In a message dated 7/21/00 9:39:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time, tag@cs.utah.edu
writes:
<< Subj: It's an Evolution Part 2 (really McKamey School and Wendover
Report)
Date: 7/21/00 9:39:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: tag@cs.utah.edu (Todd Green)
Sender: owner-autox@autox.team.net
Reply-to: tag@cs.utah.edu (Todd Green)
To: autox@autox.team.net
Well last time I posted I was still licking my wounds from being beaten
by the gimp. I think the bleeding has now stopped, but a dull pain
remains. Hmm, how many days til the Pike's Peak Tour? (Being an
ex-Catholic boy, I still need my fair share of flogging and guilt. <evil
grin>)
Anyway, back to the Evo school and Wendover. With all this talk on
team.net about stock classes, and buying your way to a championship with
UberShocks etc., the thing that comes to mind to me is just how little
we get to practice in our sport. In my previous sport we practiced four
times a week and at least three hours a day (more on Sat/Sun).
Tournaments were two days long, from sunrise until sunset. Of course
you had the gym/weight work and running/biking/crosstraining on your
three "days off". In one week I'd have amassed more "seat time" than I
get in a year of autox'ing.
That is why the Evo schools and Nat events are so critical to
up-n-comers. A monkey can turn the steering wheel of a car or press the
pedals. What separates the champs from the chimps is knowing *when* and
*how* you use the car inputs. Of course this comes greatly from
experience, something that newbies are sorely lacking. However we are
fortunate enough to have great champions like Bob Tunnell, who will
selflessly let you know how they plan to attack the course and will give
away their years of experience to help you along the curve.
This is rather amazing if you think about it. In what other sport do
your competitors give away their secrets? Could you imagine a prize
fighter saying to his opposition, "By the way, I didn't really do as
much road work as I should have, if you go to my body, you can probably
take me out in the late rounds."?
So in this time of ardent discussion on car classification, I'd like to
take just a moment to thank the people who make up this sport and for
their willingness to try to make it come down to a driver putting in his
best run between the clocks.
Todd
>>
Thanks Todd-very well said and very observant of how true champions are not
only the ones whos names are in the record books, but those off the track...I
am very fortunate to have the instructors for this school, not only for their
talents on the track but their attitude, enthusiasm, and integrity off the
track. They have confident in their driving and the love of this sport
brings them to instruct and give out alot of their knowledge that has taken
years to learn. That's why this school is so unique-the amount of seat time
you get, the showing that there is no universal way to autocross, the styles
of instructing and concepts that everyone uses. Wait till you come and take
the Dial In school on car set up. These are these guys taking their
knowledge and sharing it...things that take years to learn the hard way. The
small entry into the school for the talent and knowledge that has been put
together to cut years off the learning curb is nothing compared to what some
spends on tires, or shocks for a couple tenths.
This is another reason why I am starting what I hope to be an annual event
for a pre-nationals warm up in Peru and maybe other regions for nothing but
practice and seat time till you drop.
Best of luck to you in Kansas! Hope you will be at the seminar Monday night .
Jean Kinser
Evolution Performance Driving School/Owner
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