Race Report 2002 - Round 5

Date: October 13, 2002
Venue: South Plains Fairgrounds - Lubbock, TX
Results: 1st in Class (2 total), 3rd in Street Tire (17 total), 8th Overall (28 total)

It was a COLD day for an autocross.  It started out at around 45°F and I don't think it ever got up past 55°F all day.  The course was the usual Lubbock fairgrounds two-lap course, which provides a fair amout of challenge for such a small and slippery venue.  I hadn't raced at the Lubbock fairgrounds in over a year, so it was kinda cool to race there again.

Everyone was having problems with the slippery surface... especially Steve Sucsy ('00 Honda S2000).  Steve's car had some fairly worn Hoosier racing tires, and they weren't working for him at all.  Steve and I talked about the total lack of grip he was experiencing, and we both agreed that street tires (or brand new, full tread racing tires) were probably a better choice for this venue... especially in cold weather.  In fact, a lot of the faster cars at this event were on street tires.  So, with my street tires, I was able to run a whopping 2.789 seconds faster than Steve to win the B-Stock class, placed 3rd in the overall Street Tire class out of 17 people total, and placed 8th Overall out of 28 people total.

There's only one more race this season, at which I've planned to run on street tires one last time before I switch to racing tires for next season, but I think I'll plan to start off the 2003 season on street tires again since the first event will probably be back at the Lubbock Fairgrounds.