Author: RE Iowa Region SCCA

Iowa Region SCCA had an event on Sunday the 24th, it was awesome. A little hot, but awesome.

Over the past few months we have been investigating how to “fix” the runway. IC airport is a great venue, it had some very obvious issues though. We had to navigate around massive craters or cracks, it created a struggle for course designers. We essentially had a gravel trap after the finish that was “super fun” for cars with Hoosiers or race rubber. Gravel traps are bad for Mod cars with exposed tires and no windshields.

With a half pallet (1600lbs) of traffic patch that is used by the Nebraska region at the national site we were ready to start fixing. One week prior to the event we did a test patch and learned some very valuable lessons about mixing concrete.

1.) Have a proper drill, corded, if it doesn’t tax your generator it’s too small. haha.

2.) put the correct amount of water in the bucket first, then the concrete while mixing. LOADS faster this way.

3.) don’t let the bucket spin away from you, hold on!

4.) hurry up and pour!

During our test run we used 15 bags of patch for two big spots off the course (shut down gravel trap) and to fill some holes as well. The test patching went awesome and everything was properly cured for the next morning. 

Fast forward to the setup day on July 23rd, hottest day of ’22 so far, we assembled a team of ambitious unskilled concrete guys and got to work. Started at 9am and had the course setup and the necessary holes/cracks patched by 3pm. 16 bottles of Gatorade, 17 bags of concrete, 20ish gallons of water, multiple brushing apparatuses and numerous sunburns was all it took. 

On race day, we confirmed the concrete held up as expected and Emery (our course designer) did a couple confirmation laps and we setup some extra pointers to help with the crossover. 

Iowa City Airport is capped at 50 entrants due to it’s space constraints, we had 50 registered and 42 show up to race. We maybe able to open up registration to 55 or 60 next event, we shall see if the demand is there.

On to the action! Check out the results here

First runs were started around 10am, first heat was most of the Street Classes and the PRO class. 14 drivers in PRO battling it out to get their top time in only 3 chances. I knew this was going to be a fun fight. Of the first runs in Pro class only the Miatas were clean. 19 cones and 4 DNFs on first runs tells you how technical this course was. 10 cones and 3 DNFs for 2nd runs as people tried to clean up and improve. 3 People set their fastest pro class time in their 2nd runs. 3rd runs is where everyone (almost) knuckled down and got clean fast runs. Jeremy (31.163 Raw 27.984 Pax) was able to pull off the win, Emery (35.156 Raw 28.687 Pax) couldn’t pull of a clean 34.5 he needed to inch into 1st. Mike Bronson (36.446 Raw 28.938 Pax), Brent Seaton (35.804 Raw 29.216 Pax) and Jeff Ellerby (33.197 Raw 29.810 Pax) rounded out the 5 trophy spots in Pro. 5 People managed to be dirty all 3 runs, myself included haha. *Insert random excuse here*.

Pro class results are only first three runs of the day, but the remaining runs for pro class drivers still count towards Pax and Raw times, which is good for Alex. Alex had a rough morning in pro class, but pulled off a wild flying lap to set top pax with a 34.979 GStreet Raw time which is good for a 27.773 in Pax!

There were a lot of cones hit this event and I want to formally thank all the course workers for picking up and calling in all the cones! Our Cone Killer from 2021 Max Long somehow only hit 3 cones all event. I should get him his trophy so he can hang it on his wall for the rest of the season.

Here are a couple videos from the event and if we get some photos I can add them as well.

Thanks again for everyone who came out to the event and all the extra help with concrete setup before!!

Drew

RE Iowa Region SCCA

 

 

Iowa Region SCCA had an AutoX this past weekend at Hawkeye Downs. There was a water feature at the finish, luckily it did not impact the course at all. It did lead to some awesome photos though! Plenty of jokes of an Iowa Grand Prix with John Boats instead of Yachts parked in the “marina” haha.

The weather was phenomenal outside of a bit too sunny and a bit too windy, course design at Hawkeye Downs is pretty standard but we do try and do some small variations. This event we did a slightly different exit to the 1/2 mile oval which was very well received. The course was fast with some people hitting low 70mph going into the outer loop but still very technical (as shown by the cone happy pro class).

 

Thank you Nick for the photos!

We had a strong showing in the newly created Novice group, some notable references are Bill in his Corvette shaving 20 seconds off his time from first run to his 6th! Jen in her Veloster dropping 10 seconds off her first run to her fastest clean run! Big shout out to Justin in his S2000 with the win in Novice.

Our Pro class is new for 2022 and had 13 drivers signed up, with only the first three runs counting the pressure is really on to get a good fast run put down. I should include clean in that requirement. Fast and Clean! With over 30 cones hit in the first 3 runs staying clean and fast wasn’t easy. I personally scratched a 1 second faster run by being a little too greedy on the out loop pinch points. Based on the chatter in the paddock, I wasn’t the only one to center punch a cone from being a bit too greedy. haha. Jeremy in his DM pulled off the win with his 3rd run.

We had four father and son teams battling each other. Ryan and Eli in STH, Chad and Luke in STS, Brent and Emery in GS, also Jeff and Jeremy in DM. In STH the father pulled off the win, in STS the son was able to hold off his Dad, in GS the son not only pulled off a win over dad but he also got fastest vehicle with doors and in DM the son inched out a win as well. It is awesome seeing father and son co-drivers battling out in some friendly competition.

Results: https://iowaregionscca.org/IAR/results/

Couple videos from the event are below!

It was a perfect day for RallyCross yesterday!  Lower attendance allowed us to try a different event format, where each racer got to take two laps around the course per run.  This resulted in runs that were over 200 seconds and all racers got a minimum of 20 minutes of time on course!!  We paired this run format with hot swapping course workers, so we were still able to finish before 3 pm.

We still had some very close battles despite the very high cumulative times.  In Modified RWD, Chet Prust edged out Aaron Booms by only 0.946 seconds even with a cumulative run time just over 21 minutes and 45 seconds!  There was also a tight battle in Stock AWD, with Greg Little passing up Jay Kurth on the last run of the day to take first by less than four seconds.

Make your plans now to join us at our next RallyCross on June 12th at the Oskaloosa Fairgrounds to get in on the fun!

 

Final Results | Raw Results

 

 

Event #2 of 2022 is in the books, also our first event at Hawkeye Downs for the year.

I may have unintentionally not made a facebook event for this AutoX, I swore I set one up previously but I did not.

We had approximately 70 pre-registered but there were a good 22 people who either cancelled last minute or chose not to attend likely due to the forecasted rain.

 

The weather held out for us and everyone was able to complete 6 runs, some got 7 but they were scrubbed from the results due to not everyone getting to run their final 7th runs.

The course was a lot of fun, I thought it flowed very well and rewarded looking a head ALOT. Check out Andrew’s video above.

Hawkeye Downs tends to be higher speed and it rewards good car placement and staying clean. Pro Class was littered with dirty runs, of the 7 competitors only 3 were able to make a clean run out of their allotted 3 runs for the class championship points.

The Top 6 in Pax from Sunday’s event had a great variety of drivers and vehicles.

  • 1st Jeremy Ellerby DM Sprinto RC 1.4T
  • 2nd Zach Uthoff DS BMW 128i
  • 3rd Trevor Brown STX Honda Civic
  • 4th Andrew Dostal EV Tesla Model 3
  • 5th Andrew Advani STU Subaru WRX STI
  • 6th Eric Fredricks HS Fiat 500 Abarth

Definitely not one specific make or class taking home all the points this past Sunday.

Look forward to seeing everyone at our next event at Hawkeye Tech, it’s a two day event!

Check out the complete results on the results page.

 

-Drew

RE Iowa Region SCCA

Event #1 of 2022 is in the books! With a total of 45 entries we had a solid turn out for Iowa City Airport.

Iowa City Airport is a unique lot in that we have to avoid some spots in the tarmac that are “deteriorating”. In some spots the course designs itself to an extent.  The pinch points you’ll see in videos posted from this event show the pinch points pretty well.

 

The course was fast yet technical, cone happy and some good open stretches. I enjoyed the challenge, and it was challenging to do it fast yet clean.

 

You can find results on the results tab.

 

Thank you everyone for coming out and for staying to help clean up!

 

See everyone soon in Cedar Rapids in May!

 

-Drew

RE Iowa Region SCCA

This past weekend Iowa Region SCCA RallyX was at Cedar Falls Motorsport Park.

There were 22 entries at Sunday’s RallyX, with 8 of the 9 possible RallyX classes represented.

Stock AWD with 12 drivers was won by Jay Kurth

Mod AWD with 4 drivers was won by Eric Less

FTD and Top Stock time was set by Jay Kurth

Top Prepared time was set by Kim Kurth

Top Modified time was set by Eric Less

The results are now live!

Final Results

Raw Results

Thank you to everyone who came out to race with us on Sunday! See you at the next event.

Iowa Region SCCA AutoX Points Championship 2022

Each year Iowa Region SCCA hosts a points championship for all Iowa Region SCCA Members.

There are 11 Points events this year, every Sunday event on our Events Calendar for 2022 is a points event.

Points are awarded based off % of top PAX. Top PAX earns 100pts, if you’re 10% slower than top PAX you get 90pts. All points over the course of the championship are totaled, your lowest 3 scores are dropped. 

These points calculate both overall Soloist of the Year (PAX) Champion and Individual Class Championships.

Over the course of 2022 we will update this post with current top 10 standings for Soloist of the Year.

 

 

Here are a few important links.

SCCA National Website

Motorsport Reg Iowa Region Events

Other Iowa Regions

Near by Regions

Autocross Basics

Iowa Region SCCA

 

Prepare

Before the day of the event prepare your car by making sure it has good tires and brakes, no loose suspension parts or loose battery, and no liquid leaks. Gather up things you will want when you get to the event. If you have a helmet with SA2010 or M2010 or later designation, bring it. Otherwise, the club will loan you one at the event. Other things you need are sun screen, a hat, layers of clothing, and rain gear. Yes, we run in the rain and it is fun! It is good to have a cooler with lunch, snacks and water. Because tire pressure is one of the most important aspects of handling it is a good idea to have a good pressure gauge and a small compressor for adjustments. Other useful items are glass cleaner, detailer, cleaning cloths and duct tape. You will need to pre-register by following the link associated with the event which will take you to Motorsportreg.com. If you are not an SCCA member you will need to fill out a temporary membership form and if you are under 18 you will need a minor waiver signed by your parents (link will be added in the future). You have to provide a method of payment when you register, but you won’t be charged until after the event and on only if you attend.  

 

Arrive

Arrive at the autocross site before 8 am and find a place to park and prepare your car. This will be your pit area. Do not park in front of a pile of tires and other junk because that is someone else’s pit area! 

 

Check in

As you enter the site you will be asked to present a waiver that can be one that that you received on Motorsportreg for the specific event. It is preferable to obtain an annual waiver from the SCCA website, but this is not necessary for your first event. You will be given a wrist band to indicate that you have checked in. 

 

Tech inspection

Tech inspection will be carried out by a club member in the indicated area. Before you arrive at the Tech station you should remove floor mats and all other loose items from the car. The inspector will make sure your car is safe for the event by looking for a firm brake pedal, a tight suspension, tires with tread, and a secure battery. 

 

Learning the course

You should now spend as much time as you can learning the course before the driver’s meeting at around 10 am. Walk the course over and over until you have memorized it. The more details you get in your head the quicker you will be. A good rule of thumb is to “walk until your legs hurt.” Get advice from other club members and take advantage of the “novice walk” right after the driver’s meeting. The course is defined by cones and if you don’t understand the layout of the course, ask someone. It is very helpful to walk with experienced drivers. Remember there are no cones on the course! (think about it) 

 

Driver’s meeting and schedule for the day

Around 9:45 am there will be a call for the driver’s meeting. You must attend and pay attention to what is said. Ask questions if you have them. The rest of the day will be divided into run heats. Cars will be split into two groups based on class. One group runs and the other group works. Running cars move into the specified grid area in no specific order. Everybody runs once and returns to the grid and this is repeated for a total of 3-4 runs. The entrants that drove first then check in for work assignments and those that were working move their cars into the grid. This pattern is repeated twice such that each driver gets a total of 6-8 runs in the two heats. 

 

Driving

When your group is running, pay attention to the grid worker who will tell you where to grid and when to run. When it is your turn, pull up to the starting line and when the starter indicates it is time, enter the course and proceed through it. Although the overall goal is to take the least amount of time to complete the course, your first goal is to not get lost and complete the course successfully. If you miss a gate you will not get a time, but instead will get a “DNF” (did not finish). If you hit a cone it will add 2 seconds to your time. As your confidence builds you can increase your speed with a goal of reducing your time each run. 

 

At all times other than during your run your speed should be a “walking pace.” Anyone driving recklessly will be told to leave the event. Also because event sites are very difficult to find, you should drive responsibly to and from the event. No burnouts, slides, or high speeds are allowed (except when on course!). 

 

Many people at the event will have had years (or decades!) of experience. The fastest way to get quick is to ask them for advice. The best drivers are the ones that learn quickly from other drivers what is important. No one has ever had a perfect run, but most people agree on a few principles:

 

  1. Know the course before your first run.
  2. Don’t overdrive. If your car is sliding dramatically it is actually going slow. 
  3. Try to make the course as short as possible by coming as close to the inside cones as you can.
  4. You should be right at the edge (but not over) the limits of accelerating, braking, turning, or a combination of the three at all times. 
  5. Learn from your mistakes. 

 

Working

When you are not running you should be working. Being a course worker is a great time to get a close up look at how experienced drivers handle specific sections of the course. While you are working you should always stand up and pay attention to the cars that are near you. Face oncoming cars and be prepared to get out of the way if someone loses control. If you are working on a “hot” course you should not use a cell phone or camera. When replacing downed cones, do so in a quick and safe manner. Do not put yourself or others in danger. One worker in each station will have a red flag to signal to drivers to stop because of an unsafe condition. If you see a red flag while driving, come to a quick safe stop and wait to be told what to do by a course worker. Also the person with the flag will have a radio to call in infractions. After the runs have concluded there is still work to do to pick up the cones and clean up the site. 

 

Performance versus fun

Timing data is posted live (follow links on the Iowa Region SCCA website). You should look to see if you got a time and what is was. If you received a DNF, you need to figure out why. A specially marked worker assigned to assist novices may be able to help you with this so that you can correct the next run. It will become very obvious to you after your first run that you have just had a tremendous amount of fun. That is the most important aspect of autocrossing. Drugs and alcohol are not allowed at events, but as you gain experience and your times drop, you will discover a natural flow of adrenaline and you will have even more fun. 

 

Iowa Region Website:  http://iowaregionscca.org