Well, after getting trounced in street mod, I got my answers. The big front
sway bar works. The bar measures about 65% stiffer than the previous bar, and
with softeneing the front shocks a tick, the car came alive.
My new setup worked great, and the car felt better than it has all year, BUT
making big changes before nationals, and not being able to test them before
the event, is not a good thing. I also found out that I am a chicken. I was
far too tentative going into the corners. I was so used to the tail stepping
out and knowing the limit on the way in, I could not get myself to push the
car deep enough. I finally did it on my final run on the second course. I
drove in a bit past my "comfort" level and chopped off 1.1 seconds on just
the first 1/3rd of the north course. I have to thank John Moore for doing
split times for me. After feeling what the car did there, I progressively
went deeper for the remainder of the run, and the car still kept sticking.
The balance was great, and only a hint of push on turn in. I could have
softened the front shocks a bit more, but without more track time, I didn't
have a chance to try it.
The other place I felt a huge change was in the slaloms. Especially the huge
6 cone setup before the south end sweeper. With the previous setup, my inside
rear wheel would spin as I accelerated around the cones. This time is stuck
hard and I was able to really pull from cone to cone. My split time through
the slalom was within a tenth or two of the top drivers in class. Even before
I got brave on the last run. The car just inspired confidence in the slalom
and made it easy to rip through there while others where all over the place.
This made my entry speed into the south sweeper a bit high, and I had to go
wide as I slowed, so I lost some time there but not alot.
On that last run, I also tried third gear for the longest straight. I was far
faster into the final sweeep and mis judged my braking zone. Riding my rev
limiter holds the car right at 70 mph, and I was doing that for nearly 100
feet on the previous runs. Short shifting into my power band I yanked the car
to at least 80 mph in the same distance. I don't know the exact speeds since
I didn't get to datalog that last run, but it was sure fast enough to wake me
up in a hurry. I got on the brakes earlier than before, but where the car was
basically settled riding the rev limiter, it was nose up pulling this time,
so it didn't transition to braking as well either, and I just plain went too
deep. There is alot of room outside of that sweeper, but outside of the
preffered line it is all covered with marbles. I went for a big slide and had
to really slow it down to catch the car. I made it just inside of the last
cone, and had to re-accelerate through the finish. I also managed to down
shift while sliding sideways, I sure had my hands full.
Well, even with the huge slide, it was still my fastest run by 8/10's. I'll
never know what I really could have done there. One of these days I will
figure out how to drive like that on my first run so I can learn the lim its
better. I did all 6 runs at nationals clean, no cones or DNF's, all on a new
setup I never drove before. I need to push the car to what it can really do.
Finding the limit is going to take hitting a few cones. Though it feels like
I won't be spinning it any time soon. It still would get loose and rotate,
but it was so easy to catch. With some more seat time, tire presure, and
shock adjustments, I should have it working just in time to put away for the
winter.
Gary Meissner
42 SM
26th out of 46 in a class full of past champions
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