This last weekend I lost my autoX virginity down in Marina. I gotta say I
was a little leery about letting anyone co-drive my car, but, I am now a
believer. I learned more from Kevin Stevens than I ever thought possible.
Plus, for someone who has not driven an M3 for quite a while, I was pretty
darn impressed. He did things in that car that I did not think were
possible, and he was as smooth as silk doing it. I have not seen the
results yet, but I am pretty sure Kevin drove the winning lap in the AS
class (Didn't stick around for the final results). Not bad considering we
were running street tires.
Thanks Kevin... thanks a ton. You can co-drive my car anytime.
I have a couple of rookie observations and questions. First, I discovered
(thanks to Kevin) that the most important part of the day was probably
walking the course. I got huge amounts of information that was invaluable
behind the wheel. Unfortunately Kevin will be away next weekend (May 6)
when I plan to race Marina again. Can I get someone who is planning to go
to walk the course with me? I think a couple more assisted walks and I will
be proficient.
Also... when I got home I almost cried. I just went out and spent ~$1200 on
4 max performance tires that were nearly shredded on the outside edges (that
was with bumping the pressure way up). My mechanic buddy said that if I
continued to run on these tires, I could expect to run 3-4 more races before
having to get new tires. He, along with many others, has suggested that I
invest in a separate set of wheels with racing tires. Sounds like a plan to
me, but I need a little advice.
There seem to be 4 main types of Hoosier racing tires: Road Racing, Road
Racing Wets, Sports Car DOT Bias, and Sports Car DOT Radial. What are the
differences, and what should I be running. As well, should I also run all
four the same size, or keep them staggered like stock. Being that I have a
moderate amount of under steer with the stock setup, I would be more
inclined to go with the same size all around.
And my final observation... for an adrenaline junky like myself... life
doesn't get too much better than autoX. I get the total adrenal rush of
pushing limits, without the near-death sensation I get mountain biking. I
never once shouted my mountain biking mantra, "#$@%! This is gonna hurt!"
// Mike Eynon
// Chief Technology Officer
// OnTh Wireless
// "The Wireless Database Company"
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