Open All Night

The big lesson of this year for me is to never give up on a run.  My fastest run on each course included big mistakes.  In the past, I might have given up on the run, either letting up or just hitting a cone rather than taking emergency action.  Autocross, even at the highest levels, is often an exercise in damage control.  Unlike road racers, we’ve only got 3 shots to get it right, so mistakes are going to be made - dealing with them and limiting the damage is an important skill.  Too often, when they happen, we mentally let down, or just get frustrated and toss the run.  I know in the past I’ve hit cones that I could have avoided just because I was mad about the mistake that put the cone in front of me.

Thus endeth today’s sermonette.

Although, I’m not that pleased with the final result, I was pretty happy with the way the day turned out. (more…)

Congratulations go out to Michael Occhipinti and Eric Denissen for making 2006 the most successful Nationals in Team Neon’s history. Michael took a fifth place trophy, his highest finish to date, and Eric moved up to 15th, his highest finish also.

STS showed unprecedented diversity on the leader board, this year, with the Rhodes 240sx taking the win and strong finishes from two Neons, two Integras and two Subbies. The top ten was split evenly between the Spec Civics and alternative weapons.

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Well, I’ve tossed away another Nationals. I’m mired in the cheap seats (12th, out of the trophies, about 1.3 seconds back.)

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The CG-Lock Neon sits high up in the trophies after day one of the 2006 SCCA Solo National Championships in Topeka, Kansas. Michael Occhipinti sits in 6th place while Eric Denissen, filling in for Mr. Wyman and Mr. Hurst, showed little sign of unfamiliarity with the car while climbing up into the top 20.

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More exciting Nationals action, and more fun times, although I’m in game mode now, so the drinking and lechery is on hold.  Here’s a quick update on how the local Steel Cities folks fared.
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Morning arrived way too early, and I woke up in one of those still drunk/hungover states.  I had to hustle over to the site because my work assignment is covering the ESP and BSP classes for Sportscar, and of course, they ran in the first heat.  It took some coffee and cigarettes, but I managed to get there in one piece.

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