Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Time of My Life


  Ever since the O'reilly's SMMCN/TCI Autocross event i went to last March (http://www.AsEyeSeeThings.com/2014/03/a-great-day-at-races.html) and went for a ride-a-long with Robert Byrd (The Racing Byrds), and then the week after when we went to the first of the Hotchkis Autocross events, and this time going on a ride-a-long with Aaron from Hotchkis in the E-Max Challenger (http://www.AsEyeSeeThings.com/2014/04/i-officially-hooked.html). I've been looking forward to, and working on my El Camino to be able to enter my first race.
  I had been enjoying our many canyon carving cruises with some of my buddies, through the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu canyons up to this point. I felt like those were a great learning start point on how my El Camino handles and responds to the hills and turns. If I only knew how much it would actually help me for the Autocross, I would have tried to be up there every weekend!!
  The most important fact i learned after running through the cones this past Sunday, is that I have a lot to learn! But more importantly I also learned what i need to learn for starters, which i think is the most valuable lesson. Not just to where my car is lacking from grip on my old Radial tires, which was pretty obvious right away,  to the need for more power (I think everybody feels that way Hahaa!) but to work on getting my timing better on entering a turn and coming in to hot and loosing the apex, and when to get back on the gas coming out of it toward a straight away, and how to control the car's balance by using the gas instead of just relying on the brakes and steering.
  Those are just a few of the thoughts going through my mind since the event. There's way to many to list here, but believe me there will be a lot more "Learning Experiences" for me!
  I didn't spend to much time taking to many pictures this weekend, and some of the pictures, and video posted up here were taken by my Wife (My Biggest Supporter!), my buddy Ismael,  and also Trish Byrd (The Racing Byrds) who i would also like to Thank, along with her husband Robert Byrd for all their support. and not to forget to mention all my old, and new found friends alike for  their motivation and encouragement.

p.s. - I think it was really cool that Rita W. won the Hotchkis cup for overall most consistent best time for the weekend!
-A.K.