I'm not hungry so why am I craving for some HoHos? WDCR #8 recap

Who doesn't like Ho Hos?

Sunday's WDCR-SCCA autocross was the first for me in the Camaro since June 8. Actually, there were two others between those, but since I didn't complete a timed run at either, they shouldn't count.

I replaced the rear main seal and added a vented catch can. Polish Oborski and John the Fifth assisted on the rear main and theorized that went because the catch can I had was sealed, which is bad for relieving crankcase pressure.

Since the last autocross with the Camaro was where Paul P. and I were finally going to have a CP throwdown, I decided to keep the Hoosiers on and run CP again on Sunday. There have been exactly two competitors when I've been in CP over the past few years, but on Sunday there were four (!) other drivers. Two Impala SS's, a Pontiac G8 and what looked like 98-02 Camaro that had been converted into a round-round car. And with an LT1 (1992-1997 flavor). Not to boast, but none of them looked like proper CP cars. The Impys and G8 probably would have been better off in CAM.

Five CP cars at a WDCR autocross? Gonna party like it's 2009!

When I've competed in CP in the past, I've pushed myself to get top 10 in raw time. The Waldorf lot really doesn't lend itself to proper "national style" courses, and grip isn't that great anyway* so that's a challenge.

My first run was kind of a feeling-out process. Making sure smoke wasn't venting through the shifter hole in the trans tunnel. Plus I was in the first heat on a cool morning, which isn't that great for Hoosiers! Time was a 41.3.

In an episode of The Lizard Brains podcast recapping his Solo Nationals, Tom O'Gorman had mentioned focusing on 1-2 areas to improve between runs instead of "fixing" everything. Or words to that affect. Or is it "effect?"

So that's what I did on the next few runs. I went down to a 40.5, then a 40.1 on my second and third runs. On my fourth run, I tried to maximize speed in "the turnaround" and power out of tight offsets before 180 turn into the finish. And it worked -- a 39.2! One of those runs where your hands are shaking.

There was still one run left, but I pulled the car on the trailer. When I had replaced the rear main seal -- which of course meant pulling the transmission -- I had used plain brake fluid to bleed the clutch because I thought it might be an ordeal. It wasn't -- it bled really easily, and I only needed a small amount of fluid. I didn't re-bleed with better fluid, and during the autocross, the clutch pedal started acting wonky (the line going from the throwout bearing to the master cylinder goes right by the driver's side header). And after the fourth run, I couldn't get the car in gear.

Of course I forgot to bring any flavor of brake fluid. I figured that 39.2 was the best I was going to do, and that would be it for the day. Nobody in CP was even close to that time.

Then I thought back to what I mentioned earlier -- pushing myself to get a top 10 raw time. I went to the announce tent and asked them if they could make an announcement asking for brake fluid. SOMEBODY should have some. David Lane immediately came to my aid with some DOT 3 fluid. I had used DOT 4 and a quick google search showed they were compatible. I went to the car to get the tools to bleed the clutch, and Tom Carroll arrived with the same flavor of DOT 4 fluid I had used.

With the Tick master cylinder, bleeding is really easy. I have the bleed line bungied to the strut tower brace, so all I have to do is un attach that, crack open the nipple on the end, put it in a container with some brake fluid, open the fluid reservoir, and pump the clutch pedal. Fill the reservoir as needed. It probably took me longer to type all that than actually bleed the system.

Back in business, I waited to follow the last car of the heat (one of the Impys) and moved to the line. I made a few mistakes and hit three cones, but raw time was 39.3. Comparing that run on Solostorm to the previous run (39.2), it was actually about three tenths faster in one section. So minimizing mistakes, I woulda, coulda, shoulda been in the 38s.

The 39.2 was ninth in raw time, and I was 42nd in PAX. I haven't driven on the Hoosiers since last year, and I only had one top 10 in raw time -- at a NASA event at VMP with maybe 50 people -- and I had three in 2023.

The next WDCR autocross Oct. 5 is likely my last for the year. Hopefully no bad people show up!

* On Sunday, Danny Kao showed up with his brand-spanking-new C8 Corvette and finished behind Greg Jones in his 1996 Tercel in XB.