Every second year, the Nationals come to this side of the country (you know the side where Ralph Klein isn’t considered a role-model). So, its encumbent on every committed autocrosser to take advantage of the geography and support the event, as well as compete in it to see how one stacks-up against the most committed, if not the best, Canada has to offer. (more…)

Another catch-up post, this time on changes made to Ginger so far this year. Unlike 2009, where everything was about more — more power, more grip, more braking, just MOOOAAARRRR — 2010 is about less — less fatigue, less risk, less over-heating on track,  less wear and tear. (more…)

OK, all right — here’s a (brief!) update from me, too.  (more…)

Man have I ever been slacking when it comes to this site, but I’m back and the 2010 driving season is well underway, so here’s the scoop to date…

The first outing of the season was St. LAC’s traditional test and tune on April 18th. A few of us convoyed down to the Picton airfield that morning for a day of autox fun with our St. LAC brothers and sisters. I was running the same Hankook R-S3 (225/45R15) tires I ran all last season and things were fine. No big surprises except for the normal “rattle the car to death” issues that Picton reveals. In this case, the blow-off valve rattled off, then the throttle body inlet pipe did the same. It was a test and tune, remember? I didn’t pay much attention to times as I was more concerned with finding all the clamps I hadn’t quite tightened enough. Big positive? The brakes remained firmly attached to the car! (more…)

Less than two years ago, we welcomed Zhaan into our family. Zhaan’s arrival set-off a chain of events that led to the acquisition of many tools and jacks, the purchase of Ginger in October 2008, a summer spent doing autocross and lapping events, and most recently, the acquisition of Private Caboose for snowx. Zhaan was the first car that I ever drove in competition and in her six event career, we managed two podiums. With all this history, it was with a heavy heart (more…)

While I stood in line at registration back in August 2008 for my first ever autocross event, I was pretty sure I was going to like this driving quickly through cones thing, but I never imagined that first day among the cones was going to be the gateway it has since proved to be. I never thought that within three months of that first event that I would own a second car and that I would be purchasing it primarily to be an autocross toy. I didn’t envision spending countless hours under that car (more…)

Couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon! Sunny, eight or nine degress C, and not a lot of on traffic. Ginger made it clear she would have preferred 94 octane fuel, but she still managed to hit 177kph on the back straight. For my part, I think I drove the best I’ve ever driven, taking five to six seconds off my best laps from October 18. Data logged most of the day and yes, cooling mods will be needed for 2010.

Back on the 18th, I spent a couple of hours on Shannonville‘s “Long Track” layout (much more fun than the Fabi lay-out). I’m happy to report that the Big Enchilada sure made a difference in horsepower. Back in June, pre-mods, Ginger topped-out at 145kph on the long back straight. This time around, she hit 180kph — a 35kph increase is pretty huge, I would say.

Another interesting comparison was that in June, I was taking the turn at end of that straight at between 110 and 120kph, which I’m told is pretty respectable. This time around, the higher approach speed, coupled with my braking much later, appears to have driven me to brake more than needed, thus reducing my cornering speeds to the 90 to 100kph range.

My last outing with Ginger will be November 1, again at Shannonville. I’ll be using the time to work on that corner entry, which might be even more interesting if my new boost controller profile increases that terminal velocity even more.

October 17th was our 11th wedding anniversary and we celebrated with a weekend-long excursion to the Kingston/Prince Edward County region that culminated in a day of driving adventures. (more…)

Just one week after the mechanical issues at Picton, Ginger was back in action at CADL’s second event at PMG in Blainville, Quebec. This time though, the event would also decide the 2009 Interprovincial Cup (IPC). (more…)