The last auto-x event of the '08 season was yesterday ... and I wasn't able to drive.  sadly, I wasn't able to drive over a bt of the season ... at least not my own car.  I was able to get a few runs in thanks to some kind friends, so i did get some seat time, just not many points.

I had decided at the beginning of the season that I'd bump myself up to SM this year for more competition.  I honestly destroyed the BSP class last season (by a 28 point margin) adn i didn't feel that BSP was pusing me hard enough.  In our region (ALSCCA), SM is where the "fast" AWD cars hang out ... so i joined them.

The start of the season was promising.  I was the only car on street tires so i expected to be a little behind.  In a couple of events I trailed by less than 1.00 from 1st and I was happy about that.  But, then it happened ... my dedicated auto-x tires were gone.  And then everything else happened and money was gone.  No tires for me.  I tried running on my street tires (Hankook RS2s) but the tread life on them was INSANELY short I found.  After only 5 runs they were showing extreme wear.  So, with no cash for new tires I had to bow out of the competition.

While it was hard not driving my own car (with new suspension I might add), I did enjoy the season.  I was able to go for lots of rides in some really cool cars, as well as coach some newcomers and help them get more out of their early course attempts.  I ran registration and timing for most of the season and that was useful for the region since attendance fell off in the late summer.

So, I now look forward to '09.  the first event is in February (TnT) and I'll likely not drive that event either.  I hope to be able to purchase some r-comps around march to mount to the lonely BBSs hanging in the garage.  We'll see how it all pans out.

In the meantime, I've invested in a very basic simulator setup.  I can now get some seat time without the expense.  I can run and design autocross courses, get dirty on a rallycross course or drive some of the best tracks around the world all from the comfort of my own home.  I have already seen improvements in myself with the little bit of time I've invested so far and I can only see more of the same with extended seat time.

See you in '09.

Well, the first ALSCCA event of '08 is approaching fast.  February 10th is the test and tune event and I can't wait.  I feel that I'm much better prepared going in to this season than I was for '07.



In preparation for this season I've already started working on some upgrades ... I've got all new fluids in the drivetrain and hydraulic systems thanks to AMSOIL, as well as new brake lines and dedicated auto-x wheels that are awaiting some nice, sticky tires.



I'm looking to attend a few national tour events this season and I plan to catch some people by surprise.  Check back often for event reports and season standings ...

  

So, the ALSCCA 2007 Solo season is over, and it was a blast!



When I attended my first auto-x event in February I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was familiar with the sport and knew that I had a capable machine, but I had no idea what it was like to compete.



The season is now over, and I can easily say that it was one of the best motorsport experiences of my life.  Not only is it insanely fun, but the people are great.  Auto-x competitors are some of the most talented drivers I've seen, but they are also very friendly and helpful.  It makes for an amazing atmosphere.  Everyone will step up to help their fellow racer, even if they are in direct competition with one another.  It's really sportsmanship at its finest.



Sadly, I missed the last three events of the season due to lack of tire tread.  Even so, I managed to secure first place in BSP by a large margin.



It's great to do so well as a rookie, but I'm raising the bar even higher for the 2008 season.  I plan to attend some regional and national events in '08, and hopefully end up in Topeka in October.



With some new tread to ride on, some suspension bits from GTWorx and the support of Project Grip, I plan to run with the big dogs in '08.

Import Face-Off at Montgomery Motorsports Park was great!  I got to see some friends and pull off some great times.  The track was prepped well and there were some really fast cars making great passes.



The Bracket ET classes were run a little strangely.  We all had to wait for all three rounds of qualifying for the heads up classes before we made elimination passes.  That makes sense, but we had to go to the back of the T&T line to make passes and work out our dial-ins.  It would have made much more sense to let the bracket classes run in front of T&T if they wanted to make passes.



I think the worst part of the day was 1st round elimination where i had to run against my friend Cesar.  We had both put a lot of time in to prep for the race, but we didn't really expect to run against each other in the 1st round.  It ended with him breaking out of his 12.45 dial-in with a 12.36.  It's not all bad though ... he let off at the 1000' and still beat his personal best ET.  I wish he would have run another T&T pass to see what that car was capable of.



I recorded a new personal best ET (12.24), trap (113.4) and RT (.070), as well as nabbing second place in the bracket ET2 and $50.  I'd say it paid for my entry and fuel, but it didn't.  It did soften the blow a little though.



I'm still slightly confused about the final ET2 results though.  The ET2 class is for cars running 14.99 and faster.  The winner of the class was a regular at the track with a CRX.  He entered in the ET1 (15.00 and slower) as well as the ET2 class.  In the ET2 finals, he edged me out by a mere .0106", but ran a 15.1" pass.  I get how the numbers work out, but a 15+ pass should have disqualified him from the ET2 class in my opinion.



Either way, I had a great time.  I met some cool new people and some of my friends went home with trophies from the show.  Hopefully the trophy for "Best JDM" will take the sting out of Cesar's 1st round elimination ... plus, he got to drive home in a Skyline.  I think he got the better end of the deal.