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There were no first-timers on the waitlist for June’s event. This month we have a few hopefuls, and although the cancellations have been trickling in, I don’t think they’ll make it. I let them know to sign up early for next month when reg opens on Sunday night.
For autocross, I think we are about where we need to be right now. Yes, some folks aren’t getting in, but it’s a relatively small percentage of those signing up. If we start having 20-30 people on the waitlist, then maybe we’ll need to talk about how we can accommodate more folks. One thing I’m not open to doing is cutting runs in half and doubling capacity… that’s not what we’re about.
Back in 2009 when I started autocrossing you had to be registered within the first few days to get in. Events were selling out really fast and had long wait lists. Things quieted down a bit in 2010-2012, and have picked up again in 2013.
On the CCCs… I’ve been instructing since 2008 and have never been to one that didn’t sell out. I bet if we could get the dates at Candlestick, and the staff to work, we could have as many CCCs as we do autocrosses. Hugely popular program… for good reason.
Believe it or not, we’re already working on next season’s schedule. I’ve had some good meetings with some new peeps and hope to add a couple new events to the calendar. Stay tuned!
RUN GROUP ORDER (CHANGES EACH EVENT)
Run group 1: (B & Gonzo): This group will DRIVE FIRST and WORK SECONDRun group 2 (A & AA): This group will DRIVE SECOND and WORK THIRD
Run group 3: (AAA & C): This group will DRIVE THIRD and WORK FIRST
NOTE: Non BMW/MINI/Non-Compete and unclassified drivers are assigned to random groups based on driver/worker count. You will find out which group you are in during registration. Can you switch run groups? No, it ruins the work assignments for everyone else.
AFAIK, if the county your car is registered in requires the more advanced smog test then you must pass that type of certification.
On the oil overfill… I doubt it has anything to do with it. I’d be more inclined to look at the O2 sensors and, hopefully not, the cats.
Maybe clean the MAF, new air filter, new plugs, anything you can do to make it run as efficiently as possible. Does it have an oil separator like the E46 does? If so, and it’s tired/failing, it could be sending much more oil to the intake than normal. Perhaps that has something to do with it too.
Do some googleing on the topic. I’ve read about the hot cat and also about adding a large percentage of ethanol to the fuel.
I live in Santa Cruz county and we don’t have these “dyno” type smog requirements here. Even my 14yo ford truck passes with flying colors. Not sure why you’re so close on yours. An exhaust upgrade won’t effect your smog output.
O2 sensors OK? If they have 100k or more miles on them, best to replace at least the pre-cat sensors. Even tho they don’t throw a code, they can be inefficient and cause your car to run rich. You can google on that too.
[quote=”CharlieDavis” post=1690]
You may have noticed competitors who were not competing for points in a class deliberately taking the slalom “2 on the left, 2 on the right.” They were enjoying the ride, didn’t care about DNFs. I don’t think a course should force them to do that to have fun, and it shouldn’t force those of us running for points to drive a tedious course.[/quote]You brought it up, so I’m going to address it. My comments may be blunt and are not directed at you specifically. I probably won’t chime in again either – I was hoping this thread would just die.
Those weren’t competitors and [i]they [/i]weren’t just skipping slaloms. This “i’ll drive the course I want rather than the one that was given to me” behavior was unsafe and demonstrated a complete disregard for others. Several people approached me to share their disapproval during and after the last run group. That reflects badly on us and I won’t tolerate it. A $50 registration fee is not a ticket to entitlement town. Check the attitude at the gate or don’t come in.
That course was posted ahead of time and anyone who didn’t like it could have cancelled and stayed home. I’ve got my eyes on many places out in cyberspace and I saw crap-talking about it days before the event took place. You won’t see me talking crap about another club and I don’t appreciate others doing it to us.
DNFs happen, but if they are selfishly intentional, I will eject the driver immediately and they will not be welcomed back. Simple. I sincerely hope I don’t need to repeat those words during the attendee meeting.
I believe Jack asked for course maps… we’d like to see them.
Since I’ve been keeping track we have over 350 people who have participated in our program. People run with us for the friendly competition and the social atmosphere. After all, we are a social club by definition. We have a certain vibe going here and folks who don’t fit in usually don’t come back. And that’s OK. We can’t be everything to everyone, nor should we try to be. You don’t go to a vegetarian restaurant expecting a steak. We stay true to our long standing values.
The BMW CCA has a clearly defined charter: “As part of its goal of promoting driver education and safety, the BMW Car Club of America, Inc. (BMW CCA) supports autocross programs conducted by its chartered Chapters and as an element of its national events (e.g. Oktoberfest). An autocross event is a non-speed driving skill contest such as, but not limited to, autocrosses and slaloms. These events are run on short courses that emphasize the driver’s ability and the car’s handling and agility.”
I get it that we have a handful of folks who come to our events to practice for other competitions. I think that’s great. Our program isn’t like those others and based on our numbers, it seems we’re providing what our members want.
[quote=”LivesNearCostco” post=1627]What you had fun runs on June 15th? I don’t remember any fun runs in April or May. Maybe the trick is to will other people to leave early with the Jedi mind trick.[/quote]
The trick was outstanding course working so we didn’t get behind schedule. Everybody hustled and we had very few re-runs.
Fun runs were fun, but I bested my fastest competition time by a whole second and that may mean 7 runs next month. 🙂 I need more than 6 to get my stuff together!
Oh, and we’re glad to be your second choice, John. 👿
[quote=”m_dudey” post=1626][url=http://xmdforum.com/brian/2013-AX3-ProvisionalResults.htm]verified results![/url]
hmm, no car info for #662.
[/quote]662 Des Toups 2013 Scion FR-S 0 X
[quote]
#48 only has one run showing.
[/quote]I think Jay was co-driving Darrel Lunge’s car, which had a mechanical. Darrel drove Jeff Cowan’s car, but perhaps Jay left early.
619, Eric Pulido was not present or registered. Not sure why he’s listed. No #619 on the roster either.
#888 should be #388, Steven Smith, 2008 Lexus IS-F 0 X
Missing completely, #507 Eric Eikenberry 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, DNS
[quote=”AutoXer” post=1581]Pictures here. http://markm.zenfolio.com/p844512249
Unfortunately no video from my runs. I drive better than I operate a GoPro. 🙂
Mark[/quote]Thanks for the photos Mark. Lots of great shots as usual!
Registration for July’s event will open at Midnight tonight guys…