NER SCCA SM drivers beware, I've now qualified for my regional license
06-22-2004, 05:45 PM
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NER SCCA SM drivers beware, I've now qualified for my regional license
***Noobie on track alert***
This past weekend I completed my second race on my Novice permit and got my "satisfactory" sign off. I'm now if full agreement with folks who say the SCCA are idiots - anyone who'd give me a competition license is clearly an idiot
Race #1 was an umimpressive performance in a twitchy SSB miata, including a little 360 degree twitch into the dirt outside Lime Rock's big bend. On the plus side, I finished first in class (meaning merely that I finished at all).
Modest improvement in race weekend #2. Again at Lime Rock, this past saturday. I was in a spec miata, which I found a lot easier to handle than the slightly more powerful but much more loosely sprung SSB miata. Qualifying went quite well, with my fast lap at 1:05.49, good enough for 18th overall (of 49 qualifiers) and 7th among the spec miatas (of 21). The spec miatas were grouped with the ITA cars, which took the top 8 grid spots. Top ITA qualifier ran 1:02.39, top spec miata qualifier ran 1:04.64. My qualifying lap in the SSB miata last time was 1:08.52, so I was pretty pleased to knock 3 seconds off that.
The 17 lap race did not go as well. I flubbed the 2nd-3rd upshift on the start and lost about 8 spots right off the bat. About mid way through I had a minor off-track excursion when I tracked-out of turn 4 a little wide. I gathered it up pretty well and didn't spin, and was able to re-enter the track in the same position I'd exited it, but I lost two spots as I'd lost too much speed to hold position into the uphill. I was passed by a few other cars along the way, too, as I got pretty conservative after going off track. I only passed one car, which was a pass-back of someone who'd come around me. The top 5 ITA cars did lap me, but I wasn't at risk of being lapped by the lead miata. Overall I finished 31st of 45 finishers. I was 15th among the 21 miatas. My fast lap was 1:06.21, while the fastest lap turned by a miata in the race was 1:04.83. The top miata finished 13th overall.
Next up, a double regional the weekend of July 17-18 at New Hampshire. My car - a spec miata currently under construction - should be ready by then, so this will be its inaugural flogging. Pray it will survive.
Saturday's rental racecar, here shown in the far more capable hands of regular driver Brian Kleeman at (I think) Road America
<img src="http://www.dwwmotorsports.com/images/gallery/gal50.jpg">
<img src="http://www.dwwmotorsports.com/images/gallery/gal46.jpg">
This past weekend I completed my second race on my Novice permit and got my "satisfactory" sign off. I'm now if full agreement with folks who say the SCCA are idiots - anyone who'd give me a competition license is clearly an idiot
Race #1 was an umimpressive performance in a twitchy SSB miata, including a little 360 degree twitch into the dirt outside Lime Rock's big bend. On the plus side, I finished first in class (meaning merely that I finished at all).
Modest improvement in race weekend #2. Again at Lime Rock, this past saturday. I was in a spec miata, which I found a lot easier to handle than the slightly more powerful but much more loosely sprung SSB miata. Qualifying went quite well, with my fast lap at 1:05.49, good enough for 18th overall (of 49 qualifiers) and 7th among the spec miatas (of 21). The spec miatas were grouped with the ITA cars, which took the top 8 grid spots. Top ITA qualifier ran 1:02.39, top spec miata qualifier ran 1:04.64. My qualifying lap in the SSB miata last time was 1:08.52, so I was pretty pleased to knock 3 seconds off that.
The 17 lap race did not go as well. I flubbed the 2nd-3rd upshift on the start and lost about 8 spots right off the bat. About mid way through I had a minor off-track excursion when I tracked-out of turn 4 a little wide. I gathered it up pretty well and didn't spin, and was able to re-enter the track in the same position I'd exited it, but I lost two spots as I'd lost too much speed to hold position into the uphill. I was passed by a few other cars along the way, too, as I got pretty conservative after going off track. I only passed one car, which was a pass-back of someone who'd come around me. The top 5 ITA cars did lap me, but I wasn't at risk of being lapped by the lead miata. Overall I finished 31st of 45 finishers. I was 15th among the 21 miatas. My fast lap was 1:06.21, while the fastest lap turned by a miata in the race was 1:04.83. The top miata finished 13th overall.
Next up, a double regional the weekend of July 17-18 at New Hampshire. My car - a spec miata currently under construction - should be ready by then, so this will be its inaugural flogging. Pray it will survive.
Saturday's rental racecar, here shown in the far more capable hands of regular driver Brian Kleeman at (I think) Road America
<img src="http://www.dwwmotorsports.com/images/gallery/gal50.jpg">
<img src="http://www.dwwmotorsports.com/images/gallery/gal46.jpg">
06-23-2004, 05:37 PM
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hehheh, It's pretty crowded in the east too
There were two spec miata races last weekend, and the other one had 35 cars for a total in the mid-50s. I don't quite understand the differences, but one was the "SM" class and the other an "SSM" class. The spec is so similar that most cars qualify for both. My rental met both specs, and I just chose the race class with fewer entries.
j/k - isn't it a blast? I plan to be at that weekend too, in an ITA Golf. The Integras have it all over that car in power but it's still fun
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