Well… I’ve been meaning to get here for a few weeks now but it’s been really crazy. Massive rainfall has at times, literally turned our acreage into an island. The basement is flooded, the roof is leaking and there has been at times, a river 4” deep flowing in one end of the garage and out the other. My Dad’s mother passed away Wednesday June 22nd. I had lost touch with my Grandma in recent years, but the funeral and its impact on my family has left me with a changed outlook on life. Sit back and listen to Counting Crows… I wonder about where I’m going and why. Car shit seems unimportant and other things don’t seem right at all.
Amidst these things, Ryan and Vickers and Devin and I drove up to Stratotech Park today to check out a D-sport practice. Ryan and I started an alignment on the 20 on Sunday but ran out of time before we could finish, so it never came. I didn’t have tire for two drivers, so he just hung out and watched. The day was totally unsatisfying for me. In fact I have never experienced so much frustration in driving before. The course was a simple three corners in mid 2nd gear. The first was a right, which I hoped to initiate earlier than most. In a couple runs I had that down, but couldn’t make the last two corners work consistently at all. In fact I would guess I got it maybe 1/8 or so. Frustrated, I took a short break and came back out unable to do the first corner as early as I had been although the last two turns became much easier. Most frustrating was the fact that I kept running up on the inside of the first turn, unable to hold the straighter line with angle, on entry. I’m dumbfounded as to why…
Nevertheless, D-sport had promised Stratotech we’d stay off the grass so I was not doing them anyone good by dropping two wheels on the inside. For myself, doing so meant getting off the throttle so as not to tear through shit. This would kill my angle, and end my run. So… go… get back in line. Wait a couple minutes… run again, drop wheels in… shut down. And so on. I was in a fit of panic and rage at times. What had been so easy before my break became impossible. I felt like the corner was moving. I kept initiating earlier and earlier but never actually got it sorted out.
So… I resorted to a feint (which I suck at), and maybe a 2nd gear shift lock (for when my feint didn’t…). This meant I was doing about what Vickers and Devin were doing, which I decided was OK because they were both looking really good, and much more consistent on the last two corners than I was. By the end, I was satisfied with my ability to run the course consistently with the latter 1st corner entry. I started thinking about making the angle really big at this point, and changing my line to allow this. In doing this, I spun hard once into the grass and a big pile of dirt which left a big scar on the infield. Very uncool.
Devin and Vickers both did really well, and I might even say they were the best of those who I saw run. Met a couple new people, saw some really nice runs… good day, and great venue… but I’m still pissed that my entries failed. Nightmare territory.
Next event is AngleFactory #1 on July 2nd in Red Deer. This is actually an event that Ryan and I have put together. This is something we have been hoping would happen for a long time, and it’s creation is another reason why I’ve been so busy lately. That said… I want to keep AngleFactory stuff off this site. I already think about it way to much… and I’m exhausted with it.
I just want to drive…
PS. I should comment a bit on the course. Up until now, when I’ve gone out drifting it’s been largely on the infield of an oval, or in a large open lot with corners defined by cones. Running on a road course was first of all, a large visual change. The first couple runs all I could do was focus on where I couldn’t drive (the green). As a result, I had a whole new problem of turning in and committing. As a result I was a little tentative the first few runs, more so then some other guys who… even if they don’t have the experience of the road course, do it on the street regularly enough. Grass and rumble strips are nothing compared to curbs and light standards I guess. Either way, I over came my fear soon enough (although I still have a tendency towards big offs that would get me or my car killed on the street.) Secondly, when the course is set up with cones, it’s easy to cop out and adjust the course when you can’t get it quite right. Can’t re-pave a road course… and as a result your forced to run a certain thing, no matter how long it takes…
Obviously… I should still be wearing the green and yellow.