SCCA Camaro

Instructors are only allowed to ride along with novice drivers in SCCA Solo II competition, so I was on my own facing a course I had only quickly jogged through in between breaking into my car and running around trying to get my car started and topping off my friendly neighbor’s gas tank.  The course started on the right with a quick chicane, then a right hand turn followed by a short four cone slalom and then a 180 degree turn to the left with two “triangles” in the middle.  The triangles, or “Doritos” as some called them, are a set of three cones that can be driven in whatever direction the driver wishes, so long as he/she traverses two lines—that is, moves through the triangle rather than around it.  After the triangles another short slalom greeted drivers before a quick right hand turn followed by a long sweeping left hand turn and a right hand turn off the course.

I was on grid by the start of the Heat 2 and probably in a fairly frantic mood considering the hectic pace of my morning so far!  I had decided to keep my tire pressure at 38 lbs all the way around, at least for the four runs in my heat, but I had also set up my gauge on the Dakota Digital dash to record maximum speed during my run.  My first run was clean with no cones and a 39.785 time, faster than a few of my ESP competitor’s first runs, but in the franticness of the morning I forgot to record my top speed during the run. 

I wondered if I was experiencing too much engine breaking when taking my foot off the accelerator, and one of my fellow autocrossers suggested I try running the entire course in second gear, so I decided to do my second run in second gear.  My second run was a clean (no cones) 39.650 with a top speed of 38 MPH as I started to familiarize myself with the course and got more time in the driver’s seat of the Camaro (this was, after all, only my 4^th autocrossing run ever in the ’68 Camaro).  Top speed was reached on the last left hand turn sweeper before the exit from the course.  Second gear required more use of the breaks, but with the big camshaft the Camaro didn’t want to come out of the turns very aggressively.  For this reason and because I only improved by a tenth of a second, I decided to go back to first gear for my third run.  After each run, I checked all the gauges and opened the hood to make sure the accessory belts were intact.  So far, so good…

January 20^th came and proved to be a hectic morning!  I arrived with my number (13) and class (ESP) on the car in electrical tape.  The information on the website indicated only novices were allowed their numbers and class in tape, and I had searched the PDF of the SCCA rules for the 2007/2008 season for the word “novice” in an attempt to find out if it meant just your first race or your first race season.  The document used the term novice, but it was never defined, so I decided to roll out with the tape (which had worked admirably in my first race).  Well, as it turns out, “Novice” is defined as your first race only, and there was little flexibility on this, so I was relegated to attempting to make a legible sign with some markers and paper.  That’s when it happened…I was juggling my registration, keys, the tape, paper, and a marker, and had set the keys down in the trunk.  I realized this was not the best place for the keys and as I reached down to grab them, the wind grabbed the trunk and slammed it shut!  I had locked the doors since I had to leave the car alone in the non-secure Aloha Stadium parking lot while I was registering, so I was now locked out of my car, and tech inspections were moments away, and I was scheduled to run in Heat 1!

In my most MacGyver of moments, I removed a windshield wiper blade from the Camaro and was able to use it to break into the car (I’ll skip the specific details for obvious reasons—I’ve got a lot of money tied up in this car!).  I still had to remove the rear seat, upper and lower, to get at the trunk since I don’t have the fold-down rear seat option in the ’68, and I cut my calf up and was bleeding while doing this but did eventually get the keys and get a sign made and tech in successfully.  After the driver’s meeting, I ran the course quickly and then put the car on grid.  I turned the Camaro off while I checked the tire pressure, and then with a few cars to go before my first run, attempted to start it.  No dice.  It turned over like made, but wouldn’t start.  The car didn’t have a habit of not starting if it turned over, and with the fuel gauge being wacky I decided it must be out of gas.  I shook the rear of the car and didn’t hear any sloshing, so I decided that was it.  Luckily the event organizers had pity on me and asked me to roll the car off the grid and run in an alternate Heat later in the day, and I set off to find some gasoline!

One of my fellow racers was kind enough to provide me with a tank of gasoline, but when I was putting gas in the tank I realized there was no way the tank was empty, as it overflowed with only a few gallons added!  Assuming now the car must be flooded, I got back behind the wheel and kept on cranking with the pedal on the floor but with no pumping.  Soon enough the car jumped to life, but now I had to replace my fellow competitors gas, which required leaving Aloha Stadium, and navigating around the mess of highways surrounding the Stadium to top off this tank and return it to him before Heat 1 ended.