Broken Laptop and Autocross Practice

2/10/2009 Haven't been able to post for a LONG LONG LONG while - since my Toshiba M105-3004 laptop cr@ped out the other day. Either going to fix or get one of the new netbooks...or both.

THEN!!! - my desk top crapped out while I was writing this on the 3rd!!! After much research I ended up with an HP Mini laptop from Costco...90 days to decide if I want to keep it...


Took the Tetsuyagarage roadster out two Sundays ago to get some autocross practice - in the wet and on our 185 Yoko ES100's. Surprisingly, we could keep up with a lot of the higher HP cars on better and wider rubber...only after we figured out (after 12 runs or so) how to take the right lines.

It was really nice to see the car out there blasting around on our street setup - those bad a$$ looking SSR Star Sharks really set the car off nicely...

Total SNAFU!!! Oct. 6th Autocross...

Countersteer quick!
This past Sunday was a TOTAL FAILURE.

By removing the rear swaybar, the car drove totally different from last race. And, add that to my non-adjustable lousy driving, I again never compensated until the LAST of my fun runs. Took 8 out of 9 runs, but, I finally got it to do a 29.8ish - versus the 31+ I mangled out during the real runs.

Like the last race, I managed to totally RUN OVER so many cones that gave up trying to count. You know it's bad when while I was working the fun runs, another competitor mentioned to me that, "that cream Miata's been running over the most cones....."...no $h!^^!#&..."Oh yeah...that was me."

My brother again smoked the course in his 6 running a 31.6ish for 1st place in STS. Maybe...I gotta get back into my bimmer wagon and into STS again??? In the fun runs he managed a 30 flat in the Miata while totally messing up a key turn.

Fwiw...the roadster is driving totally different now...without fear of a spin, sans rear sway, it has a very predictable trailing throttle oversteer, and, on power it doesn't slide very much and puts down the power WAY better than before. Overall, much more stable and less twitchy. Now that I think I know how to drive it, next race...it should be different...IT BETTER BE!!! Just writing this is p!$$!#& me off...



Results: http://www.sccahawaii.org/2008results/10-5-08.pdf

Big Sunday...Aloha Staduim Autocross - Oct. 5th.

Some pics by my friend Zarli from the last autocross on August 31st.

My brother smoked the course again in his Mazuda MX-6 wagon with a very fast 23rd PAX and a 37 flat time.

After getting some driving pointers from my less experienced but "smarter" (when it comes to this car driving stuff) brother, I finally sort of got "IT." But, he must have not told me all of his tricks cause during the fun runs, my brother BEAT my official run time of 36.24 with a 35.8 in only 3 fun runs in the Tetsuya Garage Eunos.

Had to really reset my brain's concept of speed and how fast you can really go, but, after (ahem) 9 shots, I finally got it down to a 35.6! When your really cooking, the car is just slithering through the course, especially through the transitions!!! No sliding, no skidding...just slithering, and it feels unreal!!!

During the fun runs, my brother said that the car was really over steering under acceleration. This Sudnay, we're hoping that disconnecting the rear sway bar will provide a little more traction out of the turns since were still on our skinny 185's. Else if not, ADJUST YOUR DRIVING!!! And, DON'T LIFT!!!, and start turning before the cones in the slaloms...

Brother's Big Adventure - Back to the Source & Autox Action Shots...

My brother and his friend Kieth at 7am this morning heading off for their big adventure. He just checked in and they just got into Yokohama about 2-1/2 hours ago...I'm jealous...

Good luck ケーキ


Me driving Rod's Roadster...some nice action pics he took with his new Nikon D40x SLR...

June 20th Autocross - Brother's Eunos...

Saturday Nite Prepping - Putting On The Race Rubber...

Spent about 2 hours Saturday night taking off the Starsharks and putting on the 185 R-comp Advans, and adjusting the suspension a little higher. During the last race, the car smelt like a hibachi with the fronts burning into the top of the tire liners...

All Done...
Took my brother's "new" Eunos out after a LONG LONG layoff. Never got it going as the back end was way too loose. Probably due to the added camber on the rear rubber that was worn and molded to less camber = less outside tire edge on the ground! I should have thought of lowering the pressure...Doh!!!

My 3rd run was my fastest with a 38.1 and change...good for 5th in E Modified. On my forth run, I decided to push the car a little more resulting in some Initial D action...

Vid from the other angle...

Well...at least the CAR looked much nicer than BEFORE:





My brother took 1st in a 2-man STS class but was not really feeling it cause his wagon was oversteering too in the transitions. Maybe in two weeks, we'll both co-drive the Eunos...

Results: http://www.sccahawaii.org/2008results/7-20-08.pdf

SCCA Hawaii Autocross - July 13, 2008

This past Sunday was the first autocross after a 2 month break for the 50th State Fair, which is also held at Aloha Stadium. And, it was like learning to walk again as both me and my brother felt that we weren't really focused after the long layoff. In fact, a LOT of people must have had the same feeling as everyone was DNFing...even experienced racers like Erik in his Subi Wagon!!!

"Ahhhh...Left Turn There!!!!" My brother DNF'd away his first 3 runs!!! On his last do-or-die run, he managed a 34.8.

On my first run, I got lost and did a 37.
On my second run I coned away a 34.8.
On my 3rd run, I decided to NOT left foot brake and did a 34 flat.
On my forth, I over drove the course and went back up to 34.9.

We both did lots of fun runs and my brother bested me with a 33.8! I could only repeat my 34 flat with numerous 35's thrown in there. Although, I did have one really good run that might have broken into the 33's, only that the lights malfunctioned and I ended up with a smoking 14 seconds!!!

Results for STS:
Steven BMW 325it 37.017 36.862 1 34.086 34.893 34.086 43 27.814 29
Gregg Mazda 6-Wagon DNF DNF DNF 34.841 34.841 54 28.430 40
Erik Subaru RS Wagon DNF 36.703 36.635 35.971 35.971 76 29.352 57
Malcolm Toyota Corolla 47.225 37.594 37.096 DNF 37.096 93 30.270 74

A Sea of Cones to Get Lost In...
The course was a really open high speed layout and I got up into the 45mph range in 2 places on the course. Although, there were probably 2 or 3 places where you HAD to slow down to get the proper line for the section, else, you ended up plowing away lots of time.

Not much time to think, analyze or recover as the next race is this coming Sunday!

Full Speed...4/13 Auto X Pics...

At every autocross there several photographers who take some awesome shots...I gotta learn how to take these panning shots...Thanks Folks...

Full Speed BMW 1...

Full Speed BMW 2...

Full Tilt BMW...

Full Speed 6...

Full Tilt 6...

April 13th SCCA Hawaii Race

I was going so fast this past Sunday...I blew the grill right off my car!!! ALERT - Got the mojo back!!! For one week at least...

By luck...or maybe, as Aaron (a past STS racer) said, "this course was just made for my car"...for whatever reason, I had "IT" and finally squeaked ahead of my brother by 3/10ths of a second...

Like in the last couple of races, I thought for sure he would catch my best time of 30.363 on one of his runs...but his car was just too loose on this high speed course. According to the datalogger, we got up in the 40-45mph range in several spots...way more fun than last times course were my car hardly got out of the 30mph range.

Both wagons dropping anchor from 45mph...

Looking at the times, this was the best I've ever driven against the field cause even though I was only 40th overall, my PAX was 22nd and my brother's was 29th!

Considering the PAX rating is based on having the "best prepped car for your class," me and my brother did pretty d@mn good cause our cars are definetly not the "top dogs" in STS...but, I guess I DO have a BMW (non-sport package though). In fact, I think only one other car, a well driven STU classed RX8 on Advans, beat our times on street tires.

We got to stay for the fun run after, and we both felt that the track had a little more grip compared to the 4th heat only 20 minutes earlier. Real or imagined, I actually almost got into the 29s with two runs in the 30.00# range...wish I could have done that when it mattered!

Both me, my brother and my younger brother are thinking of bringing back the Eunos for the next race in July...maybe with some big arse rubber FTW!!! But if not, the 185 r-comp advans will have to do for now...


Results: http://www.sccahawaii.org/4-13-08.pdf

Vid of one of my brother's runs...