Last w/e. The WCMA regional was a really tough course, and much more wide open than anything I've run before. The times were in the 80 second range with the hot shoe's down around 71 seconds. After the morning I was 5 in street touring and 26 overall. I didn't improve my course runs enough though and only shaved one second off, so I dropped to 7? or 10? street touring and 35 overall (of 75). Respectable.

They had angled walls that worked like a slalom, and a couple of really tight elements after fast sections. Very good challenging course! The hardest parts were the parts without cones because you had to set up properly for the elements. (look ahead and not be too conservative as overall the elements allowed a much higher sustained speed and everything happened faster - push-oversteer-etc)

Smoking hot temperatures (breeze Saturday) of up to 28 Celsius. The surface is very close to Deerfot Mall, Westerner, or Giesbricht (older asphalt with less traction than Grey Eagle).

I definitely think it's worth doing another event up there; with the extra room they have, the course was very different. It walked like we were going to need 3rd gear. To marshall the far end you drove out there.

At the Challenge Cup our team finished third just out of the money. Really short tight course and again challenging with varied elements. 160 runs in 2.5 hours. I switched cars with the fellow who's dominating ST. His car is pretty neutral, and much better suspension. My impression was that if I do anything to the car it should be suspension (ground control covers, koni's, and any spring were his advice). He got frustrated because the OEM shocks weren't holding the front wheels on the ground and with the open diff it felt like traction control as the wheel chattered. He felt the Fit was a pretty good platform. I've got a ways to go on my driving if I want to be competitive with either him or Jason...

I'll do up a race report in the racing thread tonight.
Are you doing Deerfoot Mall this Sunday?

CA

 

Sounds like a blast!

I am probably out for a while, still trying to nail down why my rear end is making noise. My next event will likely be the SASC one in July.

On top of that my truck (and SHAW GMC) are being retarded; my power steering died and SHAW decided there was nothing wrong and blamed my tires for being too big instead *groan*. So I am left replacing the pump myself on my own dollar, had to special order it out of the US; it should be in this week as well. This is a nice little reminder why Honda's are so much better than domestic cars!!

Hopefully I can get this sorted out soon, I have a road trip coming up that I need either the car or the truck up and running for.

 

Race report here:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...tml#post873939


Hmm, the aftermarket parts thing was part of the reason I went to Country Hills...sounds like it doesn't seem reasonable the power steering pump's getting strained by slightly larger wheels. These are supposed to be military based vehicles aren't they?

CA

 

I was reading a bit online about the pumps on the H3T; basically unlike the H3 they use the larger capacity V8 pumps on the 5cyl engines.

So far I have found 4 other people talking about how the pumps failed on their H3T's, it sounds like the higher RPM's of the 5cyl engines are killing them. The dealer of course is just Wieseling his way out of fixing it by telling me there is nothing wrong and it is the tires... thing is I have had the tires on for a while and it hasn't had any problems moving it then.

Just a big headache all around, luckily I can deal with this one myself. I phoned the dealer back last week and mentioned to them that yes... in fact the pump was shot... and no, I won't be returning for future service.

Anyway, parts should be shipping tomorrow which is good. I am hoping to have the Fit and the Truck all fixed up this week or weekend if necessary.

 

The CSCC event at Deerfoot Mall sold out with 62 registrants last night.
Over one third are new to autocross; I even almost got one guy from work to sign up. Very interesting seeing how some people have classed their cars... Looks like great weather for racing too, hot and dry like last weekend.
It looks like it's going to be a pretty busy day making sure everyone gets all their runs.

 

Registration's open!

CA

 

I signed up this evening for it,

Watch out, I noticed Murray is still classing you as ST

Keep me posted on how it goes!

 

Sent Murray a PM.

Put some decent runs together in the morning, but didn't feel really fast. Especially when a competitor I'm usually close to/beat mentioned he was a whole second up on me. The course was really tight with corners that were painful if you weren't looking ahead and setting up for them. A zig-zag around an island, 150 deg turn into a straight, then optional slalom (~ in line with straight), even sweeper, into wall pushing you right, then 90 into a 2 set staircase, followed by increasing radius sweeper and then a tightening corkscrew into the finish.

They made the course flow better in the afternoon, and reversed the slalom - 2 set staircase. Over-drove the first run of the afternoon and obliterated a cone with the front bumper (sigh looking ahead?). Hit a cone on the second, but was much faster. Wanted to get a clean run and was slower by almost a second compared to the second afternoon run. Put it mostly together and had a 0.7 second faster last run compared to that second afternoon run.

They had over 200 spectators sign the waiver and watch up close. I wish I'd gotten there earlier to get set up, so I had a chance to visit more versus, rush to get car ready, volunteer, rush to get car ready, course walks, rush to get car ready. Quite a bit of fun with the larger number of competitors.

34 of 59 raw
23 of 59 pax
3 of 20 rookie
7 of 15 street touring

 

I didn't think it would be that big, sound like it was fun!

 

Video done by one of the specatotors;

YouTube - RenoStudiosInCalgary's Channel

 

Sweet, will have to check it out at Lunch when the IT nazi's let us use Youtube!

 

Ug... I still don't have parts for the car yet, looks like I will be going into this weekend again with the same setup as last.

I am really hoping it is the camber making that rear humming noise and not my wheel bearings.

 

Lot's of events in Calgary this month;
July 10 Grey Eagle
July 11 Grey Eagle
July 17 Grey Eagle (will be missing since I said I'd go climbing)
July 18 Deerfoot Mall
July 24 Deerfoot Mall
July 25 Grey Eagle

Wheel bearings and fixing the control arm in the off season were things I was warned of after the other night...I was told I'd know if the wheel bearings go. Already put over 3500km on the car in the last 4 weeks and no noises. Did you get a new alignment from JM or someone?

I've been pricing out J's Racing Showa dampers, Skunk 2 coilovers, and almost bought a cat back.
Then reality set in with a closer look at my budget once the last credit card bill came (with repairs costs), my stocks, and the fact I'm researching grad school. Definately not going to Packwood this year, or flying to Ontario for a cousin's wedding.

 

You can't do an alignment on the rear from what Jon was telling me, that is where the noise is resonating from for sure. I don't think it is the wheel bearings, I pulled off everything today and they solid with no movement at all.

Parts also came in today, I guess I can share now

I picked up a set of Monroe Max-Air shocks from Summit Racing. They are very inexpensive... I have them installed now, I just have to pipe them up tomorrow after work.

I hope this corrects any camber issue and makes the humming noise go away, it should also be kind of interested to see what happens when I jack up the pressure for the next event.

 

Nice, that's what MrFrogge was running with in SanFran until he got T1R dampers of some sort. It will be interesting to see how much better it makes the car...

FYI; MP's got run lists up on the SASC forum.

CA

 

Well... the noise is still there at stock height so it was not a camber issue.

Also I can't get a feel for traction with these shocks, it is either going to be really good... or really really bad.

 

#@*&$(#@%&(*%#!!!!

The shocks rub against my tires!!!!!!!

 

Man I am having some rotten luck.... that wheel bearing is really bad now.

I actually was kind of nervous driving home, even though it isn't that far it is all 80km/h and it sounded like it was grinding the whole way.

I managed to get one good run in, although I really wish I could have pulled out a nice run on my 3rd attempt.

I know there was tons of time waiting out there, I had taken it really easy on the first two runs just to make sure I didn't mess up. I was feeling confident on the 3rd run and it was just that split second where I looked ahead to the wrong side of the wall at the end of the slalom that totally ruined it... I nearly looped the car trying to correct and then I went off course at the Y because I was frazzled. So pissed off at myself for that.

At least there is an event next weekend too, although this sucks I am missing out on so much seat time!

 

Missed you today. I had my first I hate getting beat by a Fit this morning LOL (I don't always beat the person). You must have dropped the skirts off when I was marshalling/taking photos in the morning - thanks!

I took one look at the course map and went Wow I hope I don't go off course. I went over the course map with different line types for each lap, and then stopped every third element or so and visualized running from the start. Did that a whole bunch of times even when I was figuring out how I was going to set up for elements.

I must have done 20 runs visualizing and was feeling pretty confident I had the lines, never mind the course as figured out as I could. Then we marshalled and it all got pushed to the back, so I started to worry again. Especially since I was the fourth car out. I visualized it three times more before I ran.

There was definitely more time out on the course; Reijo designs so that there is much more choice of lines for elements than Greg in the CSCC and the ASA courses at Giesbricht. It really is a way of helping the more experienced guys wallop us relative newbies.

Todays course was a lot less complicated - similar overall ovals without the third lap and start and finish reversed. All my times were within 6 tenths - i just couldn't find more time out on the course today.

Luckily we avoided the thunderstorms today...

 

Yeah I came down and watched a few runs, the course looked pretty good.

I wish I could have gotten my car fixed up last night so I could have come out and run today.

At least there is another one next weekend, I have some serious ground to make up! Jon has figured out another way I might be able to get those air shocks to work too, it is going to look pretty hilarious though