The end of the Spring 2011 series in Tucson and again figuring out that running early isn’t worth it. More grit equals less grip.

Comps: 47.068, 46.728, 46.787 (+1), 46.268 (+1)
TOs: 52.971 (+1), 46.836, 46.283, 46.237

Best part of the day was Andrea coming to ride along in TOs and having a blast doing so. There are some changes in store for the car soon!

As far as the series I finished 8th out of the 10 drivers in the PAX category that ran at least 3 of the 4 events and qualified for the series. Not all that great but getting better.

Comps: 68.369, 66.366, 66.371, 66.378 (+1)
15th fastest time out of 99, 19th PAX
12th of 22 in SPM category, 895 points

It was hot and I was too hard on the tires. And my need for stiffer springs was very apparent. That’s all I got on this one.

Some photos from the experience:

CSP Miata being put together Friday night.

Ready for action.

Action shots.

Video of all six runs

More pictures

Results:
Saturday: 57.626, 57.275, 55.850
Sunday: 53.237, 51.903, 51.566 (+1)
107.753 combined, 3rd out of 10 (trophy position!)
0.383 out of second but almost 8 seconds out of first.

It was a great weekend. I elected not to drive back until Monday morning so I went to the beach for a few hours after everyone cleared out Sunday afternoon and that might have been the best idea I had all weekend. Very relaxing and an excellent end to a very fun weekend.

My best event in Tucson yet:

Comps: 55.174, 54.595 (+3), 55.097 (+5), 54.594 (+1)
TOs: 55.593 (+1), 54.348 (+2), 53.995 (+2), 54.431 (+1)
8th/54 raw, 10th PAX, 9th/14 in PAX Category, 953 points

Left time out there since I hit a lot of cones, but I am definitely working better with the car and it’s new-found capabilities. On to San Diego!

The R32 also got a full clay bar and detail today for the first time in its life. The paint is smooth as glass and hopefully I will get a chance to take some good pictures before it gets dirty again. Also, hopefully, now that it is very clean I will be more motivated to keep it clean.

First go ’round at Firebird with the new suspension and race tires resulted in my best finish yet at a AZ Solo event. Since the surface is different than Marana (read: much bumpier) I got to fiddle with settings on the coilovers to see how the car reacted.

Comps: 37.190 +3, 37.258 +1, 37.657, 37.052
TOs: 36.945, 36.436, 36.384 +1, 36.439

My last competition run was the 17th fastest time out of 103 entrants and the 12th fastest PAX time. I finished 7th out of 14 in the Sportsman category with 953 points.

There’s one more tune up, the Border Region event at Marana Airport this coming weekend, before the San Diego National Tour.

Last week while on a work trip in DC I was able to order a set of new race tires, Hankook Z214s in size 275/40-17 to be exact, after being unsuccessful with my procuring a new set of my previous tires (Kumho V710s). They were mounted Saturday to run Sunday and they were fantastic.

Comps: 50.732, 48.88, 47.238 +1, 47.606; 14th of 19 in PAX category, 14th fastest time of 70 and 16th best PAX time for 948 points.
TOs: 47.830, 48.192 +1, 47.777 47.427

Still need to work this car harder as the tires, especially the rears, did not get up to their optimal temperature. Now the real fun begins… tinkering and tuning to make all these new things – brakes, suspension, tires – work well together.

Oh, yeah, and I need to drive the damn car harder.

Ah yes, starting another year off in DSP with the car rebelling against it’s duties. After my first run I hop out, my co-driver Jana hops in, and someone walking by points out a significant coolant leak coming from the passenger side. Under the hood, the coolant overflow tank developed a crack from heat, stress, or whatever and was spraying coolant since the system was fully pressurizing. Once the level dropped below the crack the leak stopped and we kept running after applying some duct tape (see above left).

The upside is that the new coilovers are fantastic. I set them at two clicks below full stiff and the car was an entirely different beast than before. Less body roll, less dive and squat, and more of keeping the tires on the ground fighting for traction.

My comp times: 60.654, 59.361, 58.915, 59.162

Time only runs were a mess as the tires went away (see above right). I finished 8th of 9th in PAX, beating only my co-driver by two tenths. It wasn’t an easy category to run in, there were no weak links in terms of competition (including two past National Champions). Overall my best time was 12th out of 45 and my PAX time was good for 11th.

Here’s some shots of the car on the new coilovers and the new-ish wheel and tire setup for autocross courtesy of Rob Rockefeller.

I could go on and on about exactly what it would take for me to even consider [buying a new Golf R] – $30k price tag, no sunroof, 6 speed manual for starters – but the reality is that as good as it looks and as good as it will perform I just know that Volkswagen of America will chicken out, again, as they have done on many things of late, and not provide the complete ‘enthusiast’ package.

I dare the them to prove me wrong. Until then, I’ll keep beating the snot out of my overweight, transmission destroying, five and a half year old money pit. At least it makes a fantastic noise.

Well, they are doing it. It will have a 6-speed, the ‘base’ package will not have a sunroof, and it will even be available in a four door. Price won’t be $30k, likely closer to $34k, but that was a stretching what was reasonable quite a bit.

Meanwhile, in the 15 months since the Golf R was introduced I have been beating the snot out of my R32 and it hasn’t been taking it all that well. It’s nights like tonight that I wonder if it is time for something new. It sits, broken again, this time a motor mount bolt gave way.

The irony being that at the last Tucson autocross event this past Sunday, I took a different approach. Autocross – and the car hobby in general – had lost its luster, its fun factor a bit, and well, my motivation directed towards both has been at an all time low. The GTI has sat almost but-not-quite roadworthy for over a year, coilovers for the R have been occupying a spot on my floor for three months, the list goes on. I have instead directed attention towards other things – dodgeball, kickball, house projects – while the car projects gathered dust.

So for last Sunday, I threw street tires back on the R32 for this event so I could drive to and from and not worry about the effort of changing tires at the event. It worked, for at least, a little while, since I was a bit more relaxed and had a bit more fun (and ran over a few more cones…once you get race tire crack, you really can’t go back). I was planning to get back to the track in March when Audi Club goes to Spring Mountain, get back to a Solo National Tour in April in San Diego, hell, planning to get the coilovers on the R32 this Saturday with the help of friends who were tired of hearing about them sitting on the floor. Then, like clockwork, something else breaks and again I question if I can trust this car anymore to do what I ask of it.

But we all know how this story goes. Every time I think about moving on from this ride, it never happens. It will get fixed, I’ll beat it up again and will be back here again to discuss how much I love to hate or hate to love this thing. It’s paid for and the expense of all the nonsense in the last two years doesn’t come close to half of what I would have paid in car payments over the same time. It’s like stray dog you feed and let in your house one night and then can’t bring yourself to get rid of.

The flip side is that I did get in touch with a sales rep about the Golf R. It really looks like it could be a hell of a fun ride. It will have a bit more power, a bit less weight, a chassis with 8 more years of development, and might just handle better without (literally) a ton of weight over the front axle. Somehow, even if one ends up in my garage, I don’t see it replacing the R32. After all, there is one more garage spot to be filled.

Happy New Year // Watched the Red Wings beat the Coyotes // Ahhh crap, someone stole my credit card… // Tucson SCCA Meeting // Dodgeball // Got a present for the R // New Autocross Tires! // Autocross in Phoenix // Tucson SCCA Meeting // Dodgeball Tournament // TUS -> IAH -> DCA // Sherlock Holmes // Fantastic Lunch with the all the family in VA // Watched the Terps beat up Longwood // Downtown Silver Spring // RJ Bentley’s College Park, hooray Yuegling! // DCA -> IAH -> TUS // Tried to see how much tire I could stuff under the R32 // Autocross in Tucson // Old Chicago //More R32 parts… // New Season of Dodgeball! // Work Deadlines… // Work Annual Reviews // Hooray refunds from CC disputes! // House Hunting!

Whew.

That’s what I get for running on crap tires.

Comps: 79.085 (+1), 66.763 (+2), 67.682 (+1), 67.175
TOs: . 68.369 (+1), 67.941, 67.237 (+1), DNS
Street Tire: 2nd of 10, by less than a tenth!
Overall: 18th fastest time out of 50, 20th PAX, 922

First run was a bit sketchy with ABS working overtime and everything locking up. I think it was a combination of the gravel, the cool weather, and the lack of usable tires. I haven’t added it up, but these tires have quite a few runs on them and are long past their sweet spot. Oh well.

I did what I could and focused on applying what I learned last week. It definitely helped. I’m excited for next year – already mapping out car changes, new tires, and what National Tour(s?) I can make. =)

I ended up 2nd in Street Tire for the Fall series with 2789 points, 11 behind first and 27 ahead of third. I’m a little disappointed because it was within reach, even before this event, but instead of dwelling on that, time to build on what’s been learned and go faster.