Monday, August 22, 2016

2 Weeks Until Nationals

With just two weeks remaining before the biggest motor sports event in the world, NMS South is back in Savannah with the Buccaneer Region SCCA for some final practice.

NMS and TTT open the gates early Saturday morning.
Since we're not getting paid to race just yet and the jobs that do pay money take priority, some of the technical work on the Miata is still pending but that didn't stop us from wearing out our tires just a little bit more.

Hanging out in grid at Hutchinson.
Saturday was a test and tune session that let me focus on practicing downshifting from 3rd to 2nd gear in preparation for the higher-speed courses in Lincoln that we are counting on requiring at least one downshift. Sure we shift up and down every day, but when you're braking as hard as you can and then immediately turning the car again, you need to have quick coordination between your feet and hands to keep it smooth. I'm glad to say it was a mission accomplished and I am feeling exponentially more comfortable on the downshift.

Jonathan making us all look slow in his 99 Miata.  
Sunday both Team Too Tall and NMS South faced some great ES drivers and got some hands-on feedback on our cars and driving from fellow ES driver Jonathan, who is always a top contender at the national level.  We've got a few more tweaks to make, but overall we've confirmed the cars are in good shape and it all comes down to how well we can drive them.

Blue car was thirsty.  It drank almost 2 liters of water.
Unfortunately on the way back home, the blue car hit some teething issues with the new motor we put in a few weeks back and it was over-heating.  Luckily we managed to get it back home after a cool-down and more water in the radiator.

The 2 weeks to go to-do list:
  • Replace the A/C compressor and re-charge the system (parts on order)
  • Replace brake pads and rotors
  • Cut and apply some additional vinyl (numbers, class letters)
  • Finish painting the trunk lid
  • Mount fresh tires


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