Each official start at the Tire Rack begins with the wet skidpad competition. It is a smooth 200' diameter asphalt surface with Sprinklers arranged at regular intervals in the center AND around the outside.
With the sprinklers doing their thing and with wipers running, each driver is to attack the pad for two timed laps counter-clockwise, then you turn around in the delta to take two timed laps clockwise. The highest speed you can carry without spinning out against the time over distance allows the judges to calculate the g force. Michelin makes some lofty claims about the wet performance of the Pilot Super Sport tire, and at full tread depth, this challenge is an ideal way to see if Pierre is full of Brie or not.
Brock Yates Jr. First did a demo run in the 550hp X5 M suv. Is is a heavy but powerful truck. The top seeded leaders went in order of car number.... Our car number is 18. Regardless of All wheel drive, tire width, power or otherwise, none of the big dogs was able to beat Brock's G reading.
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| Brock's Demo: Photo by Solomon Rosenthal, Rosenthal Media |
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We ran some higher than normal tire pressure, put the adjustable shocks on soft and put the car in "M Dynamic Mode". As I approached the line for my turn I was able to go slowly but saw at the steering wheel to try and put some heat into the tires. Nothing too fancy but a little quick slaloming.
With wipers swishing away I did my circles and the car felt really great considering the amount of water. Second gear was just right to balance the car. Turns out I was the first to beat Brock's number and by a fair margin!
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| My car during the run... Photo by Tire Rack |
We were happy with that and we departed for the next destination assuming that some of the smaller and more nimble front wheel drives with exotic setups would beat our number.
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| The incredible 93 Civic of William Chan and John Harrison: Photo by Solomon Rosenthal, Rosenthal Media |
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| Catesby Jones' Nissan GTR: Photo by Solomon Rosenthal, Rosenthal Media |
In the end, NOBODY beat my score and we took 1st overall in event #1,
briefly leading the entire event... As my friend at Speedco often says, that certainly "did not suck"!
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Mike Babcock about to start: Photo Cyndy Yates
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At Grissom AFB, we did a full SCCA rules autocross. I would euphemistically describe Mike and I as "reluctant" auto-xers. The 3700 pound M3 may have disregarded the rain, but on dry grippy concrete runway affair, the "normal" state of affairs resumed. We managed 32nd overall in the autocross.
This placed us in a tie with two cars in the 11th-13th range.
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| Mike getting it done in front of the "Bunker of Doom": Photo by Solomon Rosenthal, Rosenthal Media |
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| Mike in the high-speed slalom: Photo by Solomon Rosenthal, Rosenthal Media |
Summit Point main circuit is my home track and I will lead-off in the batting order on Sunday morning.
We have a friendly BMW competition with some of our pals, we have tentatively dubbed "the Johnson Cup". More on that later, I suppose.
My eyes and thumbs are tired!
