my spring break

I just got back from spring break, and I had a blast.

I went down to visit my Dad in Atlanta, GA (big step up from lowly Kalamazoo, MI).

2 days before leaving I noticed that Atlanta Region SCCA was hosting their first event of the year, and I had to get us signed up.

there were reports of snow in the area for Sunday...I showed up at the scheduled time, and was told the event had been canceled. (2" accumulated, and you would think the whole state thought the apocalypse was nigh...stores were cleared of bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper as if people couldn't get out for months...the snow was melted by mid morning)

anyway, the event was rescheduled for the next sunday, and I extended my vacation by one day to make sure I could attend.

This is a photo of us at the event with "Carlos" my girlfriends H Stock 1999 Saturn SL2...(From Left:My younger brother Scott Brownell, Myself, and my girlfriend of nearly 6 years Amanda Korendyke)

In the first two of my 4 runs, I DNF'd like a nOOb because I straightlined an option slalom. in my third run, I finally got it right with a clean run of 77.262, and in the 4th run I cut my time to a 76.492

Amanda's first 2 runs were DNF's (she doesn't know why), she managed a clean run (hard to do when you don't know why you DNF'd) of 82.984, and her 4th run was another DNF because she spun the car a full 360 in a chicane and took about 15 cones with her. For her first event to have even one clean run I would say is a decent start, and she had fun, so I would call the day a success.

we left from the Solo at 1:30PM and pulled into my apartment complex at 2:45AM...pretty good spring break if you ask me.

(oh yeah, we also got to see some of the city, took a day trip to Savannah, went to a couple movies, did some shopping, and saw those terra cotta soldiers from China at the High Museum of Art)

oh, I forgot to mention...not that it matters, but I finished 145th RAW and 133 on PAX.

(can anyone explain PAX?)

Good deal. Wish I could've made it down there, but we're tightening the belt on spending right now.

The PAX index is basically a handicapping system to judge your performance against the performance of drivers in other classes.

Below are the 2009 PAX numbers. Multiply your best time by .802, and that's your PAX time. For reference, an EP car has a pretty tough PAX @ .861. Get it?

http://www.scca-chicago.com/solo/indexes/rtp2009.html

I knew it was an index, and assumed it was a multiplyer, but how are the indexes decided upon? supreme being?

I think the PAX index is decided by the top finishers in each class at nationals, and how they relate to each other.

exactly. They are indexed by my fellow region member Rick Ruth... He samples a rediculous amount of events and then "handicaps" them all comparatively to each other.

Current pax/rtp can be found Here

Note that A-Mod is always "1."

I found some pictures of my girlfriend and I running on the Atlanta Region forums posted by our very own atlantamx3. THANKS!

I ran as #7, and Amanda ran as #171

Not exactly sure what I am doing with my left arm in this photo.....

Just....

a...

bit....

too...

far!