We autocrossed this weekend!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
We autocrossed this weekend!
Guess who had the fastest Corvette time? No, not me, but another C3. A '79 Vette. These guys, husband and wife, were serious. They pulled a trailer behind their Vette which contained the race tires. They put the race tires on their absolutely stock Vette. I mean absolutely stock. AC Delco shocks, factory springs, sway bars, and engine. Then they crank out some of the fastest times. Even faster than the GS Vette that showed up. Much faster than me and I've thown the Summit catologue at my car. It just goes to show you, it's 90% ability and talent. The Datsun took best time of the day again. Also, somebody from Thousand Oaks showed up in a brand new Mercedes AMG SLR, a $200,000 sports car, and he raced it.
Bee Jay
Bee Jay
Last edited by Bee Jay; Jul 13, 2010 at 12:32 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
The white one.
Bee Jay's is the yellow one.
Bee Jay - Tires are big, big, big. You'll never be able to turn top times unless you go to R compound or slicks. (Check out the Hoosier A6, these are very fast R compound tires.)
Glad to hear you had a good time. Great photos of you in the car. Like the big ole grin. I have a photo of me like that in the 78 somewhere on my desktop...
Bee Jay's is the yellow one.
Bee Jay - Tires are big, big, big. You'll never be able to turn top times unless you go to R compound or slicks. (Check out the Hoosier A6, these are very fast R compound tires.)
Glad to hear you had a good time. Great photos of you in the car. Like the big ole grin. I have a photo of me like that in the 78 somewhere on my desktop...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,897
Likes: 1,357
From: Santa Ana CA
Guess who had the fastest Corvette time? No, not me, but another C3. A '79 Vette. These guys, husband and wife, were serious. They pulled a trailer behind their Vette which contained the race tires. They put the race tires on their absolutely stock Vette. I mean absolutely stock. AC Delco shocks, factory springs, sway bars, and engine. Then they crank out some of the fastest times. Even faster than the GS Vette that showed up. Much faster than me and I've thown the Summit catologue at my car. It just goes to show you, it's 90% ability and talent.
That would be Mark and Cindy Costello. They've been autocrossing and drag racing that same car for >20 years.
Good friends of ours, we used to compete in the drags in the old days (different autocross classes though). For several years in a row it was my wife against Cindy in the finals at the Desert Corvettes Millard Fillmore event held at Firebird. (My wife won her class 5 years running and took king of the hill one year.)
That old car in stock class will run the 1/8th mile with the C4s but looses it at the top end in the 1/4.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,090
Likes: 74
From: New Carlisle IN
The two biggest things that can make a huge difference in times at an autocross are driver talent and tires.
A good driver in an inferior car can almost always beet a mediocre driver in a great car. I have my 73 and 76 that I autocross and I can beat most standard c5s and c6s. I do have a hard time keeping up with even slightly good drivers in c5 Z06s.
Tires are the most worthwile improvement for autocross. I was at a charity event this last march and I started on falken street tires. I was running around 48 seconds. I then threw my Kumho V700s on there and imediatly dropped to 45 seconds.
A good driver in an inferior car can almost always beet a mediocre driver in a great car. I have my 73 and 76 that I autocross and I can beat most standard c5s and c6s. I do have a hard time keeping up with even slightly good drivers in c5 Z06s.
Tires are the most worthwile improvement for autocross. I was at a charity event this last march and I started on falken street tires. I was running around 48 seconds. I then threw my Kumho V700s on there and imediatly dropped to 45 seconds.
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
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From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
Was white 79 a 4 speed car? From the picture it looks lower and small diameter tires. I don't think that it is stock somewhere.
As for you... major body roll and by the smoke off the inside front your have a push problem
As for you... major body roll and by the smoke off the inside front your have a push problem
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 914
Likes: 14
From: Aberdeen, Scotland
Good pics
Just curious how did the SLR do? That is some amount of cash there!
I am surprised 'vettes are so popular. Me I would want something like the Lotus Super 7 rep like in your pic.
carbster
I am surprised 'vettes are so popular. Me I would want something like the Lotus Super 7 rep like in your pic.
carbster
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
The course was extremely tight again. Short straight chutes connected by tight hairpins. If I gave it too much gas in the turns, the front end would lift and push. Brake too late, and it would plow.
Bee Jay
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
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From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
The SLR was turning 40 and 41 second times. I was doing 40 seconds times. We got 10 total runs and I could not break into the 39 seconds no matter how hard I drove. The white 79 was doing 36 seconds, faster than the C6s, C5s, the VW forumula and the Lotus 7 replica. Fast time of the day was 33s I think from the Datsun and Turbo 944 race car. Stand by for video.
Bee Jay
Race Director
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From: Forked River NJ
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
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From: Dayton, Ohio
Big grin , I like it ! 
At first glance I thought you were wearing a tie. 
Back when I was in HS my automotive teacher had a stock 69 Z28 , his trophy's lined the classroom. You could always tell when he had been to a race
.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
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From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
Here is a video of my 40.1 second run. Now you all will see how tight the course was and why the little cars have a field day. We need a bigger parking lot.
Bee Jay
Bee Jay
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
