OLD CROW 3V Mustang: Autox event!

 So far I've put about 500 miles on OLD CROW since modifying every aspect of the car. I haven't really been able to explore the limits of the car until I took it to UMC (Utah Motorsports Campus) for an Autox event with the Utah SCCA.

Thanks to Josh Tenny and Madison Caldron who photographed the event and shared their photos on the Utah SCCA Facebook page! Thank you!!!

I think these first 2 pics are my favorite. The rear of the car just looks great with spoiler and blacked out rear panel and the wide wheels and tires. This corner here is a sharp, more than 90 degree turn after downshifting back into 1st. The car is very flat as you can see! What a compliment to all the suspension modifications that Maximum Motorsports, Kenny Brown Performance and Cortex Racing provide. 

I will say, the Continental ECF tire, while its a 200 treadwear track/street tire, is really not optimal for autox. It doesn't heat up as fast as the other tires like the Falken RT660 or the Bridgestone RE-71RS, which is what most people were running. The Conti ECF is more a track day tire that is consistent over many laps more than sticky in the short term.

The cone worker running back to his station probably means I hit a cone! haha I believe I only hit one cone all day between the 7 runs I got.

Here's some side shots. Yep, I put the #8 on the passenger side upside down. It was cold (like 40F) and windy in the morning when I was applying the decals and spaced it. I didn't know it wasn't symmetrical and just got lucky on the Driver's side haha

Here's a cool shot and evidence of why I DNF'd 3 of the 4 DNFs. I totally went outside the west gate, 3 times in a row! So frustrating. Need more Driver Mod! The front view of the S197 05-09 is one of the best and most Mustang-looking views!

There was a East Loop Track Day Event going on, you can see some of the cars out there, including a cool C2 (?) Vette with dual carbs sticking out of the hood.

There goes that cone worker tipping my cone back over and radio'ing in "CAM-C 8 +1" hahahaha

So, here's my takeaways from the first autox event. The car did great! It handles and brakes very well! It looks great! It's totally fast enough, no need for more power right now! Body roll is very controlled! And I need to learn how to push harder and learn how to memorize and lock in my brain the course. I DNF'd 4 out of the 7 runs. I ended up 13 out of 14 in CAM-C. One of my DNFs was a 41.xx second run which would have moved me up like 3 spots or so in the order. Thank you to Meredith, driver of a 2013 Civic Si in H Street class who noticed I was DNF'ing a lot and walked over and asked if I wanted her to ride passenger and help point out the course. She helped me run a clean run on my final run and also my fastest run! That really helped me drive home not SUPER frustrated, just mildly frustrated. 

When my friend Dean and I walked up to the top of the Grandstand that overlooks the Big Track to the south or out the back it overlooks the autox lot, we watched other cars during our break, and it looked so simple from up above. It's more difficult when you're on a flat course and all you see is a sea of cones! haha I know with more experience, I'd be able to learn the course quicker. I should have gone on more rides to observe other drivers. I did ride with Kyle who drives a 2023 Civic Type-R, totally stock but with a set of 275/30/19 Falken RT660 tires and wow, he ran a 37.xx second run with me, which was like 5 seconds faster than my best run. What I noticed was how hard he was able to push his car. It was very noticable. Kyle also has probably 10+ years of autox experience in a few different cars.

It was a fun time and I do want to go back. It also made me want to do a track day event where the complexity of learning to navigate a sea of cones is less an issue and there is more time to be smooth and flow with the track. Autox is just so much easier on the car and on the wallet.