NSX wins the class in the SCCA pro solo in blytheville!

[shrddr]

hey folks,

this past weekend i competed in the SCCA pro solo in blytheville, AR. for those that aren't aware... for solo competition (autocross, pro solo), in stock form, the NSX is classed in B-stock, where the top dog is the s2000.

well.

i won . i took the victory, in the NSX, by an impossibly scant 0.043 seconds over greg hahn, who was driving an s2000 CR which he drove to earn national championship title in 2008. needless to say, i am incredibly excited, both for myself... and for the NSX!

many people told me that the NSX is too heavy, too softly sprung, too wide, blah blah...

(unofficially, i have been told that an NSX has never won at any national level SCCA solo event. if that is true, then this is even cooler!)

thanks to billy (FXMDbilly) and jim (CL65 captain) for their setup advice!

v

p.s. video posted in post #12

 

[SFDreamer]

Congrats, that is awesome! Way to represent!

 

[EdinKali]

Awesome! Way to go.

 

[gsrboy]

nice, congrats on the victory.

 

[W]

Wow, I knew you were a great driver and I admit that I had my doubts about the car. Congratulations! It was well earned. What advantages do you think you had over the S2000's? Launch? Torque at speed?

 

[shrddr]

thanks a lot guys

Wow, I knew you were a great driver and I admit that I had my doubts about the car. Congratulations! It was well earned. What advantages do you think you had over the S2000's? Launch? Torque at speed?

there were a couple of interesting observations over the course of the weekend:

1. the NSX (or perhaps just "I") did not have a launch advantage over the s2000. this surprised (and disappointed) me a little. being shorter geared than the NSX, the s2000 would eek out ahead in 1st gear, but i would reel him back in after that. through the first 200 ft (drag launch straightaway), we were absolutely neck in neck. the positive thing to take from this otherwise moderately dull outcome is that my performance cannot be attributed to the NSX's ability to launch better, and it thus implies that the car can be competitive even in "normal" autocrosses where there isn't much of a launch.

2. the courses were not at all what you would think an NSX would do well on. after the launch, the course went into a tight offset section. being narrower and lighter, you would think "advantage s2000", and you would be right. i could see greg out of the corner of my eye almost every time through this section. coming out of it was a bit of an acceleration zone, and since it followed a low speed section (out of the s2000's powerband) i powered out better and caught up to the s2000. the next element was a 4 cone "open" slalom. being narrower, you would again think "advantage s2000", but this time (surprisingly) you would be wrong. whether it was car or driver related... i seemed to get through this section better. next was a 180 degree sweeper with a reasonably large radius. no real news here... we both kept a tight line around it and powered out of it well. i was driving through the high speed lane changes with 50-70% throttle (so i did not have any acceleration/speed advantage there) and i think we stayed relatively even. the final tight offsets were where i was noticeably faster! i have no explanation for this other than i think i was scared to trail brake into it too hard, and was thus braking earlier and was able to set up for it really well and carry decent speed through it (many drivers in many classes seemed to get behind in this section and ended up having to slow down more than necessary).

who knows... just as there are particular courses that suit some cars, maybe there are courses that suit particular drivers?

that said, i am keeping this win in perspective. it is just one event, and it is not the national championships, and doing well there is my goal this year. beating greg in his car is very encouraging and confidence inspiring, but he and several others are going to come 100% prepared for nats.

 

[R13]

Congrats! but dangit man, you're making me seriously consider a swaybar and some R Tires for my '92...I don't need this kind of temptation....but keep it up :biggrin:

 

[docjohn]

amazing,I never thought the nsx could compete against the s2000 on tight courses.You have proven my thinking flawed.Thanks for the updates.

 

[CL65 Captain]

Congrats. :biggrin:

I have beaten several S2000s on the autocross track. But I have also been absolutely smoked by a slightly modified S2000 on a road course. He was running 2 seconds faster than me on a 1.8 mile track. His only mods were AST suspension, and big ass wing. Aaron drives the piss out of that little S2000. :biggrin: Don't underestimate the S2000 - it's a well balanced machine that can keep the momentum going.

 

[Chiketkd]

Great job Vivek! That's an amazing win you had over several solid drivers in your class.

 

[W]

the next element was a 4 cone "open" slalom. being narrower, you would again think "advantage s2000", but this time (surprisingly) you would be wrong. whether it was car or driver related... i seemed to get through this section better.

You're much too modest. Thank you for the small writeup. I look forward to reading your future success stories as you campaign the NSX.

 

[shrddr]

here is a video of my fastest run on the right side course. i ran a 37.806. a low 37 was possible but i didn't manage to get it. i did manage a 37.5 on the left course, but do not have video of it :/

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[WingZ]

As a fan and owner of both cars I have to say wow! Any video??

Congrats shrddr! I would've been rooting for you and the CR:biggrin:

 

[shrddr]

As a fan and owner of both cars I have to say wow! Any video??

Congrats shrddr! I would've been rooting for you and the CR:biggrin:

i just posted a video above your post

 

[s2ktaxi]

This course is quite wide open without sharp turns and seems to be a bit higher speed. It will suit the NSX.

 

[shrddr]

This course is quite wide open without sharp turns and seems to be a bit higher speed. It will suit the NSX.

i doubt you will find a SINGLE competitor from the event who would say the course was wide open . dont let the wide angle perspective from the camera fool you. there were only 3 places where the car was at full throttle; on launch, in the short straight after the first few offsets approaching the slalom, and in the short straight after the final offsets before the finish.

remember too... a higher speed course is not necessarily an nsx's strength! being 300 lbs lighter, an s2000 will generate higher peak lateral grip. the nsx's primary advantage is accelerating out from a slower corner.

 

[Coz]

Very, Very Cool...
a BIG CONGRATULATIONS !

 

[ediddynsx]

Congrats! :smile: Keep up the good work and way to represent the community.

 

[shrddr]

thanks guys

hopefully more NSX's start coming out to autocrosses.

 

[StmpoRaceProducts]

Nice Job!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards

 

[stuntman]

Congrats!

The S2K and NSX are pretty comparable in stock or modified form - given comparable tire sizes. The NSX has a wider power band but the S2K has shorter gears to stay in that power band longer.

The NSX is ~ 100lbs heavier, 2" wider, 10" longer, 5" longer wheelbase, and 4" shorter than the S2K. I think the main points here are wheelbase, length, and height. 2" wider isn't that substantial.

Keep us updated on your events.



Billy

 

[shrddr]

Congrats!

The S2K and NSX are pretty comparable in stock or modified form - given comparable tire sizes. The NSX has a wider power band but the S2K has shorter gears to stay in that power band longer.

The NSX is ~ 100lbs heavier, 2" wider, 10" longer, 5" longer wheelbase, and 4" shorter than the S2K. I think the main points here are wheelbase, length, and height. 2" wider isn't that substantial.

Keep us updated on your events.



Billy

actually, as far as SCCA solo rules go for stock class... s2000's get down to about 2700 lbs! my car (after taking out the spare tire, roof, and tool kit from the trunk is at 3030 lbs. so i am giving up over 300 lbs to those cars. i can conceivably lose more weight by replacing the stock exhaust... but at best that would drop another 30 lbs.

 

[stuntman]

actually, as far as SCCA solo rules go for stock class... s2000's get down to about 2700 lbs! my car (after taking out the spare tire, roof, and tool kit from the trunk is at 3030 lbs. so i am giving up over 300 lbs to those cars. i can conceivably lose more weight by replacing the stock exhaust... but at best that would drop another 30 lbs.

Remove the heavy front and rear steel crash bumpers (or replace the rear one with the STMPO aluminum bumper) Lighter weight battery, Downforce NSX-R rear wing AND side vents (a lot of weight can be lost by those heavy side vents and the heavy stock wing) -if allowed.

 

[Patdeisa]

Congrats on the win!

 

[shrddr]

Remove the heavy front and rear steel crash bumpers (or replace the rear one with the STMPO aluminum bumper) Lighter weight battery, Downforce NSX-R rear wing AND side vents (a lot of weight can be lost by those heavy side vents and the heavy stock wing) -if allowed.

none of those things are allowed