compressor - so it was easy to fix.

I had a brake line leak a bit - tightened it up before my last run and it didn't seem to leak again.

There is that puff of smoke on right handers... that I need to fix

Dried the car off this morning.... it got soaked - thankfully nothing that won't easily dry - but before I drive in another rainstorm, I'm taping the gap at the sunroof - I don't blame astrotop... the windshield, at one point, had a good 1" of ice on it and then snow on top of it.

I don't know if I'll get another round in Spokane - Portland is the week before, but if I can. I will... neat people, neat place, nice 4x4 track... ;)

[SuperBuickGuy]

I may have said a bad word... but things got a bit interesting. It's the last run (of 5), I missed one run due to a brake line leaking....

[SuperBuickGuy]

You got it there and finished, great job. Was the acceleration where you wanted it ?

no, most times I was late on acceleration in part because rookie but also because I need to work on tip in tuning (and the stiff throttle)

[pdub]

Man, that's GREAT!

[Monster]

You got it there and finished, great job. Was the acceleration where you wanted it ?

[65RHDEER]

Well done, looks well planted on the road.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I guess I got second in novice.... this was my best run.... for context. 41.00 was the winner, this run was 49.xx

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AFlIYrV45G0Nt4g&v=photos&cid=CC18730F4D55AA7B&id=CC18730F4D55AA7B%2182050&parId=CC18730F4D55AA7B%2182049&o=OneUp

[SuperBuickGuy]

In looking at that 48-hour Ridetech Corvette I noticed that the first pictures of that car had a stock-style front spoiler, then later it evolved to the full splitter.
Honestly, evolving a car by updating the weakest link, then looking for the next weakest link is what this silly shit is all about. I have changed so many weak links in my car, I'm surprised it moved down the road under its own power originally. Remaining parts on my car from on the 2009 power tour are mostly just the body shell and doors!

I haven't even raced yet and this is true... for a laugh, go back to the start and what my plans were....

[SuperBuickGuy]

Pdub, I suspect that if you did that to a cone, it completely deserved such treatment by just sitting there daring you to hit it in a condescending tone.

my ex-wife had a fixation with cones.... I'm sure the reason was because they're short and hit by pretty much anyone.... just like her.

[mike343sharpstick]

In looking at that 48-hour Ridetech Corvette I noticed that the first pictures of that car had a stock-style front spoiler, then later it evolved to the full splitter.
Honestly, evolving a car by updating the weakest link, then looking for the next weakest link is what this silly shit is all about. I have changed so many weak links in my car, I'm surprised it moved down the road under its own power originally. Remaining parts on my car from on the 2009 power tour are mostly just the body shell and doors!

[mike343sharpstick]

Pdub, I suspect that if you did that to a cone, it completely deserved such treatment by just sitting there daring you to hit it in a condescending tone.

[pdub]

what people do who will get lost on the autocross course.

That's the biggest truth going at my house. I've run through cones on a little bitty roundy round race track and that was pure fun as hell. I've also done some cones in great big parking lots and that's some form of sadistic frustration. It's just a sea of cones. Go ahead, walk the course if you think that'll do any good. In my case it won't. Some guys are more than just pretty good at it but I'll save that $25 entry fee for something else. Can't say I didn't try numerous times. What's fun is lodging one of the first cones underneath the car and then dragging it all the way around the parking lot, always somewhere in the general vicinity of the actual course. It makes a horrendous noise like you're destroying the car but it only deforms the cone most times.