BMW vs Porsche Autocross

[Jim Smolka]

I know it is short notice, but this Saturday @ Clemson University in Clemson SC (Btwn Atlanta and Charlotte NC)is an autocross. The autocross will be @ the West end football stadium parking lot (8:00 AM start time) This event is just for fun.

My concern is that I have heard a rummors that a very fast M3 is going to show up.

I have the power stick of how to set up the course. So what kind of course should I set up that would give 914s and advantage over the BMWs?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Transitions. The 914 should excel in places where the car has to transition from left turns to right turns.

Tight turns. The 914 should have an edge where you have to go through a turn slowly because of how tight the turn is.

Gearing. The BMW is geared taller than the 914. Set up the course so that it falls in the 914's 2nd-gear range, which on my car is ~30-55. Too fast for the BMW's 1st gear, but not quite fast enough to be in the "meat" of their power curve in 2nd.

Maybe one medium-length straight so that they can have fun, too. And so that they hopefully won't ***** too loud about the "914 course" they have to run on.

Thinking of this brings to mind one course that we set up here for the Porsche-Shelby Challenge. One of "ours" set it up, but he set it up to favor the V8 crowd--lots of long straights, only a few turns, etc. A very loooong (~62 sec TToD) and fast course. I got to red-line in 3rd gear at one point, which is very unusual for this area! At first, I was really bored. "Go through the fun stuff, then just sit there with your foot on the floor." After a while, I started getting into it--the straights were the validation of the line you took through the corner. Once I started attacking it from that angle, the time started coming off. I also started enormously enjoying myself.

TToD (with the exception of four people who drove a lightning-fast Porsche that was specifically excluded from the Challenge) was a 5.0+ Fox-body Mustang. He claimed to have zero original suspension components left. He was shocked that a little 2.0 with stock suspension and hard-compound street tires was only 6 seconds back of him at the start of the day--and less than 5 seconds by the end of the day!! And that was on a real "power" course!

Heck, I don't think it really matters. Go ahead and set up a "power" course. When the M3 shows up, tell him "Merry Christmas--8 months early". Then see if you can knock his socks off by getting to within a second of his time! Hey, any way you go is still fun!!

--DD

[Jim Smolka]

Dave,

Thanks for your help.

Check out http://www.clemson.edu/~rrickey/april21.htm

The PCA folks were able to take the top three places leaving the BMW folks in the dust.

I set up a course that was basically a HP course. Lots of long straight-aways with lane changes.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Interesting definitions of "Porsche" and "BMW" you have out there...

I think that it's pretty cool that a 914 was in 2nd overall (even though it did have the benefit of a "slightly" oversized engine). And that two of my other favorite cars, a CRX and a 2002, did pretty well on a course that favored high power.

--DD
(who evidently has a weakness for small lightweight good-handling cars)