A guy at work with a fast 'vett wants to race.

I think you should use your all-seasons for the next 5 auto-x sessions....

Once you get SMOOTH with crappy tires, you will be much faster with the better tires.

Originally posted by nate328Ci
I think you should use your all-seasons for the next 5 auto-x sessions....

Once you get SMOOTH with crappy tires, you will be much faster with the better tires.

Nate, I think you are crazy The car is new to me, but I am not going to suddenly drive like a wacko.

I do want to explore the limits so I can experience how it handles at the edge (and a little beyond). I think this Sunday’s session at the skid-pad will be of great benefit to me.

Z06s are awesome cars and they both go and handle like nothing else in that price range. However, they truly are MONSTERS that must be learned before one can drive them well on a non-linear road surface. Hell, even a drag racer needs to learn to launch that thing properly, otherwise they'll lose gobs of time just hopping the rear wheels at the start line.

CD, you'll have no problem dispatching this guy if it's his first time to an autocross. You guys remember your first autocross, right? I do - fun, but fast, confusing, overall just bewildering. Admonitions like "always look ahead!" just don't make it through your brain during that first run. As a result you're always driving from cone to cone, and you will not come close to a good time unless you're just a naturally talented driver.

Particularly at venues like Rosecroft, horsepower matters less than experience and skill. I say bring it on - unfortunately i won't be there to see the results. I'll meet/see you on 9/15 though, perhaps, and 9/22 at Fedex.

Being the former owner of a 2000 Corvette, I can attest to the superior DSC (Active Handling in Chevy's terms) they come with. In "Performance" mode it practically drives for you. You can still break the rears loose and get it nice and sideways before it intervenes...yet you still have to do something rediculously crazy to lose control. The Z06's have even better programming than what my 2000 came with. Combine that with a car that can 1/4 in the mid-12's and exceed 1g roadholding stock, and you have a very formiddable machine.

Having said all that, if the guy has little or no experience navigating corners at 10/10ths, your experience should give you the upper hand. One slip-up and he may beat you. Get a clean run, however, then my money's on you.

If I don't beat him at HIS FIRST autocross, I doubt I will ever have a chance. That 'vette should be so much faster than an old E30.

Send Randy Forbes a PM. He has to go against (and usually beats) Z06s in SCCA autoXing all the time. He can give you as good a scouting report as you'll get.

If this guy is a first timer, you can still take him if you've got your machine dialed in. Some guy in a 360 Modena showed up out here and was beaten by a Suburu and of course, many of the BMWs including Randy Walters (who beat everybody in an E30 325is).

Originally posted by CD-55
If I don't beat him at HIS FIRST autocross, I doubt I will ever have a chance. That 'vette should be so much faster than an old E30.

If he beats you, offer to trade cars for a run or two.

Originally posted by CD-55
If I don't beat him at HIS FIRST autocross, I doubt I will ever have a chance. That 'vette should be so much faster than an old E30.

The vette is definitely much faster. It's scary fast, really. And with a few relatively cheap mods, it's even scarier fast. Still, sometimes finesse and size can make up for all that power. Smaller courses typically see FTDs coming from cars like S2000s, while Z06s tend to come out on top on longer ones. Either way, it's a great match-up.

Originally posted by CD-55


Nate, I think you are crazy The car is new to me, but I am not going to suddenly drive like a wacko.

I do want to explore the limits so I can experience how it handles at the edge (and a little beyond). I think this Sunday’s session at the skid-pad will be of great benefit to me.

Lots of people think I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean that I'm wrong

Use the all-seasons

So did anyone hang out and catch that 'vett's time?

I was OC, OC, & 79.xxx

I don't know if the 79 is with the cone I hit, or not.

Originally posted by CD-55
So did anyone hang out and catch that 'vett's time?

I was OC, OC, & 79.xxx

I don't know if the 79 is with the cone I hit, or not.

I wish that NCC would at least post preliminary results quickly.

Originally posted by CD-55
So did anyone hang out and catch that 'vett's time?

I was OC, OC, & 79.xxx

I don't know if the 79 is with the cone I hit, or not.

I think you were 79.xxx plus 1, so 81.xxx with the penalty.

Are you talking about the black Z06 that showed up? According to my friend Eric (with the red C5), he was all over the place. I doubt his times were very competitive, particularly if this was his first event.

Originally posted by Jetfire
Are you talking about the black Z06 that showed up? According to my friend Eric (with the red C5), he was all over the place. I doubt his times were very competitive, particularly if this was his first event.

Doh! Now I remember where I heard that the Z06 was having issues.

Jetfire, how were your times yesterday? I couldn't hear them from where I was working (station by the stop garage). My best was a 56.3xx (.306 I think).

Originally posted by Jetfire
Are you talking about the black Z06 that showed up? According to my friend Eric (with the red C5), he was all over the place. I doubt his times were very competitive, particularly if this was his first event.

Yeah that's the guy. I just talked to him... OC every run.

Even with traction control on he could not keep it from spinning out.

Originally posted by CD-55


Yeah that's the guy. I just talked to him... OC every run.

Even with traction control on he could not keep it from spinning out.

Is he going to try it again? Any word on the IS300 results?

Originally posted by Clyde@work


Is he going to try it again? Any word on the IS300 results?

Yep, he will try again. His crew came with the IS300 and the Prelude.

The IS300 was also off course all 3 runs & the Prelude was on course 1-time-only with a ~120.

Originally posted by CD-55


Yep, he will try again. His crew came with the IS300 and the Prelude.

The IS300 was also off course all 3 runs & the Prelude was on course 1-time-only with a ~120.

That's cool that he's going to come out again. Maybe with a little luck, the following monday you can rub it in that he got beat by a grocery getter ( )

Originally posted by Clyde@work


Doh! Now I remember where I heard that the Z06 was having issues.

Jetfire, how were your times yesterday? I couldn't hear them from where I was working (station by the stop garage). My best was a 56.3xx (.306 I think).

Heya Clyde! Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet up with you after my runs - I was whisked away to tech during 3rd heat.

My best run was a 56.8xxx or so. I was actually fairly consistently in the 56s for each run, except for the one time I got off course and decided to finish it out driving at 6/10ths. My last run was going very well on the first half, but I started to lose the rear on the back half and didn't know how to correct it.

Originally posted by CD-55


Yep, he will try again. His crew came with the IS300 and the Prelude.

The IS300 was also off course all 3 runs & the Prelude was on course 1-time-only with a ~120.

It definitely wasn't a good course for a beginner. It's good that he's going to come out again, but he should tell his Prelude friend that there may be something stuck under his gas pedal.

Are you all planning to head out to Bowie? I'm debating it.

Originally posted by Jetfire


It definitely wasn't a good course for a beginner. It's good that he's going to come out again, but he should tell his Prelude friend that there may be something stuck under his gas pedal.

Are you all planning to head out to Bowie? I'm debating it.

It's been months since I've autox-ed so I intend to go out for the Oct 12th Bowie event. I had previous commitmets last Saturday, although, from the looks of things, that appears to be a mixed blessing.

Originally posted by Jetfire
Are you all planning to head out to Bowie? I'm debating it.

I'm waiting hear from Roy what # I'll have.

Originally posted by Jetfire


Heya Clyde! Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet up with you after my runs - I was whisked away to tech during 3rd heat.

My best run was a 56.8xxx or so. I was actually fairly consistently in the 56s for each run, except for the one time I got off course and decided to finish it out driving at 6/10ths. My last run was going very well on the first half, but I started to lose the rear on the back half and didn't know how to correct it.

I stuck around and watched the first three runs of the third heat, and talked to some poeple, but got too antsy to stick it out till the end.

There's something kind of hinky in a couple sections of the pavement on top of the hill there. I can feel it loud and clear, but I can't see it. Don't know if that was caught you out or not. The offsets after the big turns following the slalom were vicious. Lots of cones hit, lots of tire smoke. Lots of action

Originally posted by Clyde@work


I stuck around and watched the first three runs of the third heat, and talked to some poeple, but got too antsy to stick it out till the end.

There's something kind of hinky in a couple sections of the pavement on top of the hill there. I can feel it loud and clear, but I can't see it. Don't know if that was caught you out or not. The offsets after the big turns following the slalom were vicious. Lots of cones hit, lots of tire smoke. Lots of action

Yeah, lots of action up there. Wasn't that where the one cart driver hit a pole, or something like that? All I could see was the car stopped and a helmet (apparently thrown in frustration) rolling down the lot. I rode along for a couple of runs and everyone was losing the tail up there, mostly in a controlled manner.

Originally posted by Jetfire


Yeah, lots of action up there. Wasn't that where the one cart driver hit a pole, or something like that? All I could see was the car stopped and a helmet (apparently thrown in frustration) rolling down the lot. I rode along for a couple of runs and everyone was losing the tail up there, mostly in a controlled manner.

I didn't see any karts run...I thought that they weren't going out until the afternoon group.

The back end, from a little past the slalom to the finish is all downhill which makes it easier to get yourself in trouble. The combination of speed being carried along with the amount of offset and distance between gates and the downhill grade made for a very tricky section. The more I've htought about it since running, the more impressed I am with it.