The Road to Topeka - Chike's official 2008 Autocross Blog Thread (B-stock Mazda RX-8)

[Chiketkd]

Originally Posted by SVXRide

I'm really, really starting to realize just how tough the courses at FedEx are (right, Chike?)...
-Bill

The courses at Fedex are challenging, but I don't find them 'tough' really. Keep your foot in it through the fast stuf, do the off-camber elements with the right amount of patience, and you'll do well. I'm just waiting for a dry event when I can really start to stretch my legs.

Awesome pic Nick. Car looks awesome!

[SVXRide]

Originally Posted by Chiketkd

The courses at Fedex are challenging, but I don't find them 'tough' really. Keep your foot in it through the fast stuf, do the off-camber elements with the right amount of patience, and you'll do well. I'm just waiting for a dry event when I can really start to stretch my legs.

Awesome pic Nick. Car looks awesome!

Chike,
I was thinking "tough" in the sense that the course designs are always challenging, the parking lot is really big, and it's anything but flat (making it usually impossible to ever see the entire course at one time)
-Bill

[Chiketkd]

Originally Posted by SVXRide

Chike,
I was thinking "tough" in the sense that the course designs are always challenging, the parking lot is really big, and it's anything but flat (making it usually impossible to ever see the entire course at one time)
-Bill

Gotcha. Well I'm sure the course deisgns are top notch given the fact that many top drivers from PA, NJ, NY, MD, VA all come to attend WDCR events @ Fedex. I know that's the reason I make the 2.5hr drive one way...

[Chiketkd]

Instructed at the annual BRR-SCCA solo novice school. There were roughly 2 dozen students in attendance and the instructors worked with 2 students each throughout the day.

I was paired up with Martin (STU '06 STI) and Joe (GS '95 Dodge Stealth) - Martin had 4 events under his belt, while Joe was autocrossing for the very 1st time.

After a 1 hour classroom session...



We broke up into our respective groups...



And went on course...





I was VERY proud of the improvement I saw in both students. Martin is a phenom and picked stuff up at an incredible rate! Joe reminded me of myself when I first started out, and he kept getting faster and faster as the weekend progressed.

[Chiketkd]

I had an interesting event on Sunday this past weekend - it was my closest loss ever at an autocross event.

Temps were in the mid 70's and overcast. The Verona lot is breaking apart in many places and covered in gravel. Traction was at a minimum. My third run was the fastest raw time in the class, but I nipped a cone in the final slalom approaching the finish. My fourth run started off with a botched 1-2 shift, had to coast for a bit before finding 2nd and getting back on it. That run was clean and ended up being 3 hundreths of a second behind Chad.

Final results are as follows:

BS - B Stock Pax: 0.832
1t CHAD HENRY 05 MAZDA RX-8 BLUE 60.135
2 CHIKE DELLIMORE 06 MAZDA RX-8 GREY 60.165
http://www.brr-scca.org/04272008.htm

Summary:
2 out of 2 in class
8th out of 65 in PAX
5th out of 65 in RAW

Some pics:

Myself






Chad




Other pics-

Leading the Novice course walk

[Mr. Pockets]

We had a school about a month ago, as well, but we do two different levels. In the morning we have an advanced course and then in the afternoon we have beginners. I taught both sessions and had three very different students.

My student in the morning was a great guy named Graham, in his Lotus 7 clone. He built it from a kit his friend manufactures and sells out of New Zealand. The car is powered by a Toyota 20v, which is a great deal of fun.

In the afternoon I had two students, one in a Mazdaspeed 3 and the other in a Protege.

All three of my students were very different and needed different advice. I think all of them improved, but it was difficult to tell in the morning - the timer displays weren't working, so we had no way to measure improvement.

Graham asked if I would drive his 7 but, being even remotely Lotus, it broke before I got the chance.

[Chiketkd]

WDCR event #2 is now in the books. It was a sunny and dry 75F and all round perfect weather for autocrossing!



The course design was by Ian Baker, entitled "Drunk Squirrel Running" and it was a mix of fast sweepers, offsets and slaloms.



There were 6 people in the BS class and positions 2nd - 5th were separated by less than 1 second. The car felt great and my co-driver and I were both happy with the handling at the limit.

Final results were as follows:

'B Stock'
Pos. # Driver Car Run1 Run2 Run3 Run4 Total Diff
1 170 Roberts, Shawn 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 60.037+2 59.691 59.136 59.099 59.099 0
2 70 Dellimore, Chike 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Galaxy Grey 61.461 60.497 60.817 60.026 60.026 0.927
3 88 Wade, Dave 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Gray 61.063 60.242 60.100 61.171 60.100 0.074
4 98 Barber, Steve 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Green 63.482 61.055 60.434 60.421 60.421 0.321
5 99 Weichold, Frank 2005 Mazda Rx8 Grey 60.974 61.612+DNF 61.747 60.413+1 60.974 0.553
6 79 Newbill, Chris 2007 Nissan 350Z Black 69.583+DNF 66.859 66.054 68.430+1 66.054 5.080

Summary:
2nd out of 6 in class
31st out of 222 in PAX (Shawn was 16th in PAX)

Team WTF?! didn't happen to take any afternoon pics at the event. Next event will be the Autocrossers, Inc. Event #1 at Fedex tomorrow (5/10).