A brain dump on last week and weekend. It was a super eventful time with the SCCA Solos Nationals event. Many competitors emerged victorious and plentiful thoughts on setups/cars were shared.
Nationals:
- Really sucked that some guys had to run in the wet. It looked like a river in some photos/videos. Luckily the FS guys had dry pavement to drive on Thursday and Friday.
- Drivers in the Gen5 1LE & Gen6 SS were neck and neck in FS. Close enough that I'm super tempted to go to Nationals next year, assuming the nut behind the wheel has a decent shot.
- The San Francisco region did a good job in taking home trophies! In the uber-competitive local group, American Autocross Series (AAS), 10 regulars took home 1st place: Scott Fraiser (SS), Robert Luis (HS), Shelly Monfort (SSRL), Jeff Wong (STS), Nicole Wong (STSL), Bryan Helikotter (STU), Chris Cox (STP), Andy McKee (XP), Mike Maier (CP), Tom Ellan (BM). The number would be probably tripled if we added in former National champs and people that trophied.
- Having so many awesome drivers in the Bay Area means I've been spending more time trying to lose gracefully :P. It also lets me know if I'm ready for Nationals if I'm able to do decently vs the regional guys. I'll aways have someone to PAX against
1LE Setup:
- Tires: At Nationals, almost everyone was running 305/30/19 RE-71R vs the 275/35/19 or 285/35/19. That really firms up my decision to get the 305s next year
- Shocks: Feedback is that the 305/30/19 RE-71Rs have so much extra grip, they need more damping on the 5th Gen 1LE. Looks like shocks are going to be added to the mods list! Question is if Off The Shelf (OTS) Koni Yellows will be enough or I should gets something semi-custom. It's super common to see Nationals Champs getting custom-valved Konis or even Penskes, Ohlins, etc. Customizing dampers and understanding them is brand new to me so avoiding this mod until I'm super comfortable with the new wheels, tires and nut behind the wheel.
- Sway Bars: Another item to throw in the picture is the rear bar. Another complication that I'll have to figure out after dampers.
Weekend Events w/ Sacramento SCCA:
- Was able to snag the best FS time on both days. PAXed 10th & 12th, respectively out of ~80 people. Saturday was tight with 8 hundredths separating me and Gary w/ his Mustang. Sunday was a bit better with 6 tenths separating me and Gary.
- Considering the tight course, tire (My RS3 vs others RE-71R, Rival S & Hoosiers), weight and gearing disadvantages, I was glad to be able to squeeze a win on both days.
- Bruce and I also swapped ride alongs to compare our 1LEs. The main difference in our setup is his 305/35/20 RS3v2 tires vs my 285/35/20 RS3v2 tires. It was a very tight course with multiple turns with mid 20s exit speeds. His much taller tires were not friendly for power on this course.
- Rumor is this Stockton venue will be expanded and re-paved soon by the SCCA. Looking forward to a future where the Bay Area has two awesome venues for AX in the East Bay.