Philly region autox Ripken Stadium

[slngsht]

Tom, when will the results be posted?

[yellowss7]

Should be soon. They usually get them up within a day. Just depend on if there are complete files, or how much editing they need to do. Mazda, I never did get to see how that motor of your's fits in there. Remind me next time. Tom

[MHKflyer52]

Oct. 14, 2007

 

Well yesterday (Oct 13, 2007) was quite a day as I had the good fortune to be able to meet several of the members of the forum, Mazda, Tom, Jon and Norm. Jon was gracious enough to actually offer and let me co-drive his Caterham at the auto-x. I have to say everyone that I had the opportunity to meet and talk to was more than friendly not just the guys from the forum. I still am just blown away by Jon’s generosity to let me run his car at the auto-x knowing that he had to drive back to New York (about 3.5 hours one way). Now you have to understand that Jon had never meet me before except on line and had not been in the parking lot ten minuets when he told me to get into his car and move it to the grid area. My reply was are you sure and he said go for it so I climbed in and started his car put it into what I though was first gear and promptly stalled it not only once but three times as Jon stood their not saying a word or moving towards me to jerk me out of his very nice car. I finally found first (was trying to start in third [head down feeling real stupid] wondering how Jon was going to kill me) and finally got moving. Man that is one sweet very close ratio six speed gear box. Pulled the car into the grid area where I climbed out of the car and turned towards Jon who was trotting over to were I parked the car and said, “man that is one sweet car” and the steering is so much lighter that my car and that really rips and on an on until Jon stopped me and said I had better go to registration and get registered to run. Still can hardly believe Jon was (well did) letting me co-drive his car after stalling it three times and not ever having meet me before..quite a nice guy. Jon let me go out on the first run on my own and then did his run and then asked me if he could ride with me on my second run which I though was really strange as it is his car and I would have been happy at that point if he had said ok your done but he didn’t and climbed into the passenger seat. About half way through the course Jon is telling me to go faster and push it into the corners when I looked over at him and thinking is he nuts but his look was dead serious. I took his instructions and his pointers on how to run the course and I think knocked 2+ seconds off my previous time. Jon then climbed into his car and bettered my time by at least a second as I recall and that was with me in the passenger seat. My next run Jon climbed into the passenger seat and I was doing well until I spun out and DNF on that run. Jon’s next ran the course again and bettered his time even though he spun out after crossing the timing lights and took out the cable to the timing lights with a cone stuck under his exhaust pipe (fits his T-shirt that he was wearing). Everyone took in stride but they did move the cable to a safer location for the rest of the runs. I have to say that Jon, Mazda, Tom and Norm are real great guys and they all can drive their cars very well. I think Norm had the fastest time of the day with Tom taking second and Jon third even though he took out the timer after crossing the lights…just a little dig from the guy in the spin cycle in a borrowed car.

I have to say I had a great time and if any of you get out to the SoCal area you had better call and stop in not that I can say that their will be an Auto-X to go to but we defiantly have some great rods that you can drive my home built on if you want.

Again thanks Jon, Tom, Mazda and Norm for letting me enjoy your company..it made the trip for me. Now I just have to get some more power for my car and some track tires.

 

[slngsht]

Enjoyed meeting you as well Martin. Your trip east was the catalyst that made me drag frankn7 out for a few runs.

I missed the stalling part... funny story about that. last year I took an Evo autox school. One of the instructors ran a few laps in my car. After one of them he said the car "sounded" different that time. I told him it was because he started the run in third, and ran it in forth It didn't make much difference in his times because back then I used to run a 4:10 rear.

[slngsht]

Should be soon. They usually get them up within a day. Just depend on if there are complete files, or how much editing they need to do. Mazda, I never did get to see how that motor of your's fits in there. Remind me next time. Tom

 

Oh yeah, we were so busy all day... This pic will have to do for now:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/ls1.jpg

[yellowss7]

Ah, Plenty of room! Your autox runs looked real smooth, How did you keep from lighting the tires up??

[slngsht]

Ah, Plenty of room! Your autox runs looked real smooth, How did you keep from lighting the tires up??

 

I have learned to be patient and easy on the go pedal. Most people watch me and say let 'er rip (except Al :rofl: )

 

I just did a quick graph from my data acquisition system on run 5...

 

Frame number is basically equivalent to time... vertical access is % throttle. As you can see, I never went wide open, and other than the last bit before the finish gate, didn't go past 65%. I just need some more room to stretch her legs :smash:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/136977060_Run5.JPG

[Boxologist]

PS. before teh official times get posted, i beleive one of the FM drivers was down in the 36.xx in the 3rd heat. on my tape i hear the announcer say that Strano pulled a 38.0x on his last run. i believe that was FTD pax and FTD raw non Modified. i thought norm was into the 39s, did he crack into 38. it was tough paying attention to what Norm, Tom, and mazda were doing while martin and I were goofing around and getting the car set in between runs.

[Boxologist]

my best run i beleive.

 

[yellowss7]

Results from Saturday's autox are up. http://www.phillyscca.com/solo2/results/2007/SO101307FIN.HTM

 

 

Al, FYI if you scroll down to the end of the PAX results, you'll see a NDM (Novice DMod) with a DNF. He too decided he didn't need an instructor. :_deadhorse: Point made. Tom

 

Congratulations to Norm :flag: and Mazda for their class wins. It was great having other 7's at the event. Hope to see more in the future. tom

[slngsht]

I came in last place in my class

 

Jon's best run: 41.214

My best run: 41.271

 

:banghead:

 

:leaving:

 

 

 

Actually, I take that back... didn't see the 40.853

[Boxologist]

Results from Saturday's autox are up. http://www.phillyscca.com/solo2/results/2007/SO101307FIN.HTM

 

 

Al, FYI if you scroll down to the end of the PAX results, you'll see a NDM (Novice DMod) with a DNF. He too decided he didn't need an instructor. :_deadhorse: Point made. Tom

 

Congratulations to Norm :flag: and Mazda for their class wins. It was great having other 7's at the event. Hope to see more in the future. tom

 

absolutely true on all counts Tom. mazda and i are SOOOOOO coming back with R-comps next season.

going over i see i'm losing close to second by screwing up the braking point on the bottom of teh figure 8/long straight away. ahd been able to talk Norm into 'instructing' he would have been able to point that out me immediately.

 

awesome work alround. I can't wait for another multiple se7en autoX next season. maybe people will even let drive their se7en. except Mazda. i don't need to drive franken7. maybe be driven in it again, but mada would have to put a set of pedals in teh passengers side like a driver's ed car for me to consider touching the pedals/steering wheel.:willy:

 

Al, the course is out there. u don't have to drive like I do. in fact, i'm sure the Philly region would prefer if u did not:rofl: but a wall is expensive. i'm not sure what i would do in mark Rivera's position this year. the good thing about autoX is that there are tangible goals, even on a personal level, because of the PAX crutch. and roads for spirited drive few and far between. those are good reasons why u'll find Tom and myself, OK, myself killing cones.

dude, just get Sam Strano to co-drive for a day. if what Tom was telling me how the rest of teh region salivates at his 7, he'll probably jump at the chance to drive. Our cars make us new friends so quickly. isn't that what sevengalism is all about;) :thumbs:

 

[MHKflyer52]

Well I have to say I took last place out of the 7's and proud of it (41.713) as I never would have had the opertunity to even run if it had not been for Tom (39.381), Norm (37.843), Mazda (40.853) and especially Jon (41.214) for coming out to meet me. Again THANKS and I had a great time.

[slngsht]

 

absolutely true on all counts Tom. mazda and i are SOOOOOO coming back with R-comps next season.

going over i see i'm losing close to second by screwing up the braking point on the bottom of teh figure 8/long straight away. ahd been able to talk Norm into 'instructing' he would have been able to point that out me immediately.

awesome work alround. I can't wait for another multiple se7en autoX next season. maybe people will even let drive their se7en. except Mazda. i don't need to drive franken7. maybe be driven in it again, but mada would have to put a set of pedals in teh passengers side like a driver's ed car for me to consider touching the pedals/steering wheel.:willy:

Al, the course is out there. u don't have to drive like I do. in fact, i'm sure the Philly region would prefer if u did not:rofl: but a wall is expensive. i'm not sure what i would do in mark Rivera's position this year. the good thing about autoX is that there are tangible goals, even on a personal level, because of the PAX crutch. and roads for spirited drive few and far between. those are good reasons why u'll find Tom and myself, OK, myself killing cones.

dude, just get Sam Strano to co-drive for a day. if what Tom was telling me how the rest of teh region salivates at his 7, he'll probably jump at the chance to drive. Our cars make us new friends so quickly. isn't that what sevengalism is all about;) :thumbs:

 

 

At the next autox, take her for a spin... er... i mean a run :rofl: She's actually quite easy to drive. The one thing you can't do in Frankn7 that I noticed from the vid of your run is anything close to powershifting. That's an automatic coaster ride.

 

In fact, i'd like to trade rides. I've never driven another 7 :nonod:

[yellowss7]

Box wrote:

 

mazda and i are SOOOOOO coming back with R-comps next season.

 

Come on over to the dark side! :lol: Slicks do make a HUGE difference. At least 1.5-2 seconds a run. You still need to know how to drive, as Norm proved, but you'll be amazed at the difference. I always thought my seven handled well, after Michael D. let me drive his with slicks, going back to mine on the Cr500's felt like I was driving a 63 chevy.

 

Jon we just got to get your car to make some noise. It's waaay too quiet.

[slngsht]

Box wrote:

 

 

 

Come on over to the dark side! :lol: Slicks do make a HUGE difference. At least 1.5-2 seconds a run. You still need to know how to drive, as Norm proved, but you'll be amazed at the difference. I always thought my seven handled well, after Michael D. let me drive his with slicks, going back to mine on the Cr500's felt like I was driving a 63 chevy.

 

Jon we just got to get your car to make some noise. It's waaay too quiet.

 

 

Too funny. You said that at the autox before our heat, and I was thinking to myself... what's he talking about, I can hear Jon's car idle just fine. Then I realized that was Norm's car on the far side

[Al N.]

I'll try it again, definitely. But it just may be that I'm not an auto-x kind of guy...just as some folks don't enjoy fishing and others don't enjoy golf...hopefully y'all can still love me (or at least my car) if I don't share the same fondness for auto-xing myself.

[slngsht]

I'll try it again, definitely. But it just may be that I'm not an auto-x kind of guy...just as some folks don't enjoy fishing and others don't enjoy golf...hopefully y'all can still love me (or at least my car) if I don't share the same fondness for auto-xing myself.

 

I don't enjoy autocrossing in rain either

 

Try a 1 day autocross school on a dry day. If you don't like it after that, we can stick a fork in it.

[Boxologist]

I'll try it again, definitely. But it just may be that I'm not an auto-x kind of guy...just as some folks don't enjoy fishing and others don't enjoy golf...

 

catch a buzz

19th hole.

i can enjoy anything. why do u think lawnmowers are easier to attach cupholders to than se7ens.

[Boxologist]

martin, finally getting around to finishing the DVD of the runs. u should recieve it in the next week or so.