[robfenn]

Racer, were you at brands on Tuesday?

[Racer]

See PM wasn't me but probably was a JCW car

[JustGo4It_]

04' S. I have run 12 auto-x events including 1 Pro Solo. Having a good time, planning on doing it again next season. I would like to hit a couple more Pro's and a regional next year.

[Bilbo Baggins]

I went autocross for the first time this past weekend with the C.A.R.T. group in Connecticut. There were 90 some odd people entered for the day.

I have a 2002 MCS, stock 16" wheels with the stock run-flat tires. No performance mods other than changing to an aftermarket panel filter, and tire pressure adjustment.

I was the fastest MINI on the day, I was also the only MINI there that day

I made 5 timed runs, in the XN class, and brought my time down on each run. In the end I had reduced my time by 10%. From 66.? seconds down to 59.? seconds. I was plenty happy.

This could be addicting

[gbuff1]

Waiting for delivery of 05 Cooper....won't be racing per se but will be doing open track/HPDEs with Trackmasters, NASA, Apex, PCA etc. as I've been doing for the past 8 years.

Hope I don't get run over!

[tontobird]

gbuff, what is your geographical area?

I've done SCDA, PDA, NASA-NE, NASA-VA, and am looking at an event with PCA-Reisentoter.

Tracks: Pocono East, South and North, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, VIR, and Carolina Motorsports Park.

[gbuff1]

I'm in Buffalo and I'm at the Glen, Mosport and Mid-Ohio all the time. Just returned from the Glen with Apex (great time) and will be at Mid-Ohio with NASA-IND/OHIO in 2 weeks. And on and on.......

[gbuff1]

Forgot to mention....did a PCA-RTR DE last year in my 318ti....lots of fun but be prepared to work. Check it out:

http://www.rtr-pca.org/wg2003/black/black%20(64).jpg

[tontobird]

I don't mind working, I guess that's why the price is so good.

I've done enough track days now, that I don't get so exhausted just from driving. Working will be a good learning experience.

I'm looking at their 3 day event at Pocono, Fri-South, Sat & Sun-North. Pocono isn't such a huge draw trackwise, but for $100 a day, it's seat time.

Cool pic. Was that Watkins Glen? Is the 318ti the car you're driving now? Until you get your MINI?

[gbuff1]

Yeah, that was going up the Esses at the Glen......I just sold the ti. Bought it new and put 136k miles and about 140 track days on it--car was bulletproof. Hope the Mini's the same......right now I'm driving my daily driver 2003 325i which, in stock form (except for brake pads), is about 5 sec/lap faster at the Glen than the ti with suspension was.

[tontobird]

That's great, I hope that the MINI also serves you well.

My two have been doing well so far.

Good luck, maybe I'll see you out there somewhere, sometime.

[MoonPie]

I'm officially hooked

[motoring]

What took you so long? Minimiller has been doing this for over a year...

[tontobird]

Hey MP, wanna try a track day? A few of us are already signed up. We're going to Summit Point, WV http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/summit-2.html with a group called NASA, the Virginia region. http://www.nasaracing.net/trackday/index.shtml

Let me know if you'd like more details.

[MoonPie]

I think he only started last Spring, and what took me so long was being able to stand the porta potties, yuck. Quite traumatic for me

Dunno TBird, I still haven't learned to 'start' properly . Hold E-brake, rev engine, drop E-brake while letting out clutch and giving gas, hmmmmn, nope not got it yet.

[tontobird]

MP, a high performance driver's ed (HPDE) is different from autocrossing. You don't need to know how to "start". You'd be on an actual racetrack, not an autocross course, and you'd learn some different things about managing your car at higher speeds.

How far are you from Summit Point, WV? It's near Harper's Ferry, Winchester, VA or Charles Town, WV. Perhaps you and hubby can stop by for a couple of hours to see what it involves.

And MP, there are regular bathrooms!

[MoonPie]

Quote: Originally Posted by tontobird

MP, a high performance driver's ed (HPDE) is different from autocrossing. You don't need to know how to "start". You'd be on an actual racetrack, not an autocross course, and you'd learn some different things about managing your car at higher speeds.

How far are you from Summit Point, WV? It's near Harper's Ferry, Winchester, VA or Charles Town, WV. Perhaps you and hubby can stop by for a couple of hours to see what it involves.

And MP, there are regular bathrooms!

I think by this weekend J and I will have hit an empty parking lot and I'll know how to properly 'start' for an autox

We've been to Summit Point to watch racing. As I recall there were only porta potties My tenderness can't take it Have they got new bathrooms? That would make all the diff. (I'd like to learn to manage a car at a high speed) legally of course

Let us know the next actual race you'll be in at S. Point and maybe we'll come out. (one of my closest gf's moved to Charles Town, and I tell ya it's fun driving over the mountain in the MINI to get there)

[tontobird]

MP, I will be at Summit Point this weekend for an HPDE with NASA-VA. In between the driver's ed sessions are races going on. It's a lot of fun.

There are classroom sessions on Saturday and Sunday. I know for a fact that non-drivers are welcome to the classroom sessions. The times for novices are 8:30am and 12:10pm, intermediate classroom sessions are at 9:30am and 1:15pm. You can come as a spectator and sit in on some classroom sessions if you care to. Watch some of the races, watch some of the driver's ed sessions, check out the wide variety of cars, it's a nice way to spend a day or part of a day.

BTW, there ARE bathrooms in the paddock area where the cars are parked between races and HPDE sessions. There will be several MINIs there, you'll know at least a couple of people. Hope to see you one of those 2 days!

[tontobird]

Here's a link to a description of the NASA HPDE events.

http://www.nasaracing.net/trackday/index.shtml

[gbuff1]

Just did an event with NASA-NE at the Glen with my BMW and had a blast.....tonight I put the race pads/SSR Comps on for the Cooper's maiden voyage at Mid-Ohio. This should be interesting......