Houston SCCA Autocross #1 – 2017
For the first time in a long time we made the first autocross of the year, though judging from the weather, not sure that was the best choice! In the downtime we had a relatively minor to-do list, consisting of a new spring package and fixing a burnt up alternator. We’ve decided this year to forgo out usual not-tweak anything other than the rear shocks and bar and make a big change to our spring package, move the shocks into the middle of their range and start getting serious about tuning.
The first event was at Houston Police Academy, a site that neither of us much care for, but options are limited in January. The course map looked like a lot of fun, despite a cringe inducing high-speed run into a 180 right turn pointed at water barrels…
The weather was COLD, and yes my friends up north will laugh that 29 degrees is cold to us Texans, but it is! By the time we ran in X in the 3rd heat, it had warmed up to a balmy 49 degrees, perfect for slicks (sarcasm)!
Our runs were interrupted by an incident on course, so we each got 2 runs and then had to wait while the tires turned cold again. Each run we made a change to the shocks, some better than others. My fastest raw time run was my 2nd, though I collected some cones with the tail of the car. Todd’s fastest was also his 2nd run, but he nearly matched it on his 4th run.
This was my first test using the new GPS overlay features and I forgot to turn it on until our 2nd set of runs. Really pleased with these and the ease of use. Well done GoPro! I also used my Session for the in-car video, unfortunately the roll-bar it’s mounted to is too low, something that’ll have to be fixed. Overall I’ve been extremely impressed with the Hero 5 Black and the Hero 5 Session. The video quality is great and the microphone does a great job of hiding wind noise. I haven’t played much with the video settings, so apologies for being a little over exposed.
This was the 4th run and certainly not my best work. Todd told me he was shifting to 2nd a lot later in the run than I was and it made the first part easier so I figured I’d give it a try. Shifting in the corner wasn’t the best choice on my part and damn near put the car off the end of the course! Luckily gathered it back up and finished the run. The shock settings from this run got changed up later, poor choice on my part with too much rebound in the rear…
Todd’s 4th run was 2 tenths off his best. The finish was a bit scary for us considering the speed we entered the stop box! I didn’t turn on the Session on this his 4th run, so the video you’re seeing is from another one just for entertainment sake.
My Dad also joined in the ’67 to try out the new spring package. He said it worked great, but unfortunately a heater hose loosened up and he nearly spun the car. After a lot of burnt fingers and finagling, I was able to get the hose back on the heater core, but by that time the heat was basically over with, so he only got one more run. Next time though, seems like the new setup has a lot of potential!
We’ve got another event coming up at the end of the month, so look forward to some updates from that.
GoPro
Red Line Oil
Oversteer Garage 
If “spun the car” is defined as a 360, I was only 90 degrees off. Thought I was going to take out the finish timing light (instantaneous message from brain: “you’ll never live this down”). Snapped so fast I was only along for the ride. Confession: I did have the throttle down and the wheels turned toward the finish when I saw the scenery moving sideways… Dad