Setting FTD at MSNE

After a 5 week hiatus from running Bumblestook, I finally got a chance to run her again yesterday at the Motorsports NorthEast / BMW CCA joint event at the Meadowlands. Since Hez and I are now officially registered for nationals, we needed to get as much seat time as we could. It was a blistering hot day but with 7 runs each on offer, it was well worth it.

Getting ready to run - MSNE Autocross - 7/12/2015
Photo Credit: Rexin Autosport

Hez checking tire pressures - MSNE Autocross - 7/12/2015

We clearly got a bit rusty in the downtime with both our first runs seriously off pace including Hez's super spectacular spin right by the start. Once we got our heads straight though our times dropped rapidly. I took the opportunity to have various drivers sit in with me during my runs to share the Bumblestook fun but eventually it was time to run solo and set some serious times. I ended up setting FTD (Fastest Time of Day) out of 102 drivers with Hez in 2nd less than 0.2 seconds behind me. Great event overall. Bumblestook is as fast and composed as ever and we could have extracted even more pace if it wasn't for the air time we got at a few critical spots. We did hit fuel starve towards our last runs, easily remedied by a quick 2 gallon fillup in grid.

Hez getting ready to run - 7/12/2015

Our Fastest Runs - 1st and 2nd top times overall
MSNE Autocross - 7/12/2015

AP1 Transmission Testing

It started off as a miserable rainy day that was not something to look forward to when you get up at 5am to go to an event but we got lucky and the skies finally cleared and the sun came out so by the time our heat started, the lot was bone dry. I did an easy first run to makes everything was working fine and thankfully, the transmission felt smooth, gears engaged as you'd expect and I was able to start pushing it.

NNJR SCCA Autocross - 6/5/2015
Meadowlands, NJ

The taller gearing shifts the torque curve somewhat which I found actually smoothed out the power so I could get on it even sooner. Fortunately, even in some of the relatively tighter digs, I didn't find Bumblestook lacking in power. Where it really shined was in the back section where I soon found myself at the top of 2nd gear hitting the limiter, a very useful bump in top speed which yielded very good raw time results. I was able to consistently set times that comfortably placed her 2nd in RAW time out of 101 drivers.

Top Raw results - 6/5/2015

We got 8 runs today but it ended up being 10 runs for me due to reruns. This is not typical for NNJR SCCA but I'm glad we did since I got to put her through the paces. Since we normally don't get these many runs, I didn't think the tires would heat up enough so I didn't bring my tire sprayer. It was unfortunate since I couldn't find more time out there in my later runs due to tires getting greasy. I was able to try a few launches and she held beautifully. Once we get her on the lift again for the next alignment, we'll be able to recheck the driveshaft bolts to see if there was any shifting that happened. At least from inside the cockpit, everything continues to feel nice and tight. This was most definitely an overdue modification that I'm certain will pay good dividends in Ohio in a few months.

Fastest run today - 44.421 seconds
NNJR SCCA Autox - 6/5/2015

AP1 Transmission - Taller Gearing, Moar Speeeeeeed!!!

When last season ended, I had two thing on my list of TODOs for this year. The first was to swap back my old exhuast so I'd never have to deal with blowing the sound limit again and we did that before the season started. The second was to swap in an AP1 transmission. I guess technically "swap back" is the correct term since Bumblestook is actually an AP1 chassis with an AP2 drivedrain so I'm just going back one step here. I was getting destroyed all of late last season by not having enough gearing, topping off at around 63mph in 2nd gear whereas others were hitting 70mph. That's a lot of speed to leave on the table on big, fast concrete courses. I was able to source a decent mileage (60K miles) from a parts reseller on Ebay based in Florida and had it shipped directly to Steve at SJF Performance.

Getting ready for surgery
SJF Performance - 5/31/2015

AP1 transmission waiting to be installed
SJF Performance - 5/31/2015

Since this was Steve's first time swapping a transmission on a S2000, it took us a bit longer than usual but mostly because it had to be done right. Thanks in part to having a transmission next to us to look at and a pretty detailed DIY on S2ki, a few annoying bolts and a slight drop in the front subframe later the AP2 transmission was disconnected and ready to be set aside to be reused for another project soon ;)

AP2 transmission out
SJF Performance - 5/31/2015

AP1 and AP2 tranmissions bolt up the engine the same way but AP1 transmissions use slightly narrower bolts than AP2 transmissions on the driveshaft side. The correct thing to do would be to swap out the output flange of the trans to an AP2 flange so that everything bolts up nicely using the beefier AP2 bolts. The silly way to do it, thanks to the SCCA's BSP update/backdate rule, is to keep the AP1 flange and use the smaller AP1 bolts in the larger holes. You'd expect this to be a problem but it's been proven that this isn't an issue if you torque everything down and locktite it so using new AP1 bolts and washers, a generous dab of loctite red, all 6 bolts were torqued down to the AP2 spec of (36ft/lbs). We filled it with 2 quarts of Honda MTF but we'll be flushing that soon with Amsoil once I come back for an alignment in a few weeks.

AP1 Transmission installed
SJF Performance - 5/31/2015

New AP1 bolts and washers
SJF Performance - 5/31/2015

After a small snag in the connection of the clutch fork that was easily corrected, we verified that all 6 gears and reverse worked as it should but I won't be able to put her through her paces until the NNJR SCCA event next weekend. The major upside to the AP1 transmission is the taller gearing so I should easily be able to hit 70+mph in 2nd gear depending on how high I rev the F22C. This finally completes the maximum prep level I can take Bumblestook to the current rules.

The remaining issue that's been plaguing me is the nut behind the wheel. Between being limited to fewer events in the area due to the extra time I need for towing Bumblestook to and from events and not having enough time to drive in general, lack of seat time is starting to erode at the progress I've made the past 2 years as a driver. I've figured out how to address that but that's a side story that will be shared shortly.

Big thanks to Steve (and Pete) for spending a very rainy Sunday working on this little project.

SCCA ProSolo Round 4 - New Jersey

It was finally time for first big event of the year. No major changes to speak of other than slapping on the tires I ran at Nationals last year with only 6 runs on them and adding fuel to avoid the fuel starvation Hez and I ran into the week before. I arrived on site on Friday morning since I had to work the gate that afternoon. Perfect warm sunny day to start the weekend off.

NJ ProSolo - 5/8/2015

NJ ProSolo - 5/8/2015

I decided earlier in the year that I'd invite Dave Roberts from the Kentucky region to come out and codrive Bumblestook with me for this event. He's developing his own BSP S2000 (Blackie) and I thought it would be good for him to get a reference ride in a S2000 that's been in development for 2 years now. He arrived that afternoon and we were able to get our practice starts out of the way. Nothing too surprising here but we wanted to dial in our launch RPM. We both agreed that a hair under 7000rpm would give us the best launch performance while getting enough wheel spin to protect the diff.

NJ ProSolo - 5/9/2015
Driver: Dave Roberts

Since Dave and I were the only two driver in BSP we got bumped into B2 bump class along with DSP, HS, DS and FSP on day 1. The DSP cars would be tough to compete against. Not only are they fast but PAX favored them. Dave and I put down respectable runs on day 1 and ended that day with me in 3rd and Dave in 5th. It was clear looking at our video that we weren't tackling the tight stuff of the course properly and the key to dropping times would be to minimize distance and set up properly to get behind those cones.

B2 Grid - NJ ProSolo - 5/10/2015

Day 2 came rolling in and we had a pretty good strategy to try and keep the fight going. The shocker though was that CAM class was also added to our B2 bump class and we only found out at that day. Steve Farkas of SJF performance had put down some very nice runs on day 1 in his CAM Mustang and ended up slotting into 2nd place in B2 so we all got shifted down. That didn't change our general plan for tackling the course. Unfortunately, I was having trouble executing on the plan and kept overshooting the entry to beginning of the tight section and found no additional time. Dave on the other hand was able find the right line and find time on both the left and right courses. Dave was able snag a trophy spot in 4th and I stumbled down to 7th. 

BSP S2000 vs DSP RX8
NJ ProSolo - 5/10/2015

Overall it was still a fun event. Bumblestook handled great, we just couldn't capitalize on her speed. This is going to be her last event on the AP2 tranny. The AP1 tranny arrived and we'll be swapping that in later this month so we can hit 70mph in 2nd gear. Can't wait!

Our fast runs from the NJ ProSolo - 5/9-10/2015

Getting her purdy before the Pro

With only a week left before the NJ Pro, it's important to finally scrub off the grime from last year and make her pretty again. The only problem is that Bumblestook is stored in a location where there's no running water. She's also not street legal so driving her to a car wash is impossible. To keep things simple, I started looking into alternative cleaning options and stumbled upon the Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. A friend told me about this years ago but I never got around to trying it. You can pick up a 32oz bottle from Amazon for under $18 (good for 32 washes)!

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine - 5-2-2015

I went over to the Rad's (Tatis Racing) home base so we could clean our race cars. Despite having access to a hose there, I decided to try this method anyway to see if I could get away with cleaning my car at events. The instructions are simple, take one ounce of the cleaner (about a cap full) and add 2 gallons of water in a bucket. In order to not keep washing the car with dirty water, take a bunch of clean microfiber cloths and dump them into the bucket. Taking one cloth at time, fold it into quarters then work on one panel at a time, drying it with a clean dry microfiber cloth as soon as you wipe off the panel. Fold the micro fiber cloth around so that you use a clean portion for each part of a panel you're "washing". Using this method, none of the dirt works it's way back into the bucket. What you're left with is a clean, streak free finish...and yes, no rinsing was required.

Before and after - 5-2-2015

It does a good job. It even got rid of most of the cone marks and bugs that got onto the car. I'd say it's about as clean as it would get if you washed the car with soap, rinsed it, dried it except it takes a lot less time and very little water. No water marks or streaks were left except for swirl marks that unfortunately have been on the black panels of the car for a while now. That will require some proper polishing to get rid off. I had a few hard cone marks that were a bit stubborn. A quick rub with polisher took care of those. I even had enough left in the bucket to wash the Touareg. Finished both vehicles in about one hour taking my sweet time. Put it this way, I got both car clean before Rad was done changing his diff fluid. I'd say it's a success and I look forward to being able to having a clean car before every big event going forward.

Bumblestook and the Egg all cleaned up - 5-2-2015

Only a few days left before the first big event of the year for us. Racing on my home turf and being able to sleep on my own bed is definitely always welcome.

Final practice before NJ ProSolo - Bumblestook showing her stinger

Yesterday we got the car all sorted and I put the tune and suspension settings back to where it was from when I won the DC ProSolo last year. Today's shake down was among 178 other drivers, many of whom were traveling to NJ to get their cars set up for the Pro as well. This time I decided to have a friend, Hez, hop in as my codriver. I've always knows him to be a smooth driver with lots of potential and boy did he deliver.

Top off and ready to go
NNJR SCCA Autox - 4-26-2015

Hez getting amped for his first run
NNJR SCCA Autox - 4-26-2015

Not only was Bumblestook showing perfect form today but with very little effort we were putting down some very competitive times. All this despite running on old 100+ run tires and being down on power by running pump 93 instead of C85 ethanol. We did a low fuel run and finally discovered the infamous fuel starve S2k issue at 4 bars of fuel. I'm going to have to make sure we're running at least half tank for all future events. I guess I was just lucky all these years to never encounter it. Hez put down this flyer run (see video below) which would've been good for 2nd place in PAX but it was incorrectly recorded as DNF. He did this even though he fuel starved mid-run so a top PAX finish was well within Bumblestook's capacity. Unfortunately for my runs, I just kept hitting cones and when I did clean it up, I think I started overdriving to compensate and just kept getting slower with every run. It doesn't matter though. Today brought the fun back to autocrossing and it was incredible to see Bumblestook show her stinger and put a shocker in some really good drivers. Two weeks left before the ProSolo...can't wait!

Hez's fast run

NNJR SCCA Autocross - 4/26/2015

My fast run (dirty)

Longer than usual to include some funny banter before and after the run

NNJR SCCA Autocross - 4/26/2015

Shaking off cobwebs for 2015

Winter was finally over (well mostly) and it was time to put the wheels back on the car and take her out for her first event with the NNJR Porsche Club. Despite the strong winds and cooler temperatures I was glad to see that everything was working just fine despite being on jackstands all winter and switching to pump gas instead of sweet smelling ethanol. Bumblestook drove strong and remained composed as always and it was a blast to finally get out there and burn rubber again. I was definitely rusty but I had that unmistakable grin inside the helmet is what it's all about!

NNJR PCA Autocross - 4/4/2015

A few weeks later, it was time to get her back to SJF performance for a real pre-season check. We had to verify and adjust the alignment, change the engine oil, tranny and diff fluid. We also put the exhaust I ran earlier last year back on since I kept blowing sound with the shortened exhaust. Tomorrow we give her one last shake down before our first big event of the year, the NJ ProSolo.

Fluid change
SJF Performance - 4/25/2015

Old exhaust back on
SJF Performance - 4/25/2015

Old exhaust back on
SJF Performance - 4/25/2015

Alignment time
SJF Performance - 4/25/2015