LATEST NEWS !!!
Currently Running in C Street Prepared class.
We decided that, with the price of gasoline skyrocketing, towing and getting 8 mpg with the old GMC truck was getting too expensive, so the Beastie has been sold, and my "street car" ('91 Miata) has all the "race" parts on it: '99 engine, lightened flywheel, adjustable perch springs and the new Koni RACE shocks. It's just as fast as the old car was, even carrying an extra 200 lbs.
The CSP rules allow all these parts, and we get 30+ mpg on the road. We went to the '06 San Diego National Tour event, and found out that we need more refinements. While being "best of the rest" was okay (what, again?), we're working on improving the car. Latest mod was a set of the new Koni RACE shocks. They are shorter, stiffer, and really nice! And we now have a set of Racing Beat anti-swaybars; hollow front and 1mm oversize in the rear.
With the new shocks, we went a lot softer on the rebound, and with them set like that on the street, it still rides nice! We also put on a small steering wheel which is fairly stupid for the street, but makes for smaller, more precise movements on course. Engine Management is the next step; wiring in the '99 ECU to run the engine properly. We are still running the restrictive 1.6 L setup, so the engine is choked down a bit. There is still some lightening that can be done too, but we hope to get closer to the "real" CSP hotshots with a little more work.
Here's a nice little writeup from the Pylon Press; our AZ Solo2 newsletter regarding the Spring Series, 2006. Mark Johnson writes:
"There were several notable series points races determined at the finale. An instant classic was the battle in C Street Prepared between Don Sattler and David Lahey. They were tied at 1941 coming into the finale. They were sharing the same car, so there was no clear advantage with the car prep. Sattler was up first and DNFed. Lahey sets the bar at 35.966 but interloper Steve Ashcraft puts down a 34.540 run. Sattler DNFed his second run, this time at the Arizona clump. Lahey responds with a 34.907 and Ashcraft continues to push the pace setting a 34.516 after second runs. Like Babe Ruth watching the first two pitches go by, Sattler connects on his third try to lay down a class leading 34.514 run. Lahey finds some time with a 34.871, but not enough. Ashcraft shows good speed with a 34.272 but hits the second cone in the first slalom. Sattler slows on his fourth run. Lahey seems to have a good run going, but turns into a couple of cones on the left-hander before the clump. Amazingly, the driver before Lahey hits some cones near the finish and the worker is unable set up the cones without tripping the lights, giving Lahey a rerun! Ashcraft puts smack down with a 33.898, sealing the victory for the day – but Lahey is after the series championship. His rerun nets a 34.499, giving him a .015 second victory over Sattler for the day. Because their times were so close, their PAX scores remained tied for the series even after the finale; sending the Timing and Scoring officials to rule book searching for tie breakers. The language was little vague and in the end, the official results reflect a tie for the series."
NEWS FLASH !!! Dave takes Top Time of Day at inaugural Flagstaff chapter SCCA Solo2 event, July 8&9, 2006; BOTH DAYS !!! Woohoo! CSP ROCKS !!!
I can honestly say that I miss the Beastie, though. It WAS sitting out back with most of the parts lying around or inside the cockpit, but recently a fellow came and took it away for rebuild. Memories of supercharged power lurk in my mind, but one car is enough. That Camaro finally got "sold." I say that because I pretty much gave it away, but oh well, sometimes ya just gotta take your lumps and move on.