Charlotte area enthusiasts get-together

[jbentley1]

Attention notification list manager:
Please change my email address to [email protected]. John Bentley, Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #128.
Thanks.

[Busamike]

Hi, Im new to this awesome lifestyle. I bought an already built Mk3 2 months ago. I didnt build it but it appears I am rebuilding it. Have a 5.0 out of 87 donor and still learning mustangs and cobras, Are these get togethers still happening? thanks, Mike

[Mike N]

Yes, monthly breakfasts are still happening. With Covid restrictions they are often a little creative. If the weather holds breakfast should be this Saturday morning. PM Larry, Coyote Cruiser, the starter of this thread and have him add you to the monthly email list.

[NC Cobra]

Had my Cobra for a year now and am looking into doing some autocross in the CLT area in 2021. Looks like CCR of SCCA runs events out at the Z Max lot in Concord but I could use some advise on setting up the suspension and tires and generally getting to a solid base line that i can build on. Anybody planning to run those events that I could get some advice from?

[Mike N]

I used to AutoX almost every weekend but since I moved to NC haven't had the time. I'd be interested in tagging along if you decide to go to Z Max next year. If you haven't Auto X'ed before the best advice I can give is to make sure that your car has a good alignment and check your tire pressures. Somewhere in the low 20's is typical for a street tire. My car likes 22 front, 24 rear. Apart from that be prepared, the less distractions you have to worry about the more you can concentrate on the course. A typical first timer will struggle with following the course and understanding the cones. You really want to be able to drive in, register, tech the car and then not worry about it for the rest of the day. As you get more experience adjusting pressures etc can be a great tuning tool but don't go into your first event with any plans to change anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piqGU7O7qU8

[NC Cobra]

Thanks Mike. Understand the 2021 CLT schedule should be out this week. I’ll ping you with some dates when I see em.

[NC Cobra]

Mike
The first couple of dates are 3/6 and 4/17 @ the Z-Max lot here in CLT. Do either of those work for you? Also, my car is a road orientated MK4 with std low back seats. Are there any tech requirements that I need to start thinking about for SCCA Solo? If you have experience with the SCCA or NASA tech requirements for HPDE events that would also be appreciated. Ive read the Tech check lists and the rule book and there seems to be a disconnect between the two. May have been referencing rules for time trials or road racing based on some of the safety requirements. Short version is that Im interested in giving this a try but not so badly that I turn a very pretty roadster into a full blown race car. Thanks for you advice and hope to see you at the track this spring.
Cheers,
Jeff

[Mike N]

Jeff.

With the current travel restrictions I think either of those dates would work for me. Auto X is typically not very demanding for safety equipment. Roll bar, seat belts, current Snell auto rated helmet, not motorcycle rated. I'm guessing that a 2012 helmet would still be OK this year. Most events have loner helmets which are OK in a pinch but sweaty loners are not so pleasant. Usually long pants, long sleeved shirt and closed toe shoes are required. I need to check the date on my helmet having not Auto X'ed for 10 years I'm sure it's out of date.

Open track events are more demanding on safety equipment. Before the lockdowns SCCA was running their track night events at SCMP (Kershaw) which would be fun to do. Typical 20 minute track sessions will give you (and the car) and real work out. Auto X is a great step towards open track. You can't do much damage learning the limits of your car and spinning at 30-40 mph in a parking lot, spinning at 80-90 mph with barriers around is not so forgiving.

Best advice is to plan on learning and having fun. If you are a competitive person check your ego at the gate, you will get beat by a bunch of low buck well set up and well driven cars. You will probably struggle a little with the low back seats and find yourself concentrating on 'hanging on' and not feeling like you are driving the car. At my first Auto X my son and I had a blast, got lost on course and spun a few times, we were at the slowest end of the times. At the end of the day I had one of the event organizers drive my car and he immediately ran 3 seconds faster had I had run all day having never driven my car before. That was all the motivation I needed, the car was not the reason for the slow times it was the driver.

[NC Cobra]

Mike,
Lets shoot for 3/6 then at Z-Max. While I am competitive, time has brought an ability to laugh at myself - a trait I will most likely need by the sound of things. Looking forward to playing with cars in an empty parking lot. Last time I did that was 30 years ago and we got chased off by the police. �� Funny you mentioned CMP in Kershaw as I was also looking at a HPDE / Turn One Track event they were hosting on 3/11 - 14. Thought process being some in car instruction might be a good starting point for me. You raise a good point about relative speeds however. Are the HPDE events more about learning or pushing limits? If the latter then I’ll work up to it after a few autocross events. Ultimately, I’m hoping to get to a point where I can run the Chasing The Dragon hill climb event late this summer. FYI - no thoughts of becoming the next Mario Andretti in my old age. Really just looking for some spirited driving in different environments. For me its all about enjoying the car and the road with others who appreciate those things. Looking forward to catching up soon and hope you have a very Happy & Healthy New Year.
Cheers,
Jeff

[NC Cobra]

Mike,
They finally got registration open for the 3/6 event at Z-Max. Signed up for Novice class and will see how it goes. You still thinking about heading over there?
Regards
Jeff

[Mike N]

Jeff. I looks like I don't get back in town until late on Friday so I probably won't run that event. I'll try to make it down later in the day to hang out for a while. Here's the registration link for anybody that might be interested https://www.motorsportreg.com/events...rolinas-159934

[NC Cobra]

No worries, I’ll catch ya at the next one. Anybody else interested?