The trip home was made in a 2010 Mazda 3 Sport GT in Velocity Red that we’ve named Scully. Scully is a 2nd generation Mazda 3 and provides us a much upgraded interior and a generally higher level of refinement and comfort without sacrificing too much of Zhaan’s sporting demeanour. Unlike Zhaan, she won’t see competition or any meaningful modifications as Ginger is around to take that abuse. So far, with about 400km on the odometer, we are both very, very happy with Scully.

]]> http://www.uncommonpear.com/2010/01/24/good-bye-to-zhaan-hello-to-scully/feed/ 1 http://www.uncommonpear.com/2009/12/03/the-child-has-a-name/ http://www.uncommonpear.com/2009/12/03/the-child-has-a-name/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:38:45 +0000 schmoo http://www.uncommonpear.com/?p=675 Tonight, Jeff and I agreed on a name for our new NX 1600. After careful reflection, and in consideration of its colour, condition, and mission, we have christened the little NX, Private Caboose. Yes, we named him after the lovable, if idiotic, Blue soldier from Rooster Teeth Productions’ hit series, Red vs. Blue.

It was still the dead of winter…
… when the MCO Solo II organizing committee convened its first planning meeting for the 2009 season. Having had a great time in the last six events (two podiums) of 2008 in Zhaan, our Mazda 3 Sport GT, I had volunteered to be “general labour” for 2009 so that I could contribute to the series and learn the ropes. Given that I’m comfy with computers and that most don’t like working with timing and registration, I had mentioned to the more experienced guys that I would be willing to help in that area. However, at the meeting, my “general labourer” status morphed into “Head of Timing and Registration”. While I was kinda worried about whether all the gear was going to fit into Ginger, I felt OK about the job as it seemed the more experienced guys would have my back even though I still couldn’t match-up all the names to the right faces. The meeting ended and we all headed home through the cold, snowy February night. Top down driving and autocross seemed and eternity away.

Wired or Wireless?
Having taken on the role of timing guy, the early spring was spent on a blend of learning the timing system with the help of luker and working on Ginger. While work on the car was going well, the timing system was proving pesky. It would behave perfectly during testing at my house, luker’s house, and DEye’s house, but refused to work nicely at Scotia Bank Place.

We discovered this at the MCO Summer Performance Driving School, which pedwar completed from Ginger’s driving seat. I spent the first part of the day as a cone monkey keeping the exercises in good shape as the students flattened cones, but we also took the time to test the timing gear in advance of the next day’s autocross, which would be be Event 1 of 2009. Lo and behold, the wireless system refused to work so we went to the wired system, the standard contingency play. It worked… or so we thought.

The next day arrived, along with a two hour long registration line! I was drowning in registration forms, freezing in the cold, and really feeling pressure as no matter how fast we took forms, handed out bracelets, and entered people in the timing system, the line didn’t get any shorter. Eventually, we got all 97 entrants registered and got the event rolling and as if the delay and the newbie organizing crew weren’t enough, we were then plagued by weird timing issues that really slowed things down as re-run after re-run was necessary. It was an exhausting, humbling day with only five timed runs.

pedwar and I were both driving Ginger and with all of the registration work, I had not been able to do a course walk or coach her on how to do it. The result was that she spent the day getting lost and my largely driving the course from memory (we ran the course in 2008) in a car that I had never really driven in anger. To top it off, the alignment specs I had put on Ginger were horribly wrong, making her an over steering nightmare, but driving aspect of the day was still a hoot and I think the autox bug had landed on pedwar’s arm and was preparing to bite.
2009 Event 1 Results

Inter-Event Hand Wringing
All the timing issues and the line-ups at the first event really had us concerned, but with only a week before Event 2, there wasn’t a lot we could do. Besides no one expected another large turn-out so early in the season, particularly given the challenges of Event 1. Boy were we wrong as we had 96 entrants, many of which were new and again needed to be entered into the computer.

On top of that, the timing glitches were even more plentiful, which cut the run count to four. Yes, only four. We were demoralized and I was feeling pretty shitty as the guy in charge of timing.

On the upside, we had fixed Ginger’s alignment making her much more controllable. pedwar arrived earlier and took more course walks, this time knowing what to look for and what to think about. The result was that she only had one or two DNFs and cut the gap between our times from 20 seconds to 8 seconds — that’s 12 seconds faster after only event! She was also hooked, not only on the driving, but also on the friendly atmosphere and great people.
2009 Event 2 Results

One Hundred and Ten!
Yup, Event 3 saw a field of 110 competitors, which meant long wait between runs, limited paddock space, and frayed nerves, making the on-going timing issues that much more annoying. Despite all this, we still managed four timed runs. No, that’s nothing to be proud of, but at least we held the line despite the larger field size. Discussion raged in the forums regarding how to address the timing issues. pedwar’s shoulder was becoming more an issue at this point and she decided that the violent steering required for autocross, coupled with the need to brace one’s head and body against the cornering loads was only making her pain worse. She watched from the sidelines, making Event 2 her last autocross of 2009. I kept getting more comfortable in Ginger and as my confidence grew, I was getting quicker. Course Map – 2009 – Event 3 – 2009 Event 3 Results

Regular Service Resumed… Almost
Event 4 saw another 90+ field, but with fewer brand-spanking new bodies, registration was becoming easier, allowing us to start on time. While we continued to face timing issues, the earlier start time meant we were still able to get seven timed runs. Everyone rejoiced as it was apparent that the organizing crew, composed largely of newbs (myself included), was starting to gel.
Course Map – 2009 – Event 4 – 2009 Event 4 Results

First Trip to PMG
To virtually every MCO autocrosser I asked, those three letters meant autocross nirvana — huge expanses of smooth, flat, flawless asphalt totally devoid of curbs, light posts, painted lines, or pot holes. A place where coneheads could push with reckless abandon that lay a mere 2 to 2.5 hours outside Ottawa in Blainville, QC.

PMG is actually the name of the firm that operates the Transport Canada automotive test facility in Blainville. The facility is huge, with a massive banked oval for high-speed testing and of course the large skid pad that we would be using. There is nothing dramatic about getting there, but going from the front gate to the skid pad is another story: waivers are signed at the front gate and cars are led in by security in groups. Once at the skid pad, parked cars must have their engines over the grass, not over the asphalt. Also, any use of jacks is to involve a plank of wood between the jack and the asphalt. Yes, PMG does consider the asphalt that precious.

While it was a beautiful day and our CADL hosts ran a great event, we were disappointed at the tight technical course. After all, we can do tight and technical at home. Here, we wanted 3rd gear speed and fast flowing corners.  I had a really hard time driving the course without cone penalties and was pretty frustrated all day long, but still had a great time.  After the event, I made 123go, the CADL/MCO double-agent promise me a fast course for the next PMG event, planned for late September.

Some Things Must Be Done, No Matter How Hard
Event 6 (or Event 5 if you only count the local events) was the first where the MCO Solo II imposed a cap on registration and began to require that current participants register on-line. We took some flack and there were concerns voiced by highly respected members of the community, but DEye made the hard call and stuck to his guns. The 75 driver cap worked and we ran with 78 participants. Even with continued timing glitches, we managed a relaxed six runs. The event flowed better, people had space, and everyone’s anxiety began to slip away. Change is hard, but sometimes its necessary.

As we progressed through the next events, we moved the cap upwards as we got better at dealing with timing glitches and could reliably hit our run target. Event 7, for which our CADL brethren joined us saw us hit 6 runs with 96 competitors. Event 8 had 83 competitors, each of whom got 7 timed runs. Event 8 also saw us discover that the wired system was actually the cause of our problems. Out of desperation, having tried everything else, we switched and ran problem free for the rest of the day! How annoying that the very strategy we adopted to avoid problems was causing the problems. Course Map – 2009 – Event 8

Once the switch over happened, we were rolling as we wrapped up the last point-paying, local event of 2009. All that was left was the members only event of October 13th, which saw 61 members swapping and sharing cars as we ran the course clockwise in the morning and then counter-clockwise in the afternoon — yes, that’s 8 runs and we had tons of fun runs, too. A great day, with pizza, beverages, and cookies. Does it get any better?
2009 Event 6 Results – 2009 Event 7 Results – 2009 Event 8 Results – 2009 Special Event Results

I’m singin’ in the rain!
The last MCO event of the year was back at PMG where CADL was hosting the annual Inter-Provincial Cup (IPC), where Ontario and Quebec drivers square-off to determine the fastest province. It’s all in good fun and since the event is run under the rules of the hosting club, the hosting province tends to win. We left for PMG in convoy bright and early under torrential rain that didn’t let up until the event was almost over. What this meant was that PMG’s flat, drainless asphalt was very, very wet, with lots of standing water. Combine that with fun course that 123go promised and it made for a hell of a fun day of driving, even if marshalling was cold and wet. Root_Moose and I traded cars for fun runs and I discovered just how forgiving Ginger is. She wants to please and does all she can to follow the commands I issue through the steering wheel and the pedals. Root_Moose’s AP1 Honda S2000 was a different matter. Unlike Ginger, it heard my requests, considered them, and then not-so-politely told me where to go — I spun three times on my first run, avoided a couple spins on the second run, and put down a respectable time on the third. bigdog and sfong, regular S2K drivers, were laughing at my bug-eyed expressions in the car. Root_Moose? He was off doing his best times with Ginger, who just a week earlier had needed to be towed home.

Needless to say, Quebec won the IPC and the results of the day decided the MCO series champions once I got home and entered the data in our timing computer. My work as timing guy was done for the season and I felt pretty good about how I had handled myself and I later discovered that my peers were pretty happy with me, too.

Discovering friends you didn’t know you had…
… is always a great thing and that’s what I found when I made it out to a few St. LAC events. Not only did I see another approach to running events, but I also made some great friends in the form of Rob and Bill and their respective families. If you’re ever able to make it out to a St. LAC event, even if its one of the two-hour evening sessions at Shannonville, I highly recommend it. Say hi to Rob, Bill, Greg, Rob Sr., and the Brunners for me. Next year, I’ll be a dues-paying St. LAC member.

St-LAC hosted my last autox of the year, again at Picton, on our anniversary weekend, which also saw Ginger and I hit the race track at Shannonville for the second time this year. I had so much fun, I went back on November 1 for my last hurrah of 2009.

Car and Driver: A Season-Long Progression
Through the middle of the season Ginger was a different car every couple of weeks as the Flyin’ Miata goodies got installed, but as she was improving, so was I. This graph charts how my times compared to FTD (Fastest Time of the Day) at the MCO events this season (I treated the members-only event as two events to capture my morning time vs. my afternoon times).

As for lapping, with no precise instrument for measuring my times, I’ve had to rely on video footage, which shows that between October 18 and November 1, I managed to trim 5-6 seconds of my laps at Shannonville with no changes to the car. I’m pretty happy with that after about 8 hours on track in my whole life.

Overall, this has been one of the best summers of my life. I’ve done things I didn’t think I would ever do, I’ve gotten to be a better driver than I could have imagined and I know I can improve more. My wife and best friend has also become enamoured with the scene and the activity and I’ve made a raft of new friends in the process. The crazy thing is that I get to do it all over again next year!!!

As expected, install is easy as pie, but set-up is pain, although its all done from the car using the laptop. I’ve been tweaking for a couple of weeks now and I’m getting closer to a pretty nice set-up.

If you have the patience and you drive in wildly variable conditions (sub-freezing to over 30C), then this thing is for you.

And was I ever in need! It was run 2 on the 19th — you know, the massive screamer SPDA course — and I was entering the final third of the course, starting to accelerate out of the right hand carousel turn, when there was a bang and a dragging, followed by smoke out of Ginger’s right front wheel well. My heart sank, but I thought… it’s a flat. I was right, but only partially…

Course Map

Turns out, one of the bolts holding the caliper mounting bracket had come loose and the other had sheared off, allowing the caliper to wedge itself into the rim, gouging and puncturing it, which caused the loss of pressure. Brake fluid was dripping and everything was very, very hot. Eventually, with the help of the marshalls and the SPDA organizer group, as well as a donated ziptie, we got the spare on, and Ginger drove off the course under her own power.

Back in the paddock, it seemed the situation could be resolved with a couple of new bolts, but alas, every shop from Belleville to Kingston could get all the callipers you could ever need on Monday. Rob, seeing I only had one complete run, let me take his sweet NA out. My head was messed, I spun twice, thanked him and said, “No more driving for me.”

So, Ginger spent the night at the airfield under the watchful eye of the security guards and we hatched a towing plan to get her back home. Ralf, the fantastic service manager at Carling Avenue Canadian Tire and amazing driver, was central to this plan. He was coming the next day with Bill R’s Toyota MR1.5 on Bill’s trailer. He immediately agreed to tow Ginger home if we could line-up a trailer.

U-Haul was the first try, but their hours of operation would wreck Ralf’s day of autox. That’s where the Brunner clan comes in: they had a big trailer and no car. That meant they could take Bill’s car and let Ralf and I use Bill’s trailer. This let me drive with a somewhat clear head, which was good as I was driving the MR1.5 and could barely reach the controls when at speed. Thank you, Bill. I’m sorry I wasn’t all there, but the chance to drive it was greatly appreciated.

The day wrapped up and we confronted the next challenge: get a low-clearance miata onto the very high trailer. Again, another autoxer came to the rescue with some extra long ramps. The drive home was smooth, interrupted by dinner and a coffee/gas stop, both of which were characterized by great conversations and laughs.

We eventually got to my place and used the slope in the road to unload Ginger with the standard short-ramps. Ralf drove her neatly into the garage so I could start work at my leisure and then took the trailer to a storage point before continuing his journey to Wendover. I call him Saint-Ralf now.

With me through it all, good ol’ condor888000.

Damage Assessment:
- 15×9 bronze rim – done, replacement ordered
- front caliper — survived
- uppper control arm — done, replacement to be installed
- SS brake line — survived

Luckily, my work agenda was free on Monday and I was able to take the day off, get the car assembled enough to go to Ralf at CT Carling and, with the use of my parents’ Vera Cruz, get Bill’s trailer to him in Gananoque.

Overall:
I love skiing, but I hate most skiers. I love autox and love most autoxers.

July 8 was a day discovery. I discovered that air hammers require really big air compressors with immense tanks. I learned that because such compressors aren’t terribly easy to move, they aren’t typical rental units, which means air hammers aren’t either. I then learned that I had no interest in starting the diff bushings and running the risk of having an undrivable car that I can’t fix. The diff bushing and the engine mounts will wait until I can afford to have them done at a shop or until I can get access to the hoist and tools at my brother’s work. Anyway, I completed the downpipe and exhaust that afternoon, and thankfully it went on much more easily than the stock bits came off.

By this point, Pedwar had left in Zhaan for an overnighter at her friend’s cottage, so I seized the moment (a car that can run) to grab some food and take a test drive. The exhaust note is great — deep and bassy at idle, and assertive and smooth, but not too loud, when driving.

condor888000 came over for a bit to continue work on his camber link, finally getting the whole bushing out with my dremel… (too bad this means he will have to remove the passenger side link, too). I decided to start the throttle body inlet pipe and got it done relatively quickly, only to discover that I had gone too far… I had a vac line with nowhere to stick it unless I did the intake, too. Of course, doing the intake would remove the MAF, which would necessitate the Hydra, which has a map for 550cc injectors. Sigh. So I started the intake. It was easier than the TB inlet despite the number of tubes and clamps, and then I decided to call it a night. I figured I’d hit the sack and get started early on the injectors.

Despite it being after midnight, I couldn’t sleep, so I got up around 1AM, looked up the injector instructions and started dismantling the intake manifold to get at the injectors. It was late so it was hand tools only, as I live in a townhouse and I like my neighbours. About 3:00AM, when I could no longer remember where I was putting down my wrenches, I took a shower, socked back a shot of scotch, and hit the sack. I slept through the 5:30AM alarm and woke on my own at 7:04AM…

… which brings us to July 9th. I completed the injector change, which was initally scary then became tedious, and will be remembered as relatively straightforward. I crossed my fingers that nothing got pinched and that I wouldn’t have a fuel leak. I had to call it a day at this stage because condor888000 was picking me up and we were heading for an autocross at Shannonville Motorsports Park, where Pedwar was going to meet us.

Since it was on the way, we swung into Ogdensburg to grab some oil filters. With a car full of stuff and being two guys, US Customs and Border Protection checked the car and let us go. On the way back into Canada, we got interrogated separately by the CBSA officer who was suspicious of our story, particularly given my two camcorders, my DSLR gear, and the helmets, which still look new. We convinced her we were OK, and she let us go, with no tax paid on the filters, which had been declared.

Despite the delays and condor’s angst about being late, we still made it to the track by 5PM and were ready to go well in advance of the 6PM start time. condor is now officially a “drama llama“, but he’s a great guy and I can’t thank him enough for letting me run his car.

condor888000

The event was fun and felt more like a solo I than a solo II, as there were only a few gates and the rest was following the line of the track. As usual, the crowd (especially Pedwar) was great and the apres-autox dinner at the Loyal Oarsman in Kingston (Bath Road, a couple blocks west of Gardiners Road) was nice, too. Got home about 1AM and fell asleep very quickly.

July 10th: My last day of vacation saw me complete the wiring for the hydra’s wide-band and MAP sensor. I followed the directions and got the throttle position sensor calibrated… and then came the moment of truth — the first start. She cranked to life on the first try and settled into a normal idle. Everything was louder because of the intake and exhaust, but the Hydra’s read-outs looked normal. I completed the wide-band calibration and then took a drive around the block at creeping speeds before parking her again. She seemed a little more prone to stalling, but I’m sure that can be tweaked. I was relieved and elated… remember a year ago, the most I had ever done was change spark plugs and change tires. After dinner, when the car had cooled, I put the O2 sensor into the downpipe and called it a day.

Left to do? Calibrate timing (learning by doing, as usual), clean up interior and install passenger seat, drive and data log. I hope to do all that tomorrow. Auto-tuning won’t work until I get an activation code from Flyin’ Miata, and I don’t expect that before Monday.

Will she run in the autox on Sunday? I don’t know… will have to see how she drives tomorrow.

On getting the stuff home, the first challenge was where the hell to put it!  FM packed everything really well, and in the case of the exhaust system (downpipe, midpipe, muffler, and tailpipe), that meant huge boxes full of expanding foam stuff. Once I got the big stuff out of the boxes, I dropped them in the living room (sorry Ped!) and set about getting the car onto jack stands. That went well enough, but the subsequent removal of the stock exhaust wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped. Two of the studs on the turbo’s outlet casting came out with the nuts, and they looked pretty rough. mikethemachinist on mazda-speed.com suggested I just replace the stud/nut combination with equivalent bolts, which will make future work much simpler. I’ll go shopping for the bolts in the AM. Getting the bits behind the downpipe out was tedious — particularly the rubber exhaust hangers, which seemed to have welded themselves to the steel hangers on the parts.

With the exhaust out, something that required removing all of the car’s under-body bracing, there is considerably more room under the car right now, which has me reconsidering my original plan. That plan was a sound and rationale approach that would see me make one change, live with it a while to make sure everything is ok, and then move forward. Unfortunately, I now realize that my approach would mean installing the new exhaust and then removing and installing it again to install the Hydra ECU, and doing it all again to change the differential bushings. That’s pretty daunting, as the downpipe is a truly hateful removal job.

So, I’m considering doing everything in one sweep. While this would be much more efficient and much less painful, it would mean that trouble shooting would be much more complicated… scary. At any rate, I’ll try to find some bolts tomorrow and then decide how to proceed. Stay tuned!

Ginger: The Pioneer deck is in and working, but the install isn’t perfect yet. Once I have it the way I want, I have a new center console as well as black carbon surrounds for the radio and the shifter to install. The 8″ -> 6.5″ adaptors worked well enough, but the Sony speakers are a still shrill. Can’t complain when they were free.

I’ve also installed the Flyin’ Miata anti-roll bars (last week). That was an adventure. condor888000 and I were half way through it when I realized I had no idea where I had put the mounting hardware kit. I eventually found it, but not before getting a scary shipping quote from FM. Glad I didn’t have to go that route.

There was an apparent trasnmission fluid leak. Elite Mazda checked it and thought it was the missing gaskets on the fill and drain plugs. I’ll check it this week when I have the car jacked up to change the front wheel bearing/hub assemblies. That was unforseen, but what can you do.

AutoX: I find myself, after putting my hand up to be kitchen help, as the Head of Timing and Registration. It’s a touch overwhelming since I’m learning from a base of zero, but the old hands are proving very supportive and helpful. In particular, Luker from MCO has been a real rock. The new guys are also stepping up and pitching in. It’s a good thing, too, as we’re having major problems with the timing system. Hopefully some testing over the next couple of weeks can help pin-point the issues.

The downside is that I’m not getting the time I need to walk the course, watch, and learn — not a good way to get faster with a new, relatively unfamiliar car.

Glad that my bro is coming out. I hope he joins condor888000 and I when we trek to Shannonville  for a St. Lac event this coming Sunday. I even offered to let him run Ginger with me.

Work: It’s work. I think that’s enough about that.

The Best News Ever: We’re getting FM’s Big Enchilada and their AFCO Suspension for Ginger. Me very happy!

Not as easy as it looks, this control thing.  After some 30+ years behind the wheel of one vehicle or another, I discovered that it would take more than a day in the driving seat with (kindly and) patient instructor Steve F. beside me to master Ginger.  I did, however, push the edges of my comfort zone with drills, exercise, instruction and words of advice from better drivers than I.  You never really know what ‘challenges’ you’re gonna face on the road, and I’m a bit more confident now that the new knowledge of my car will help me react appropriately.  That was my primary goal for the day, so I definitely consider it time well spent.

Thanks to MCO for making the school available, and to the instructors and cone monkeys (Schmoo and Pat, especially!) for all their hard work during the day!

PS  I love to slalom, baby!

I just wish I had been there to see the reactions.