Winner!...well sort of

Yesterday was my first autocross event with the MINI- what a blast!

Sometime between drifting the car sideways through a right hand sweeper and trying my best to line up and hit the apex of the next corner- I realized that it has been WAY too long since I've done this- boy do I miss it. I miss everything about racing, from the screeeeeeeeeching tires and burnt rubber smell to the feeling of nervous anticipation that I get just before the green flag drops. There's even something cool about getting up at the crack of dawn and driving to a far off land to meet up with other people who are just as crazy as I am. I can think of few better ways to kill a Sunday, and a set of tires, than negotiating some twistys at high speed. Not to mention it's great to have a safe venue that lets you explore the limits not only of your car's performance, but more importantly, your driving ability.

I must say that the car handled perfectly and all the mods I've done so far seemed to work in harmony and withstand the abuse of about 13 autocross runs in rapid succession. The car is a champ.

So here's the run down:

The day began for me around 5am- I was on the road by 5:30 and at the track at ten after 6. There were already some cars there- setting up their pit areas, tents, tools, track tires etc. I unloaded my box of cereal bars, my folder full of magnets and my sweatshirt and felt a little under-prepared.

Autocrosses I've been to in the past were all in New Jersey- and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of track layout and procedure. Well, I dunno if things have just progressed this much over the years or if the LA chapter is just that much better at hosting an event- but these guys don't fool around when it comes to hosting an autocross.

The last event I attended in NJ was hosted in the parking lot of Montclair State University and the track was a series of gates (two cones that mark a corner at the apex) that made up the track. The difficulty was remembering the layout of the course between runs because the track was not very clearly defined.

At yesterdays event- there must have been 500 cones laid out to make the track- there were cones about every 4 feet and the track was perfectly defined and very easy to follow- which really allowed me to focus on driving the car properly and not memorizing which gate came next.

The other major difference was the presence of instructors at this event. It was always my understanding that the privilege of getting input from an instructor was reserved for those who could devote $ and a weekend to a drivers school (a very worthwhile experience I've heard - but pricey nonetheless). I got to run 4 laps with a very experienced driver who gave me some valuable tips regarding my technique and approach to this course. The other added benefit of having such experienced drivers on hand is getting to watch them run the course. It was a great and humbling education.

Since this event was sponsored by the BMWCCA, the cars in attendance were mostly of Bavarian descent- from bone stock 3 series to carbon fiber clad barebones M3's- all levels of skill and experience were well represented. There were also a good number of Subaru WRX's, one STI - and a new Nissan Z. The fastest car of the day was a tricked out M Coupe driven by a guy who I refuse to believe is human- just way too good. He got fastest time of the day somewhere around a ridiculous 66 or 67 seconds.

There were four MINI's in attendance, three S's and my Cooper. We were all about equally experienced in terms of track time though I was the only one lacking a supercharger ;). At the end of the day I wound up running the second fastest time out of the MINI's 81.779, I believe the fastest time was either 81.769, or 81.679 (I think, Scott H. if you read this feel free to correct me)- either way that's a pretty small difference but that's how it works in autocross. So I wound up being the fastest (and only) MINI in my class- class "A" and all the cooper S's were in class "B" - but I feel good to have placed second within the "MINI Group" especially with my horsepower handicap.

OH!- and I got a trophy! Which is awesome because it says "1st Place" on it- and let's face it, when I'm old and senile I won't remember that I was the only car in class "A." So I won. 'Nuff said.

I've been blabbing for a while here are some pics:























I was able to purchase these action shots in digital format from a photographer who was there shooting the event- I think he did a great job.

I also managed to sell 5 of my magnets- which seemed to go over well. It looks like there is demand for some magnetic "meatball" number sets (which would have come in handy yesterday) so those are in development now and should be available for purchase here soon.

The next autocross event is in October and I think I'm going to try and make it if I can. I just had way too much fun. I would encourage anyone who has even the slightest interest to give it a try at least once- you may surprise yourself.

Special thanks to Andy and Dave who made the trek out to Irwindale to show their support- you guys rock!

Installs Update

I am moving forward with the MP3 player integration- since receiving the Blitzsafe adapter a few weeks ago I've installed it and run the cables through the center console. This process was actually really easy and only required drilling a small hole behind the rear passenger side seat (totally hidden) and removing the shifter console briefly to snake some cables. The next move is to hard mount the RCA inputs into my...

New Parcel Shelf. In order to accommodate the audio inputs, and have someplace convenient to store my MP3 player while driving- I ordered the Euro Parcel Shelf from Moss MINI- installation was SO easy that I'm not even going to get into it (plus there are about a hundred places where that's been posted- no need to go over it again). I like having the extra space and find that it is as good an addition to the interior as everyone always says it is. So nice work me.

Other than that- I don't really have anything planned. I suppose my car is due for service about now- So I'll probably bring it into the dealer for its checkup rather soon.

In the meantime- Stay tuned for spectacular racing footage of MINI in action!

PS- For questions about the Autocross, or how to purchase Magnetic Graphics
just drop me a line.