May 9th event at Summit Point

[Electronchick]

Will the course at the skid pad look pretty much the same as it did at the previous event held there?

[Tedzilla]

We'll start and finish in different places so grid will flow better. The course will be similar but because it may be damp until about 9 AM we'll use very different lines to avoid the slickest parts. We'll have big thick plastic bags to put stuff from the cars in or to make ponchos for fashionistas.

Ted

[Tedzilla]

I'm getting ready to go to Summit and set up the course... it's clear with a huge full moon. Weather looks good.

Ted

[wrathe74]

Weather.com shows a fairly decent day... Summit Point, WV
and my rock outside is dry, so its not raining

[matt.baird]

it was dry and a reasonable temperature the whole time i was up there. (group 1)

my first autocross with my new wheel and tire setup, only the second one with this car. my first was in the rain at frederick on awful touring tires with no grip, so i really have no basis for comparison on the slickness of the summit point venue. i sort of expect to slide with 3800lbs wallowing around...

i had a blast though and like the possiblities of course layouts here in the future.

[Tedzilla]

Matt,

Nice job with that Big Mercury...
I wish our guy with the Crown Vic Wagon had been there to make it a 'Battle of the Titans'.
A great day for those smart enough not to believe economists, witch-doctors and weathermen

Ted

[FredK]

That turned out to be pretty fun.

I was a little concerned about Lotus boy, sorry, I don't know his name, but he was gone when I went to check on his car. I was glad to know he didn't need my trailer though. Update me.

[BugBomb]

Onboard from my best run (47.3).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM_g9GHrmv8

[mla163]

I talked to the guy with the Lotus. Aaron I think? The bumper was pretty gone and there was a hole in the aluminum undertray where a rock went through. Just looks like new bumper time. Could have been much worse. Such a pretty car.

If we can get them to do it, Summit should really clean out those dirt areas. Dirt is one thing, rocks and logs can do some real damage.

[Imprezive_04]

No such thing as new bumper time on a lotus. It's new front clam time. Everything forward of the a-pillar is one piece.

[Dan133]

Good course Ted. First half was still amazingly slippery, though(But we don't hold you personally responsible). Had fun as always.

[The_Bishop]

Couldn't make it today, but sorry to hear my "lotus boy" bretheren had a bad day. Hit a ground hog once and cracked up my front, so I know the sinking feeling all too well.

Otherwise, glad ya'll had a good time and the weather held.

- Allen.

[hepcatz]

I couldn't make this one either due to a professional license exam I had to take. Glad it did not end up rainy for everyone, looking forward to the pics. Sorry to hear an elise/exige had an off and needs a new clam shell. I'll be at the next one!

[Rice & Gravy]

Great day and I liked the course too, Ted. I was glad I could run in a different group in the PM so I could get to my son's soccer game and bring him back with me for the PM. He loved it and a big thanks for letting us borrow the XS helmet.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any pictures of me and my son running in the in the black Forester by any chance?

:Steve

[awptickes]

Great course, It was nice to drive and I think the slick surface made it even more fun to navigate. I'd like to thank everyone who was there, I had loads of fun. Next time I'll get there earlier so I can help out a bit more.

Also, now the Odometer on my car reads just shy of 4100 miles, so I think it's time to change the oil.

[theoffspring99us]

What happened I dipped out pretty early. Any pictures?

[cutaway]

I was so sorry to hear about the Lotus. The one thing I do not like about this venue is the hazards to a car with low clearance. It did improve a good bit this week with the gator like concrete around the center of the skid pads. It will be better yet when the grass grows in.

As for the course it was excellent - not a beginner course. With all the runs at Frederick, I am beginning to get the hang of three elements of autocross - the figure 8, the oval and the straightaway. This course contained none of those. Hmmm time for me to learn new tricks... quick.

Oh and Markos had a blast. Thanks to all of your hospitality. It really demonstrates what a great group of people make up the CDC.

[Electronchick]

The course was a lot of fun...I definately learned more about car control and keeping a tight grip on my steering wheel!
It also seemed to run ALOT smoother than our previous event there. Reversing grid and driving back to paddock after your last run was an excellent idea.
I especially enjoyed my 7th (YES, my 7th!!) run.

Since I couldn't get Chris to come with me, I decided to make use of my alone time and catch some ride-a-longs. I had 3 or 4 ride alongs in the first heat before I ran my runs in Heat 2. Unfortunately, even after all the ride alongs, it toook me my first two runs to remember that there was two gates on the very back corner! I got lulled into it being a sweeper...TWICE! by the time I remembered for the 3rd run, I shaved about 2 seconds off my time! Its amazing what remembering the course can do for you...

I would like to say a big thank you to the guys who let me ride along...Matt, Mike, and Hank...I enjoyed it very much.

[bearda]

Just out of curiosity, what was it you liked about driving back to the paddock after your last run? I thought it kind of slowed the changed down, since everyone who had driven in heat A had to make their way back up to the surface to work. That was the one thing I thought worked better last time, but I'm open to ideas.

[saint_foo]

That was a fun course! Thanks to all those who pitched in and helped - your assistance is greatly appreciated!!!

-Ed O

[wrathe74]

Driving back to the paddock - while slow, was still not any slower than how we did it the first time (IMO), however it did flow better and felt less congested in the staging area.
Does SP have any plans on a staging area, or maybe a parking/paddock lot? I realize where we park now is actually the staging area.

[mf44]

I don't know if they plan on adding any more paddock space. I'd guess not, but who knows.

What I can say is that when I was there with the BMW club they ran everything from the other end of the skid pad. This allowed them to use the longer access road at that end as a staging area. Since it's so lengthy, it allowed them to queue the cars up there rather than actually on the skid pad itself.

[xph34rt3hr34p3r]

I also didn't see much of a difference in changeover time with the A-line driving down to the paddock area immediately after finishing their runs. Most of the guys were already on their way back up to the course by the time B-line was ready to start. However I will say that in the afternoon I got caught offguard by everyone in heat3 staging themselves immediately after heat2's A-line emptied. It seemed like a clusterF because heat2's B-line was trying to weave in and out of everyone trying to stage from heat3. It's a shame we can't get a speaker down in the paddock area so a formal announcement can be made when heats should get ready.

Regardless, I had a lot of fun with this track setup. Moreso than the last at Summit just because this was a bit more challenging. I may not be running as high powered RWD as some guys but the Miata still got loose a few times. Nothing's more fun then the challenge of pushing a car to the break point and finding a way to get it back under control and still make the gates in a good time. Thanks for the fun guys. I'll be looking forward to the next one.

[eage8]

yeah, I had a lot of fun. It was a great course and it seemed a lot more intuitive than the other venues because there is not only cones but also grass to avoid

It was really slippy on a lot of the track, I spent a good portion of my time sideways on the afternoon runs , but I dropped 3 seconds like that so I must have been doing something right...

it's quite a drive, but definitely worth it

[WRX11]

Results should be up shortly.

Was I the only one almost bouncing off the rev limited in second at one point during 5/9 Summit Point event?