Great trip, good time, get that right up front.
Started the trip from Naperville, IL at 11:15pm Saturday. Arrived in
Sherwood, Arkansas 10:00 am Sunday. Rain, rain, rain. Got about 2 hours
without rain at mid-morning, then it started up again. MGA got a bit
water-logged on the passenger side carpet.
SCCA Arkansas Region was the sponsoring club for this autocross. The event
chairman was doing a sun dance all morning, and it finally paid off. The
rain stopped at noon sharp, just in time for the action. No sun, but mild
and breezy the rest of the day. The lot was long but narrow and sharply
cambered in places, and the course was a bit short, so we got two laps around
for each timed run. In the end, nobody beat a minute, but a few came close.
We were running on a partially wet track all day, but everybody had the same
problem, so it was not a problem, just another interesting way to go racing.
We had 16 drivers for this event, almost average for this club and very good
turnout considering the date and weather. Winning was a little easier this
time, all cars were either Stock or Street Prepared class, no Prepared or
Modified cars. Two drivers ran H-Stock (slowest class), one ran E-Stock (me
in the second slowest class), and all other cars were (naturally) in faster
classes.
I ran my best lap in 61.217 seconds. Two drivers managed to beat my scratch
time. One was a C-Street-Prepared Miata with a 60.305 but missing the index
time by 4-1/2 seconds. The other was C-Stock 1996 Miata with a 61.212,
edging me out by 0.005 second, but also missing the index by about 1-1/4
seconds. So now my old MGA has managed to embarrass and/or humiliate 15
Arkansas SCCA autocrossers. But they looked like they could grin and bear
it, a couple got a free ride in the MGA for fun runs, and several of us got
together for dinner afterwards. Notable victims of the MGA this time around
were one A-Stock Porsche 911, two drivers in a DSP Mazda RX4 (as I recall),
two drivers in CSP Mazda Miatas, and a G-Stock Acura Integra.
No rain comming home, just 33 deg F in Naperville at 4:40 am Monday return.
I got a nice trophy, need a little nap, and I know this was a successful
outing, because I didn't break anything.
Now, is the driving season over yet? No way! Got this "Rally of the
Midnight Darkness" on Saturday in Redwing, Minnessota, SCCA TSD Tour format,
TULIP convention for the instructions (diagrams of the intersections with
mileages given), some gravel roads. Registration at 3:00pm, first off at
4:30pm, something like 130 miles in 5 hours with awards to follow. I will
probably run the RX7 with the nifty reading lights, will definitely use the
rally computer whether in the MGA or the RX7, and currently have an empty
seat for a navigator. Is anybody interested in going shotgun? No experience
necessary. You may have your choice of running the RX7 or the MGA, I'm
flexible. Also could stay over this time and return on Sunday.
Good morning all, ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz........
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
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