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build diary October 30, 2006: Another autocross. For some reason, I was having difficulty putting down a good clean run at first. The biggest problem was a 270 degree corner that I had suggested. Going in too fast meant loads of understeer, and while I could break the back end free with power that was a little risky because it was tough to line up the exit smoothly. Naturally, you had to do it twice per run. There was one section of the course that was quite quick - at least, it was for me. Apparently I was far faster through there than anyone else. It sure was hectic with a fairly smooth but narrow line available. At one point, I messed up my braking, got into a little tank-slapper and managed to collect two adjacent cones with opposite sides of the car! Whoops. My typical times were around 1:14, which was a second faster than my (much smoother) friend Mark in his Miata. Then finally, I got it right on one run. The guys in the timing booth thought something had gone wrong with the timing gear - I'd pulled 3 seconds off my time! I did manage to back it up a little slower on subsequent runs, but it left me with another FTD by a fair margin. I'll have to work on those 270s, tight slow corners are my weakest point. I have to admit that it was crazy fun letting the rear end just smear across the pavement. There were a few spots on the course that were well suited to walking the back end around with the throttle. It's the part I miss the most about driving a FWD. We're closing on the new house today. There will be much chaos and hard work ahead for the next couple of weeks. Very little of it will have to do with the Seven. entry 1302 of 1439 |