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. 

Ultimate Street Car Challenge comes to Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC)

 A few Friday nights ago, I was doing my usual Instagram surfing. I came across a post by @utahmotorsportscampus page that the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car was coming to Utah. I don't think it clicked when I first saw it. I didn't have any plans on Saturday, but the neurons didn't connect that I should try and go. I got up at my usual 630am on Saturday and tried to go back to sleep. I picked up my phone and saw another post about the USCC event. I think it was seeing the bright orange 1970 Camaro of bdhobaugh, it finally clicked. I started thinking that I could get out there in 45 minutes and be there for a few hours. I figured everyone would be sleeping for a few more hours and so they wouldn't miss me or be annoyed that I ruined their Saturday. This was a chance to see many of my hero cars. Here's some photos of cars I've only seen on YouTube or Instagram.

I should mention that the previous 2 weeks before I would be driving out to Grantsville-Tooele area to the Utah Motorsports Campus, I was dealing with a clutch issue on my 2002 WRX. I got the clutch working properly like 1 or 2 days before I would make the 100 mi roundtrip drive. So, I was a little nervous to be driving so far from home. The Suby drove great and had 0 issues. I rolled the windows down, cranked up the Beach Boys music, which is a Saturday tradition and enjoyed the 50 mile drive west. Here's a picture I grabbed of the UMC sign before exiting Tooele. You can see the Great Salt Lake out the window.

This photo was taken as I was leaving the campus. It really is a campus. They have the big road course, a go-kart track, a couple off-road tracks for stadium trucks and motoX and a couple parking lots where they had AutoX for the Drive Optima event and a local drift event on the other side of the property. 

The suby is a good lookin' car eh? I love the simple silver on silver look! I love the Enkei NT-03M wheels too! Those "Falken" tire letters are holding on tight... hhhhhhhh :( Can't wait when they start to peel or I replace them with new tires.

Let's start off with the most recognizable car for me, Brian Hobaugh's 1973 monster Camaro. Just google this car and you will find feature articles for it going back to 2012. It has continued to evolve. It's a seriously cool machine! It sounds and looks aggressive. 

Hard to pick which one to go with next, but I'm going with this 1970 C3 Corvette nicknamed "Rambo"!

Rambo Pro-Touring C2 Vette article.

Read that article for more details and watch the video. The highlights include a 450hp LS6, T56 6 speed and JRI coilovers (best in the biz)! I love the green paint and fender flares. Serious cool grip machine!

Continuing with the 1970's Chevy theme, check out this 1969 K5 Blazer.

Laid-Back K5 Pro-Touring Blazer article.

Thank you to AutoXandTrack.com for putting up this article and for all the great YouTube video content from many autox and track events in the Southwest/California area. I'm a huge fan!

This Blazer is actually from Idaho and had its engine done at JDP Motorsports, which is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. How about a SpeedTech frame, 560hp LS3 and 315/335mm wide tires front and rear! Beautiful hot rod!

OK, time for a Ford. John McKissack's 1966 Ford Fairlane is rad! He's nicknamed it "Riverside Spec" and you can find "RS" decals in a few places. Check out AutoXandTrack.com's YouTube video here: In The Paddock Ep.6 Video

Here's the highlights: 427 Dart block, T56 6 speed, JRI shocks with Mike Maier cantilever torque arm suspension, 18x12 wheels and 315/30/18 stickies! Nuff said! I love the flares and aggressive stance!

This S197 Shelby GT500 was very fast and finished in the top 5 for the entire event! I don't have any details, but it stood out and was one of the many modern Mustangs. 

What was odd was there was 0 Mustangs pre-Fox body. And there was only 1 Fox body Mustang. I found that kind of odd. I feel like there are way more 60's Mustangs (especially 64-66 model years) driving around the streets compared to 67-73 Camaros, but on track, there seems to be the opposite scenario. Not sure why that is?

Here are a few more hot rods that I was diggin. I'm not sure what it is, but I love Pro-touring hot rod trucks from the 60-70's. I'm also a big fan of the modern Camaros, especially the 2016 and newer with the newer chassis (aka lighter chassis).