Atlanta Region fun times

[TachItUp]

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the GF and I will be able to make it to an Atlanta event soon; she's been wanting to try auto-x.

[scooby]

Unfortunately my wife is due on the 21st and it's apparently some sort of tradition that the father has to be there for it. The next points event is two weeks after that so I'll be lucky if I'm able to make it there. But Lanier and Road Atlanta are less than ten minutes from the house so anything going on there I can normally get to.

And thanks Will, I'm trying to make it a little interesting and I'm happy people are reading. Also I'm pretty satisfied with the wheels, just need to get some stickers for the center caps...

[scooby]

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the GF and I will be able to make it to an Atlanta event soon; she's been wanting to try auto-x.

Yes, come on out! Bring the Lotus too! Atlanta Region has a very active Novice program so there are lots of instructors around to help.

You can find the schedule here:

http://www.atlantascca.org

[Robert Nixon]

thanks for the report, great job on PAX!

[scooby]

Thanks, I'm just happy to keep improving. I'd like to come up and run with you guys at some point, maybe after this kid get here and life goes back to "normal..."

[scooby]

Not too many Fiat pics this time around but here's some that I like:


My friend's C7... she had just put new brake pads on before this event, they were working pretty hard:


Cool little Sprite, one of two that showed up:


And speaking of cool:


Action shot! BMW in a full broadside skid in the My Advice to You is to Start Drinking (Braking) Heavily Slalom:

[Fastdrivingjr]

only a couple more days anyone in ATLANTA.. if you would to join me sign up! $75 open track Scooby

http://www.motorsportreg.com/events/lanier-friday-night-shootout-4-21-raceplex-itrack-motorsports-523293

[scooby]

My kid ended up being born a week early, gonna have to take a rain check on that one.

[SVAGO 1]

My kid ended up being born a week early, gonna have to take a rain check on that one.

Congratulations!! Boy or Girl?

[scooby]

Boy, so I'll have a helper in a few years.

[scooby]

Sunday was another gorgeous day to drive! It was still a wee bit chilly when the gates opened but by the time the first run group set off it was pretty comfortable. Just warm enough for the tires to hold some heat but not so warm that the hood gets popped open after each run. Had a good turnout too, 134 drivers. This included a large contingent of BRZs, GTIs, and Fiesta STs, though none found their way into my class. It was just me and the Mazda 3 in HS again... the six Fiestas were scattered between Novice, STX, and SMF. And my STX Abarth buddy was back again too.



The course was well thought-out and it seemed less complex than the last one. I thought at first it would be biased towards the horsepower crowd but it ended up being pretty fair. It started with a short slalom then went into a tight Chicago Box, then opened up around the banking, then tightened into another slalom, etc. My times weren't awful but I felt like I left a bunch on the table by killing off too much speed in some spots instead of taking the proper line and maintaining momentum. One spot in particular was right before the finish, a 90° left turn that came straight from the infield and climbed up onto the banking (the venue is an old oval track that's been completely paved all the way through). I might've hit the right line once or twice but the rest of the time I carried too much speed on the wrong line and had to brake too much. This left me off boost, turning, and going uphill, absolutely killing my times. I know better, lesson learned for next time.

Results weren't terrible though. With my class being a little less competitive I usually compare my times to the faster GS and STX classes, and I was on the good side of midpack in both. So out of 134 drivers I was 1st in class, 74th overall, and 44th in PAX. Not too shabby, though I'd like to get my PAX back down... the Miatas were very quick on this course, I think they blew the curve. More photos to come, of course.

[scooby]

Oh, and good news/bad news time.

The good news, for anyone autocrossing a 500T or Abarth in STX, is that the SCCA is looking to change the Street Touring rules to allow greater ECU tuning freedom. Tuning has been allowed previously, but no boost changes. Now extra boost is allowed through flash, piggyback, or stand-alone engine management solutions. No mechanical boost controllers still, I guess. There is talk of shuffling cars around and pulling from STX and STF to create a new STH class, but we'll have to see where the turbo Fiats end up.

Fastrack article, for those who care: https://dk1xgl0d43mu1.cloudfront.net...pdf?1491315591

The bad news, for me anyway, is that I probably won't be able to get the Fiat to SCCA Nationals this year. Between paying hospital bills for this new kid, giving the IRS more of my money, and possibly paying an HVAC company to replace both damn A/C units in my eight-year old house, I think I'm pretty much drained for a while. I can still make some local events but all the extra stuff will have to wait.

[scooby]

So I know the camera adds 10 pounds but I'm pretty sure that helmet smooshing my face adds 10 more. I look like I barely fit in the car, lol:


Giving rides on my first couple runs:


One of the aforementioned very quick Miatas blowing the PAX curve:


And just a couple of regulars in cool rides:




Next stop, Track Night at Atlanta Motorsports Park later this week, then maybe a rallycross in the wife's Subaru next weekend. I was gonna take the Fiat to play in the dirt but my all-season tires are mounted on the 17" Abarth rims, and I sure would like to not bend those into little pretzels. Next autocross will be June.

[Southernroadrunner]

Looks like way to much fun.

[scooby]

Sitting in the paddock at AMP, waiting on my run group. Sorry I don't have more, I don't have a fancy GoPro and apparently taking pictures while driving is strictly verboten. The track was great, the staff was helpful, and the car was fast. I was lucky enough to be behind two much faster cars and ahead of a pack of slower cars, so I had a completely clear track for almost a full session. So much fun, though I need to upgrade the brakes lickity-split if this is gonna become a habit.

The unfortunate side was we had two pretty spectacular crashes that caused delays and eventually cut the event short. The drivers were okay, thankfully, but their cars (a newer GTI and a C5 Z06) were write-offs.