Wow! I still can't believe how much fun I had this past weekend.
Does anyone remember that feeling of excitement and pure
unadulterated fun you had the very first time you took off from
the start line at an autocross? I vividly remember that feeling
since I only started autocrossing in March of '98...and I had
_even more_ fun this past weekend then I did at my first
autocross.
A couple of weeks ago I was getting depressed over the cost
of tires for my '99 Corvette (~$900 for a set of Hoosier A3S03s)
and the relatively short life of those tires (compounding the short-life
problem is the fact that both my wife and I auto-x -- don't get me
wrong, I LOVE that fact that we both autocross and I would change
that for the world). I was also kind of bummed because I felt I
was reaching a point where the lack of setup of the Corvette was
definitely affecting my times. Yes, I still leave plenty of time out on
course and I can definitely improve my driving, but getting some
shocks (Penske is the only one making aftermarket shocks for a C5
right now and they are >$1,000) and lowering the car to the limit
(through use of factory specified ride height adjustment bolts which is
legal in stock) would make a big difference. The problem is the shocks
aren't adjustable so the street ride of the Corvette (which is my wife's)
would suffer and the lowering would make it impossible to go up the
steep driveway and park in our garage - something my wife will not
do...and I don't blame her. Anyway, I started looking at alternatives.
My requirements were 1) high horsepower to weight (I don't want
anything slower than my Corvette) 2) rear wheel drive - I personally
like it better 3) Lower cost of racing (less expensive tires and less
expensive wheels so I can get a set of rain tires) 4) The ability to
"tinker" with my car - I actually enjoy doing mechanical work 5) Good
local competition. After looking at these requirements I decided F-Mod
looked like a good class to try.
Well, I'm not about to spend $15,000 on a car and trailer and "stuff"
without knowing all the facts so I started talking to local F-Mod drivers
and Gary Kramar (F-Mod National Champion) offered me a ride in
his/his dad's car at an upcoming event.
This past Sunday I asked him if I could have a ride in his car for the
event and he graciously said yes. Not too long before I got in the
car for my first run, Bruce Dickey asked me if I was nervous. I
honestly said "no". He replied "You should be." Little did I know
how right he was. I got in the car, got strapped in, and realized
with wonder how horizontal I was and yet how comfortable the
position was. I pulled to the line, got the OK from the starter, and
drove out on course. It was a fun course with lots of offset gates
and slaloms along with a few sweepers. Man, what a rush. There
was so much going through my head - trying to get comfortable
with how the car would handle my inputs, trying to find the limits
of this completely different car, and looking at the course from a
completely different view. Well, somehow I got through the course
and as soon as I crossed the line I started spontaneously laughing.
It was the ultimate rush! My second run was over a second faster
than my first and I still was laughing as I crossed the line. When
I got unstrapped and out of the car, I could barely stand up because
I was shaking in my hands and legs. During my third run, I was
much more comfortable with all the new sensations and was able
to concentrate on driving the course. Slaloms were just so much
fun! I almost couldn't believe how quickly this car transitions! I
still broke way to early going into a couple of turns, but it's hard to
ignore that voice in my head that was screaming "brake...Brake...
BRAKE!!!!" because of my stock experience. Anyway, as I cross
the finish line on my third run I started thinking about the course.
It seemed like I was much slower, but as I thought about all the
different elements, I couldn't think of a single one that I didn't drive
better. In a millisecond I realized my initial reaction of this being
slower was due to the fact that I was MUCH smoother. Let me tell
you, an F-Mod does NOT respond well to abrupt inputs. You can
push the car well past where you think it will stick and it will just
happily hold on as long as you're smooth. One abrupt movement,
however, is all it takes to brake those tires loose from the pavement -
even if you aren't all that close to tires' limits of adhesion. Well,
I look up at the display - still laughing mind you - and see that I had
dropped 4.5 seconds! I stuck both my arms in the air, hooped and
hollered between laughs, and drove back to grid. To top it off, I was
only 2.2 seconds behind Gary Kramar's best run - although I suspect
that Gary didn't have his best day.
Anyway, I'm still pumped up about this past weekend. I just need to
figure out how to get the money to buy an F-Mod and trailer in time
for next year.
I'd like to again thank Ed and Gary Kramar for letting me drive their
outstanding car. Of course, there may be some ulterior motives.
Gary told me that F-Mods are actually a cult lead by Reverend
SolidRearAxle and his followers are called the "Shiftless Ones". All
I have to say is their recruiting techniques work very well!
John "No, not that one - although I will be driving an F-Mod"
Engstrom
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