WEEK 2
INTRO:
This was my first time ever to the Waldorf lot and instantly I was fan. Outside of Fed Ex, this is my favorite lot in DC regional events. It features minor altitude changes, EXCELLENT lateral adhesion, INDOOR BATHROOMS (which is much better than wizzing in what can best be described as a septic greenhouse) and great paddock location. Where Waldorf falls short though is grid (unless you get very creative, AI does a very good job of this and has fairly good Waldorf grids) and the drive (unless you're Alan & Kate, in which case it's right down the road and they dont have the suffer the long/bumpy drive down the very boring 5).
After a very cold start to the season, between NCCBMWCCA's week 1, CDC's frigid Frederick events and what could probably be described as THE WORST AUTOCROSS OF THE YEAR, SCCA's Event 1 (freezing temps + freshly sealed tarmac = spin hell), things were starting to look up. The day was fairly mild and for the first time since the initial AI event at Fed Ex (which was an uncharacteristically warm day), the season looked to be heating up.
FACTS:
FTD - Dunham, James (X4) - 41.755
STD - Maraya, Mike (S1) - 53.164
Best Avg - Aviles, Alejandro (X4) - 42.044
Most in Top 10 - T2 - 3 entrants
Most in Bottom 10 - S3 - 2 entrants
Got Their Money's Worth - Netzel, John - 199 seconds on course
Coney Island - Riechers, Mike - 3
ANALYSIS:
First thing that sticks out is cone junky Mike Riechers makes his second appearance on Coney Island with 3 cones. Cant get enough of the orange smack. Still pops into the top 10 though, not bad.
David Arthur, your average was VERY close to your best time (no cones either, so these were basically replica runs), which was 3rd from the bottom. This is what I like to call, "going through the motions". On this day you were not taking any risks and you were playing it too safe. When you see yourself doing this, you need to make mental notes, preferably while sitting at start, that you need to push and change things up. Last year this was a massive problem of mine, as I was scared to take risks. Autocross is all about one run glory, and one of the best pieces of advice I got toward the end of last year was, "If you're ever feeling comfortable on course, chances are you're going slow". If I ever feel good about anything while I'm driving (not after I cross the line, that's totally different), I know I'm not pushing it. The season review is no where near done yet, and you may have fixed this later in the year, but if not then I would suggest (should you find yourself in this replica situation again) picking the brains of the folks up front. I constantly talk to folk and trade thoughts about how certain sections of the course should be run.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that X4 dominated this event. If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to choose the best driver of the field all year, I'd have a very hard time choosing between the top two this day. Dunham took top spot and AJ took his best time on his first run. I want to say that AJ fell into the same trap as David Arthur (replica runs), but honestly I think the kid was just driving the car to what it's capable of, as I had the opportunity to ride with him on two runs when all was said and done, and he was spot on (plus there is only so much you can do with 16 horsepower).
I'm horrible with matching names to faces, and I'm sorry to admit that I have no idea who Adam Chelikowsky is (chances are we've talked or even been in grid next to each other, and if I saw you I'd probably go "ooohhhh, he's that guy, I know him"). Through two events, he's been the most successful/consistent driver. BTW, ask Joe about how bad I am with names to faces, as I didn't put that together with him until the Virginia Autocross Championship (which happened mid-season).
Once again, the T2 boys crowded into the top 10, with Joe pulling an impressive 41 out of two 43's (one coned, giving a 45) and a DNF.
During the analysis of event 1, it was easy to see that there was a "happy medium" that folks were satisfied with (51 average time taken widely across the board). This event was a bit different, you can see folks really getting after it (more pronounced line, less flat spots. Perhaps we can chalk this up to getting the off season dust shook off.
That's it for Week 2 folks, week 3's database is completed, I just didn't finish the processing of any information yet, so that may happen this weekend, or I may get drunk and forget. Who knows?
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Originally Posted by adam
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