TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

my only point is that if you let a non-RX8 driver come in and block points against the other RX-8 drivers you're working against the marque, it was an assumption on my part that you had a desire to see an RX-8 win the championship, my bad ....

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

fwiw I was cutting 2.2 sec 60 ft times at Wendover which is 4100 ft elevation and in an RX-8 that isn't as prepared as mine, I expect that to be below 2.0 at Toledo

so maybe you'll be giving up 0.5 sec, but not me and I have seen plenty of cars get beat off the line and then come back and stomp at the finish

The course at Atlanta is not typical, the MR2T will have it's hands full at Oscoda, Toledo, and Topeka

Imp

Would I love to see an 8 win? Sure. However, what points are there to be had when an 8 will be in 3rd behind the 1-2 finish of the MR2?

3rd place points will leave you sitting so far behind the 8-ball (MR2 points or west coast points) at the finale that going in with 2 3rd place finishes leaves no 8 driver from the East a CHANCE at winning the championship and is just fighting for the 'highest placing 8' in points. Blocker or no blocker.

Don't construe this all as if I'm not going to try my hardest to win in the 8. Part of racing is analyzing the competition, and you know what, after one event, I analyzed. East Coast is in the bag with the MR2. We're just fighting for 3rd place at the most here.

So, at this time, at best, an east coast 8 will finish up with 2 3rd place finish points when you factor in the MR2, barring any mistakes or mechanical problems by the MR2 or their drivers. (And let's not forget the Z drivers we have over here)

A blocker will just bump someone down farther from 3rd place... to that I say.. so what? It's not going to make a differece of an East Coast 8's winning at the Finale that's only between 2-3 cars, one from the east coast.

I challenge any 8 drivers (including myself) to prove me wrong at the next 2 pros. The above is something I would rather be wrong about, than right.

--kC

Imp

Below 2.0 60'? I'd pay $$ to see that. Atlanta was a downhill launch and I was getting 2.0s there. Not to say that a sub 2.0 isn't possible... just doing it when it counts is the 'challenge'.
--kC

rnoll98

We were doing very low 2.1s at Atwater at sea level. 2.0 is doable. Sub-2.0 might be a little optimistic. Word is the MR2 can do fairly consistent 1.8s. On a course like Wendover, a well prepared MR2 (Tim was on 1.5 year old S04s with slipping camber) would have eaten us alive. Look at what Uyeda did with his boxster, and I'm guessing he had a little left over for the challenge.

I agree with Mark though, on a course like Topeka, and even what we saw at Atwater (lots of real autox turns rather than just slaloms and offsets with a turnaround) the MR2 is going to have a much harder time lugging it's 2700+# around on the 205/225 tire combo. I think both are very capable cars, but both seem to be fairly course dependent, and that dependency will probably lean slightly toward the 8 at Topeka. Of course, what leans toward the 8 will probably lean toward that bloody Porsche as well :p

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

NoCones

if a non-RX8 driver comes east and wins, seems to me that it actually helps the marque...it's an RX8 winning after all...it would just show that the others driving the marque aren't driving it as well...you're not afraid of that happening, are you? :p Heck, you've apparently got the MR2T covered already...you should welcome others coming in and wasting their money trying to block.

I wouldn't give the east coast events to the MR2T yet either...hopefully the Oscoda and Toledo courses aren't so small and tight...but I'd still call Sammy the east coast favorite fer sher.

Bryan

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

edited: never said any such thing, but you internet forum jockeys can believe whatever you want

NoCones

lol...right back to ya

NoCones

Seriously, I certainly get why you'd rather not have someone help a west coaster out, but the implication that there's some disloyalty there is silly, imo. I have no more loyalty to a fellow RX8'er than any other driver, all other things equal. I'd love to see the 8 be successful, but I'm not going to be a butthead in the name of "protecting my marque." If I can get some benefit out of getting a co-driver (regardless of what he/she drives) and there's no cost/penalty to me, wht not?

PedalFaster

Such a little forum, yet so much drama. :D

I wasn't planning on flying out east, but with so many people offering rides, maybe I will just to help pass the time between now and September.

I wasn't present for the festivities, but it's interesting to note that the Pro championship was won in an MR2 five years in a row from '97 to '01; the MR2's winning streak even overlapped the S2000's arrival. How close were those battles? I think that the current crop of B Stock cars is faster than the A Stock cars of yore.

Steve

ronbauer

Hey Mark,

You talkin' 'bout me?

Of course I'd like to block points. :p Truth be told though, at this point with Sam already winning Atlanta, if one of us wins at the Finale, we'll also take the season, unless of course Sam finishes 3rd or worse at the final two events (fingers crossed.) It's now just a matter of whether someone else can get a win at the final two events and join in that final battle. This is the downside to a best two of three season.

Does it count that we had an RX-8 for a couple of months and ran it locally?

Other than me, all the others looking for a ride are currently running RX-8s and looking to get more events in.

I understand where you're coming from, but I welcome the competition in a straight up race in the same cars. Don't you want to see how I do out of that cheater 968?

BTW, what's the prognosis on your car? Is it in getting fixed already?

Ron

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

I'm not sure why you chose the term "cheater 968", but if you guys somehow got the idea that's what I think you're greatly mistaken.

Somebody will need both a first and second place finish to challenge you properly, making someassumptions about how well you do at the Finale.

Looks like I'm either buying a new unit from Motorsport or a used one if the price is right. Steve Hoelscher owns an Aamco shop and will rebuild the busted one properly, which I'll then keep as a spare. I'm not going to the dealer, IMO they just do a crappy rebuild and it will break again at some inopertune time, and of course they'll blame me. If you read through the various threads here that's Mazda's modus operandi on these. It's not worth the hassle.

ronbauer

Nothing meant by the terminology. Just jokin about how some perceive it being too good for the class....

That sucks that you'll have to shell out some decent bucks to get it redone, but as you say, this way you know it's correct!

Ron

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

I don't think it's too good for the class, I do think it will be bad for the class as a whole if three or four 968's clean up at Nat's and the SEB didn't cover their bases by putting a possible class change on it out for member comment and then make their decision following Nat's, there's no harm to put it out but potential for harm if they don't

not to mention they'll look less than intelligent if it goes down that way because there won't be any chance to correct it until 2007 ... CYA is all I'm asking for.

BTW, if I had even the slightest insecurity about straight up competition it wouldn't make any sense for me to invite someone of GH Sharp's caliber to be codriving, not to mention that I've been competing against these older cars nationally for 7 out of my 11 years of autocrossing. That's classic internet forum jockey logic for you ...

Imp

Ya know Mark, I saw a post you made earlier about you working on becoming a reformed ranter...

Still needs work. :D

--kC

NoCones

Agreed. I think we just differ on opinion about marque loyalty...it's just not that important to me. Maybe if it was a situation where someone out west driving a clearly inferior car was racking up points on soft competition and then wanted to come east and jump in an RX8...or switch to an RX-8 in Topeka...then I could see more logic to blocking their attempts to block...but that's certainly not the case this year.
Coming from the inventor of the breed, that's some high praise! Sorry for expressing my opinions...I suppose I should just shut up when you express yours since they're always right and indisputable.

ULLLOSE

iTrader: (1)

I think it would be great to get Ron, Randy or Joe into a car back east. So far one event back there and the RX8 got beat by the MR2t, 350z and CS. So is the 350z and MR2t that fast???? Are the east coast or west coast guys faster???? No reason to wait till Topeka to find out. Two events left, send Ron for one, Randy or Joe for the other. :D

NoCones

I wouldn't put much stock into the Atlanta event. I had my car for all of about 2 weeks at that point and had never autocrossed it. Imp had his car longer, but had only autoxed it once, I think...on streets. And, imo, the course had MR2T written all over it (and Miata for that matter...CS beat AS, too), launch advantage or not. The 350z beat Imp by all of 0.02.

dknv

And, KC, you didn't have the Konis in yet, right?

Imp

Nope just a front bar, tires, & wheels.

ULLLOSE

iTrader: (1)

Come on guys, you are slacking. I had my car about two weeks, drove it on the street twice, had stock shocks and got 1st at the Fontana pro 2nd at the San Diego tour. Joe Geoke had his car about four days, 3rd in wendover, got the quickest left side run if he would have had a quick right could have won. I think Randy Knoll, who does not even own an 8 has driven more than any of us, three events or so before a pair of 2nd places in Atwater. Sipe jumps in a barrowed car and win Houston tour.
Almost forgot about GH... Glad he hit cones or his first event in the car would have had 2nd place to go with it.

OK, I will be the bad guy.... East coast looks soft. :p

I think there is no doubt, Strano will be tuff at the pros, but dont be crying here if you get beat by his tire warmer. :D

Imp

If you mean 'Pillsbury Doughboy' soft... yep! That's me.

Just don't poke me in the stomach... my mother did that to me once.... once.

--kC

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Look, your RX-8 isn't prepared, you haven't accomplished anything notable in it, and your experience in the classis considerably less than people like myself, Ron, Joe, GH, Carter, etc. If you honestly believe you're right then you have nothing else to do but sit back and smugly watch it all play out just as you've predicted.

NoCones

Thanks for the assessment...I had no clue who the heck I was until you helped me out. I agree with your assessment...I know I'm no big name, but I'm no Cole Milstead autocrossing on frictionless rollers either. And unfortunately, I probably can't afford any prep until my new job starts in the fall...oh well, I'll try to have some fun.

Don't know what you're talking about with that last part though...what did I predict?