The Road to Lincoln, NE - Chiketkd's official 2009 Autocross Blog (B-stock RX-8)

[SSSVX]

Thanks for fixing that.
We can probably see the whole course/driving better if the
video cam was in the car.

[Chiketkd]

This past weekend Shawn, Katie and I drove up to Romulus, NY to take part in the 2009 SCCA Finger Lakes NT. Due to reports that the test & tune course was held on a different part of the lot than where the course would be laid out, we decided to skip it and aim to arrive around 5pm to check-in, change tires, tech the car and then walk the course.

The lot was mostly clean, grippy asphalt with a high grip concrete section in the middle to mix things up.

Saturday
My goal Saturday was to go out and stay as close to the leaders as possible. I definitely felt nervous sitting at the line getting ready to set off on my first run and it showed. I was a little cautious in a few spots and was a little herky-jerky with the throttle in a few places. Came in with a 60.9xx which left me 4th out of 5 after first runs. Shawn led the class with a super fast 59.113 right off the bat!

On my 2nd run, I kicked my nerves to the curb and attacked the course with "controlled aggression". It showed on the clock, as my time tumbled to a 59.5xx which kept me in the 4th spot, but moved me to be within 4/10ths of the top spot. Shawn didn't improve but still held onto the top spot.

My third and final run was aggressive throughout, but I pushed it too hard in a few places and the car slid wide in the 2nd-to-last sweeper before the finish costing me a few precious 10ths. My final time still dropped to a 59.447, but how much time had I left on the table?

After Day 1, Shawn was in 1st, Keith (former BS national champ back in '85) was in 2nd just 3/100ths of a second back, Liam (350Z Nismo driver) was in 3rd, I was in 4th and Mike was in 5th. In all, 1st - 5th position were separated by just 6/10ths of a second!

Sunday
I got a good night's sleep and felt ready to get things going. First run out was very aggressive and the car felt great. Committed early with the throttle coming out of corners and it showed. My first run was a 56.0xx which was a 2nd fastest 1st run. I shot up to 2nd in class while Keith moved into the 1st spot with a blistering 55.431! Shawn fell a couple spots to 3rd.

On my 2nd run, things really clicked!!! I stayed ahead of many elements and got on the throttle earlier than before in a few corners. I matched Keith's time with a nearly identical 55.447!!! This kept me solidly in the 2nd spot. Liam moved into 3rd with a 56.1xx run as Shawn ran a 56.4xx.

On my 3rd run, I went for broke, I knew a 54 was possible and I wanted it! Slid the car in one crucial corner but picked up time in others, in the end though, my final time was a few tenths slower and I finished with a 55.7xx. Bummer. To top it off, Liam turned a 55.667 and when the times were tallied, he moved ahead of me to 2nd overall by just 0.005 seconds!

Summary:
3rd out of 5 in class
63rd out of 234 in PAX

Results:
B Stock Drivers: 5 Trophies: 2

T 1 189 Keith Scala 2009 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 60.363 59.395 59.146 114.577
[89] Shelton, CT Mazdaspeed/Hoosier/SCM New Englan 55.431 56.423 56.119

T 2 32 Liam Dwyer 2007 Nissan 350z Red Hoosier 59.222 62.567(2) 59.859 114.889
Southbury, CT Joes Tire Shop New Englan 56.456 56.138 55.667 (0.312)

3 90 Chike Dellimore 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 60.970 59.546 59.447 114.894
[190] Crozet, VA Mazdaspeed / My Wife! Blue Ridge 56.061 55.447 55.764 (0.005)

4 190 Shawn Roberts 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 59.113 59.497 59.394 115.537
[90] Woodbridge, VA Washington 56.569 56.424 56.503 (0.643)

5 89 Mike Montalbano 2009 Mazda RX8 Grey Hoosier 61.306 59.812 59.767 116.715
[189] Warwick, RI New Englan 56.948 58.398(1) 57.018 (1.178)



Pics:

Keith


Shawn


Liam


Chike


Mike



Katie, my BSL co-driver has really been stepping up her driving lately. I was really impressed with her last run on Sunday...

[Chiketkd]

Originally Posted by SSSVX

We can probably see the whole course/driving better if the video cam was in the car.

Ken,

We're keeping that camera angle as it helps us see how close we're getting to the cones on the passenger side of the car. We're using it more as a learning tool than anything else at this point.

Next event is the DC Pro solo this coming weekend.

[Chiketkd]

This past weekend, Shawn and I competed in the Washington DC Pro held at Fedex Stadium.



The course was set-up on the E/F lot and as a result, had the typical uphill starts that required use of the handbrake. However, there was a good mix of sweepers, transitions and fast elements to keep everyone happy! B-stock had a total of 8 drivers and would run in the 1st heat in Group B.



Saturday

Saturday morning runs were a wash...literally. It rained hard then lightened up, and then stopped completely right before our heat started. Due to the slopped lot, the water was running off the lot at a rapid pace, and it was a close toss up between using the Hoosier wets and Hoosier A6's. In the end, Shawn and I chose the wet tires which was a mistake as there was little standing water. The wet tires provided decent grip, but ultimately their grip wasn't quite as good as the A6's in these weird conditions.

Saturday afternoon runs were completely dry. I had to re-learn the courses as I would have more grip and everywhere compared to my morning runs. I got down to a solid 33.8xx on the left course, but had to stand on a 31.7xx on the right, as my faster 31.4xx time had one cone attached. My cumulative time was a 65.6xx, while Shawn was only 0.077 ahead of me with a 65.5xx. So at the end of Day 1, Shawn was 4th in class, while I was 5th.

Sunday

One-day-Chike showed up Sunday morning focused and ready to drive. Right before the first heat started it started to rain! Aargh!!!! It came down pretty steadily and the 1st Heat Group A drivers had it pretty bad. The rain abated, and once again the lot started to dry off pretty quickly as there was very little standing water. By the time our class took to the course, about 60% of the lot was dry, while 40% was still rain soaked.

I drove like there was no tomorrow, and in the end my scratch times were among the fastest on Sunday morning for my class. I was still a few tenths back from my best dry times run on Saturday afternoon, but it was definitely a morale victory.

So B-stock only one dry session all weekend, while many classes had at least 2 or even 3.

Summary:
5th out of 8 in class
151 out of 226 in Pro Solo Index <LOL>

Results:
B Stock Drivers: 8 Trophies: 3

T 1 97 Jason Ruggles 2007 Mazda RX8 Slv Hoosier 38.094(1) 34.812 35.239(1) 33.184 35.053 36.452(1) 64.166
[197] Margate, FL Florida Re 33.160 32.293 30.982 32.832(1) 33.250 32.484 20

T 2 32 Joseph Barbato 2007 Nissan 250Z Red Hoosier 36.562 36.152 33.849 33.519 35.720 35.268 64.247
[132] Plainville, CT Barbato Twins Experiment New Englan 35.101 33.835 31.664 30.728 35.118 33.321 (0.081) 16

T 3 197 Jim Fossum 2007 Mazda RX-8 Slv Hoosier 37.089(1) 34.661 33.746 35.369(1) 34.077 34.151 64.723
[97] Greer, SC Mazdaspeed / Hoosier Atlanta Re 33.160 34.835(1) 31.389 30.977 36.157(2) 31.992 (0.476) 13

4 190 Shawn Roberts 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 38.322 37.115 RL 34.430 36.249 35.044 65.564
[90] Woodbridge, VA Washington 35.094 35.405 33.517(1) 31.134 41.220(2) 35.194(1) (0.841) 11

5 90 Chike Dellimore 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 38.056 37.280 36.408(1) 33.886 35.100 34.500 65.641
[190] Crozet, VA Mazdaspeed / My Wife! Blue Ridge 41.363 35.125 31.755 33.497(1) 32.711 33.983(1) (0.077) 9

6 8 Travis Hill 1994 porsche 968 Red Hoosier 40.776 DNF DNF RL 35.509 36.329(1) 65.802
Irwin, PA HRE Racing Steel Citi 33.435 35.388(1) 30.293 30.900 32.991 32.338 (0.161) 7

7 99 Frank Weichold 2005 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 52.405(4) 36.319 DNF RL 35.148 34.586 65.863
Bethesda, MD Washington 34.271 37.468(2) 31.277 RL 36.439(1) DNF (0.061) 6

8 132 Liam Dwyer 2007 Nissan 350z Red Hoosier 36.806 36.370 35.896(1) 36.133(1) 35.024 34.884 67.893
[32] Southbury, CT Joes Tire Shop New Englan 34.905 34.037 DSQ 33.224(1) 33.009 RL (2.030) 5

Link: http://scca.com/documents/resultfiles/Sunday2.pdf

Pictures:

Ruggles


Barbato


Shawn


Chike

[Chiketkd]

Winchester


Vail


Rest


Iman


Hertweck


Alex S.


Carpenter

[Chiketkd]

Yesterday I competed in the STU class at solo championship event #4 with my local Blue Ridge Region in Verona, VA. I co-drove James' black STi which has a moderate STU build on it, but is not quite complete. You may remember James from the BRR-SCCA school where I instructed him. He welcomed me to co-drive his car at local events and I took him up on that offer.

There were a total of 50 entrants for the event. We had a traveling former national trophy winner in Sam Krauss show up in his STX Eagle Talon. Sam was fresh off a 2nd place finish in STX at the Finger lakes NT and a 1st place finish at the DC Pro. He was still developing the car and will continue to develop it right up to Nats, but he's definitely found some speed in it already.

While Sam and I were running in different ST classes, I figured he'd be a good bench mark to use and I was hoping to match him in Raw Time. I realized matching him in PAX would take a more fully prepped STi like Martin's.

STU had 4 competitors - James, myself, TJ and Tony. TJ drove his '06 STi, while Tony was in his '06 2.5L WRX (which b/c of its displacement is classed in STU and not STX).

TJ laid the smack down on his 1st run with a super fast and clean 46.923! james came in with a 48.3xx, while Tony drove to a cautious 52.xxx. I was the 2nd driver and turned a clean 47.3xx. 2nd runs didn't shake the standings up any -- James ran a fast, but dirty 47.2xx; I spun on my run; while TJ went no faster. Tony came in with a clean 50.xxx finding more time on course. By third runs I was ready to get a serious time in! I got close to the cones in a few places and ended up snagging two along the way, but crossed the line with a 46.331+2. If this run had been clean, it would have given me FTD that day. James turned a dirty 47.8xx+2, while TJ didn't improve, but Tony cut down more time and was now at a 49.5xx. Meanwhile in STX, Sam turned a 46.392 on his third run which gave him FTD and FTP.

Only one more run to get it right. I knew James' car had a 45.xxx in it, but to get there would be risky and possibly cone filled. I was also sitting 2nd in class, and knew that if I could just clean up my 3rd run, I'd win the class. I attacked the course with aggression but gave the cones I snagged on my 3rd run a wider berth. Lost a little time in the tight turn-around shortly after the start, but I lost a bundle more in the final slalom before the finish. The car went sideways and I had to catch and get the car back in line to avoid hitting a slalom cone. That sideways action easily cost me a 1/2 second, and I crossed the line with a 46.871. TJ didn't improve, but James ran a sizzling 47.1xx but unfortunately had 3 cones. Tony moved ahead of James into 3rd with a fast & clean 47.6xx.

Summary:
1st out of 4 in class
3rd out of 50 in PAX

Results:
STU - Street Touring U Pax: 0.836
1t CHIKE DELLIMORE 2005 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI 46.871 39.184 1.050
2t TJ SITTNER 2006 SUBARU WRX STI 46.923 0.052 39.228 1.094
3 TONY ANDREWS WRX 47.646 0.775 39.832 1.698
4 JAMES KOINER 2005 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI 48.385 1.514 40.450 2.316

Link: http://www.brr-scca.org/06282009.htm


Pics:

James


Chike


TJ


Tony


Sam (STX Talon)

[Chiketkd]

This past weekend was WDCR championship event #3. Temps were in the mid to upper 80's and a very challenging course had been laid out!



I was the first car out on this course in the 1st heat on Sunday. As I approached the off-camber showcase turn by Pole #30, the back-end just became incredibly loose and the car did a complete 360. As I was facing the right direction again, I just popped her back into 1st and continued with my first run. Finished with a 61.9xx (with the spin). My co-driver lead the field after 1st runs with a 54.3xx.

I kept "pussy-footing" it through that off-camber showcase turn for the remainder of my runs that day. While my times continued to drop, I felt there were 3-4 sections that I didn't execute with enough aggression. Frank Weichold won the class with a 53.356, Dave Wade was a tick behind with a 53.388, Shawn was 3rd with a 53.6xx, while I was 4th with a 53.8xx. All in all, my driving felt 'meh' out there.

In the Ladies class, Shawn and I have been beating Katie by around 4 seconds all season. She really stepped up her game Sunday and ran a scorching 55.589!!

Summary:
4th out of 8 in class
31st out of 233 in PAX

Results:
Class Number First Name Last Name Car Model Car Color Total Diff. From 1st Pax Time
bs 99 Frank Weichold 2005 Mazda Rx8 Grey 53.356 - - 44.552
bs 88 Dave Wade 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Gray 53.388 0.032 0.032 44.579
bs 190 Shawn Roberts 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 53.691 0.303 0.335 44.832
bs 90 Chike Dellimore 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 53.874 0.183 0.518 44.984
bs 97 Learic Cramer 2009 Nissan 370Z Yellow 54.868 0.994 1.512 45.814
bs 98 Steve Barber 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Green 55.178 0.31 1.822 46.073
bs 11 Robert Bruno 2007 Mazda Rx-8 Black 62.553 7.375 9.197 52.231
bs 22 Alfred Derenzis 1989 Porsche 911 White 64.980 2.427 11.624 54.258

Link: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/Portals/0/s...to%20post1.pdf

Pics:

Katie




Shawn




Chike




Frank


Wade


Cramer

[Chiketkd]

More pics from the event:

Baker


Hair


Kriemelmeyer


Luster


Neary


Strano


Piccione


John V.


Willemin

[Chiketkd]

I'll be doing the 2-day Coventry Commonwealth Games of Virgina held at the Danville Regional Airport this coming weekend with my local BRR-SCCA region.



I'll be co-driving Martin Kriz' '06 STi in the STU class. I'm really looking forward to this one and going head-to-head with Martin over 2 days!

[Chiketkd]

I figure it's about time I update this blog with my last event...

The Blue Ridge Region held its annual 2-day CommonWealth Games at the Danville Airport. I co-drove with Martin Kriz in his '06 STi in the STU class.

Saturday - The car seemed crazy loose on Martin's first run. He checked the rear camber when we got back to our grid spot and one of the rear camber bolts had slipped to almost 1 degree positive camber. He ran to get his tools, but I had to go out and do my first run with the car in this condition. Needless to say, the run was a waste! When I got back to the pits, we worked feverishly to pull the wheel, adjust the camber bolt, and then lock everything down again - on a car with hot brakes!!! Once back in the car, my subsequent runs kept getting faster and faster - but I was having trouble with conage. In the end, Martin won with a 47.4, while I coned away the win with a 47.1+1!!!! I had to stand on a much slower, but clean 48.4.

Saturday Results
STU - Street Touring U Pax: 0.836
1t MARTIN KRIZ 2006 SUBARU WRX STI 47.414 39.638 1.316
2 CHIKE DELLIMORE 2006 SUBARU STI 48.446 1.032 40.501 2.179
3 TONY ANDREWS 2006 SUBARU WRX 50.463 3.049 42.187 3.865

Martin's 47.4


Chike's 48.4


Sunday - The car was working well for us on our first runs and Martin's 2nd run, but on my 2nd run the rear camber bolt slipped again causing a big spin on course. We called a mechanical, fixed the issue, but I never truly felt comfortable in the car for the rest of the day. Martin simply out-drove me with a 42.9 to my 44.3.

Sunday Results
STU - Street Touring U Pax: 0.836
1t MARTIN KRIZ 2006 SUBARU WRX STI 42.993 35.942 0.109
2 CHIKE DELLIMORE 2006 SUBARU STI 44.353 1.360 37.079 1.246

Martin's 42.9


Chike's 44.3


For our efforts, Martin won a gold medal while I took home a silver. It was a pleasure driving with him, but after 2 days in an STi, I missed my RX-8.

Pics

Martin


Chike


Tony

[SSSVX]

Originally Posted by Chiketkd

For our efforts, Martin won a gold medal while I took home a silver. It was a pleasure driving with him, but after 2 days in an STi, I missed my RX-8.

Congrats!!

What did you miss on the RX-8?

Nice runs. I may somehow tell your drivings w/o looking at whose videos first.

How heavy is the RX-8 stock wheel w/o tire??

[Chiketkd]

Originally Posted by SSSVX

What did you miss on the RX-8?

Ken I missed my RX-8's ability "to turn". In an STi, you really have to use ham fisted inputs in order to get the car to rotate. The RX-8 rotates effortlessly.

Originally Posted by SSSVX

How heavy is the RX-8 stock wheel w/o tire??

Stock RX-8 wheels are 21.5lbs (5x114.3, 18x8 +50et)

[Chiketkd]

My most recent event was the WDCR event #4 held on the A Lot of Fedex Stadium. I waited to do this write-up as I wanted to have a clear mind and be as objective as possible - you'll see why later.

B-stock was scheduled to run in the 6th and final heat of the day. The morning run groups had wet/damp and the event got stopped during run group 1 for ~90 minutes after some lightning came through the area. As a result of the delay, everyone would only get 3 runs...instead of the usual 4.

By the time B-stock ran, the sun was out, temps were in the upper 80's and the lot was completely dry. 1st run my goal was to test the limits of grip and hopefully put a fast scratch time down. I slid the car in a tight section, taking out 2 cones in a wall, and tripped the lights with a solid 53.2+2 effort. In terms of raw time, it was the 2nd fastest time in BS for 1st runs. Shawn led with a clean 51.9!

Second run time! Okay, my game plan was to push it harder in a few sections that I felt I drove 'safe' and make it clean through that tight section with the wall of cones. I definitely attacked the course more and was clean through the tight section but tipped a cone in the slalom that led up to the finish lights. My time -- a 52.8+1. Shawn improved to a clean 51.6, and there was now another guy (Dave) who ran a clean 52.5.

3rd and final runs! I thought for a brief moment about taking it easy inorder to get a clean run. But then said NAH! Let's go down swinging!!! I was very happy with my lines and aggression throughout the course. Went into a fast sweeper a little to hot, but steered the car beautifully with my right foot w/o losing much time. I went through the tight section cleanly and then made my way up the hill towards the fast slalom by the finish. I drove through it aggressively and saw my finishing time of 52.2! Yes! But wait...there's a possible cone?! WTF? I didn't even feel anything. Sure enough, I just barely tipped a cone in the final slalom by the finish!!

So I coned all three of my runs, and I would have been second if only my 3rd run was clean. Oh well...

Summary:
5th out of 8 in class
22nd out of 194 in PAX

Results:
'B Stock'
Pos. # Driver Car Run1 Run2 Run3 Run4 Total Diff
1T 190 Roberts, Shawn 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 51.915 51.626 51.614 DNS 51.614 0
2T 88 Wade, Dave 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Gray 52.405+dnf 52.568 52.684 DNS 52.568 0.954
3T 97 Cramer, Learic 2009 Nissan 370Z Yellow 55.665 53.518+1 52.681 DNS 52.681 0.113
4 99 Weichold, Frank 2005 Mazda Rx8 Grey 58.310+dnf 52.064+1 52.982+1 DNS 54.064 1.383
5 90 Dellimore, Chike 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 53.262+2 52.816+1 52.254+1 DNS 54.254 0.190
6 77 Wise, John 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Yellow 57.555+dnf 55.081 54.512+1 DNS 55.081 0.827
7 11 Bruno, Robert 2007 Mazda Rx-8 Black 63.647 62.290+2 62.622 DNS 62.622 7.541
8 17 Kehlenbeck, Adam 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Brilliant Black 70.594 67.982 64.413 DNS 64.413 1.791


Pics

Shawn


Dave


Learic


Frank


Chike

[Chiketkd]

This past weekend was WDCR event #5. I came back Saturday night from a week-long vacation on Hilton Head Island and was dragging by the time I arrived at Fedex on Sunday.

B-stock ran in the third heat in the morning, with a total of 9 competitors in the class. The course design was as follows -- the start lead directly into a group of transitions followed by an open sweeper leading to slalom wall element. This lead directly into another sweeper, a brief transitional element followed by an angled sweeper that could best be described as a 'V' shaped flock of geese! This lead into the fastest section of the course which was a group of really fast transitions. This fast section ended at a tighter sweeper (where there was a huge bump at corner exit) followed by some transitions leading to a short slalom and then the finish.

As I coned all of my runs last event, my first run plan was to be aggressive and stay clean! The run went well until I came to the bump which caught me off guard b/c of how harsh it was. Still I kept the car pointed straight and crossed the finish line with a 45.8...that was clean. Sweet! Shawn ran a 44.6+1, while Frank turned a clean 45.9. Everyone else in the class was in the 47's or higher. So I'm in the lead, but I know there's more time out time, and it's time push the limit a little more.

2nd run felt awesome! I attacked the first transitional element even harder, pushed it in the first sweeper and heard a slight squawk from the hoosiers. Attacked the slalom wall section and got on the gas early coming out of it. Everything felt like a 10-15% step up from the first run. I made it cleanly through the fast transitional element, went into the tight sweeper, got on the gas early and then hit the bump at corner exit. I stayed on the gas and when my rear tires touched the ground again, it sent my car shooting off at a 90 degree angle into a spin off course. I finished with a dnf. Shawn ran a clean 45.0, while Frank had a dirty 46.9+3. Everyone else was still in the 47's or higher.

On my 3rd and 4th runs I dialed my driving back too much and finished with clean 46.2 and 45.8 -- however I was awarded 4 cones on my last run as the car infront of me knocked down a bunch of cones by the finish and in the confusion workers assigned the cones to my car. I really didn't care based on the conservativeness of my run - screw it. Shawn got down to a clean 44.5 while Frank cut his time down to a 45.0. Another botched event!

Summary:
3rd out of 9 in class
49th out of 210 in PAX

Results:
'B Stock'
Pos. # Driver Car Run1 Run2 Run3 Run4 Total Diff
1T 190 Roberts, Shawn 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 44.634+1 45.022 52.826+1 44.573 44.573 0
2T 99 Weichold, Frank 2005 Mazda Rx8 Grey 45.917 46.989+3 45.082 45.550 45.082 0.509
3T 90 Dellimore, Chike 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 45.836 51.308+dnf 46.280 45.810+4 45.836 0.754
4 77 Wise, John 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Yellow 47.187 47.286 46.561 46.142 46.142 0.306
5 98 Barber, Steve 2004 Mazda Rx-8 Green 47.805 47.268 46.435 46.521 46.435 0.293
6 11 Bruno, Robert 2007 Mazda Rx-8 Black 54.107+1 52.633 52.416 50.857 50.857 4.422
7 8 Scaldeferri, Eric 2003 Nissan 350Z Black 55.270 54.947 51.509 50.903 50.903 0.046
8 25 Gillis, Chris 2008 Nissian 350 Silver 54.376 52.427 52.240 51.746 51.746 0.843
9 22 Derenzis, Alfred 1989 Porsche 911 56.436 53.729 52.307+1 52.905 52.905 1.159


Some class pics:

Shawn


Frank


Chike

[Chiketkd]

Porsche 911 GT2 (ASP class)


Junior Johnson


Strano


Piccione


1971 Lotus 7 (classed in C-stock)


Katie