Workin’ the hills at DC
We started our east coast national event swing with a traditional Pro Solo at FedEx field and took home a dominating victory in our STS2 Miata. As in El Toro, the two-course format at a large venue drew a sold-out field of strong drivers and we renewed our love for this unique format.
Having grown up in the area it was great to see some of our family and old friends, some still competing and others just stopping by to chat. But with 13 STS2 drivers in the hunt, including some majorly talented folks, we worked hard all weekend to bring our A-game to bear right from the get-go.
These were two of the best Pro Solo courses we have ever driven. Lee Piccione outdid himself in using elevation changes and undulations to provide two courses that looked a bit like each other, but drove completely differently. That doubled the challenge and made course-walking Friday evening a very focused affair. Apparently it worked, because we put down very strong runs right out of the box Saturday morning and matched them within a tenth every run each session thereafter. Only our final run of the competition on the left course was a significant improvement when we decided to risk a “Hail Mary” entry to the tricky final hillside slalom. Luckily we got it right, which cemented the class win and earned us third overall qualifier money. Unfortunately, that also sealed our fate for the Super Challenge as we were unable to match that performance in the hot afternoon temps, going out in the first round. It was a calculated choice since the Street Challenge money no longer exists, having been replaced by the Honda Tuner Challenge which our Miata is not eligible for. In short, the “bird in hand” was better than the “one in the bush”.
We again ran our Bridgestone RE-01R tires in the 195/50-15 size, which ended up suiting the courses perfectly. The lighter weight and better gearing helped the car accelerate up the hills, and we only barely touched the rev limiter at several spots on course.
We are now headed for Peru and Milwaukee for a pair of National Tours.
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