AX9 Dixie Classic 24hour AutoX @ Dixie Fairgrounds

[matthugie]

Car now has fuel! Still feels a little slow, but that'll be worked out in the next day or so. Registered too, should be fun!

[donour]

Aug 29, 2013 18:48:32 GMT -5 drum3 said:

I was just letting you know that Dixie Classic uses our guide lines for our events and agreed to use the SCCA National Limit which is 100db .

*thumbs up*

[Backdraft]

I assumed the buildings in the Paddock will be available to park in?

[belcher]

No course map this time? I already know how to get in... I live close by.

[maverick]

I had a great time throwing the mustang around in the middle of the night. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. I was hoping to get some runs in today before driving back to Asheville, but I guess I got there too late (around 10:30). I'm cool with not getting in those runs unless its because of workers not showing up for their assigned shifts. If that's the case... you guys suck.  

Jake
Boss 302

[srduck]

It wasn't just a lack of workers, it was a lack of competitors. It seems the vast majority of people did the first 12 hours and that was it. By 4am we were on a skeleton crew for both workers and drivers. I actually went out to fill in at a corner station at 8am, and for large periods of that time we were just standing around waiting for anyone to pull to the line. That's when the call was made to shut it down at 10 and they yelled for last call for drivers.

[mcnagtroc]

Enjoyed myself as always! I look forward to the 24 every year as I love the chance to run at night. As usual I knocked out most of my runs between 1 and 2am

Course was good and pretty straight forward but still a few really tight places to fit my 4000 pounds in. I was able to manage my tires a little better this year by limiting my non official runs and ended up with less wear than anticipated.... so all in all a solid night I thought

see everyone next year


720p

[drum3]

Wow , 7-8 years ago (when I was still young enough to stay up all night) we had 25-30 cars running all night only slowing down about 9-10am to a handful of cars . Wonder why the enthusiasm has dwindled ? We have too many locals going to Nationals ? Those 25+ diehards would most likely be around the most of the 24.

[belcher]

I had a hoot!!! I had mt TPMS come on!!! I couldn't find a thing wrong. Pressures were good. Tires held air. BUT I was getting slower towards the early AM. (Should have made my calls earlier). Daylight came and to my surprise I had no tread left on the front. Put those suckers on the back and made my fastest run on my 5th called run. Happy I went home to shower and eat. Came back at 12:00 to help clean up (collect my trophy)and was locked out. 24 hrs!!! I want my money back LOL.

Thank you CCRSCCA for putting this together. I hemmed and hawed about doing this. I'm glad I did. Well worth $400 worth of tires. The overnight runs were great. I didn't even mind working the course for 4hrs. Was that out loud? Kudos to all.

[xeric13x]

Sept 1, 2013 19:17:56 GMT -5 drum3 said:

Wow , 7-8 years ago (when I was still young enough to stay up all night) we had 25-30 cars running all night only slowing down about 9-10am to a handful of cars . Wonder why the enthusiasm has dwindled ? We have too many locals going to Nationals ? Those 25+ diehards would most likely be around the most of the 24.

It was dead after 2 am until we finished.

I was having a similar discussing this morning, but about there being a lot less young people at auto-x's. Seems like drifting might be stealing away the next generation and some of the automakers are even catering to this.

So yes, a lot of people went to Nationals and there are just other things that people are into. It's no longer SCCA, NASA, and drag racing. I really think we are losing people to drifting.

[xeric13x]

And had a blast this year and glad to help out whenever needed.

[Frodo]

Sept 1, 2013 20:00:10 GMT -5 xeric13x said:

Sept 1, 2013 19:17:56 GMT -5 drum3 said:

Wow , 7-8 years ago (when I was still young enough to stay up all night) we had 25-30 cars running all night only slowing down about 9-10am to a handful of cars . Wonder why the enthusiasm has dwindled ? We have too many locals going to Nationals ? Those 25+ diehards would most likely be around the most of the 24.

It was dead after 2 am until we finished.

I was having a similar discussing this morning, but about there being a lot less young people at auto-x's. Seems like drifting might be stealing away the next generation and some of the automakers are even catering to this.

So yes, a lot of people went to Nationals and there are just other things that people are into. It's no longer SCCA, NASA, and drag racing. I really think we are losing people to drifting.

I think this is a valid point. I know that there was a stance(YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!)/drift event at Metrolina in Charlotte as well as a drift event at Piedmont as well this weekend. I'm not sure what the appeal is about making tire smoke for no point. No matter how fun it may be.

[jimmay]

Thanks to all who made this event happen. I stayed for the full 24 as I have for the last 3 years. I had a lot of fun and it's an event to which I look forward all year. To be honest, I struggle to come up with suggestions on how to improve as it is such a well run event. Speakers / PA system would have helped but I heard there were technical difficulties with it. Also, there have always been heavy times for drivers in past years but I don't recall it being so divided between the first and second half of the event.

Sept 1, 2013 18:50:29 GMT -5 srduck said:

It wasn't just a lack of workers, it was a lack of competitors. It seems the vast majority of people did the first 12 hours and that was it. By 4am we were on a skeleton crew for both workers and drivers. I actually went out to fill in at a corner station at 8am, and for large periods of that time we were just standing around waiting for anyone to pull to the line. That's when the call was made to shut it down at 10 and they yelled for last call for drivers.

Thanks for the 8AM relief...with all the cone chasing I needed it. It also allowed me to get back on course and knock almost 2 seconds off my previous fastest run

See you all at NCAC!

[orestes85]

Sept 1, 2013 21:07:20 GMT -5 jimmay said:

Thanks to all who made this event happen. I stayed for the full 24 as I have for the last 3 years. I had a lot of fun and it's an event to which I look forward all year. To be honest, I struggle to come up with suggestions on how to improve as it is such a well run event. Speakers / PA system would have helped but I heard there were technical difficulties with it. Also, there have always been heavy times for drivers in past years but I don't recall it being so divided between the first and second half of the event.

Sept 1, 2013 18:50:29 GMT -5 srduck said:

It wasn't just a lack of workers, it was a lack of competitors. It seems the vast majority of people did the first 12 hours and that was it. By 4am we were on a skeleton crew for both workers and drivers. I actually went out to fill in at a corner station at 8am, and for large periods of that time we were just standing around waiting for anyone to pull to the line. That's when the call was made to shut it down at 10 and they yelled for last call for drivers.

Thanks for the 8AM relief...with all the cone chasing I needed it. It also allowed me to get back on course and knock almost 2 seconds off my previous fastest run

See you all at NCAC!

Indeed. I was working 8-10 and wouldn't have been able to get in my best time of the event if someone hadn't relieved my at station 1 around 9 AM. Thanks!

[rayray69]

Thanks to all of the CCR core workers and others that helped make this happen. Next year, Jon will run the whole 24. Says him.

[xeric13x]

Also forgot to say thanks to whoever took the roof off of my hotel room when it got windy. So thanks.

[belcher]

What 40-50 runs can do to your tires.

Attachments:

[drum3]

Maybe its time for the 24 hour to switch to a 9am start?? Early birds would be there for few quick runs before it got packed and the rest would most likely stay later. Stop time 3hours earlier means home sooner.

[rayray69]

This is Jon's fastest run in his '91 Trick Kart. We had a blast and can't wait for the next 24.

[PinkBimmer]

Results have been posted and season points updated in the Season points thread
Final - ccrscca.com/results/2013solo/ax9_dixie_8_30_fin.htm
Raw - ccrscca.com/results/2013solo/ax9_dixie_8_30_raw.htm
Pax - ccrscca.com/results/2013solo/ax9_dixie_8_30_pax.htm

[W. Dean Furr]

Sept 2, 2013 16:52:19 GMT -5 belcher said:

What 40-50 runs can do to your tires. View AttachmentView Attachment

Love the tire photos, Steve! Looks like you got surprisingly even wear.
Last year, around 0400, we noticed one of the cars had sparks coming off the tires during cornering. Not off the brakes, but from the point where the rubber meets the road. We checked with the driver when we finished our worker assignment, and found the sparks were from the exposed steel belts in his tires! The performance was off a bit, but the show made up for it.

[donour]

Thanks a lot Cyndi!

I really wish we used that tire modifier. It's been a while since I got a top pax. :-p

donour

[srduck]

Sept 2, 2013 18:12:43 GMT -5 drum3 said:

Maybe its time for the 24 hour to switch to a 9am start?? Early birds would be there for few quick runs before it got packed and the rest would most likely stay later. Stop time 3hours earlier means home sooner.

We get there at 8:30-ish for a noon start time. We'd have to be on site by 6-ish to do a 9am start time. I'd actually support a 12 hour event, given the number of people that only did the first 12h then went home. We were shorthanded and lacking on competitors from about 10pm on.

Also, I want to say thank you to you and all the people from TSCC that made this possible. I don't know what we would have done without Ashley, Tim, Steph, and Wes stepping up to help out and keep things going for the whole event. Apart from our normal CCR core workers, big thanks to Eric Hecht and Colin Johnson for everything they did to help out including learning timing and helping with packing up. And HUGE thanks to Donour too for doing many, many, many stints as safety steward and dealing with "other issues" as well.

[PinkBimmer]

Also big thanks to triad for helping us out... Couldn't have done it without you.. Thanks to Hodges for doing the drivers MTG... Ashley for keeping me company and awake at 4 am in the trailer.. Steph, Tim, wes and Ingram for working when u didn't have to.. Glad our clubs support each other so well.. glad Eric is trained on timing welcome to the madness.

[matthugie]

I want to say thanks to the core workers and everyone who came out, and would like to especially apologize to the station 2 workers for the one cone I was apparently incapable of missing coming out of the sweeper. I know I hit that one cone probably 10 times, and I don't think my codriver was much better.

[W. Dean Furr]

Sept 2, 2013 20:38:31 GMT -5 srduck said:

We'd have to be on site by 6-ish to do a 9am start time. I'd actually support a 12 hour event, given the number of people that only did the first 12h then went home. We were shorthanded and lacking on competitors from about 10pm on.

I suspect a local site for a 12-hour event might be much easier to find than a site for a 24-hour event, too. To make it even easier, maybe 10am to 10pm? As much as I have enjoyed the 24 over the years, I think I would enjoy a local 12-hour event just as much. We had a great time at the 12-hour held in place of the 24 a few years ago.

As an alternate, consider going back to the format we used in the early days: Finishing time is determined by best time prior to midnight plus best time after midnight. Basically, it is scored like a 2-day event. Strategy becomes a bigger factor: When is the track surface at its best? How much tire do I save for after-midnight? Do I put in a run at midnight in case it rains in the morning?

[CoolGuy094]

zMax events are 12 hour events for the core workers, lol.

[z3elda]

It's been a topic of discussion every year- (for the admittedly short time I've been involved in it).

"The 24" has traditionally been on Labor Day weekend. It gives everyone a day of rest before going back to work, but it carries some obstacles for people attending.
1- Nationals
2- Traditional "Last weekend" of the summer- people take time with their families instead of Autocrossing.

For myself- I was at Zfest in Greenville.. Last year I left that event early to make it in time to do runs toward the end, but I had other obligations with that event this year and couldn't make it at all.

The way I see it we can:
1- Keep it the way it is and struggle
2- Make it a 12 hr.
3- Move it to an earlier weekend.

I would do #3, and make it 9am to 9am. We'd get the nationals people and eliminate the family conflicts with the Holiday weekend. Finishing at 9am would leave time for a Sunday nap as well.

[PinkBimmer]

All events are 12+ hours for the Core Workers... Mike puts in alot of time before an event designing the courses and is at ZMax the Friday before for 4 or so hours setting up the course, then there is the time spent by AJ or myself setting up the registration, then all of the after event paperwork, memberships, whatever SCCA wants, auditing results and posting them up, doing the money and financials it is never ending it seems...
I don't mind the 24 hour being a 24 hour... but this year we were short handed on Core workers mostly due to nationals (nothing we can do about that unless move date), and other family and personal commitments (which is understandable). Thank goodness Triad jumped in and helped us... It seemed this year alot of people only signed up for the first 12 hours (maybe thats a sign).
I know for sure Travis and I stayed up all night to keep the event running, 30+ hours of no sleep, but the event went off with very few hitches, which is a plus in my book... Mike and Steven might have only had a couple hours sleep if that. But I think we put on a good event and most people we talked to seemed to love it. I guess this is something we will get together and discuss for next year.

[Backdraft]

Does anyone have any pictures of the event they can post?