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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Platinum
[B]What's up guys?

calc

Platinum,

That was probably Jason Keeney's girl friend (red S2K with a bird painted on the passenger-side sideview mirror--all that remains of Jason's Nationals paint job), in which case you shouldn't feel bad, she's quite competitive and has an excellent teacher (plus his excellent car).

And if she beat you, then you probably beat me. But that's not the point--the point is to have fun and improve your driving skills.

Somebody mentioned only getting the 3 runs. Once you have the Solo II card (as you now do if you ran Saturday), you can pay extra and sign up for X runs that allow you to run in two groups. I did that Saturday because it takes me at least 5 runs to learn the course well enough to get a respectable time. In X class with two run groups, you pay a double entry fee ($40 instead of $20 if you're an SCCA member) and sometimes work an extra group, although not always.

cal

Bri's-S2000

HAHA..PLATINUM GOT BEAT BY A GIRL!!! Just kidding dude, at least you had the nads to go out there and race, while others( like myself) just plain wussed out( plus you did get that 70 seconds on the last run which was very impressive IMO). ZOT, you are so right, that Import Showoff was a total rip-off, I was hanging out with the 935 guys, I did get to touch Francine Dee...hhmm..boobies...hehhe... I personally don't think i will be ever going to another one of those unless i enter my S2000..and it will be better than that silver/Black one with just rims on display there. Can't wait till the 11 th, i hopefully will see you all there, and this time i will bring my folding chair and some nametags...and a small grill for sure so we won't have to do what NAVNURSE did and put bratwurst on his s2000's hood!!! Lates all!!!


Brian

NavNurs

Just a couple of things to add;
1) It is ok to eat lukewarm Brats if you are hungry enough.
2) It is ok to get a 70 as my best was a 74.
3) It really sucks to wait 6hrs in the sun to get a whole 3.8mins on the track.
4) It is very cool to see 20xS2000s in a row.
5) It is ok that two of us got beat by a chick, though uncool to show the bruises in public.
6) The S fuking rules when driven hard, even if for only 3.8 mins.
7) We need to change the attitude of the people running these things. The Novice class paid big cash that day and does not deserve to be either yelled at for running over the timing lights, running in front of the timing lights, or told at the end of the day that the "X" group should run more and that the "N" group may not get in 3 runs as we approached the supposed 5pm shutdown time.
8) Overall it was a good time though rather an exhausting day!

calc

NavNurs, any news about your cooler?

Some of #7 is probably true, certainly the part about the X runs taking priority over the Novices, since the Novices are the ones needing experience and the X people, who could run for points if they wanted to, are just getting more experience. On the other hand, most of the X runners paid for two or more run groups and any run group they were in they paid hard cash for, so from that perspective, they have as much right to run as the novices and the crews have to make a decision--they just made what seems to me the wrong one. (They could, for example, alternate X & N until time ran out.)

And I noticed they ran well after 5, so did anyone not get their runs in?

While they may be a little paranoid about the timing lights, it's not without reason. First off, they can't get accurate times if people keep breaking the beam by running through them, nor can they get times at all (not to mention the expense of possibly having to replace them) if people run over the lights. If it was you they were yelling at and they failed to pair you up with an experienced worker, or the worker failed to explain the importance of the timing lights, they you have a legitimate complaint. If you were told and forgot due to lack of experience, bet you remember next time, right?

If anyone spends a lot of time worrying about how they placed when they first start autoxing, chances are they won't stick around long enough to become competitive. I'm a little disappointed that I'm not yet tearing up the track, but I see my primary goal as gaining experience and hopefully skill, not taking home iron straight away. At least I got through the day without a DNF even though I only had an instructor for my 2nd run. Whereas previously I've been 15-20 seconds off the top time in our class, last Sunday I was only about 10 seconds off, so I'm getting there. I think being willing to share failures as well as successes will help other novices get a better handle on their progress than they would if we didn't admit to having a little difficulty occasionally.

cal

NavNurs

Cal,
I fully understand why they wouldn't want people messing with the lights, or running them over. The issue was the attitude with which they treat the new folks. Instead of understanding that they are new, the announcer spoke as if they were idiots. My experience at this first race was mixed. I enjoyed driving, I just didn't enjoy the attitudes. I paid more for my 3 runs than did any X group, considering the initial fees. Then a guy at the end told me I would have to wait for them to finish prior to completing my runs. I did manage to get in my 3. Obviously there are many ways to avoid this. I just think that I shall watch for the practice days from now on. Thanks!
-Kurtt

calc

NavNurs, you also need to understand that each month a different club organizes the autox, so you won't be dealing with the same people every month. In fact, the announcer may not have that gig again for some time, and that's just one person from the club, unfortunately in this case representing the entire club. Perhaps you should direct a complaint to the club president.

And, with apologies for belaboring the obvious, the people running in X had to pay the same initial fees at some time.

cal