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RE: a future autocrosser???

To: <autox@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: a future autocrosser???
From: "Keath Marx" <larryjunk@marx.ws>
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 17:55:38 -0400
Actually I did a rockford in my 02 Celica GT at a recent event.  I
looped it in a turnaround.  The corner workers all came running at me to
cleanup my mess, so instead of scaring them by zipping around forward, I
just dumped it into reverse, ran backward part of the way through the
corner and spun her around.  I didn't get going mondo fast but I was on
race slicks.

Keath

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-autox@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-autox@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Phil Ethier
Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 8:34 AM
To: Bob Monday; autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: a future autocrosser???

>Just don't try it in a FWD car unless it's snowing! Different weight
>distribution increases the risk of a roll-over.

"Myth!  Myth!"
"Yeth?"

It's not FWD, it's a high center of mass, and/or bad suspension design,
that
increases the risk of a roll-over.  FWD cars work very well for doing a
"Rockford" (it must bug Bob Bondurant to have this maneuver popularly
called
that).  The mass distribution (in plan view) of the typical FWD car is
decidedly forward.  This, along with the fact that one can get the front
wheels spinning, leads itself quite well to the reverse snap-turn
Bondurant
started teaching in his chauffeur schools so long ago.

I would have no hesitation doing it in new Elan or a Saturn S-series,
though
probably not on concrete on sticky tires.  Not going to attempt it in an
old
SAAB or a Chrysler minivan.  Not planing on trying it in a stock (RWD)
Spitfire or several of the BMW models, either.

>L-O-N-G ago, when
>"solo2" was commonly called "gymkhana",

Seems like only yesterday to me.  Seems like only yesterday that there
was
no Solo2, or even Solo II.

>stuff like this was sometimes part of a course.

Not around here.

>It was scary at best. Definitely not something done
>above 10mph.

Possibly, but FWD was not in itself the reason why.

Phil Ethier  West Side   Saint Paul  Minnesota  USA
1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 Triumph TR4
CT2846L
pethier@isd.net   http://www.mnautox.com/  http://www.vtr2002.org

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