Auto-x review/photos.

I joined a co-worker for my first Auto-x event with the Madison Sports Car Club this past Sunday.  We had a great event at the Madison International Speedway, a circle track with a small infield section.  First, the results!!

1T CS 119 Robert Norris 2005 Nissan 350Z
57.318
[-]0.431

2Tm CS 34 Andy Schuessler 2000 Mazda Miata
57.749
+0.431

3 CS 147 Jacob Mueller 2013 Subaru BRZ
58.213
57.439+1 +0.464

4 CS 114 Shawn Safro 2013 Scion FR-S
58.436
+0.223

The 350Z had Dunlop Star Specs, and the Miata had Azenis 615K's. Had I not coned in my best lap I would have had 2nd over the Miata. The 350 was running 55s raw times but hit 2 cones in each of those laps so even on my best day I don't think I would have been able to touch him.  Sticky tires are a hellofa drug.

All that said I've become even more impressed with the car.  It was the first chance I've had to turn off the traction control and really feel the car in it's element.  The balance that everyone talks about is obvious when you get to sling the car around a track with reckless abandon.  When it started to slide I felt the limit approaching and then the recovery was easy with either a slight lift off of the throttle to get you back in line for the next corner, or you could use steering input to pull out of the slide while maintaining your current throttle position.  At no point, even in the fast entry to the 2nd set of slaloms, when the car had to make a fast transition from one direction to another did it feel unsettled.  I knew what I wanted the car to do, and it did it, within the limits of the tires of course.

Speaking of the tires...they were pretty beat up at the end of the day.  The pavement on this track was not what you would call new.  I wouldn't actually call it old.  I'd call it tightly packed gravel with a thin tar glaze.  The FRS that was in my class said he felt his tires going on his 7th run (yes, we had 8 runs!) and while my times were only getting quicker his were falling off.  I'd assume that I was one or two runs away from tire fatigue as well.  Since the event they have returned to a normal state, albeit with a bit more rounding on the outside tread blocks.  The next step is to get some good rubber on this car and see if it still feels as planted and predictable.