A fitting 9th place finish
The Northwest Datsun Enthusiasts hosted ‘Clothing Optional’, their WWSCC autocross event, on Sunday 8/27. The 900 and I were in attendance, for our first competetive outing in over a month. We didn’t show well.
My best time was returned on my first lap, which was clean. No subsequent lap was faster. Ouch. Especially ouch since I felt like my first run was slow. Zane’s comment was that I should go to practice. I tend to agree.
I’ve spent the past 1.5 weeks thinking that I had come in last place, since I knew who most of my competitors were in the ST1 class. However the results posted last night, and I discovered that an unsuspecting 1994 Miata driver happened to do worse than me, so I placed 9th out of 10. The goal of “not last place” was met, though barely. I was quite disappointed with where I finished, for my first time all season.
At the event, I was surprised to see a maroon Plymouth Acclaim in front of me. My grandparents owned two of these vehicles, and while serving as reliable transportation neither one was a lively driver. The gentleman who drove it was middle age, and his elderly father was there to cheer him on. The Acclaim was equipped with the 4-cyl and 5-speed manual transmission; he finished 9th of 15 in the AM novice group. His best run wasn’t as fast as my best run. So I totally kicked his ass. However, I have little to brag about.
This Sunday is BEAC Enduro. It’s run a bit differently, with a single run of 3 laps plus a practice lap, and it’s not recommended for novices. Sounds like fun to me. Hopefully I’ll be more on top of my driving.
Two maintenance items to look for on upcoming posts: The 900’s windshield was replaced last Thursday (it’s miraculously clear), and the low-pressure return hose on the power steering (from the rack to the reservoir) has developed a pretty persistent leak. It’s a known issue on the cars, and the hose can be replaced to fix the messy problem. The fix is even messier than the leak. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m hating the spots in the driveway so it’s a necessary repair. I’m hoping it holds out for the rest of the month so I can complete the last two events with functional power steering.
