Maxima debuts at SCCA Solo Natl Championships
Maxima debuts at SCCA Solo Natl Championships
Topeka, Kansas September 13th & 14th
Nissan Maxima debut at Sports Car Club of America’s Solo National Championships.
In a class largely dominated by 2000lb Honda Civics, a lone Nissan 4-door sports sedan made it’s stand on the national autocross scene. I’ve spent 5 years learning to drive competitively, 3 solid years tuning and testing, and who knows much money and total effort to even get this far. Final result, 37th of 45 drivers.
Disappointed? Yes and No. I arrived hoping to finish mid-pack or the upper 2/3rds. I left with a better understanding of the sport at the national level, had a great time, and experienced a once in a lifetime chance at running at historic Forbes Field, as next year SCCA moves to a completely new site.
Day 1 Tuesday – in typical KS fashion, the skies clouded up right after 8am, and proceeded to dump wind & rain everywhere. This alone doesn’t stop events, but the relentless lightning forced us to push the start back to 10:30am lest all the course workers become “little lightning rods”. Many of the veterans swapped to their rain tires, only to find the course drying out by their last runs. I only had one set ready with me (front BFG KD’s and rear SO-2’s) so I just adjusted pressures and guessed at what would work on wet grippy concrete. I feared an over steer spin on run #1 would ruin everything so I drove conservatively until I got a feel for the surface. 70.9sec, a full 7.5s off the leader with no grip problems and the usual under steer. Raised rear pressures a bit and ran a 68.1s, now only 5.7s off the pace. I knew that one wasn’t smooth and the car was positioned badly throughout the course. Raised pressures again to match what I run in dry conditions, and finished with a 66.6, and only 4.2s behind. Reviewing the run I identified where I left maybe .6s on course so given another chance I could’ve gotten to within 3.5s of the top.
Day 2 Wednesday – the weather cooperated in the morning for our group and we hit the battle worn North course. Battle worn from 50yrs of aircraft, weather, and most recently, high horsepower cars on sticky race rubber that’s leaving potholes and chunks of loose rock everywhere. This course was much more open with numerous high-speed sweepers vs. Tuesday’s more technical and slalom riddled setup. Numerous drivers expected a higher horsepower car to fare better here including myself. Run #1 netted a 60.87 and a 5s gap behind 1st; I knew I didn’t push as hard as possible and time backed it up. Run #2 improved to 59.9s, closing the gap but again I still wasn’t pushing hard enough. Run #3 was a 60.5s and I’m still unclear why I lost time and where I could’ve found much more. The leader improved only .1s from his first run and again I finished exactly 4.2sec off Will Kalman.
A note about Will Kalman and the STS class this year. Will drove the snot out of his ’89 Civic but was protested after day one, for having moved his exhaust cat out of stock position (9inches). Both he and his co-driver David Avard’s times were disqualified for day one. Tuesday night they reworked & re-welded the exhaust setup and Wednesday actually drove faster – go figure. Ken Montonishi repeats his 2003 championship over Kevin McCormick by only .051sec. Andy Hollis also gets mention for 3rd place as I heard he crashed his car late August, and in only 3 weeks bought another, built it to class rules, and tuned it with much help from friends.
Also this year we saw huge delays not only due to weather but the concrete on Wed broke so bad they patched it mid-day, parked a running car over the spot, wrapped the underside in thermal foil, and attempted to quick bake the mix for an hour. It didn’t work out, so they instead changed the course mid-day and drove around the spot.
Now the north course was nearly 4hrs behind schedule and it was getting dark. They started sending cars 12sec apart right through dusk into darkness. That worked well enough for vehicles with headlights, but the CM group had none and really suffered. One car just plain gave up from lack of light, and another stopped on course when the HID Xenon lights from a Lotus Elise spooked him. He was later quoted that he thought he strayed onto the runway and an aircraft was coming! We wrapped up around 8pm well beyond the point where corner workers could even be seen from the sidelines.
Thanks to all my supporters, sponsors, technical resources, family, and the .org community for without you this feat would not have been possible. I’m keeping my options open for the 2006 season including what to do with a gift certificate I won good towards an SCCA competition license for road racing.
Thanks again, Brian.
Final Class results
Map of South Course
The South Course
and the North Course Map
The North Course during patching
STS Awards Ceremony
I've uploaded a few more pics on page 2 of my Cardomain site. Out of 1135 drivers I wasn't the largest sedan there. An Impala takes that top honor.
One of my favorite shots - anybody think they can do this?
3 of Will Kalman's runs are on video here
The Boroski sisters have 15 pages of pics here
And Chris Hammond has another 64 pages of pics here
Rumor has it a video is also in the works and I'll link that when it comes out.
Nissan Maxima debut at Sports Car Club of America’s Solo National Championships.
In a class largely dominated by 2000lb Honda Civics, a lone Nissan 4-door sports sedan made it’s stand on the national autocross scene. I’ve spent 5 years learning to drive competitively, 3 solid years tuning and testing, and who knows much money and total effort to even get this far. Final result, 37th of 45 drivers.
Disappointed? Yes and No. I arrived hoping to finish mid-pack or the upper 2/3rds. I left with a better understanding of the sport at the national level, had a great time, and experienced a once in a lifetime chance at running at historic Forbes Field, as next year SCCA moves to a completely new site.
Day 1 Tuesday – in typical KS fashion, the skies clouded up right after 8am, and proceeded to dump wind & rain everywhere. This alone doesn’t stop events, but the relentless lightning forced us to push the start back to 10:30am lest all the course workers become “little lightning rods”. Many of the veterans swapped to their rain tires, only to find the course drying out by their last runs. I only had one set ready with me (front BFG KD’s and rear SO-2’s) so I just adjusted pressures and guessed at what would work on wet grippy concrete. I feared an over steer spin on run #1 would ruin everything so I drove conservatively until I got a feel for the surface. 70.9sec, a full 7.5s off the leader with no grip problems and the usual under steer. Raised rear pressures a bit and ran a 68.1s, now only 5.7s off the pace. I knew that one wasn’t smooth and the car was positioned badly throughout the course. Raised pressures again to match what I run in dry conditions, and finished with a 66.6, and only 4.2s behind. Reviewing the run I identified where I left maybe .6s on course so given another chance I could’ve gotten to within 3.5s of the top.
Day 2 Wednesday – the weather cooperated in the morning for our group and we hit the battle worn North course. Battle worn from 50yrs of aircraft, weather, and most recently, high horsepower cars on sticky race rubber that’s leaving potholes and chunks of loose rock everywhere. This course was much more open with numerous high-speed sweepers vs. Tuesday’s more technical and slalom riddled setup. Numerous drivers expected a higher horsepower car to fare better here including myself. Run #1 netted a 60.87 and a 5s gap behind 1st; I knew I didn’t push as hard as possible and time backed it up. Run #2 improved to 59.9s, closing the gap but again I still wasn’t pushing hard enough. Run #3 was a 60.5s and I’m still unclear why I lost time and where I could’ve found much more. The leader improved only .1s from his first run and again I finished exactly 4.2sec off Will Kalman.
A note about Will Kalman and the STS class this year. Will drove the snot out of his ’89 Civic but was protested after day one, for having moved his exhaust cat out of stock position (9inches). Both he and his co-driver David Avard’s times were disqualified for day one. Tuesday night they reworked & re-welded the exhaust setup and Wednesday actually drove faster – go figure. Ken Montonishi repeats his 2003 championship over Kevin McCormick by only .051sec. Andy Hollis also gets mention for 3rd place as I heard he crashed his car late August, and in only 3 weeks bought another, built it to class rules, and tuned it with much help from friends.
Also this year we saw huge delays not only due to weather but the concrete on Wed broke so bad they patched it mid-day, parked a running car over the spot, wrapped the underside in thermal foil, and attempted to quick bake the mix for an hour. It didn’t work out, so they instead changed the course mid-day and drove around the spot.
Now the north course was nearly 4hrs behind schedule and it was getting dark. They started sending cars 12sec apart right through dusk into darkness. That worked well enough for vehicles with headlights, but the CM group had none and really suffered. One car just plain gave up from lack of light, and another stopped on course when the HID Xenon lights from a Lotus Elise spooked him. He was later quoted that he thought he strayed onto the runway and an aircraft was coming! We wrapped up around 8pm well beyond the point where corner workers could even be seen from the sidelines.
Thanks to all my supporters, sponsors, technical resources, family, and the .org community for without you this feat would not have been possible. I’m keeping my options open for the 2006 season including what to do with a gift certificate I won good towards an SCCA competition license for road racing.
Thanks again, Brian.
Final Class results
Map of South Course
The South Course
and the North Course Map
The North Course during patching
STS Awards Ceremony
I've uploaded a few more pics on page 2 of my Cardomain site. Out of 1135 drivers I wasn't the largest sedan there. An Impala takes that top honor.
One of my favorite shots - anybody think they can do this?
3 of Will Kalman's runs are on video here
The Boroski sisters have 15 pages of pics here
And Chris Hammond has another 64 pages of pics here
Rumor has it a video is also in the works and I'll link that when it comes out.
Let me be the first to say congrats BEJAY!!! you definetly deserve it.
:edit: i see alot of people either running Kuhmo's or falkens which falken tire was being ran??? im definetly passing this info on to the powers that be.
:edit: i see alot of people either running Kuhmo's or falkens which falken tire was being ran??? im definetly passing this info on to the powers that be.
Congrats indeed! Glad you had an enjoyable time out there, sounds like an amazing time. Do you think the S-Techs held you back some? You may have less understeer with the ebaichs and can pull in some faster times.
Thanks for all the kind words all.
Team Falken - the majority of Falkens were the 215. People continue hoarding them as they've proved superior to the 615's. Occasional 451's our there too. Falken dominated on heavier cars using 17" wheels in the STU class (6 of 7 trophies). Top STX spots won on Yoko and that class had everything in it including Hankook and even a Continental.
MDeezy - STechs? I started years ago on Eibachs and now have Progress Coilovers. 700lbs front, 450lbs rear with stiffer valving.
slimer - not bent but that's something I'm looking into for next year. Currently rear toe is in .14L and .32R. I do run a narrow rear stagger and tread, usually on harder compounds, and recently higher rear pressures.
2 Da Max - car is daily driven and that's a limiting factor too as half the competition is trailered. Full interior, power everything incl moonroof, and a baby seat in the back. Believe me if I decide to track it's gonna be gutted and caged correctly.
Team Falken - the majority of Falkens were the 215. People continue hoarding them as they've proved superior to the 615's. Occasional 451's our there too. Falken dominated on heavier cars using 17" wheels in the STU class (6 of 7 trophies). Top STX spots won on Yoko and that class had everything in it including Hankook and even a Continental.
MDeezy - STechs? I started years ago on Eibachs and now have Progress Coilovers. 700lbs front, 450lbs rear with stiffer valving.
slimer - not bent but that's something I'm looking into for next year. Currently rear toe is in .14L and .32R. I do run a narrow rear stagger and tread, usually on harder compounds, and recently higher rear pressures.
2 Da Max - car is daily driven and that's a limiting factor too as half the competition is trailered. Full interior, power everything incl moonroof, and a baby seat in the back. Believe me if I decide to track it's gonna be gutted and caged correctly.
thats awesome. its really cool to see a maxima place anywhere in a National SCCA competition. no1 would every think that a giant grocery getter would be a tire shreading SCCA competor. Im give you congrats on your effort and bravery to take the max out there. congrats man
My dad just returned from the SCCA Runoff's and found another 10 pics they got of me in KS.
7 new pics on Page2 of my cardomain incl this one.
In car video's coming out - one Miata and a couple from an Elise.
Bill's CSP Miata on North course w twin bumper Chasecams - and no it's not sped up (39mb). Also, this was fast but only for #10 spot
Mike Jr. Johnson in the Elise on South course during daylight(57mb). Fastest class time of 56.4s.
Randy Chase in the same Elise on North course at dusk (32mb). It's actually a bit darker than what the camera is showing.
7 new pics on Page2 of my cardomain incl this one.
In car video's coming out - one Miata and a couple from an Elise.
Bill's CSP Miata on North course w twin bumper Chasecams - and no it's not sped up (39mb). Also, this was fast but only for #10 spot
Mike Jr. Johnson in the Elise on South course during daylight(57mb). Fastest class time of 56.4s.
Randy Chase in the same Elise on North course at dusk (32mb). It's actually a bit darker than what the camera is showing.
nice going Brian. Maybe one day when my maxima is paid off (and it becomes a full-time track car rather than daily driver/part-time autocrosser), I will see you there (though I'll be in STX most likely by that point, where I can get my *** handed to me).....
In any case, way to represent the maxima in autocross. Even finishing where you did, it's a tribute to good driving and good setup that a monster sedan can even be somewhat competitive with the little civic rockets (trust me, I have to deal with them in both STX and in non-classed CDC, as you know)....
:
In any case, way to represent the maxima in autocross. Even finishing where you did, it's a tribute to good driving and good setup that a monster sedan can even be somewhat competitive with the little civic rockets (trust me, I have to deal with them in both STX and in non-classed CDC, as you know)....
:
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 995
congrats.... I've thought about taking the Z to a national event ... but I know national ESP cars own me. I have been thinking about running the Max in the last event of this season for CFR west. I have ESP wrapped up for 05, so after seeing your pictures I might bolt the "R" componds on and go for it 
Originally Posted by z32drifter
I have ESP wrapped up for 05, so after seeing your pictures I might bolt the "R" componds on and go for it
I'm pouring over the pictures and confirmed my front left tire was rubbing the fender somewhat (yes I knew it at the event too). What I didn't catch until tonight was this.
I'm thinking a blown strut and subsequent tire rub could've meant more than a few positions in time.
I'm thinking a blown strut and subsequent tire rub could've meant more than a few positions in time.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 140
Brian,
Great story, really impressed with the analysis of your runs... at my age once the adrenaline wears off my memory is blank (age is my excuse and I'm sticking with it)
... also impressed with your fortitude with the Maxima, I know it's tough but oh so rerwarding to hear the VQ sing. Good luck getting the suspension sorted out. I documented my work here. You're welcome to it if it helps. Hope to see you in Topeka one of these years.
Barry
PS. I wish I had an Elise (10 MB WMV)... guess for now we'll just have to chase them around the BIG track.
Great story, really impressed with the analysis of your runs... at my age once the adrenaline wears off my memory is blank (age is my excuse and I'm sticking with it)
... also impressed with your fortitude with the Maxima, I know it's tough but oh so rerwarding to hear the VQ sing. Good luck getting the suspension sorted out. I documented my work here. You're welcome to it if it helps. Hope to see you in Topeka one of these years.Barry
PS. I wish I had an Elise (10 MB WMV)... guess for now we'll just have to chase them around the BIG track.
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