Norm,
first of why were you running sts?
Second of all, you somehow got me, all your runs were within ~0.3 seconds of my time (41.5xx), then you pulled a 40.xxx out of your a$$!
I had to run non-comp as I said when I talked to you, but I thought even with my cousin riding with me during all the runs I could keep it close.
My last 2 runs I screwed up, the 4th I drove too smooth and not aggressive enough, and the 5th I was having a good run but messed up on the last turn before the (kind of) last straight.

I should have run at least once to see where I might have been without the extra weight, but hindsight is 20/20.

My only (lame) excuse is that I did have an extra person in the car (~185lbs), I still feel I should have got you in that 626. I am hanging my head in shame

 

Emissions and other issues with the otherwise street-legal CP car (that I ran in the last winter series event, BTW) has had me running in STS with the 626 for at least this summer series. I can think offhand of at least three relatively minor mods that I'd previously done to the 626, any one of which removes it from the stock class category. While I ponder what I'm going to do with the ~10 mpg/premium fuel only CP car, I'm getting seat time where I can find it. And I'm developing a rational basis for further mods for the 626, since most parts replacements for maintenance/wear intentionally end up being opportunities for performance upgrade. All this is completely aside from the thought that maybe DM or EM is where I really want to be playing.

Truth be told, I was getting a bit annoyed with myself for the near-total lack of improvement over the first four runs, so I'm thankful for having that 5th run. Even if I'd been running in the afternoon session I'd have wanted 5 runs - I've left Nazareth after 5:30 pm with a 1.5+ hour drive home ahead of me. Anyway, I'd specifically been chasing PW in the new Tiburon, and was 0.9+ seconds behind him after 4 . . . call it incentive to try a couple things differently, so I ran 1st out a bit further and came out of the lane change better (but still left way too much time in the sweeper at the far end of the oval).

Don't feel too badly. The '95 626 shares its platform with the MX-6 and Ford's Probe (including the GT), and several drivers in GS, GSL, HS, and HSL rode MX-6's to National Championships in the mid/late 90's. Methinks all three of those cars are under-rated by many, particularly the nothing-special-to-look-at 626. The '01 Max is certainly more powerful, and has much better low-rpm torque. But my '01 Max's turn-in is not nearly as crisp even though the 626's 6" wide wheels are relatively even narrower with respect to the 205/55 tire size than the Max's poor-ish 7" width and 225/50 combination. Car weight to OE tire section width is about the same for both.

Norm

 

Well, I am planning to go to the 10/2 auto-x and at least one of the two in MD, I'll make at least 1 run with no one else in the car to see how much of a difference it makes. I figure at the longer and faster Ripken courses I can put up a better number, but who knows.

 

Be sure to let me know when there's an open event at Ripken....I might just have to make the trip up. Not many CDC events left, and most of them are up in Frederick (I prefer the Manassas events, of which only one is left)......

 

Better keep an eye on the Phillyscca website, as that event now has a sort of "pending" status. Labor negotiations are ongoing at Boeing, so far, so good at Ridley Park but Boeing/Seattle has apparently already walked out. We aren't going to be crossing any picket lines.

irish44j - most Philly Region regional events normally see a fairly large proportion of day-of-event registrations (at least 1/3 at this most recent Boeing event), so I don't see any problems. Here's what's left at Ripken, and you can find more info at www.phillyscca.com. Note that you both run and work in either the am or in the pm session and are not required to stick around all day. That said, pm session course walk time isn't quite as long, so getting in early enough to at least watch some of the am runs is a word to the wise.

Group A - STS, STS2, STX2, STU, DS, Ladies, F125, Karts
Group B - FS, GS, HS, PRO, All Mod Classes,
Group C - SM, SM2, ASP, BSP, CSP, DSP, ESP, FSP
Group D - SS, AS, BS, CS, ES, STX, All Prepared Classes

Oct16 ~~~ #14 ~~~ Ripken ~~~ AB (am) ~ CD (pm)
Oct30 ~~~ #15 ~~~ Ripken ~~~ CD (am) ~ AB (pm)

Norm

 

Looks like I'll be running STX....

 

Why?
If I was you, I would run novice class and get a trophy, you could say you are a phillySCCA beginner, which would be true.

Or just run non-comp, that way you can run in whatever heat you feel like. The index is shot when you do that, but it's way more convenient if you don't care about index.
I'm still kicking myself for not getting two trophies I earned in GS last year, this year I have no shot what-so-ever.

 

What was the course like on 9/18? Tight or open? Wet by chance? I got to meet both Corey and Cy for the first time last week. Looks like Corey burned it up out there.

 

Dry all day, not even a cloud in the sky until into the 2nd heat. The course was relatively long and fairly open by Boeing standards, given that there were three straights plus an "almost-straight" into the finish and the fact that that the lot is neither hugely long (like a runway course) nor wide enough to set up a slalom in that direction at speed. Balanced by three slaloms and one hard braking zone midway around an oval-ish loop.

STS is fairly strong in Philly Region, and Corey was the Region's Driver of the Year last year, maybe the last couple of years (bet he was a bit ticked at himself for coning that one run at Nationals). Did you happen to meet Eric Simmons (Cy's co-driver)? All three of those guys always beat me by multiple seconds in 40 - in addition to the couple of seconds that differences in equipment & preparation might account for.

Norm

 

Not a lot of speed, way tighter than anything we run at Ripken in Md. Cy got the win in his class by I think .005.
Cy used to drive one of the Mini's I was running against in GS, then he switched to a old Civic. I made out though, he sold me his camera mount for $20 because he no longer has head rests. I, like a moron, forgot it this past weekend though.
Corey is usually as late as me to events so I end up the second car in his unlawful speed train.

 

true...since I let my SCCA membership lapse there's probably no record of me anyhow

I would be STX in a technical sense, but could get away with STS if nobody measures my wheel width. Next season I'm throwing on 8" wide rims with 245 rubber and just do STX.

I would probably just run non-comp since I don't care about SCCA points or the like...I just do it for fun.

 

Actually Novice runs both AM and PM sessions too, so there is no difference between Novice and non-comp for you.
That might be funny anyway, I would say run Novice. There was a guy in a Z06 running Novice this past weekend. I think they next time phillyscca is at Ripken is 10/16, then 1 more time at 10/30.