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RE: Time Trial at Thunderhill

To: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: Time Trial at Thunderhill
From: David Rowney <daver@uclink4.berkeley.edu>
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 12:10:23 -0800
I used to have a similar opinion to Navid about "bang per buck".  But I've 
realized in the past few years (after 55 or so road races and solo I's) 
that an autocross minute is NOT the same as a road race minute.   For the 
last few years of road racing, I got rather bored motoring down the 
straights.  Straights don't count much in the track time equation (for ME) 
any more.  In autocross, time on the straights at full throttle is minimal 
compared to cornering.  That's why tire wear is greater per autocross 
minute compared to track racing minute.

On brake wear however I disagree.  I've done about 35 autocrosses and 35K 
street miles on my E36 328i with about 1/2 total wear on OEM brake 
pads.  Cost and _my time_ working on brakes was HUGE when I was road 
racing.  Heat kills brakes (pads, fluid, seals, etc.), and you rarely get 
much heat in an autocross run.  Maybe you can calculate that pad wear/min. 
is worse in autocross, but to me that doesn't matter.   Total brake work on 
my car in 4.6 years of ownership = two fluid changes (one was free).   Once 
I used up a new experimental front brake pad set in practice at Laguna in 6 
laps in my old VW GTI!

Dave

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