I think of a slalom as something where you're turning left and right every
45-75 ft driving at 40-60 mph for at least 3 or 4 turns at a 5-15 g/sec
transition rate. I can't think of any place at Pacific Raceways that
qualifies. The turns are more gradual along the back of the course then any
slalom I've autocrossed. They're fun, but a different kind of fun than a
slalom. Same goes for the curves connecting the front and back "straights"
at Portland International Raceway. I guess a chicane is a slalom, but I like
my slaloms to have more turns, and a lot less offset<s>, but that's just my
personal preference.
The key west box looks like a novelty, interesting every once in a while,
for an event that isn't supposed to mean much. In Washington near the
Canadian border, they do something called a Mt Baker Box:
x x
X
x x
the middle cone is huge, and you only have to drive between 2 sets of gates
(and the 2 gates can share a cone), you pick which cones form your gates.
Also cute from a variety standpoint, but given the small size of their
implied gates (that club specializes in lots of old small european cars), I
wouldn't want to regularly compete using them.
I also did one course that had a different kind of optional section... the
course diverge into two separate paths, which we Karen Babb helped me to try
to design to be pretty equal in time, though we forgot one thing, so it
didn't wind up doing that. One path was a long sweeper, the other was a
tight shorter slalom. Problem was when we timed it during setup, the timer
was only timing the actual optional sections, not the sections before and
after, so at the race people did figure out one course's exit resulted in
much faster times later down the shared course. Well, it was fun to try for
a change, and no one seemed to mind much about it messing up the series
points.
In a different vein, it might be fun to have a series where courses were a
LOT different from standard SCCA ones. As I get better at this sport, I'm
starting to realize a lot of it has to do with being so familiar with
driving the same kinds of sections of courses, and less and less has to do
with how fast I can learn a course (one of the original attractions to this
sport for me).
OK, enough rambling.<s>
Jeff
----- Original Message -----
From: "John F. Kelly Jr." <76067.1750@compuserve.com>
To: "Escano, Arnold (MP)" <aescano@guidant.com>;
<Kevin_Stevens@pursued-with.net>
Cc: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 9:04 AM
Subject: RE: the key west box
> -------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
>
> Message text written by INTERNET:Kevin_Stevens@pursued-with.net
>
> "> If u never see that type of setup in a Road Course it's not worth using
> > it...
> > no one would learn anything....unless it's WRC driving course
> > arnold
>
> Not sure about that - when's the last time you saw a slalom on a road
> course? Or should we just call them multiple chicanes? ;)
>
> KeS"
>
> -------------------- End Original Message --------------------
>
> On a road course, the "slalom" is called the "esses." At Sears Point they
> are the downhill Turns 8, 9, and 10.
> Neither Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, Willow Springs, Portland, Int'l,
> Seattle/Pacifdic Raceway at Kent, nor Buttonwillow have an equivalent.
> Although I suppose Laguna's "corkscrew" is sort of a slalom, "S" turn.
> The only other "esses" I ever saw was the original Golden Gate
Park
> in San Francisco.
>
> --John Kelly
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