LATEST NEWS (August 2007) !!!
Update: August, 2007
Here is a photo of the '90 Mariner Blue CSP "Jr." car that we ran this summer up in Flagstaff. We started out running the R tires in May, but found that the summer sun up there brought up the sealer in the parking lot at NAU, so we went to street tires in the afternoon. I co-drove Steve Ashcraft's car a couple of the events, but the one he missed, Don and I drove the Mariner, either on street tires or the Rs. We also swapped rides with Matt Soeffner, who has a bone stock '99 on Kumho MX tires, so we all had a good time and chased each others' times. Nothing like jumping into different cars and trying to best the other guy. It was a fun summer in the cool pines.
Don and I also took this car down to Tucson and ran it on the Falken Azenis street tires. It was a fun challenge, and the car was just fabulous to drive! It had a lot more grunt than in Flagstaff, and the tires were awesome! Too bad there are no pics of my sideways jaunts near the finish, tossing it one way and then the other. That was really a blast! Anyway, here is the one pic from there, nearing the finish lights.
Also took the car to Sierra Vista a couple of times this summer and ran the street tires. This was the last opportunity to run on the Municipal Airport, as the US Border Patrol is going to be building a facility nearby, and they need this stretch for access. The best surface in Arizona, and put on hold for who knows how long. How sad...
In the meantime, the SV guys are using the high school parking lot, which is a nice slippery sand, but once that is blown off "the line," there is some grip under there! Here are a few pics taken down there. Notice the sideways action in the third one? Yup, that's me, Mr. Slideways!
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For the Fall 2007 Series, we will be going back to the black CSP car, and will need to get tires: Kumho 710s or some new Hoosiers? Still undecided at this point, and we may run the old tires into the cords first, but new tires will be on the way, and into the fray we go! ;^)
First event, I missed with lack of sleep. Darnit! But the next one, we tried running the old used Hoosiers, and what a lesson in futility! Pushing like a John Deere, back end lose as a goose. I did a couple wicked smokey spins, and a complete 180s in Time Only runs, so we REALLY need tires. I guess since this Series is shot, we'll wait until 2008, then come back like gangbusters! Still wavering on the Kumho vs. Hoosier decision, one of pure economics, but leaning toward the big money Hoosiers. 'R' tire crack is addicting!
Photos from Oct. 21st, 2007 - crappy tires, and LOTS of sideways action!
And then there was this BIG SMOKEY SPIN!
Here are a few shots from the Phoenix MiniTour event Nov. 18th of the Mariner. We ran on the old steel wheels and Yokohama A032 tires. Not the ultimate tire, but the car handles fantastic, is VERY driveable and predictable, and was a BLAST to drive!
I am working on Miatas now; buying, fixing and selling them. So far, things are working out, but it is unknown if it can really turn into a comfortably profitable business. I sure hope so, because that 40 hours a week that used to go for someone ELSE's benefit sure was taking up a majority of my time and efforts. Don and I are doing an engine swap for a guy in California, and that one will soon join the CSP fray. Miatas are the BEST !!!