Rob at 2007 SCCA Runoffs

I'll keep everyone updated how it goes. I will be racing the 2005 Mazda RX8 in Touring 3 again. Last year didn't go so well as we cooked a newly rebuilt motor on practice day. Dyno showed only about a 20-30 HP drop, so I could still compete, but trap speeds were 4-6 mph less than other RX8's. I struggled to qualify in 13th and worked up to 8th in the race.

This year we have the engine and the adjustable suspension worked out, but Touring 3 is that much more competitive. 29 entrants this year and some big names like multiple national champion, record holder, and sometimes pro "The Rocket" John Heinricy. World Challenge Pro's Richard Gilhart (last year's champ) and Scotty B White. ARRC champion and Koni Cup pro Robert Huffmaster. Former Runoff champions like Michael Kramer, Joel Lipperini, and Wiley Timbrook.

http://ams.scca.com/netforum/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=runoffsentrylist&evt_key=1BDE2BDE-33AB-4403-891B-A4B13AB71B4B&class=T3

I arrive Saturday, practice Sunday, one qualifying session each day Monday-Thursday, and then race about 10am the next Saturday. Schedule is here…

http://www.scca.com/documents/Club_Events/REVISED2007Schedule.pdf

Should be live timing starting with qualifying, but I can't find the link yet. The main Runoffs link is…

http://www.scca.com/event.aspx?hub=1&event=5643

This might be my last year at Runoffs for awhile or ever. With Mia born and taking up other hobbies like flying, I can't afford the time and money to compete against "amateur" teams. 9 days is a long time to be gone plus all the long National weekends through the year. I will give it my best this year and goal is for a top 10 finish.

I'll provide updates.

 

Starts next week. I leave Saturday. I'm about ready, some new parts have been arriving all week, just went and got one set of tires mounted at lunch and new tires on the tow vehicle.

Heinricy has been only one giving the S2000's a run this year. When you have the skill of Heinricy and support of GM and Phoenix Performance its hard to not win. However, it was shown last year that John is beatable. Crazy amount of talent this year, still can't believe for the next week I'll be banging up perfectly good body parts with these legends. They may have the best equipment, but I'm not afraid to race against anyone whoever they are, if I loose it won't be because I was shy or afraid.

 

Well, the majority wanted the changes and I was in the minority. I felt the two turns opened up were more technical before and required more driver skill. Drivers were complaining because they were slow corners, translation they don't know how to go slow to go fast, pushing through the corners and blaming the course. That said, after racing the National here in August I like the changes more than I thought I would. The opened up corners do require a different set of skills and more importantly some balls, which the old course was lacking. I thought the RX8 would get hurt by the new corners because we're a handling car, instead of losing the advantage by handling the slow corners, we are at least equal to the heavier power cars because we can hold our speed well through the fast transitions. They are just technical enough the heavy HP cars can't blow through them, I think they'll be braking and slowing down more than we do.

My crew chief and I arrived this afternoon. Surprisingly we got settled very efficiently, including SCCA Registration, Heartland Test Day, Mazda Tent Paddock, and SCCA Tech. Only about 1 hour to get through all of that and off to hotel, amazing. Test day tomorrow, I'm just looking at doing 3 sessions. 1 on last races tires to shake car down and remember how bright the light at end of tunnel and loud God's voice should get in each corner (finding the limits ) and then one session each for my two new sets of tires to scrub.

 

OK practice day. Good news is no major problems with the car and I found a great suspension setting by tightening one click all around for compression and rebound. Bad news is the Cobalt SS’s are as fast as we expected. In practice I was a little less than 2 seconds back from last year’s champ in a RX8, but the Cobalts with John Heinricy one of the drivers are 2 seconds faster than last years champ, so almost 4 seconds up on me. The S2000’s are in-between the Cobalt and RX8. Also still having problems with upshifts to 4th and downshifts to 2nd that first appeared in August. I can fight through it and maybe only loose a few tenths, but worse case risking a missed shift in the race I’ve just ordered a new trans from Mazda. They really take care of us racers between parts at cost and the contingency cash. Runoffs they even give us parts or ones they sell are below cost. Retail on new RX8 trans is about $3,500. The racer at cost price outside of Runoffs weekend is about $2,300. They’re selling me a brand new one with no core required for $1,200. Only bad news with that is it won’t be here until Wednesday or Thursday.

We’ll see how the first qualifying goes tomorrow afternoon. We have 30 or so cars, so I hope to qualify in 10-15th and then in the race at least have a chance at Top 10.

 

I wish! We don't qualify until 2:50 Central, my #12 I bet is the 6th car down.

 

Live Timing can be watched here...

http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/RunOffs/LiveTiming.asp

Group on track will always be shown, but you can take drop down to T3 to see day's results.

I just figured out the 6th place results they were showing, that is left over from practice yesterday when only a few of us were out.

 

Got into the Mazda tent this year. After you come out of tunnel there are 3 white tents to the right by the stop sign check-in. We're in the middle tent, actually directly next to that stop sign.