So we left Topeka Saturday morning and I arrived in Ontario around 3pm. I called down to SD to make sure that the car I would be driving at the Champ event on Sunday would be ready and Jon (driver of the Power Honda Performance STS Civic) said that all was good and we were ready to go. So I did some unpacking then some packing for the SD trip. Good thing we ran in the afternoon because it gave me chance to sleep in my own bed for one night.
So the next morning I made my way down to SD to meet up with Jon since he was the one picking up the car we were driving.
So we were pretty fortunate to get the chance to drive the car we were since it was a fully prepped STS car that Leslie Cohen and Mark Duerst have been campaigning both locally as well as nationally. I was looking forward to feeling how others peoples cars drive vs our cars motor and setup and this would be a good chance for me to see how our car was different in good or bad ways from other competitors preparations. So I meet Jon for lunch near the site so we could trade cars and I could drive the Civic on the street to get used to the brakes and the seat before we get to the venue. My first impressions was I was in aw in how much faster the motor felt then ours especially on the bottom end and also how BIG the brake pedal was, I still haven't decided if i like the bigger pedal or not.
So we arrived walked and I did all my normal rituals to get ready and the course seemed like it had some areas that were very flat but the catch was that there were cones all over the place lining the track on each side, really useless if you ask me but there was a nice patience off camber turn and a fast slalom to the finish so over all had some good elements.
Today I got to be second driver and Jon went out on his first run. Right after the start the car started over steering and he had to correct and after almost every turn the tail was wagging both ways. Jon comes back with the look of surprise in his eyes and we make some changed before my run in hopes of helping the cause. After my first run the tail seemed more settled but im having trouble getting the car to turn in and at corner exit the car seems to understeer as I apply power. So we both clock not so fast times. As we progress we only incrementally go faster quickly finding out that the tires that are currently on the car are definitely not gripping and we are scrounging to change our line to gather some time. In the end we end up a good half second or more behind the STS leader and we leave the grid defeated and kinds frustrated.
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After our runs group Jon comes up with an idea that might save the day and we would still have the chance of having fun today. So what we did was we got together the tools to swap the Dunlops Z1 off of Jons Civic onto the Cohen/Durst civic to see it the tires were truly the problem or was it both of us drivers that were just off par today.
At the same time Marco the current leader was taking some x-runs and broke a wheel on his subaru and asked if he could use the civic for his final 3 runs and since the car was ready to go we let him take it on one condition....
So then began what im sure will be the first of many
"SD STS Grudge matches"
1 car 3 top drivers winner takes home pride and honor and losers do 10 push-ups in grid in front of everyone else running.
So Marco goes out for his 3 runs and comes back with something close to a half second faster then his wining time. This excites Jon and I as we get ready for fun runs and now that we feel is the REAL race of the day. Jon and I do the normal 2 driver dance for our runs and our first runs are already almost a second faster then our champ runs. Jon's last run tops Marco's fastest and we are approaching Street Mod times!!! I go out for my last run and again get in the zone for my final run and think of how im going to make sure I make the sections I need to win. So my final time puts me almost 2 seconds faster then our champ times and close to 1.5 seconds faster then the top STS time!!! (NO PUSH UPS FOR ME!!!)
So all in all it ended up being a fun day and we added a little spice to STS as the crowd seemed to also enjoy us cussing and screaming at each other as we continues to beat down are times after each run.
I wanted to send a special thanks again to Leslie and Mark for lending us their car, it was a blast to drive and it was great to be able to compare my setup info to theirs and thanks to Jon for getting the car to the site and taking car of the logistics and thanks to Marco for playing!!
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