This event's theme is "slow learner." I DNF'd the first four runs out of the six total. Something about the course layout yesterday simply did not click with me, and I found myself staring at the cones like a deer in the headlights at least once. I repeated mistakes, and learned the course by pushing myself into DNFs instead of by driving around it carefully for the first lap or two.

This course was longer than what I'm used to, and I didn't retain the fine details from the course walk in the morning. By the time Group B started I should not have attempted to set a fast time. For my current skill level, using the first lap for reconnoitering has to become a rule. The lap times should continue to improve gradually after that point. But ditching laps from the get-go trying to set a fast time is a recipe for disaster.

This was a long course. My memory of the layout started failing me near the end of the second "slalom," near 1. On my first run I got utterly lost there, and kept looking for the course on my right, and had to ditch it (not before stopping the car mid course and looking like a lost child at the grocery store). In the next 3 runs those red circles, particularly the one on the left, gave me much grief. I hate them. This is a picture of the printout displayed at the event by BMC, with my notes in blue and red overlaid on it.

In the end I managed to get a couple of times on the board, with coaching from Duke and Liz Wilford (Liz is the event organizer and coach extraordinaire, and Duke the BMC club chair, both excellent autocross drivers). My sequence of four DNFs was interrupted with Liz in the car, for the first scored lap in my session. The last lap was solo, and I managed to improve a bit. Here's the footage:

This was good for 5th out of six in class, and 40th out of 88 PAX. My nemesis Nick Kay got the better of me this time, overtaking me in his last lap by improving an amazing 1.1s, and leaving me in the dust by 0.8s. Here's his best run:

Full CS class times, as posted in the event:

Unofficial results.

Mark Cather in the S2000 was in a class of his own. As he saw me struggling with the course he was kind enough to share some advice. I wasn't able to truly take advantage of it yesterday, but I added it to the toolbox, and it will come in handy in the next events. He suggested that you should have a routine to mentally set yourself up right before the run. His routine was:

  1. Take two deep breaths, "since you will probably not breathe again until the end of the lap!"
  2. Pick three things you want to improve or to try in this lap, and focus on those.

Nick was a gentleman, and kept giving me encouragement as I went. Seriously, with a nemesis like this, who needs friends?!

And last but not least, Liz's coaching was just what I needed in that spot. She kept me on track literally and figuratively!

The next event is on October 10, roughly one month away. Between now and then I don't intend to make any changes to the MX-5, I think mechanically the car is in very good shape. The alignment produced a very neutral feeling, and the car felt perfectly predictable, no trace of bad manners through the slalom or in the slower sectors. I felt that the car would have been there for me if I had known what to do with it. So I think the current state is much better than the driver, and if I can max it out I'll have every reason to feel good about myself.

Other Hightlights

I always enjoy a walk around the parking lot looking for a chat and taking pictures. There's always something interesting to see, and drivers are usually more than willing to talk cars and techinique. This event was no different.

Matt Mooney, driver of car #223, in CS. Matt's times are usually out of reach for me, but I'll keep trying.
The 85 Miata on the left looked like a Spec setup, and would probably be a lot of fun to drive.

Best for last! According to the timing and scoring driver info, this is a 1975 Lola T360 FA (Formula Atlantic). I don't know anything about it, other than I'd love a drive in it! It must have been a nightmare to drive through the course, the driver's view point is right around the top of the cones, so if the course sometimes just looks like a sea of cones, imagine what it looked like for this guy! Except he did not DNF even once. Enough said.