This past weekend, Mike and I made the hike up to Xenia, OH again for Western Ohio Region's second points event on August 3rd. We anticipated a low turnout, especially for STS, but wanted the opportunity to race at Kil Kare anyways. The course looked promising in the online preview, and the real version was definitely worth the drive. Other than Ft. Knox, I maintain that Kil Kare is the best autocross venue within a reasonable distance.

The day got off to an early start with only 44 total drivers. Even though the first car was off by around 10:30, we still had the opportunity to set up the tent and enjoy the shade in between running and working. I have to commend the WOR for running such a smooth event with only a limited amount of participants to work with for worker assignments. We had 7 runs across two separate sessions, a lengthy lunch break, and still wrapped everything up by about 4:15.

The racing went well, and I won STS with Mike just a couple of tenths behind me. It amazes me how two very different cars can be so evenly matched on all of the various courses. We both have plenty of room for improvement though, as our PAX finishes left a lot to be desired. There are just two more events left for WOR, and we will have to miss one of them in lieu of a Cincinnati points event. The last event will be shared with the Cincinnati region at River Downs. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next year to come back to Kil Kare. With that said, enjoy the video (and the new perspective!)

After three events in a row of co-driving other STS cars, I finally returned to my Integra RS for CKR's 6th points event on July 27th at EKU again. Two weekends in the RSX and one weekend in the Civic Si gave me some insight into the competition, and I hoped to use it to my advantage. Not only was this one of the rare occurances I've driven my own car this season, it also marked one of the first times that the entire Rzoops.com crew was racing. Here we are surrounding our new tent. Chris's WRX stayed at home so he could co-drive Bryce's S2000.

Speaking of the tent, it gives us a slightly shaded spot for changing tires or just taking cover from the hot weather we've been having. I thought Alex's car looked particularly nice underneath it, especially with the baller status Regamaster Evos anchoring the tent down. Here's Alex in the middle of mounting his 225/265 Kumho V710's for some BSP action.

Driving my own car again was nice enough, but it was particularly nice to relax in between runs. After having so many co-drives, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be able to spend quality time spraying down tires and having the opportunity to loiter through grid and watch the competition make their runs. It also gives me time to focus on my previous runs and which sections need more work on the next run.

With a freshened outlook on STS, I ended up in 3rd place out of 10 in a close battle between the usual crowd. I was off the pace for 2nd place by just a hair, but Eric drove the wheels off his Civic Si to win the class by almost 1.8 seconds, finish 4th in PAX, and end up with an amazing 10th place raw time finish. My times seemed to hit a brick wall at around 2 seconds slower than Eric's fastest. I know that a lot of my time is being lost in the braking zones, so I plan on practicing that in the upcoming weeks. The Azenis are also a limiting factor, but they certainly don't account for almost 2 seconds worth of time difference. But I realize there is much work to be done to the Integra to be truly competitive, and the next few events will determine whether or not I follow through with my plans to build a nationally competitive Integra RS.

I caught a video of my fastest run, but the point of view leaves a lot to be desired. For this weekend's event at Kil Kare with the Western Ohio Region, I plan on setting up the camera for a more appropriate view.

After consistently being beat by Eric McHatton in his awesome 89 Honda Civic Si, Mike and I finally came across the opportunity to co-drive it at a few recent events. Our first impressions were nearly identical: speechless. It is one of the easiest cars to drive fast at an autocross that I have ever had the pleasure of driving. Yet, it takes a certain sort of driving style to truly make it fly out on course. It's a driving style unlike that of most cars, but when done correctly, feels extremely rewarding.

I had my test drive at CKR's 5th points event at EKU earlier this month on July 5th. Not only was I driving the car that should dominate the class, but two other nationally competitive HS drivers grabbed a ride in STS cars to shake up the class a bit. David Patrick took the wheel of my Integra and put on a very impressive showing. However, by the end of the event, the 89 Civic Si reigned supreme yet again with a great run by Eric, the owner, at the end of the heat.

David, in my Integra, finished less than a tenth behind, while I ended up taking 4th out of 10 total drivers. I was a bit off pace for the lead, but I was happy enough just to experience this great car and see my own STS car do extremely well with a competent driver.

I'd also like to call attention to Alex's strong 3rd place finish in BSP out of 6 very competitive cars and drivers. He is still figuring out his new Kumho V710 setup after coming from Bridgestone RE-01Rs. Since there is very little done to his S2000 to place it out of AS, he hopes to rejoin the stock class very soon to have closer competition and a better PAX score.

This past weekend, on July 20th, Mike took his first turn at the wheel of the Civic Si while I took a spin in his RSX Type-S in the Louisville region at Papa John's. It was a unique course that featured four 180' turns and another tight S-turn before the finish. As a whole, it was far more typical than the usual Louisville course, but it made for a nice change of pace.

Unfortunately, the RSX may have been the wrong choice for Eric and I, who drove it to a mediocre 5th and 7th finish, respectively. Out of 11 drivers, Mike and Phil Osborne were able to keep the Civic Si at the top of the standings, with a solid 1-2 finish well ahead of the rest of the class. Mike ended up with the win in Eric's car, beating Eric and I by over 2 seconds. The video only tells part of the story. The car looked amazingly quick out on course, and Mike's 10th place PAX finish (out of 114 competitors) says a lot more.

Next week we come back to EKU for more local STS rivalry. This time, Mike and I will be competing in our own cars by ourselves.

During a nice Saturday evening in Lexington, Alex and I decided to take a few pictures of our S2000s at a parking garage on campus. More pictures will be available in the upcoming "Cars" section listed at the top.

Earlier this month I gave a brief update on the Integra RS I have put together for STS. June has been a busy month for us, and I have put in three more autocrosses since my last post.

On June 8th, Mike, Bryce, and I traveled to Xenia, OH for a joint event with the Cincinnati and Western Ohio regions. Kil Kare raceway proved to be an awesome venue in which the Integra was able to do exceptionally well at. I was able to win the class of 12 entries with Mike finishing second. We were very pleased with the hospitality of the WOR and we will be back for future events.

Central Kentucky's fourth points event on June 15th took place at the Training Pad, where the Integra seems to suffer. Between a lack of focus and difficult course, I struggled to a sixth place finish out of 10. This set me back a bit in the overall points race for our local region, but I hope to recover in the July events at EKU.

Most recently, we made the journey to Ft. Knox for Kentucky region's fourth points event. This is an amazing venue that takes place on an actual runway setup. It usually brings out the most participants and the best competition, and this year was no different. Due to increasing gas prices and the nature of the speed at Ft. Knox's events, Mike and I decided to co-drive his RSX Type S. Featured below is my fastest, STS-winning run:

Mike's car felt excellent and right at home with the high speed transitions. A stiffer front sway bar would have yielded even greater confidence through the slaloms. Unfortunately, Mike was unable to carry both speed and accuracy through the high speed sections, and coned away his blazing fast runs. Regardless, it was an excellent day before the remainder of the heats had to be canceled because of inclement weather. I squeaked away with a first place finish among the best competition in the region and a total of 14 drivers.