Thursday, July 15, 2010
2010 DC ProSolo: STR
Almost a month ago, I competed in the 2010 DC ProSolo. "What's a ProSolo?" I hear you asking. Well, solo is the name that the Sports Car Club of America uses for their version of autocross, which you've read me discus repeatedly on this blog. A ProSolo is not simply a solo contested by professionals; otherwise, I certainly wouldn't have been allowed to participate. No, a ProSolo is a closely related motorsport that mixes traditional solo with drag racing. It's a lot of fun, and, since the format is so different, I thought it warranted posting a video of me running my '09 NC Miata in Street Touring R at the event. Unfortunately, The video was cropped when I tried to embed it, perhaps because of the large number of pixels. So, instead, here's a link to said vid on YouTube. The superimposed text didn't work out as well as I would have liked, so I apologize for the difficulty you may have with reading it.
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That was interesting. It's much harder to read the course than I anticipated. I'm sure the wide-angle, flexible vision of real life is better suited to the job than a fixed camera, but if that were a video game, I wouldn't have the foggiest clue where to make my turns.
ReplyDeleteI thought that, too, Nick, until I went and did it. There are certain arrangements of cones that tell you which way to go, and once you know what those are, it's much easier. Plus, you don't just go out and drive and see the course for the first time when you're in the car. You get to walk the course several times before you drive, so you kind of have an idea of the layout before you try to do it fast.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, you should come with us sometime and ride along! They'll lend you a helmet and it's totally legal rules-wise for you to ride with one or the other of us.
Alison's two points are spot on. The pre-race course walk is very helpful in telling you where the course goes. Indeed, since most competitive events only give you 4 runs, the walk is critical. You have to figure out where to put the car, where to look, where to point the car, and whre to give up time so that you can save it elsewhere, all in the walk. It's a skill unique to autocross/ProSolo/gymkhana.
ReplyDeleteAs Alison said, there is a sort of short-hand language in the way the cones are laid out. That makes them easier to read on the walk and at speed.
If you are interested, you are certainly welcome to ride along. You can even co-drive with me sometime, if Alison isn't. As long as the sun is out, I can offer you all the headroom you need. If it's any inducement, by August, I'm hoping to have the fastest car in STR in the DC region. Sadly, the guy driving my car is painfully slow.