Date: August 26, 2001
Venue: Reese Center - Lubbock, TX
Results: 1st in Class, 3rd Overall (47 total)
Wow! This event was HUGE (both course layout and entries)! A total of 47 people showed up to race. This total is kinda small compared to larger regions, but I think that's the largest regional event in West Texas Region history (45 was the previous record as far as I know). Lots of new folks showed up as well as some veterans from other regions (Texas Region and Colorado Region) to practice for the National Championships on Reese Center's pristine concrete.
I had replaced another sensor (M.A.P. sensor) in the car a week before the race due to another sudden "check engine" light, so I was worried about how the car would run. I guess after 11 years, the car's EEC sensors are bound to need replacements and that "check engine" light will occasionally haunt me. Luckily, I know how to pull the computer codes by using a jumper wire and an analog multi-meter.
Steve Sucsy designed and setup a huge course that was very tight... lots of zig-zags, a long slalom, and even a 180º hairpin. This course was much tighter and longer than the one at the last Reese Center event, which was very wide open and fast. I was able to walk the course 5 times before the event started to make sure that I wouldn't get lost or confused, but while working the 3 hour first heat (yes, THREE friggin' hours!), I'd forgotten most of it by the time the second heat was ready to run. While working timing and scoring during the first heat, I started to wonder if I would be able to run as quickly as Steve in his A-Stock '00 Honda S2000 and Kenneth Baker from Texas Region (Autocross.com webmaster) in his Super Stock '93 Mazda Twin Turbo RX7. They were both running 91's and 92's (Steve even broke into the 90's on his last run, but had hit a cone) while everyone else was running 95's thru 120's. I figured that my nose heavy Mustang wouldn't be able to move through the tight course as quickly as their nimble cars, but to my surprise I was able to run 0.598 seconds faster than Steve's best raw time, and only 0.023 seconds slower than Kenneth's best raw time. This resulted in me beating Kenneth's best PAX time by 0.710 seconds and Steve's best PAX time by ONLY 0.033 seconds! A very close race with those two guys. That put me in 3rd place overall behind two very fast 125cc shifter karts (78-79 second raw times!), but I was happy to be the fastest production car at the event and acquire another 175 points towards the 2001 WTR-SCCA Autocross Championship.
On another note, I've decided not to attend the SCCA National Solo2 Championships this year due to some financial set backs. Besides, I would get my ass whooped anyway!
Video of one of the runs
