Brooksville, FL autocross. 11/05

BHack · 10-26-2006, 05:16 PM

Driving in a video game is nothing like doing the real thing. I encourage you guys who get into the sport through that venue to consider taking your car to an autocross near you.

For anyone in the central florida area I will be attending the brooksville SOLO II event on november 5th.

My ride?

It's stock, other than a short shifter I installed.

Autocross is fun no matter what car you have. Mine is a bit sportier than your average corolla, but it's also my daily driver and I won't be doing any crazy modifications to it because of that. Don't worry if you have a hooptie though, the cars are broken into classes, so your times are only compared against cars similar to yours. My car happens to be in G stock, which means I run against the likes of your beloved Mini Cooper S and similar ilk.

It's tons of fun and isn't expensive at all.

Here is a list of the people attending the event that I'm going to:

Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jay,Stannard II,Palm Bay,Fl,32907,Lotus,61J,1969,43,AM,2006-07-16 22:52:39
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Carlos,Leon,Riverview,FL,33569,Subaru,WRX Sti,2005,79,AS,2006-10-23 16:49:19
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Danny,Shields,Valrico,FL,33594,Porsche,Boxster S,2002,5,AS,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Sharron,Shields,Valrico,FL,33594,Porsche,Boxste r S,2002,5,ASL,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Kathryn,Stannard,Palm Bay,Fl,32907,Lotus,61J,1969,43,BML,2006-07-16 22:50:09
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jay,Stannard III,Palm Bay,Fl,32907,Lotus,61J,1969,43,BML,2006-07-16 22:50:37
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jerry,Kuehn,Sarasota,fl,34232,Mazda,Rx-7 Turbo,1987,719,BSP,2006-10-20 21:33:22
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,David,Moore,Edgewater,Fl,32141,Ford,Mustang,198 9,52,CP,2006-08-31 15:32:25
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jamie,Sculerati,Land O Lakes,FL,34638,Mazda,Miata,01,31,CS,2006-08-07 19:14:20
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Chris,Osborne,Zephyrhills,FL,33541,Subaru,WRX,2 004,724,DS,2006-09-19 11:36:29
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Scott,Osborne,Zephyrhills,FL,33541,Subaru,WRX,2 004,727,DS,2006-09-19 11:37:59
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,MIke,VanEepoel,Lakeland,FL,33810,Dodge,SRT-4,2005,35,DS,2006-10-04 14:10:46
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Darryl,Wilson,Tampa,Fl,33610,Nissan,SE-R,2002,71,DSP,2006-07-17 11:00:14
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Bruce,Williams,Riverview,Fl,33569,Ford,Mustang, 1999,123,e,2006-07-10 21:51:33
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Ed,Christy, Jr,Lake Placid,FL,33852,Mazda,Miata,1994,103,E Stock,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Shawn,Kujawa,Stuart,FL,34997,Mazda,RX7,1987,789 ,ES,2006-10-23 07:39:45
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Mark,McCallister,Gainesville,FL,32606,Mazda,Mia ta,1991,40,ES,2006-08-17 23:16:38
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Sari,Tukiainen,Stuart,FL,34997,Mazda,RX7,1987,7 86,ESL,2006-10-23 07:41:47
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Michael,Egan,Melbourne,Fl,32940,Ford,Mustang,20 05,714,ESP,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Vivek,Krishna,West Melbourne,Fl,32904,Chevrolet,Camaro Z28,2002,937,ESP,2006-10-24 12:03:15
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,PETER,VARGA,HOLIDAY,FL,34692,FORD,MUSTANG CO,1983,96,ESP,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Michael,Adrian,Gainesville,FL,32609,Pontiac,Tra ns Am,2002,25,FS,2006-10-03 14:56:37
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,John,Perez,Valrico,FL,33595,Mitsubishi,Lancer,2 004,21,FSP,2006-10-10 14:19:07
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Tod,Byram,sarasota,Fl,34243,Plymouth,Neon,1997, 25,GS,2006-07-14 19:25:21
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Aaron,Miller,Clearwater,FL,33764,Audi,A4,2000,1 ,GS,2006-10-23 10:07:45
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Danielle,Mandy,Riverview,FL,33569,Ford,Mustang, 2006,69,GSL,2006-10-23 16:19:18
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,KEITH,ROBERTSON,tampa,fl,33624,BMW,318I,1993,96 ,HS,2006-07-12 13:25:54
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,jeff,binford,orlando,fl,32825,subaru,sti,06,na, na,2006-10-22 16:20:57
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,David,Browne,Maitland,FL,32751,Honda,S2000,2002 ,520,Novice,2006-09-07 11:16:37
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jose,Collado,Orlando,FL,32389,Nissan,240sx,1989 ,360,Novice,2006-09-01 19:55:13
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Troy,Grehalva,Clearwater,FL,33760,Honda,Civic,1 995,501,Novice,2006-09-12 10:54:37
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Bret,Hackford,Orlando,FL,32809,Honda,Civic Si,2006,1,Novice,2006-10-23 10:28:51
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jessica,Lancaster,Brandon,Fl,33511,Ford,Sport trac,2005,69,novice,2006-10-10 13:52:39
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Dan,Mceldowney,Melbourne,FL,32940,Subaru,STI,20 06,523,novice,2006-08-28 19:40:09
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Snezha,Petkova,Clearwater,FL,33759,Honda,Civic, 1995,502,Novice,2006-09-12 10:54:21
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Michele,Ramos,Brandon,Fl,33511,Acura,Integra GS,1997,17,novice,2006-10-10 13:45:38
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Jim,Bledsoe,Williston,FL,32696,Toyota,MR2 Spyder,2001,57,SM2,0000-00-00 00:00:00
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Angela,Carlascio,Tampa,FL,33606,Honda,Civic,91, 91,SML,2006-10-20 11:50:45
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Malcolm,Lawson,Venice,FL,34293,lotus,elise,05,1 69,ss,2006-10-03 14:22:57
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,dave,erecitano,sanford,fl,32773,honda,civic si,99,452,sts,2006-09-02 14:16:55
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,ELLIOTT,HARVEY,ZEPHYRHILLS,FL,33544,NISSAN,NX20 00,1991,41,STS,2006-07-12 23:03:35
Event #15,West,Brooksville,2006-11-05,Keith,Boegler,Riverview,Fl,33569,Porsche,Boxter ,2002,None,Unk,2006-08-31 19:07:10

Yea, sure, you got your porsche's and lotus', but look at all the cars there that wouldn't normally be described as a "sports car". Looks like some girl is bringing out her Ford SportTrac lol.

I suggest you search out the autocross events in your area and you can apply the same physics of racing you are learning through video games to a real world competition.

Turbo · 10-26-2006, 05:19 PM

Nice car. I bought my fiance a LX sedan. Might trade it in on the new SI sedan if all goes well.

The sport is awesome, I just wish I was done with school and could afford a used Miata.

P8riot · 10-26-2006, 05:39 PM

Back in th' day (late 80's) a friend of mine did Solo 2 in a CRX Si.. done over with Jackson Racing hardware..

We would frequently play 'chase' in the abandoned streets of North Port when I had a Celica.

**Mirfee** · 10-26-2006, 06:20 PM

Realworld racing isn't in my future with a car I'm not sure will survive the drive between work and home.

Great to see there's some real racing going around here though. Please keep us updated!

BHack · 10-26-2006, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo

Nice car. I bought my fiance a LX sedan. Might trade it in on the new SI sedan if all goes well.

The sport is awesome, I just wish I was done with school and could afford a used Miata.

Do it. The motor itself is worth the price difference. The first time you hear the K20 claw all the way to its 8000 RPM redline you'll be hooked.

Clodhopper · 10-26-2006, 10:22 PM

I can picture it... me in my '82 Silverado... er.. :P

**Mirfee** · 10-26-2006, 10:33 PM

My '97 Neon would manage quite well in an appropriate class I think (my driving might be another matter entirely). However, it's old and tired and in need of substantial overhauling. I'm looking at having to rebuild some or all of the engine, replacing the rear brakes, and all 4 rims (winter salt is hell on even stock steel rims... can't keep a decent bead seal anymore)... and who knows what else that's been neglected and... uh... over stressed.

*sigh*

Neons made sharp club level race cars in their day. The few laps I did around Watkins Glen this summer sure did hint at what the real deal could have been.

Nikolas · 10-27-2006, 02:16 AM

How many laps do you put in on a typical autocrossing day?

I've been putting in laps here lately. Pretty fun - all of the aspects of 'real' racing are present in karts, and I've been doing okay lately as well.

A real karting place, like this one, would be sweeeet.

Clodhopper · 10-27-2006, 02:39 AM

Hey I used to go to a karting place outside the Calgary Airport... those things are incredible fun! I need to find a place out here and get back on those.. heh they really go :P

BHack · 11-06-2006, 09:44 AM

Well, gentleman, I had an awesome day at brooksville yesterday and couldn't have had a better experience.

Since it wasn't a points event, there wasn't a huge turnout, probably about 20 - 25 cars or so. Fine by me, I'm still new at this sport and learning, so the small turnout meant I would get more runs.

I went ahead and registered in the novice class. The class I would normally compete in (G stock) didn't have any other cars in it except for my buddy's A4, so I figured I'd just run novice and have fun. The track was, as autocross tends to be, extremely technical and difficult. Low speed (fastest I got was 58MPH on the course), intense braking, and high lateral G's were the name of the game. As I started memorzing the layout and STOPPED GOING OFF COURSE (there was a really confusing double gate that I kept missing) I steadily improved my times.

By the end of the afternoon runs I had dropped my time down to a respectable 63.3 second run. To put that into perspective, I was only .4 seconds behind one of the WRX STi's.

I learned a ton more about my car and realized how well it performs in this type of racing. The only thing holding me back, were the terrible all-season radials that come stock with it. Had I had a decent set of performance summer tires, I'm positive my time would have dropped by at least a second and a half.

In the end, I beat the only other car running novice with me, an 05 mustang V6, and got a 1st place trophy. Only two cars and the competition didn't really have a chance (read: mustangs are heavy and SLOW, DO NOT autocross these things), but the trophy is cool none-the-less.

I had a great time and you guys NEED to do a quick google search and get some track time in at an event in your area. Don't worry about being competitive, just driving your car at its limits will be such an educational experience that it will be worth it. Though, the adrenaline rush will probably get you hooked - and you'll find yourself dreaming about the course layout and how you could have cut another .5 seconds off your time.

**Mirfee** · 11-06-2006, 10:19 AM

Wow. That sounds terrific Bhack. Thanks for the follow up. Congrats on the win!

No surprise that the Mustang was a poor performer, especially with just the V6. That car just *needs* the big V8 to get the most out of it. And even then, it's meant for high speed GT style road racing, not tight technical autocrossing.

Glad to hear you demonstrated that point to him.

BHack · 11-06-2006, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirfee

Wow. That sounds terrific Bhack. Thanks for the follow up. Congrats on the win!

No surprise that the Mustang was a poor performer, especially with just the V6. That car just *needs* the big V8 to get the most out of it. And even then, it's meant for high speed GT style road racing, not tight technical autocrossing.

Glad to hear you demonstrated that point to him.

Yea, once I got the course down and could plan out good lines I destroyed that mustang. I think the fastest he ran was a high 67. It's ok though, we both had fun and talked about our cars.

P.S. - Those g'damn miatas are fast as hell. If you want to be competitive get one of those things and spend $2000 on suspension and tires and seeeyaa.

**Mirfee** · 11-06-2006, 11:35 AM

I've drooled over the Miata a lot.

My single reservation to getting one (aside from $$$

) is that my local track, Watkins Glen, doesn't permit soft tops for track days.

leejo · 11-06-2006, 12:54 PM

Just out of curiosity how much wear did you put on your tires Bhack? I'd love to take my car out to a track but I'm pretty gun-shy about new tires. It's about $1200 a set for me.

Also, I drove a V6 Mustang on a recent business trip. Squealed like a stick pig when you mashed the gas but didn't really go faster. Handled like ass. I was unimpressed. Drove a G35 the next week. Much better car.

Turbo · 11-06-2006, 12:58 PM

Trying driving an LX Civic fast around a corner.

You think the tires on the SI suck.